Making Bacon Wrapped Lil Smokies in the air fryer is so quick and easy (just 7 minutes cook time!) and these make the perfect party food! We toss these in a mix of spices to make the best little snack!
I’m a total sucker for party foods and the air fryer is usually my go to when it comes to making snacks and appetizers for our friends and family.
Football season is here and that means we’ve really stepped up our appetizer game!
Take these Bacon Wrapped Lil Smokies cooked in the air fryer – they’re a classic recipe, but with a bit of a twist. First, we don’t just stop at bacon and sausage…we toss the two in a spice mixture that adds loads of big flavor. And we don’t take the time to heat up the whole oven…we just toss them in the air fryer!
We also love to make our Air Fryer Chex Mix, Air Fryer Smoked Sausage, and Air Fryer Fried Pickles for game day, holiday parties, and more!
Table of Contents
Ingredient Notes:
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Cocktail Sausages – Any variety of Lil Smokies sausages will do.
Bacon – Try to avoid thick-cut bacon, it doesn’t work well in this recipe. Otherwise get your favorite brand, and flavor!
Seasonings– We add brown sugar, chili powder, cracked pepper, and ground mustard to the lil smokies.
The lil smokies are a little too lil for the bacon to wrap securely around the sausage. So you will need toothpicks to help secure them, make sure you add them to your grocery list!
How to Make Bacon Wrapped Lil Smokies:
- Prep the meats– Open the package of Lil Smokies and pat them all dry with a paper towel. Cut your bacon slices into thirds and wrap each sausage in a single piece of bacon. Hold the bacon in place with a toothpick.
- Add seasoning– In a ziptop bag add brown sugar, chili powder, cracked pepper, and ground mustard. Shake the bag to combine. Add several of your wrapped sausages to the bag and toss to coat them in seasoning.
- Air fry the lil smokies– Add your sausages in an even layer in your air fryer basket. Air fry at 390 degrees F for 5 minutes. Flip and continue cooking to your desired bacon crispness. This usually takes another 2-3 minutes. Cook in batches if needed.
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FAQ:
We have a teaspoon of chili powder in our recipe, you could add another half teaspoon if you wish. Or if you want it hotter you could add a half teaspoon of cayenne instead.
These Lil Smokies should be safe in a cool house for around 2 hours. If you’re outdoors or the weather is very hot, they’ll last around an hour.
We love serving these bacon wrapped lil smokies with ranch dressing, honey mustard, or a spicy brown mustard for dipping.
Make Ahead:
You can make these in advance a few ways!
Option 1: Wrap the sausages in bacon, secure with a toothpick, and refrigerate until ready to cook. Have your bag of seasoning ready to go and just toss the sausages into the seasonings and air fry when ready! This is our preferred method!
Option 2: Completely prep the sausages, including coating them in the seasoning, and store them in the fridge until ready to air fry. This method does make the spice mixture a little wetter and less like pictured in the photos.
Option 3: Prep, cook, and refrigerate up to 2 days in advance. Reheat in the air fryer when ready to serve.
More recipes you might like:
Bacon Wrapped Lil Smokies in the Air Fryer
Equipment
Ingredients
- 14 ounces Lil Smokies sausages
- 12 slices bacon
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- ½ teaspoon cracked pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon ground mustard
Instructions
- Drain the package of Lil Smokies and pat each sausage dry with a paper towel.
- Slice the bacon into thirds and wrap each sausage in a piece of bacon. Secure with a toothpick.
- Add the brown sugar, chili powder, pepper, and mustard to a ziptop bag and shake to combine.
- Add 5-10 sausages to the bag and shake to coat in the seasoning. Arrange sausages in an even layer in an air fryer basket.
- Air fry at 390 degrees for 5 minutes and then flip and continue cooking for 2-3 minutes or until bacon is as crisp as you’d like.
- Repeat with remaining sausages. Subsequent batches may take less time as the air fryer will be hot.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
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