Air Fryer Kale Chips VS. Oven Baked / Roasted Kale Chips

Save this post to read later!

And the winner is…….. AIR FRYER!!!!!

This post may contain affiliate links which means if you click on my links and purchase something I might receive a small commission….at no additional cost to you! Thank you for supporting this blog and my family!

PIN TO YOUR RECIPE BOARD

OUR AIR FRYER | Which air fryer should I buy?

We purchased this air fryer / instant pot combo after reading this book.

You can find our instant pot / pressure cooker / air fryer combo at Target, Walmart, or Kohls. I bought mine at Kohl’s with their amazing coupons, and then also $80 off after buying this bad boy best seller for my kids this summer AND I was able to pick it up in the drive up curbside pickup same day. Woot!

ONLY NEED AN AIR FRYER? YOU HAVE TO CHECK THIS ONE OUT!

If you don’t need an instant pot combo OR if you just need a BIG DADDY Air Fryer for all of your air frying needs, search no further!

Also, if you have researched air fryers and have found them all to have tons of plastic!!! Smell like plastic!!! And just be….uh plastic….search no further!

I have my brother to thank for this one!

The Big Boss Air Fryer is the best out there! It’s 16 quarts!!!!! And the all glass bowl is AMAZING!!!!

WHY YOU NEED AN INSTANT POT / PRESSURE C0OKER.

I am not an instant pot expert. In fact, I’m new to this world after reading this book and realizing that lectins are inflammatory and that removing them or minimizing them is a key to health. AND the instant pot allows you to eat some lectin-rich foods and allows you to lower those lectins. I will continue to share this journey with you!

WHY KALE CHIPS?

I first read about kale chips when I read this book. Dr. Terry Wahls explains how to feed your mitochondria and cells and it is FASCINATING. She also said her teens love kale chips. And we tried them AND THEY ARE ALWAYS A HUGE HIT?

My husband, walking home from dinner with friends…”Did you see what the dads were munching on while you all were in the kitchen?” “Kale chips!!!”

Seriously, they are actually good. No joke. My kids devour them. I’ve gotten to where I make a huge batch of them daily and leave them on the counter or table for them to munch on as they walk by. If you’re going to snack….why not snack on something that is feeding your cells?!

THE NEW CANDY JAR???!!! THE KALE CHIP PLATTER!!! Let’s high five the next time we see each other for winning at motherhood 🙂

WHY ARE YOU COOKING AT HOME?

I’ve really started cooking almost everything myself at home. If you think about it, it makes sense. Foods in the stores must be preserved or they would all be rancid and contain mold. Yuck.

We want fresh food. We need nutrients from fresh food. But that means the convenience we also want is harder to get. So, we batch cook. And I must say…..I LOVE MY INSTANT POT / AIR FRYER for ease. I can cook and leave it while I do other things at home and I don’t burn as much food. It is meant to cook food relatively quickly but without having to stir and that’s so great for a busy mom.

I feel like we are always cooking around here so tools that help us to cook while doing other things is really helpful!

WHAT KIND OF KALE IS THE BEST FOR KALE CHIPS?

I like this kind of organic kale in bunches. Huge bunches better than baby kale or chopped kale. They make better chips in my opinion.

AIR FRYER KALE CHIPS RECIPE – THE WINNER!!!!!

I really do LOVE the air fryer kale chips better. They turn out PERFECT EVERY SINGLE TIME!
And, I can make more at a time.
And, they don’t burn like the oven.

• Grab your organic kale bunches from fridge.
• Remove the band.
• Rinse. or soak in a veggie scrub.
• DIY VEGGIE SCRUB RECIPE…I have started making my own with 1 cup ACV, 4 cups water, 1 T lemon juice. Mix and spray. Let sit for 2-5 min. Rinse off.
• Then I peel of the big stems and put the leaves and I put mine directly into the air fryer basket to make less mess.
• You could also put it on a cookie sheet (make sure your cookie sheets are stainless and not aluminum) or counter. You can also use a silicone baking mat like this. Technically silicone isn’t supposed to be heated but will work for this recipe.
• I use a silicone basting brush like this.
• I brush the kale with avocado oil. Olive oil isn’t supposed to be heated this hot so I use avocado for baking or cooking recipes like these.
• NEW HACK……I just discovered this 100% avocado oil spray! Game changer! Just spray it on. AND PLEASE FRIENDS, always check the ingredients on your sprays! Never use the toxic ones!
• Then I sprinkle Himalayan salt over the top using a grinder.
• I flip and rotate as needed to equally coat all of the kale.
• Turn on air fryer. I have been air frying for 5 min at 350-375.
• I check it after 5 min. I have yet to burn my kale chips in the air fryer but I have to admit I burned a few batches in the oven before this!
• I take out the pieces that are ready and then put the rest of the chewy pieces back on for 3-4 minutes. Same temp.
• My kids prefer them crispy and not chewy. So this method is easier than the oven to remove the pieces that are done and continue cooking the rest.

OVEN KALE CHIPS RECIPE

I used the oven for kale chips before I got my new air fryer recently.

• Grab your organic kale bunches from fridge.
• Remove the band.
• Rinse. or soak in a veggie scrub. DIY VEGGIE SCRUB RECIPE…I have started making my own with 1 cup ACV, 4 cups water, 1 T lemon juice. Mix and spray. Let sit for 2-5 min. Rinse off.
• Then I peal off the leaves from the large stem.
• Put the kale directly on your cookie sheets. (make sure your cookie sheets are stainless and not aluminum) or use a ceramic cooking sheet. You can also use a silicone baking mat like this. Technically silicone isn’t supposed to be heated so putting it in the oven with this recipe could release toxins into your organic kale.
• I use a silicone basting brush like this.
• I brush the kale with avocado oil. Olive oil isn’t supposed to be heated this hot so I use avocado oil in recipes that require heat. Olive oil for homemade salad dressings for example.
• Then I sprinkle Himalayan salt over the top using a grinder.
• Bake for 350 degrees for approximately 10 minutes.
• Turn on air fryer. I have been air frying for 5 min at 350-375.
• THIS IS THE TRICKY PART WITH THE OVEN……You have to bake the exact time. You have to watch them not to burn the tips. I often burn the tips in the oven. I have never burned the tips in the air fryer.

ARE THERE ANY DOWNSIDES TO KALE CHIPS?

They are messy!!!!!

You’ll have them on your cheeks and in your teeth.
If you give them to your kids, there will be crumbs everywhere.

If I take them in the car, I put them in bowls and make my kids eat over the bowls.

They can be oily also so little finger prints are to be expected.

DOWNSIDES TO EATING HEALTHY?

I find that the more fresh fruits and vegetables we eat, the more space we need in fridges!
It’s kind of shocking actually.

If we grocery shop weekly…..
If we eat a bag of apples a day, that’s 7 bags of apples for the week.
If we eat 1-2 bunches of kale per day, we need 10 bunches per week at the store.
If we add 3 huge handfuls of spinach to our smoothies every morning, we need 2 boxes of organic spinach per week.
If we eat 1/2 a cold watermelon every afternoon playing on this water slide in the yard, then we need 3 watermelons a week.
The list goes on and on and it feels like we need more and more fridge space!

BUT it’s so worth it to eat healthy!!!!