1. Wash the kale and dry it thoroughly. This matters more than any other step: wet leaves steam instead of crisping, so use a salad spinner or pat everything dry with a towel before you go further.
  2. Strip the leaves from the tough center stems and tear them into pieces roughly 2in across. They'll shrink as they cook, so don't tear them too small.
  3. Put the torn kale in a large bowl, drizzle with the olive oil, and massage it into the leaves with your hands for about 30 seconds. Every leaf should look lightly glossy, not wet or pooling oil at the bottom of the bowl.
  4. Sprinkle with salt, garlic powder, and nutritional yeast if using, then toss again to distribute.
  5. Preheat the air fryer to 350°F.
  6. Load the basket in a single, loose layer. Kale is bulky and light, so don't pack it down. Work in two batches if your basket is small; crowded leaves block airflow and end up chewy in spots instead of crisp all over.

Air fryer: 350°F, 8 minutes, shaking the basket every 2 to 3 minutes.

  1. Shake or toss the basket at the 2 or 3 minute mark, then again a couple minutes later. Kale chips go from perfectly crisp to burnt in under a minute near the end, so start checking at 6 minutes.
  2. Pull pieces out as they finish; edges and thinner leaves crisp faster than thicker center pieces, so it's normal to remove chips in a couple of rounds rather than all at once.
  3. Let the chips sit on a plate for a minute or two before eating. They firm up and get crunchier as they cool, and they'll seem slightly soft straight out of the basket even when done.

Tips

  • Dry kale is the single biggest factor here. If the leaves feel even slightly damp after washing, they'll steam instead of crisp no matter how long you cook them.
  • Use a light hand with the oil. A heavy coating makes the chips greasy and slows down crisping instead of helping it.
  • Basket size and airflow strength vary between air fryer models, so treat the 8 minute mark as a guide and start checking a minute or two earlier the first time you make these.
  • Store cooled chips in a loosely covered container, not sealed airtight while warm, or trapped steam will soften them within an hour.

FAQ

Can I use pre-washed bagged kale? Yes, but spread it out and pat it dry first. Bagged kale often carries more surface moisture than you'd expect, and that moisture is the main enemy of crispness here.

Why are my kale chips chewy instead of crispy? Usually it's one of three things: the leaves weren't fully dry before cooking, the basket was too crowded, or they came out before enough moisture had cooked off. Give them another minute or two and check again.

Can I use curly kale or lacinato (dinosaur) kale? Both work. Curly kale gives more crinkled surface area and crisps up slightly faster; lacinato is flatter and holds its shape, so tear it a bit smaller.

Do I need to flip the chips, not just shake them? Shaking the basket a couple of times is enough for pieces this light and small. A full flip isn't necessary, just make sure no leaves are stuck flat against the basket floor.

Can I season these after cooking instead of before? Salt is fine to add after, but oil needs to go on before cooking so the leaves crisp evenly instead of drying out unevenly.