Crispy Air Fryer Kale Chips

Reasons to love this healthy air fryer snack

• Fast and Easy: Kale chips are simple and speedy when air-fried—ready in under 15 minutes, while oven-baked chips take much longer.
• Nutritious snack: Packed with fiber and nutrients, they deliver a satisfying crunch with fewer calories.
• Allergy-friendly: Naturally vegan, gluten-free, low-carb, and low-calorie.
• Budget-friendly: All you need is affordable fresh kale leaves, olive oil, and a sprinkle of salt—no fancy ingredients or additives required!

How to prepare kale to make chips?

Rinse your kale thoroughly under cold running water to remove dirt, then dry it thoroughly using a salad spinner or clean kitchen towels—dry leaves are essential for achieving crispy chips.

To remove the tough central ribs, you can either slide the leaves off the rib by hand or use a sharp knife—both work well. Then, tear or cut the leaves into uniform pieces roughly 1–2 inches wide.

No need to massage the leaves—as you would for a salad—because here you're aiming for crisp, not tender kale.

Seasoning ideas

I keep it simple with just olive oil and sea salt! For additional flavor, you might try playing around with some of these seasoning ideas:

• Everything Bagel –adds a pop of garlic, onion, sesame, and poppy seeds.
• Cheesy Crunch – Sprinkle with nutritional yeast or parmesan cheese.
• Spicy Heat – Bring the heat with red pepper flakes, smoked paprika, or a dash of chili powder.
• Lemon Herb – Brighten things up with lemon zest, juice, and dried herbs like Italian seasoning.
• Ranch – Sprinkle of ranch seasoning powder.

How to store kale chips to keep them crispy

To preserve the crunch, let your chips cool completely before storage—sealing warm chips traps steam and leads to sogginess. Store them in an airtight container at room temperature, ideally for 2–3 days.

If they do soften, you can quickly re-crisp them in the air fryer at 300 °F for about 1–2 minutes—restoring that satisfying crunch.

Recipe tips

• Keep them large. Tear kale leaves into larger pieces than you'd expect—they shrink significantly in the air fryer.
• Use just enough oil. Too much oil makes them not crisp up.
• Watch like a hawk: Kale chips cook fast—typically crispy by 3–5 minutes in an air fryer or 10–15 minutes in the oven. Start checking early to prevent burning.
• To bake in the oven, preheat it to 350 °F and bake on a parchment-lined tray until edges turn lightly brown—remember, they crisp up more as they cool, so remove before becoming too dark.

More easy kale recipes

• Spicy Kale Pasta is a quick dinner in 20 minutes! It is simple, healthy, and easy to make, and the fiery tomato sauce packs a punch!
• Roasted Sweet potato and Kale Salad is a satisfying combination of vibrant flavors and texture, topped with the best honey Dijon dressing. 
• Instant Pot Dal is packed with Kale! It is full of flavor, cozy, nourishing and immensely satisfying.