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My air fryer kale chips recipe churns out a batch of shatter-crisp kale chips in just 10 minutes. Season simply with salt or one of our tasty seasoning combinations (like Dorito and Cool Ranch!). If you haven’t been able to achieve *actually* crispy kale chips before, try this recipe.
save this recipe!In today’s edition of “Things you can make in your air fryer”…KALE CHIPS! While I’m a huge fan of oven baked kale chips, making them in the air fryer is not only faster but it saves on electricity.
With almost hundreds of five-star reviews, this tried-and-true kale chips recipe produces perfectly crispy, lightly salted little snacks in 10 minutes flat.
Reader rating
“I don’t leave comments very often but the kale chips are so good. I had a rate it 5+ stars. This is amazing. This is the first time I’ve had kale.” —Paul
Crispy Kale Chips Recipe Ingredients
Jump to the recipe card for all measurements!
- Kale: I tested both curly and lacinato kale and both work well.
- Oil: Just enough to coat the leaves lightly. To make kale chips with less oil, spray the leaves with cooking spray rather than using the full amount of oil.
- Salt
Recommended Seasonings
Add some flavor to your chips before cooking using any of these popcorn seasonings (Ranch and Dorito are my favorites!)
How do I keep my chips from flying around in the air fryer?
If you notice that your kale chips are flying around in the air fryer, cover them with and air fryer rack. This will keep them in place while allowing air to flow around them. I’ve found this happens in some air fryers and not others!
What to Serve with Your Kale Chips
- As a soup topper. Crumble them over a bowl of tomato basil soup or creamy vegan mushroom soup in place of croutons!
- As a salad topper. Break them into pieces and scatter over a vegetarian Caesar salad or strawberry arugula salad for crunch without the heaviness of croutons.
- As a snack alongside a sandwich or wrap. Serve them next to smashed chickpea Caesar wraps or buffalo chickpea wraps the way you’d serve chips on the side.
- On their own. But honestly, a bowl of kale chips needs nothing next to it.
How to Store Air Fryer Kale Chips
Kale chips are best eaten the day they’re made, but they keep reasonably well if stored correctly.
Store them in a paper bag or a loosely sealed plastic bag lined with a paper towel. The paper absorbs any residual moisture that would otherwise make them go soft. Do not store in an airtight container, which traps the air and kills the crunch.
At room temperature, they keep for up to a week. If they soften, a minute or two back in the air fryer at 375°F will bring most of the crispiness back.
Kale Chips Recipe FAQs
Any cooking method that applies heat will reduce some heat-sensitive nutrients, including vitamin C and certain B vitamins. Air frying is actually gentler on nutrients than boiling, which leaches water-soluble vitamins into the cooking liquid. As a nutritionist, my take is that kale chips are still a genuinely nutritious snack. They retain meaningful amounts of vitamin K, calcium, and fiber (and getting someone to eat kale enthusiastically is worth more than a marginal difference in nutrient retention)!
Soggy kale chips almost always come down to one of three things.
First, the kale wasn’t dry enough before oiling. Any surface moisture prevents crisping. Second, too much oil was used, which steams the leaves rather than crisping them. A thin, even coat is all you need. Third, the basket was overcrowded, which traps steam and keeps the temperature from doing its job.
How to Make Kale Chips in Air Fryer
Ingredients
- 1 bunch kale, about 5 cups, 8-10 oz
- 1 Tbsp olive oil, 15 mL
- ¼ tsp salt
- Optional flavorings, see notes
Instructions
- Prep: Wash and dry kale. Cut the leaves away from the spine, then roughly tear the leaves into bite-sized pieces. Massage oil into the leaves, making sure each piece of kale has a thin coat of oil. Sprinkle with salt (and optional flavorings) and toss to coat.
- Transfer: Lay kale in a single layer in your air fryer basket, uncurling the leaves as much as possible while keeping them from overlapping too much (you may need to cook in batches).
- Cook: Air fry for 4 to 5 minutes at 375°F (190°C), shaking the pan once to help them cook evenly. Keep a close eye on them after 3 minutes. They’re done when crispy!
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information calculated by Sarah Bond, degreed nutritionist.
did you make this?Leave a comment below and tag @liveeatlearn on social media! I love seeing what you’ve made!Dino Kale Chips
This recipe also works well with dinosaur kale, aka lacinato kale. They may need just a minute or two more cooking time because the leaves aren’t as delicate as the curly kale.
Love kale chips?
Try spinach chips! They have a similar taste and texture and simply use a different leafy green.
Love kale chips and they turned out pretty good but they kept flying around in my air fryer and the ones that got pulled to the top got burnt really bad. Not sure how to keep that from happening.
This can happen with some air fryers! If you have any kind of tray that came with the air fryer, you can set that over the leaves to keep them from flying around.
Otherwise known as Chinese seaweed.