Air fryer kale chips are topped with sea salt and get deliciously crispy in the air fryer. Making kale chips in the air fryer takes less than 15 minutes.
Have you discovered the magic of air fryer kale chips? I recently have.
Honestly, I didn't have plans to make these. But my grocery store pickup accidentally gave me curly kale instead of Tuscan kale. And curly kale is perfect for kale chips, so I whipped these up.
If you're new to the air fryer world, let me tell you that kale chips are a delicious and easy thing to make in it!
Ingredients
- Curly kale - This is the type of kale that is curly at its edges. It's found in the produce section of your grocery store.
- Olive oil - You can use any type of olive oil! You only use a touch in this recipe.
- Sea salt - This is for sprinkling on the kale chips after they're cooked.
How to make air fryer kale chips
The first step is to wash and dry your kale. Next, cut up your curly kale. You'll want to remove the kale leaves from the tough center rib of the kale.
After you remove the leaves from the rib, cut or tear them into large pieces.
Next, put your kale leaves in a bowl. Drizzle a little olive oil over the top and then massage for 1-2 minutes so that the oil is massaged into all the leaves.
Some air fryers require preheating. If your air fryer does, preheat it. Then, add the curly kale to the tray of the air fryer.
Kale is so light that it can fly around in the air fryer. To keep that from happening, add a trivet on top or something to keep it from flying around.
Return the tray to your air fryer and cook at 380 degrees for 4-7 minutes, shaking halfway through.
Different air fryers will cook slightly differently, and it also may depend on how much kale you have in your air fryer. So I typically cook, then start checking around 4 minutes, stopping when my kale chips have gotten nicely crispy.
Once my kale chips are nicely crisped, I remove them from the air fryer, add them to a plate, and sprinkle sea salt over the top.
Recipe tips
- All air fryers cook differently. Check frequently for doneness and remove when your kale chips are crispy and dried out!
- This recipe is easy to customize with different flavors and spices.
- If you find the kale blows around in your air fryer, make sure to weigh it down with a trivet.
How to customize
The kale chips are easy to customize! You could season your kale with a packet of dried ranch seasoning, nutritional yeast, or your own favorite spices before cooking. Some people even enjoy some everything bagel seasoning on theirs.
What is the best type of kale to use?
I prefer using curly kale for kale chips. I find the curly part of the kale just crisps up so nicely. You can use Tuscan/dinosaur kale if that's what you have, but I've found curly kale to just work so well.
How to keep air fried kale chips from being bitter
So kale certainly gets a bad rap for being kind of bitter tasting. And no one wants that. Maybe some people do. But there's an easy way to combat that!
And that's to massage your kale before cooking. In this recipe for air fryer kale chips, spend a few minutes massaging your oil into the kale.
How to store leftover kale chips
Kale chips are best when eaten right away. However, if you aren't going to eat right away, leave uncovered. (Storing in an airtight container will introduce more moisture into the chips, leaving them no longer crispy).
To reheat and re-crisp kale chips, place back in the air fryer at a low heat like 280 degrees F or 300 degrees F for 1-2 minutes.
More air fryer veggie recipes
- Air fryer zucchini
- Air fryer parmesan carrots
- Air fryer parmesan broccoli
- Air fryer asparagus
- Air fryer roasted potatoes
- Air fryer baked sweet potatoes
More kale recipes
Air Fryer Kale Chips
Equipment
Ingredients
- 4 leaves curly kale
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- sea salt
Instructions
- Wash your kale, and then dry in a salad spinner or well with paper towels or dish towel.
- Take your kale and cut the leaves away from the center rib of the kale. Discard the ribs. Cut or tear the kale leaves into large pieces.
- Place the kale leaves in a bowl and drizzle just a bit of olive oil on the top. If you're not sure how much, start with 1 tsp. Massage the oil into the kale leaves with your hands for 1-2 minutes.
- Preheat your air fryer if needed.
- Add the kale to the air fryer basket, then cook at 380 for 4-7 minutes, shaking halfway.
- As cooking times can vary, start checking on the kale chips at 4 minutes, and return for more time if needed until kale chips are crispy, but not burned.
- Remove the kale chips from the basket and sprinkle with sea salt.
Notes
- Kale is so light that it can fly around in the air fryer. To keep that from happening, add a trivet on top or something to keep it from flying around.
- This recipe uses 4 leaves of curly kale (before cutting). If your kale leaves are a bit smaller, use 5 or 6.
- All air fryers cook a bit differently depending on the size of the air fryer and the amount of food you're cooking. Start checking the kale chips at 4 minutes and test for crispness, and continue cooking for however long needed until they crisp up (shaking basket to redistribute).
Nutrition
If nutrition info is shown, values are based on an online calculator and are estimates. Please verify using your own data.
Leave a Reply