Contoured fan blades and associated systems and methods are disclosed herein. A representative embodiment includes a hub and multiple curved fan blades circumferentially arranged around, and coupled to, the hub. Individual fan blades can have a tip, a first curved edge, and a second curved edge. The first and second curved edges extend over at least part of the length between the hub to the tip of the fan blade. The fan blade is formed with multiple upper channels and multiple lower channels. The multiple upper and lower channels extend from the first curved edge to the second curved edge.