Glue & Glitter

Ranch Kale Chips Made in the Air Fryer

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Ranch Air Fryer Kale Chips cook up crispy and perfect in the air fryer in under 10 minutes, including the time needed to make delicious from-scratch ranch seasoning.

close-up of a hand holding a crispy ranch kale chip

Y’all, I made air fryer kale chips. 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.

I 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 know, I’m a child.

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 faster than you could fry or 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, HERE.

white bowl of air fryer kale chips on a stone table with a black dish towel beside it

How to Make Air Fryer Kale Chips

But maybe you’re not here because you’re curious about air fryers. Maybe you have one already and just want to make some air fryer 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. And making these kale chips 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 ranch kale chips. That includes the time to make the ranch seasoning from scratch.

I KNOW.

One Important Note About These Kale Chips

This recipe says to stem your kale, and that is not something you can skip. You can save the stems, and toss them into soups or stews, but 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 fry than the leaves, so if you don’t stem, you’ll end up with chewy stems in the middles of your crispy air fryer kale chips.

Or, if you cook longer so the stems get crispy, you’ll end up with burnt leaves. Don’t do it. I ruined a good batch of kale chips this way. Lesson learned!

image collage of kale chips in a bowl and a hand holding one of the chips. Text reads, "Ranch Kale Chips, 10 minutes, vegan air fryer recipe"

One Other Important Note

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 if you leave them out or even in the fridge.

The good news is that the recipe below makes an amount that 1-2 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.

I created a video for this recipe, or you can check out the written version below the video.

Ranch kale chips cook up crispy and perfect in the air fryer in under 10 minutes, including the time needed to make delicious from-scratch ranch seasoning.

Air Fryer Ranch Kale Chips

Crispy air fryer ranch kale chips take just a few minutes in the air fryer. 
3.86 from 28 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Appetizer
Cuisine: Vegan
Keyword: air fryer, air fryer kale chips, easy kale chips, kale, kale chips, vegan air fryer, vegan air fryer recipe, vegan snacks
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 5 minutes
Servings: 2
Calories: 145kcal
Author: Becky Striepe

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Toss the oil, kale pieces, Ranch Seasoning, and nutritional yeast together in a medium-sized bowl, then dump the coated kale into the basket of your air fryer.
  • Cook on 370 for 4-5 minutes (do not preheat), shaking after 2 minutes. Eat immediately.

Notes

This recipe says to stem your kale, and that is not something you can skip. You can save the stems, and toss them into soups or stews, but 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 fry than the leaves, so if you don’t stem, you’ll end up with chewy stems in the middles of your crispy kale chips. Or, if you cook longer so the stems get crispy, you’ll end up with burnt leaves. Don’t do it. I ruined a good batch of kale chips this way. Lesson learned!

Nutrition

Calories: 145kcal
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About Becky Striepe

(rhymes with “sleepy”) is a vegan food writer and cookbook author. She been vegan since 2006 and developing simple vegan recipes since 2008.

Reader Interactions

Comments

    • Becky Striepe

      December 31, 2018 at 11:35 am

      I haven’t, but there is a recipe for collard chips in Kathy Hester’s air fryer cookbook! You may just need to adjust the cooking time, so check in often, and add a minute or two at the end, if needed.

      Reply

  5. Nicolette

    January 17, 2018 at 4:48 pm

    Do you know if it’s required to completely dry after washing the kale? In making kale chips in the past this is always the most time-consuming part. Either way I’m looking forward to making these!

    Reply

  6. Jessica

    January 23, 2017 at 10:56 pm

    Hi there, is anyone else having trouble with smaller leaves flying up into the mechanism (and burning until they smoke) or flying out of the pan when you take it out mid-way to shake them up? I made great chips today and am thrilled with how fast the kale leaves get crispy, but I don’t think I can do it the same way I did today, since I lost ~20% to the aforementioned problems.

    Reply

      • Jessica

        January 24, 2017 at 10:12 am

        Thanks Becky. I have the Philips Viva. It made me really nervous because the few leaves that flew up and got stuck in the heating mechanism were smoking.

        Reply

        • Becky Striepe

          January 24, 2017 at 11:16 am

          You know, I have heard that stuff flies more in the Philips. When you remove the basket to shake, can you quickly (but carefully) wipe away any leaves from the inside with a sponge? Maybe some extra shakes, if you smell something starting to burn? Just don’t burn yourself!

          Reply

          • Jessica

            January 24, 2017 at 3:31 pm

            I’m just glad to hear that you’ve heard of this happening with a Philips, I was worried I was missing a piece or had a defective machine. I will try what you suggested. I’ll see if there is some sort of cover/mesh I could cover the leaves, and other light items, with. Love your site, thanks!

          • Becky Striepe

            January 24, 2017 at 3:45 pm

            Good luck, Jessica! If you find a good solution, I’d love if you let me know. I’m sure other folks have the same question. And thank you so much!

  7. Denise DeSerio

    September 17, 2016 at 9:58 am

    The method says “toss the cashew ranch and kale pieces together” but I see no mention of cashews in the ingredients, nor in the ingredients for the vegan ranch spice…am I missing something?

    Reply

    • Becky Striepe

      August 23, 2016 at 11:14 am

      Thank you, Kate! You’ll love it. You could do these in the oven like regular kale chips, if you can’t wait, though!

      Reply

    • Becky Striepe

      August 22, 2016 at 10:40 am

      I mayyybe purchased this without talking to Dave, because he would have asked me where it was going to go, and I had no idea. I am also banned from further kitchen gadgets without a family meeting first!

      Reply

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