Air Fryer Rye Bread Chips (Rugbrødschips)
Air Fryer Rye Bread Chips (Rugbrødschips)
Rye bread chips are Danish thrift turned into a system: a way to use up dry or last-of-the-loaf rugbrød instead of throwing it out. Slice the bread thin, toss it in oil and salt, and make it crisp — once in the oven, now just as easily in the air fryer.
The bread is what matters most. Use real Danish rugbrød, ideally a seeded whole-grain loaf, and ideally 2-3 days old. Dry bread slices thinner without crumbling, and a seed-rich rye gives more crunch than a lighter loaf.
The air fryer handles the chips in 8-10 minutes at 355°F (180°C). The sugars in rye bread scorch quickly, so the last couple of minutes need watching. The result is thin, crisp-all-the-way-through chips with a deep, toasted rye flavor.
Serve them as crunch on a salad, with soup, with cheese, or as dipping chips for hummus, guacamole or an herb dip. They keep crisp in an airtight container, and any that soften can be refreshed with a couple of minutes back in the air fryer.
Ingredients
Serves 4
- 6 slices rye bread, ideally 2-3 days old (seeded whole-grain rye)
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp salt (flaky salt or fine salt)
- ½ tsp black pepper, optional
- ½-1 tsp garlic powder (or onion powder), optional
- a little thyme or rosemary, optional
Directions
Slice the rye bread as thin as possible with a sharp bread knife. If the bread is soft, put it in the freezer for just under an hour first — then it slices thin without crumbling. Cut each slice into triangles or small squares.
Toss the pieces in olive oil in a bowl, or brush them thinly on both sides. Sprinkle with salt and any seasonings you like, and mix so the oil and seasoning are evenly distributed.
Arrange the chips in a single layer in the air fryer basket — not in a heap, or they won’t crisp evenly. Use a rack if you have one, so the light slices don’t blow around.
Air-fry at 355°F (180°C) for 8-10 minutes, turning the chips or shaking the basket halfway through. Keep a close eye on the last 2-3 minutes, as the sugars in the rye go quickly from golden to burnt. Take them out when they are crisp all the way through and golden.
Lay the chips on a rack and let them cool completely — they get even crisper as they cool. Serve right away, or store them airtight.
Notes
- Sweet variant: brush the bread with 20 g melted butter instead of oil, and sprinkle with 1-2 tbsp sugar mixed with ½ tsp cinnamon before cooking.
- Avoid burning: the sugars in rye bread caramelize quickly. If your air fryer burns the slices at 355°F (180°C), lower the temperature a little and increase the time, for example 320-340°F (160-170°C) for 12-15 minutes.
- Refreshing: if the chips soften after a few days, give them 2-3 minutes in the air fryer again (or about 10 minutes at 355°F (180°C) in the oven).
- Serving: great as crunch on a salad, with soup, with cheese and tapas, or as dipping chips for hummus, guacamole or an herb dip.
See Also
Danish Sour Dough Rye Bread - My Favourite Recipe
