These Air Fryer Kale Chips are light and crisp! Kale chips made in an air fryer get perfectly crispy and crunchy in just a few minutes and make preparing kale as easy as can be!
I love kale chips!
I have loved the crunch of kale chips for years and years – they were one of the first foodie crazes I got hooked on! (This was the first time I tried kale chips!)
You can see a round up of my favorite kale recipes and a bit more about kale nutrition in this post: Love Me Some Kale.
Kale Chips are Crispy!
Part of the reason people get down on salads is greens can get super chewy and/or soggy. Kale chips are as far from soggy as you can get!
I love them as a lunch or dinner side or sometimes as a snack. I can eat a whole lotta kale at once!! My favorite recipe is simply salt, pepper, and smoked paprika dipped in ketchup, but of course there are so many different spice combinations you can use.
Air Fryer Kale Chips Recipe
While it’s easy to make kale chips in an oven, they can be hit or miss at times. If you don’t spin out all the water or crowd the pan, you can end up with chips that are half burnt and half soggy.
The air fryer is also faster and smaller so you’re saving energy by not heating up your whole oven.
So if you have an air fryer, give these a try!
Remind me….WHAT IS AN AIR FRYER?
An air fryer is a countertop kitchen appliance that uses convection to circulate hot air around food.
Instead of just using heat, the combination of heat + air cooks food faster and with a bit more crisp.
Sweet potato fries are the number one reason I pull this bad boy out, but kale chips and anything panko-coated (like my Air Fryer Avocado Fries recipe!) are a close second.
The model I have never made it to market, but this one is a very similar model: Amazon Basics Air Fryer.
Ingredients for these air fryer kale chips
Kale:you can use any kind of fresh kale, but curly kale is my favorite!
Oil: You don’t need much oil, just enough to lightly coat the leaves. I like olive oil, but you can use avocado oil or macadamia oil – any kind you like.
Salt and Pepper: The basic seasonings. Lots of salt!
Instructions: How To Make Them
Step 1: Preheat air fryer to 375°F
Step 2: Wash kale and pat totally dry.
A salad spinner will help!
Step 3: Tear or chop kale into bite-size pieces, discarding stems.
You’ll want the pieces to be about the size of a meatball or golfball – one bite but big enough to pick up and dunk!
Step 4: In a large bowl, add kale along with seasonings and gently massage everything together.
Step 5: Add kale to air fryer basket and air fry for about 8 minutes.
If you had a super large head of kale, you might need to split into two batches. Shake the basket halfway through cooking. The chips will be done when kale is crispy at the edges.
Serve with dipping sauce of your choice!
Tips To Making Air Fryer Kale Chips
A salad spinner is a must to get the leaves super dry
Water is your enemy with kale chips, so you’ll want to be sure the kale leaves are SUPER dry after washing. A salad spinner (this one is my favorite) will be your best friend. Paper towels or a clean cloth can help too.
How to store kale chips
You can definitely store them in a container, but I never think they are as good the next day. Store in the fridge and warm up to room temperature to eat. Or you could reheat them in the air fryer itself to re-crisp! Store bought kale chips are better for on-the-go snacks.
Different flavor combinations
- Parmesan cheese
- Nutritional yeast
- Truffle salt
- Everything Bagel seasoning
- Chilli powder
- Cumin
- Red pepper flakes
My favorite sauces
Eat your air fried kale chips with ketchup if you have that salty french fry craving! I also like an aioli (like the one I made for the avocado fries with sriracha!) BBQ sauce, ranch dressing, and pesto also make great dips.
Add these kale chips to my favorite healthy snacks list!
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5 from 1 vote
Air Fryer Kale Chips
Get crispy, crunchy kale chips in under 10 minutes with this air fryer recipe! Seasoned with smoked paprika and nutritional yeast, these chips are packed with flavor and nutrition.
Course Salad, Side Dish, Snack
Cuisine American
Keyword kale, nutritional yeast, smoked paprika
Prep Time 5 minutes minutes
Cook Time 8 minutes minutes
Total Time 13 minutes minutes
Servings 4 people
Equipment
Air Fryer
Ingredients
- 1 head of kale
- 2 tablespoons oil
- 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast or parmesan cheese
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt and a sprinkle of black pepper
Instructions
Preheat Air Fryer to 375°F
Wash kale and pat totally dry.
Tear kale into bite-size pieces, discarding stems.
In a large bowl, add kale along with seasonings and gently massage everything together.
Add kale to air fryer basket and air fry for about 8 minutes, until kale is crispy, shaking the basket halfway through cooking.
Cook in 2 batches if necessary.
Serve with dipping sauce of your choice!
Notes
If you don't have an air fryer, you can bake these in an oven too! Increase the baking time to around 15 minutes and when the edges begin to crisp, they're done.
