Air fryer kale chips cook up crispy and perfect in under 10 minutes, including the time it takes to make your delicious, from-scratch seasoning blend of choice.
Y'all, I made kale chips in my air fryer. No big deal.
Actually, for me, this is a huge deal. I never make my own kale chips anymore, because for some reason spreading pieces of kale in a single layer on baking sheets feels too inefficient to me.
But I do love to eat kale chips by the handful, and even two baking sheets of chips just feels like so few, considering how long they need to bake.
I've been crazy about my air fryer ever since it landed on our doorstep. These air fryer kale chips are my latest air frying adventure, but be sure to also try my Crispy Air Fried Tofu and Air Fryer Avocado Fries. You won't be sorry!
What is an air fryer?
I get this question a LOT. Think of an air fryer as a super fast convection oven that makes food crispy and delicious in less time than it would take you to bake it.
I KNOW.
And it cooks even faster than a regular convection oven. A typical convection oven cuts baking time by 25 percent. My air fryer cuts baking time in half, and the results are crispier than you'd get from a proper oven.
Read all about the joys of air frying and get tons of vegan air fryer recipes in my handy air fryer FAQ.
Important recipe notes
But maybe you already know what an air fryer is and just want to make some kale chips already. Here's what you need to know.
When you're making air fryer kale chips, you don't have to worry about creating a single layer, like you would on a baking sheet. Just make sure you give a thorough shake a few times during cooking, so they are able to cook evenly.
Making these kale chips also won't heat up the house, like baking them in the oven does.
They also only cook for four or five minutes. That means, from start to finish, you're looking at about 10 minutes total standing between you and a big ol' pile of air fryer kale chips. That includes the time to make your seasoning blend from scratch.
I KNOW.
To make these, start by stemming your kale. This is not something you can skip.
You can save the stems and toss them into soups or stews. Just don't leave them on the leaves when you're prepping your kale for this recipe.
The woody kale stems take a lot longer to cook than the leaves, so if you don't stem, you'll end up with chewy stems in the center of your crispy kale chips. Not ideal.
Or, if you cook longer, so the stems get crispy, you'll end up with burnt leaves. Also not ideal!
Don't do it. I ruined a good batch of kale chips this way. Lesson learned!
Once you stem the kale, just massage it with olive oil, and air fry for four to five minutes, shaking a couple of times. Then, toss on your seasonings, and devour them!
Seasoning ideas
You can season your kale chips however you want. Here are some ideas to get you started:
- Plain: pinch of salt
- Ranch: 1 teaspoon dried dill, 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder, 1/2 teaspoon onion powder, and 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
- Magical: 2 tablespoons of my Magical Fairy Dust seasoning
- Easy Cheesy: 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, and 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- Italian: 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning and 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
- Za'atar: 1 tablespoon za'atar seasoning
If you want to experiment with your own seasonings, go for it! You want one to two tablespoons of dry herbs and spices total.
Can I store these for later?
Eat these kale chips immediately, if possible. The ones you buy at the store come bagged with a desiccant, which keeps them from absorbing moisture.
Homemade air fryer kale chips do not come with a dessicant, and they will get soft over time.
The good news is that the recipe below makes an amount that one to two people can easily eat in one sitting.
If you do have leftovers, store in an airtight container in the fridge and know that they will be soft when you eat them. They'll still taste good, but they won't be remotely chip-like in texture.
Air fryer kale chips recipe
Ingredients
- 4 cups loosely packed kale - stemmed (see note)
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- pinch of salt
- 1-2 tablespoons seasoning mix of your choice - See notes for suggestions.
Instructions
- Lightly massage the kale with the oil and salt in a medium-sized bowl. You aren't going for a kale salad here, just a little wilting is fine. Then, dump the coated kale into the basket of your air fryer.
- Cook on 370° F for 4-6 minutes (do not preheat), shaking every 2 minutes, checking for doneness. Check in every minute for the last 2 minutes.
- Toss with your seasoning of choice, and eat immediately.
Equipment
Video
Notes
Seasoning ideas
You can season your kale chips however you want, using 1-2 tablespoons of herbs and spices. Here are some ideas to get you started:- Ranch: 1 teaspoon dried dill, 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder, 1/2 teaspoon onion powder, 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
- Magical: 2 tablespoons of my Magical Fairy Dust seasoning
- Cheesy: 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, and 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- Italian: 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning and a tablespoon of nutritional yeast
- Za'atar: 1 tablespoon za'atar seasoning
Gwen
This worked perfectly for me. I love the shortened time it takes me now with this method. I did however, do a couple of things a lil different. I did it somewhat the same way I do them in the conventional oven for the crispiness I love. My temp and time in the conventional oven was 15 min at 350, season, flip over. Then 15 more min at 350. It takes less than 12 min opposed to 30 for making a batch with your method, and I dont have to worry about burning and ruining a batch. I wash kale leaves, then lay out on paper towels, patting dry, letting batch completely air dry for about 15.
for about 15 min. You can spin dry as well. However, I end up still laying them out on paper towels to dry so I skip all the extra appliances and just lay them out for less work. With your method, I do the first 6 min w/o any ingredients, just leaves, then I take out and toss with oil and seasonings putting back in air fryer for 2-4 min more.. It makes it more crispy to me. Voila kale chips galore in less than 12 min thx!
Reggie Gore
I used beet greens and they were all sucked up into the top in the air blower thingy. Any idea why or how I can prevent that from happening again. The 2 that survived were delicious.
Becky Striepe
Beet greens are lighter weight than kale, which is probably why. I'm sorry that happened to you!
clare
I was hoping there was a tip in this recipe cause I have previously tried making Kale crisps, in AF but like the above person with her beet greens, mine too got sucked up and burnt and got into the workings.
Becky Striepe
Oh dear! I always have a few leaves that fly away like that, but mostly they stay put. Are you tossing them with a bit of oil before air frying? Oil helps add a bit of weight to the leaves, so they don't fly away as easily.
mms
I saw a person recommend placing an extra air fryer rack on top of the kale to prevent this.
Becky Striepe
I've seen that recommended, too. My only worry with that is that it would compress the kale, so the air wouldn't circulate well. That would cause uneven cooking.
Lenore Lounsbury
Cover them with another air fryer rack. This will keep them in place while allowing air to flow around them.
Becky Striepe
Oh my gosh, this is GENIUS!
Gwen
What is nooch seasoning? Lol
Becky Striepe
It's nutritional yeast, a cheesy sprinkle.
Corinna
This was the fourth thing I made in my Air Fryer and possibly the most successful recipe to date! I absolutely love it, they turned out perfect. Thanks for this!
Becky Striepe
You are so welcome, Corinna! Thank you for coming back to rate and comment -- that means a lot to me!
Janet
Shhh I have to admit hubby wanted an air fryer and I did not because of counter space. Friend gave me one and I LOVE it (except for the space it takes on the counter)
Jonathan
Nice chips
Becky Striepe
Thank you!