Air Fryer Kale Chips Recipe

A bowl of baked kale leaves shown from the top view.

These Air Fryer Kale Chips are a fun, crispy, and nutritious snack that's ready in about 10 minutes. They're vegan, gluten-free, keto, and low-calorie, too, so you can munch on them guilt-free. Sprinkle these crunchy chips with your favorite seasoning as a great way to get in your veggies for the day!

Course Snack

Cuisine American

Diet Vegan

Prep Time 7

Cook Time 3

Total Time 10

Servings cups

Calories 121kcal

Author Aysegul Sanford

Equipment

1 Air Fryer

Ingredients

5 cups kale (1 bunch of kale) rinsed, spin-dried, torn into smaller pieces
1 tablespoon olive oil
¼ teaspoon kosher salt

Instructions

Preheat the air fryer: Preheat air fryer to 375 degrees F.
Add the ingredients to a bowl: Place kale leaves, olive oil, and salt in a large mixing bowl.
Massage the kale: Lightly massage the kale, ensuring all leaves are coated with the oil.
Place in the air fryer: Transfer the kale to the air fryer basket and spread them in a single layer, making sure not to overcrowd them. It is best to air-fry kale leaves in batches for optimum crispiness.
Air fry the kale: Air fry for 3-4 minutes, turning them halfway through the air frying process. Keep a close eye on them around the 3-minute mark to prevent over cooking.

Notes

Can I air fry frozen kale? Yes, you can. Frozen kale takes about 7-8 minutes. Keep in mind, though, that kale expands as it air fries, so it's important not to overcrowd the air fryer basket. Additionally, during our recipe testing, we found that kale chips made with fresh kale were crispier than its version made with frozen kale.
You may need to cover kale with another rack while cooking: Due to hot air circulation, the fragile and light kale leaves tend to fly around in the air fryer during the cooking process. Covering each batch with an air fryer rack or another heat-proof basket will keep your kale chips in place.
Seasoning ideas: Seasoning is the fun part of making kale chips at home! While you can sprinkle them with parmesan cheese (or nutritional yeast for a vegan option), you can also season them with ranch seasoning, bbq seasoning, or even everything but the bagel seasoning.
Make ahead: The part that takes the most time in this recipe is preparing the kale chips (rinse, dry, and cut the leaves into small pieces) for frying. The good news is that you can prepare kale and store it in the fridge a few days in advance.
Storage: For maximum crunchiness, we recommend air frying kale chips on the day you plan to consume them. However, if you have some leftovers, you can store them in a paper bag or a paper towel-lined airtight container large enough so that the crispy leaves will not break. Make sure that they are at room temperature before you store them. Your chips will stay fresh for up to two days.

Nutrition