I’ve suffered through one too many batches of burned or soggy kale chips over the years. It took me a while to master my baked kale chip recipe, but I’ve learned some valuable lessons along the way and I’d like to pass my tips along to you! From the good ‘ol Culinary School of Hard Knocks (aka: my kitchen) to you. Gotta love it.
The first time I made kale chips I remember thinking, “Should they taste burnt like this??” The easy answer is no. I’ve come to find a nice balance between crispiness and chewiness without any burnt edges. Yes, this is very serious business, this kale chip business. When baked properly, they really do make the perfect base for a satisfying chip alternative.
I know some people are eager to claim that kale is “over” due to its popularity in recent years, but seeing as it’s still rated number #1 (along with Mustard/Turnip/Collard Greens) on the Aggregate Nutrient Density Index (ANDI), I don’t think it’s going anywhere anytime soon. At least not in my diet. Kale for life!
With these few simple techniques you’ll be well on your way to kale chip bliss. Or maybe you already are, in which case, feel free to skip ahead to my All-Dressed Baked Kale Chip recipe below and get crunching!
Ok, here are my top 6 tips for baking the perfect kale chips. No dehydrator required.
1. Remove the stems and tear leaves into large pieces
I don’t know about you, but I’m not a fan of chewing through woody baked kale stems. I remove the stems very quickly by grabbing the base of the stem with one hand and pushing outwards along the stem to slide off the leaves. Works like a charm!
2. Wash and thoroughly dry the leaves before beginning
If the leaves aren’t properly dried, the water can “steam” the kale chips while baking and lead to the dreaded soggy kale chip! Be sure they are nice and dry before you massage in the oil. A salad spinner works great; just be sure not to overload it so the leaves can properly dry.
3. Don’t skip the oil, but don’t drench it in oil either
A little bit of extra virgin olive oil (or coconut oil, if you prefer) goes a long way. I like to use ½ tablespoon of oil per baking sheet of kale chips. “Massage” the oil into the leaves to ensure all the nooks and crannies are coated. Oil also helps the spices stick to the leaves.
4. Spread kale into a single layer on the baking sheet
I used to dump all the kale into a very thick layer on the baking sheet and hope for the best, but doing this tends to lead to soggy, unevenly baked kale chips. I’ve learned to be a bit more patient and spread them out into a thinner layer on each baking sheet. Be sure to rotate the baking sheet half-way through baking. There’s no real need to flip the chips unless you have the patience for it.
5. It’s all about the low-heat for even baking
As I wrote in my cookbook, I tested all kinds of kale chip recipes at different temperatures from very low to high heats. Surprise, surprise the batches that worked the best were the ones I baked at a very low temperature of 300F. Sure, it takes a bit longer to bake, but I can assure you it’s worth it because you don’t get any burnt pieces. Remember, the goal is to crisp the kale, not scorch it into smithereens! In my oven, I bake at 300F for 10 minutes, then I rotate the pan, and bake for another 15 minutes. So 25 minutes total for kale chip perfection in my oven. This will vary based on your oven, but it’s a good starting off point!
6. Cool for just a few minutes on the baking sheet
I’ve found that waiting just 3 minutes allows the kale chips to crisp up even more once they are out of the oven. Just like baked cookies or roasted chickpeas, kale chips really firm up even more when cooled. Those 3 minutes will feel like hours though. I won’t lie.
Bonus tips: Avoid adding liquids (such as vinegars or hot sauces) pre-baking as liquids can result in soggy chips. It’s best to add a light spritz of liquid seasoning after they’ve been baked, if at all. Also, if your oven has one, feel free to try out the dehydrator or convection setting.
Now, read on for my All-Dressed Kale Chip recipe! I promise this batch will not last long…minutes while standing in front of the oven if you are like me.
Featuring all new, protein-packed salads, hearty toppers, flavour boosters, and dressings you'll want to drink, my new cookbook will transform the way you think about salads. Oh, and be sure to flip to the back for a surprise dessert chapter!
All-Dressed Kale Chips
Yield
1-2 servings
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
Crispy and chewy kale chips baked in the oven and seasoned to perfection. Enjoy these as a healthy alternative to potato chips.
Ingredients
per baking sheet:
- approx. 1/2 bunch kale leaves
- 1/2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil or melted coconut oil
- 1.5 tablespoons nutritional yeast
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 3/4 teaspoon chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon fine grain sea salt or pink Himalayan sea salt
- 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)
Directions
- Preheat oven to 300F. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Remove leaves from the stems of the kale and roughly tear it up into large pieces. Compost the stems (or freeze for smoothies). Wash and spin the leaves until thoroughly dry.
- Add kale leaves into a large bowl. Massage in the oil until all the nooks and crannies are coated in oil. Now sprinkle on the spices/seasonings and toss to combine.
- Spread out the kale onto the prepared baking sheet into a single layer, being sure not to overcrowd the kale.
- Bake for 10 minutes, rotate the pan, and bake for another 12-15 minutes more until the kale begins to firm up. The kale will look shrunken, but this is normal. I bake for 25 mins. total in my oven.
- Cool the kale on the sheet for 3 minutes before digging in! This really makes all the difference! Enjoy immediately as they lose their crispiness with time.
- Repeat this process for the other half of the bunch.
Tip:
Feel free to make these in a dehydrator if you have one. You can also experiment with the convection or dehydrator setting on your oven (if applicable).
Nutrition Information
(click to expand)I can’t end this post today without thanking you for your lovely comments in my recent post. I’m reading through all of them and greatly appreciate the support, advice, and love. Sketchie’s staple removal went fine (it took a few minutes and didn’t seem to even bother him) and he is healing well from surgery.
I had no ‘nutritional yeast’ (don’t know what that is) and no smoked paprika… and I was a skeptic; love my potato chips. But, I made it with what I had, and followed the tips, came out perfectly, and now I am a believer! Trying to be healthier without sacrifice, and this works!! Thanks!
Great tips. I do large batches in the conventional oven and microwave simultaneously. Drying the kale after a good rinse is the biggest challenge, in my opinion! It’s worth it’s weight in paper towels, however. I rec’d 2 microwave chip trays as a gift. I am pretty certain they are from the Pampered Chef: they are superb! I never massage my chips but use a misto with either canola or cocoanut oil, just spraying the one side directly on the trays. My microwave does them perfectly @ 2min22secs, if a few of them are not totally crisp, I add another 20 seconds. {don’t let any popping sounds scare you, it’s the oil} In the conventional oven, I do 10-12 minutes @ 350. I store in a zip lock bag with 2 tblsp rice in the bottom. If they seem they are loosing their crispness, I just put them in the microwave for 20-30 seconds on a paper towel prior to serving, and they re-crisp quite nicely!
P.S. A misto is an oil sprayer that you can fill with your own oil instead of paying out the wazoo and disposing of numerous cans of aerosol spray oils like Pam. I’ve been thru a few in my cooking era, and my most recent favorite one is BPA-free clear plastic with a white lid. It looks like a perfume bottle, but does a very good job of spraying after you pump the lid to resistance. I hope this helps. Cheerio
Good recipe, but oh no one mentions how tough kale is on the system! I spent more time ruuning to the bathroom! Lots of close calls until I figured out the connection. OMG….
Tried this recipe after several failed attempts at kale chips. These flavors were amazing! my picky veggie eaters (ages 3yr and 5yr) are on their second serving! I added a bit of parm shake cheese to this mix and loved it. Thanks for the great tips! This will be a forever replacement for potato chips in our house!
The seasoning is excellent! I have made these using the dehydrator method and have had great success with several batches. Delicious! Thank you!
I’m going to my garden to pick some kale right now! I’ll be back
Delicious! I made these in a convection oven, only change was 10 mins. turn pan. 5 mins. and then let sit for 3 mins. Thanks so much for your guidance!
I’ve been using this recipe for my Red Russian Kale from my garden. The chips have been fabulous and my 13 month old gobbles them up as soon as they are cool. She calls them “cwackahs” (crackers, close enough!). Since I loved the recipe so much, I just tried it with Broccoli Leaves! It works great! I was pulling out my broccoli plants and really didn’t want the leaves to go to waste. They taste just like kale, possibly better. I haven’t decided yet. I’m excited to know my broccoli leaves won’t go to waste. I found storing the chips in a glass container with a sealing lid keeps them crispy for a week or more. Thanks for the recipe!
Thank you so much for these tips! I’ve never made kale chips but have been wanting to and I finally did last night. They came out great but still had that burnt/too crispy flavor you had mentioned. But I’m not giving up. I’ll definitely give this one another try but probably for 20 minutes instead of 25. Thanks again!! :)
Thanks for the 6 tips. These were my first attempt and they truly did come out flawless. Yum!
Hi Angela,
I just made kale chips for the first time from your recipe and they are wonderful; my daughter has just left to buy another bunch of kale.
Thank you,
Denise
These look fantastic. I’ve tried them in the past, based on comments from friends, but these look like they may work. Any difference/suggestions on using a baking stone vs. an aluminum baking sheet? I tend to bake nearly everything on my stoneware, but occasionally a recipe will work better on a conventional pan.
Have just tried kale crisps. Failure! Just found your recipe and will have another go! Should have read it before I started!
I have done kale chips recipes before but my friends didn’t like it. I tried browsing the net and hope to find something that will excite and interest me. Gladly, I was able to read it. I hope to have a better kale chips this time. Thanks for sharing!
Do you have to use the yeast??
I have everything except for the yeast
Thanks!
Great tips. I’d never cooked these before but had a ton of kale from a farm share I bought into for the summer. I didn’t want it to go to waste since I can’t stand more than a handful of kale in my salads, so I needed some other way to eat it. This is by far the best way to serve kale know. They taste remarkably similar to potato chips. Came out perfectly crispy even though it’s my first time thanks to your tips. I just used a general seasoning blend and canola oil though.
Hi Angela tried my first baked kale chips. they were crispy alright with very few scorched ones. I didn’t like the taste tho as I only used salt and it tasted bitter. What could possibly remove the natural bitterness of the curly kale. Thanks your tips were great
I tore into big pieces, dried well, massaged with oil, spaced them out, and baked them on 300F for 10, rotated, and baked for 12.
And I all tasted is burned.
:-(
I am overflowing with dragon kale and I was wondering how many “leaves” are in a “half bunch” of kale?
Super useful tips! I really appreciate this post, as I’ve had problems with sogginess in the past. Going to make this right now. Thank you!