Air Fryer Baked Bean Bacon Cups

Air Fryer Baked Bean Bacon Cups are a great and fun summer appetizer or side dish. I combined two of my family’s favorites into one dish!

Let’s talk about bacon. It’s an Air Fryer’s Dream, it perfectly cooks up, and there is nothing like it.

Then you have baked beans, which are amazing, you can either buy some, or you can make a homemade batch; either way, they come together for a complete summer side dish; who doesn’t love Baked Beans and Bacon at a BBQ/ Served today in a cute and delicious bacon cup!

If you are looking for even more Air Fryer Appetizer Recipes, some of my favorites are KETO AIR FRYER PICKLES, AIR FRYER SCALLION PANCAKES, AIR FRYER NAKED CHICKEN TENDERS, and AIR FRYER FROG LEGS.

What Are Bacon Cups?

Bacon cups are really nothing special; they have been along for a long time. All you need to do is organize your bacon into a muffin tin so that it creates a cavity for your baked beans.

You can either cut them to fit or wrap them around each other so they create a circle. They are truly the best BBQ side dish you will have this summer!

Ingredients Air Fryer Baked Bean Bacon Cups

• Bacon (any type)
• Baked Beans, either homemade or canned
• Muffin Tin that fits into your Air Fryer

How To Make Air Fryer Baked Bean Bacon Cups

Place your bacon into the muffin tin. You can either cut it to fit or wrap it around in the muffin tin.

Place the muffin tin into the air fryer basket, and air fry for 8 to 12 minutes at 400 degrees F, air fryer setting.

Note: The bacon will shrink as it cooks up.

When the bacon is done, remove the muffin pan from the Air Fryer, and let it cool. Then remove the bacon. Place the bacon on a paper towel to absorb some of the oil.

Fill with hot baked beans.

Pro Tips For Making Air Fryer Baked Bean Bacon Cups

• The bacon will shrink as it cooks. Therefore make sure that your bacon is larger than you think.
• You can also roll this into strips.
• I used pie weights to hold down and create a cavity on my second batch. You do not need them, but they make a better bacon cup.
• You can use any bacon, but I recommend wide bacon strips.
• You can use flavored and candied bacon for this recipe.

Can You Make These Ahead Of Time?

Yes, I made a batch for my kids the night before. I was serving them. You can either assemble them ahead of time for best results, air fry them up, or cook them and reheat them in the air fryer.

If you want, you can reheat them on your grill over medium heat. (If serving these at a BBQ)

Variations:

Once you have your bacon cup, you can really fill it with anything. I went with a classic BBQ baked beans, but you can use anything, some great options.

• Cobb Salad
• Pasta Salad
• Potato Salad
• Macaroni Salad

What Is The Best Bacon To Use?

My only advice on this is that you need to use wide bacon to drape around the muffin tin. But you can use any flavor you want; this would work amazingly with candied bacon!

The options are endless.

What Muffin Tin Will Fit My Air Fryer?

While most of us have muffin tins in our cabinets, sometimes they will not fit into the air fryer; here are some of my favorites (affiliate links included)

4-Hole Muffin Pan, Bakeware Non-stick Cupcake Baking Pan, Mini Pie Pans, Whoopie Pie Pan, Heavy Duty Carbon Steel Muffin Tray, Standard Baking Mold Pan

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