Air fryer kale chips cook up crispy and perfect in only 5 minutes. Serve them plain or spice them up with one of these 5 seasoning mixes!
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.
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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 fryer tofu, air fryer Brussels sprouts, air fryer French fries, and crunchy air fryer avocado fries. You won't be sorry!
Why make kale chips in the air fryer?
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.
How to air fry kale chips
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.
Massaging the kale, rather than just tossing with the oil, will make the leaves heavy enough that they won't fly around in the air fryer too much. That means you don't have to cover them in the basket.
When they're light and crispy, toss on your seasonings and devour them immediately.
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, ½ teaspoon garlic powder, ½ 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 ½ 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.
📖 Recipe
Crispy Air Fryer Kale Chips Recipe
Equipment
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. These will get soggy, if you try to store them.
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, ½ teaspoon garlic powder, ½ 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 ½ teaspoon onion powder
- Italian: 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning and a tablespoon of nutritional yeast
- Za'atar: 1 tablespoon za'atar seasoning
Nutrition
Frequently asked questions
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 in my handy air fryer FAQ.
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.
You can! To bake, spread the kale onto a lined baking sheet in a single layer. Bake at 375° F for 10-15 minutes, or until they're crisp.
Commercial kale chips retain their crunch because they are packaged with a little desiccant pack. You know, that little pack that you throw away after you eat them? It's there to absorb excess moisture, so the kale chips stay crunchy.
You can serve kale chips plain or season them. See the notes in the recipe card for 5 seasoning ideas!
Got a question? Tried this recipe? Leave a reply!