Air fryer kale chips are a fun (and delicious) snack alternative to potato chips. All you need is three ingredients – fresh kale, salt, and oil.
Welcome to another snack-able air-fryer recipe! I love my air fryer potato chips, but sometimes you just want something a little less carb-y, and a little more “green”, right? I love these air fryer kale chips exactly for that reason — AND that they make kale into something extra fun and crunchy to eat!
Before these chips, I used kale mainly in soups, salads, and the occasional breakfast quiche or egg bite, but then I thought, why not eat kale by itself? My favorite kitchen appliance (the air fryer) inspired me and I decided to mix kale with my favorite simple seasonings, air fry them, and voila — out came these yummy, crunchy kale chips!
Hot tip: For a sweeter snack, try my air fryer apple chips!
Air Fryer Kale Chips Video
How to Make Kale Chips in the Air Fryer
Making air fryer kale chips is as easy as popping open a bag of chips. Okay, maybe not literally, but seriously — these chips are a no-brainer to make. Follow the steps below to be well on your way to crispy and crunchy goodness.
- Prep the kale: Wash, dry, then chop the kale. Toss it together with the salt and oil.
- Place kale into the air fryer: Pop the chopped kale into the air fryer basket.
- Air fry: Air fry the kale chips at 375°F for about four minutes, tossing them midway through.
- Serve: Season to taste with extra salt or seasonings as needed, then enjoy!
Storage tip: Kale chips stay crispy for 2-3 days when stored in an airtight container. If yours start to fall a little flat, pop them back into the air fryer for a couple minutes to make them crispy again.
Kale Chips Seasoning Ideas
Love to have it your way? Good. Feel free to get creative and season your air fried kale chips however you like. Whether you are trying to replicate your favorite potato chip or are simply experimenting with new flavor combinations, mix it up how you see fit.
- Ranch: Use any of your favorite dry ranch mixes for a super flavorful chip. Hidden Valley is a great option.
- Taco Seasoning: Combine equal parts of taco seasoning and nutritional yeast for a cheesy and spicy kale chip.
- Salt & Pepper: Classic salt and pepper never let anyone down. Add more or less pepper depending on how spicy you like it.
- Garlic & Onion: Season to taste with garlic and onion powder and sea salt.
- Hot & Spicy: Season your kale chips with your favorite hot sauce. Use Crysta
- l hot sauce if you like it a bit vinegary or Sriracha if you want an Asian twist.
- BBQ: Grab your favorite meat rub or BBQ sauce and toss to coat. This kale chip is perfect alongside a burger or a cold cut sandwich.
- Sour Cream & Onion: You can usually find dried sour cream powder in the spice aisle.
- Honey Mustard: Toss your kale chips in your favorite honey mustard with a dash of pepper. These are the perfect balance of sweet and salty.
A Few Quick Kale Chip Tips
Kale chips are so quick to make, so my tips won’t take long to get read through either. Take a quick glance and get ready to go!
- Dry the kale well: For the best crisp, make sure to dry the kale leaves completely after washing.
- Keep a close eye on the chips: The chips usually take about four minutes to cook and crisp up, but this can vary depending on the air fryer and amount of chips. Keep a close eye on your kale chips to avoid any burnt chips!
- Use a high quality oil: With such a short ingredient list, it’s important to use high quality ingredients for the best taste. I use olive or avocado oil for kale chips because I love those flavors the most!
More Air Fryer Snacks
- Air Fryer Parmesan Zucchini Chips — Have you ever tried fried zucchini? It’s delicious!
- Air Fryer Chickpeas — If you want another crunchy (and healthy) snack, try air fried chickpeas!
- Air Fryer French Fries — I don’t know anyone who says “no” to French fries!
- Air Fryer Tortilla Chips — All you need is corn tortillas, oil, and salt
Recipe
Ingredients
Instructions
- Rinse kale under cool water. Place kale on a stack of paper towels to dry and pat off any excess liquid. Chop the kale leaves into bite-sized pieces. Toss with salt and oil.
- Place the seasoned kale in an air fryer basket.
- Air fry the kale chips at 375°F for about 4 minutes, tossing them midway through air frying. Since kale is quite delicate, pay special attention that you don't burn the leaves in the last couple minutes of air frying.
- Sprinkle with any additional seasoning to taste. Serve right away!
Too much salt for me (I halved it on the second attempt and it was still too much). But it was still surprisingly good.
Hi Kim, Thanks for the feedback. Enjoy!
Really tastes like baked grass
Hi Julia, Your comment made me LOL! 🙂
Followed the recipe… olive oil and salt before cooking and sprinkled with nutritional yeast after cooked. We are not kale fans but these are pretty good. Thank you.
Judy, thats awesome, great to hear that you loved this one. Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback.
I accidentally added way to much salt but other then that this recipe is delicious!
Hi Xyla- Glad you enjoyed it, thanks for commenting!
I hate kale, but I love this recipe! Used the instant pot air fryer attachment and made garlic and onion kale chips. I made the mistake of drizzling the oil then the salt right after so some are salty and others are fine. Next time I'll toss the kale after drizzling the olive oil to ensure even distribution before adding the seasoning.
Hi Kira, That is such a great point! Thank you for your feedback. I am so glad that this recipe was a success. Enjoy it!!
So great! My air fryer doesn't have an option for 375 degrees (only does in 10 degree increments) so I preheated 370 and I only had to cook for 2 minutes total for perfection for my hubby and myself. We did add a tiny sprinkling of garlic powder along with the salt and oil. YUM!
Hi Emily, that sounds like the kale chips turned out so tasty! Thank you for sharing your feedback. Enjoy!!
Natalya -- I just bought an air fryer and found your article on google. I'm going to make these. #AvvoBuddies
Hi Khalid, I am so thrilled that you found this recipe! You are going to LOVE your air-fryer!
My oven (Samsung) said no need to preheat oven, I found this to Not be true. It took a lot longer to do chips.
Hi Patti- ah, I'm sorry it took a lot longer! Hopefully next time they will be quicker to make with a pre-heated air fryer. I am curious, how long did they end up cooking for?
My boys (2yo and 4yo) are just BONKERS for these chips! I love your flavoring suggestions, too! The ranch variety is requested often!
I'm so glad your kids enjoy them and that you find the suggestions helpful, thank you for taking the time to comment!
These are so good! They turn out perfectly in the air fryer every time and are such a good snack to have on hand!
I'm so glad you enjoyed them, Jennifer, thank you for your feedback!
Crisp, healthy, & so tasty!! I love snacking on these & the air fryer makes it so easy to make!
I'm so glad you enjoyed them!!
So unexpectedly delightful! Love this healthy alternative to traditional potato chips! Yum!
I'm so glad you enjoyed the chips, thank you for taking the time to comment!