These days, we’re all looking for ways to eat healthier for ourselves and our families. Kale is a versatile food that has several health benefits for all sorts of people. One of the easiest ways to prepare kale is in an air fryer.
You can air fry kale in just 5 minutes. Making kale chips is as simple as putting olive oil, sea salt, and seasonings on the pieces and cooking them for 4-5 minutes. Overcooking them makes them burn, while undercooking makes them soggy.
Keep reading to find out more about how to make perfect kale chips in your air fryer. We’re sharing all our tips!
How Long to Air Fry Kale
You literally only need to air fry kale for 4 to 5 minutes. That’s it. Any longer and they over-crisp.
Ultimately, your kale chips could be ready in as little as 3 minutes. You should start checking them at 3 minutes because the crisping goes quickly after that mark.
Air frying for less than 3 minutes won’t give you the crispness that you’re looking for with kale chips. This is a healthy snack that doesn’t take long to make and has a delicate timeline to stick to.
Read also >> How to Cook Kale on Stove? (Step By Step Guide)
Read also >> How To Make Kale Chips in an Oven? (Baked Kale: Helpful Guide)
How to Air Fry Kale
Now, let’s look at the steps for how to air fry kale. This is a simple process.
Start by washing the kale thoroughly. Make sure you dry it completely before starting to prepare it.
Next, you’ll remove the kale leaves from the shoot in the middle. This is easy to do. You can grasp the kale at the bottom of the leaves where they connect to the shoot and gently pull them off.
Then you can tear or cut the leaves into bite-size pieces for the chips.
You don’t need many ingredients to make kale chips. We recommend using an oil, either avocado or olive oil. You can rub the oil into the leaves or simply toss to coat. Then sprinkle with sea salt or add pepper, also.
Once you’ve seasoned your kale chips to your liking, place them in the air fryer in a single layer. You’ll cook them for 4-5 minutes at 375° F. If you have too many kale chips for a single layer then you just need to cook several batches. They won’t be able to crisp if you stack them on top of each other.
One tip to add here is to flip the kale over half way through cooking. That way you get more even crisping.
Air Frying vs. Oven Baking
Some people have been oven baking kale chips for a long time. Kale chips are delicious baked in the oven, also. There are a couple of benefits to cooking kale in the air fryer, though.
The crispiness is different when kale chips come out of an air fryer. You’ll get an excellent, light texture when you cook them this way.
It takes less time to make kale chips in an air fryer. You can prepare the kale in the same way you would for the air fryer. You’ll bake them for about 4 times as long in the oven, however.
It takes around 20 minutes to bake kale chips to the crispness you’d want.
The oven requires far more energy for making kale chips. You will save electricity by using your air fryer to cook kale chips.
What Should You Serve Kale Chips With?
The thing about kale chips is you can dress them up any way you want. You can eat them as a simple, healthy snack by themselves, or you can make them as a side dish for a meal.
Kale chips can be seasoned so many different ways, so whether you’re having a seafood dinner that needs some healthy vegetables on the side, or your grilling steaks and want something green to go with them, kale chips can pair with almost anything.
You can eat them as finger food or top them with seasonings and other ingredients that turn them into a side dish for eating with a fork. You can even throw kale chips into a salad to give it an extra texture.
How to Store Leftover Kale Chips
Some foods can be stored for a long time and keep their quality. Kale chips aren’t meant to be kept for a long time. They are best when they’re fresh.
You can store leftover kale chips for a little while and still enjoy them, though. You need to make sure the chips are completely cooled.
Then you can put them in a sealed container and keep them at room temperature for up to 3 days.
Ingredients for the Best Kale Chips
Let’s talk about some good ingredients you can use to make the best kale chips. Read on for some of the best recipes we have found.
Greek Seasoned Kale Chips
You can still use the oil of your choice but you’ll season these with other ingredients. Here’s the Greek seasoning blend:
- Salt
- Pepper
- Oregano
- Thyme
- Parsley
- Onion powder
- Dill
- Basil
- Rosemary
- Cinnamon
- Garlic powder
Read also >> How Long Does it Take to Roast Garlic in an Air Fryer? (Helpful Tips)
Everything Bagel Kale Chips
Who doesn’t love everything bagel seasoning? You can make your kale chips delectable with this seasoning blend:
- Dried onion flakes
- Dried minced garlic
- Poppy seeds
- White sesame seeds
- Flaked sea salt
- Black sesame seeds
Taco Kale Chips
Want a healthy side dish to add to your taco bar? Go with this blend of spices to make taco seasoned kale chips:
- Salt (optional)
- Black pepper
- Cumin
- Cayenne pepper (optional)
- Garlic powder
- Chili powder
- Paprika
Ranch Flavored Kale Chips
Ranch is a crowd-pleaser. This is one of the seasonings that is great for snacking kale chips. These are the ingredients you’ll need:
- Salt
- Black pepper
- Dried parsley
- Dried onion flakes
- Garlic powder
- Onion powder
- Dried dill weed
- Dried chives
Other Ideas
You don’t have to stick to a recipe when you’re seasoning your kale chips. Just go with whatever flavors you like.
You can even do garlic-parmesan kale chips, Italian kale chips, Indian kale chips, or Asian flavored ones. Be creative and make what you like.
Air Fryer Kale Chips Nutrition Facts per Serving
There’s no doubt this is a healthy side or snack. But let’s look at the nutritional facts up close so you know just what your body is getting.
One serving of kale chips is about 2 cups. It has 110 calories, 5 grams of protein, 16 grams of carbohydrates, 6 grams of fiber, 4 grams of sugars, and 5 grams of fat.
You also get a lot of other nutritional value from this food. Kale is rich in vitamin A, vitamin C, iron, magnesium, calcium, folate, and potassium.
Air Fryer Kale Chips FAQs
Does making kale chips destroy nutrients?
Absolutely not. Air frying kale chips or baking kale chips retains every bit of the kale’s nutritional value. You get a delicious snack that’s full of beneficial nutrients for your body.
What’s the healthiest way to eat kale?
Generally, the healthiest way to eat any fruits or vegetables is raw. You don’t dilute the nutrients with anything or lose any of them through the cooking process.
Kale retains its nutritional value when you steam it, bake it, or air fry it, though, so you can cook it to your liking.
How do you keep kale chips crispy?
The key to keeping your kale chips crispy to let them cool all the way. Once they’re ready, you can put them in a sealed, air-tight bowl.
They can last in there for about 2 to 3 days.
If you’d like to ensure they stay crisp in the bowl, you can add some raw grains of rice to the bowl that will soak up any moisture that makes it in.
Are kale chips better in an air fryer or oven?
This can come down to preference, however, some say the oven produces better tasting kale chips. The reason is because they cook for longer which allows for more time to soak up the flavor.
AIR FRYER KALE CHIPS | Low Carb & KETO Kale Chips Recipe | KETO Snack: Quick & Easy Homemade Kale Chips >> Check out the video below:
Final Thoughts
Air fried kale chips are easy to make and easy to season any way you want. You can make them in under 10 minutes, from start to finish, and eat them by themselves or make them into a side dish for your meal.
Cook them for just 4-5 minutes in your air fryer at 375° F and they’ll come out crisp, light, and delicious. Kale chips are one of the easiest things to make in an air fryer.
References
https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/10-proven-benefits-of-kale