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.
The timing must be off (or the temperature). Thank goodness I’d divided my lovingly massaged kale leaves into two batche because the first half got carbonised!! :-(
Excellent!! So glad I found this recipe first! They were perfect and delicious! Thanks for such detailed instructions. You are right about the 3 minute wait time, nearly impossible! Had to walk away and write this so I wouldn’t eat them all! Thank You!!!!
I use this recipe all the time now. They are so good! Thank you.
What about baby kale? The stems are so tiny…can they be left on?
veggienewbie
Superb recipe! I changed the seasoning, added turmeric and ground fennel seeds, turned out very well.
Thank you so much! the recipe worked a treat and given the strictness of my diet at the moment there’s chips are my saviour :)
oops forgot to rate it :) 5 stars!
I was recently in Alaska at a “U-Pick” farm and visited will a lady about kale and she told me about making chips and how her dog waits by the oven door when she bakes them She said she used a oil, vinegar, and spice mixture and was looking to see if I could find her recipe–didn’t write it down! Also, I am allergic–get deathly sick–to both olive oil and coconut oil. Can I use melted butter instead? Don’t like the flavor of vegetable oil! Thank you.
What is rainbow kale?
Thank you for posting these tips. FYI…my kale (1st try) was fantastic. Many thanks!
Heading to the kitchen now!!
just stepping in to say that men like Kale Salad too.
Wow…that went fast…in the country I live we use Celcius instead of Fahrenheit so calculated that it must be 300F is 140C. I dried the Kale well, did everything you said. It wasnt in the oven for 10 minutes and they were all crispy. I was afraid to leave it longer because it would burn. It was nice tho…It took me 2 minutes to get it all down…now I want more ;)
Thanks so much for this! I love kale chips but have burnt or soggy-fied it too many times to number. I tried this on some weird flat kale/ swiss chard mix and it worked an absolute treat, the best, crispest green chips ever!
Also instead of paprika I’ve been sprinkling sumac on these, as well as other broiled/ roast veggies and it works a treat!
Tried recipe using my convection oven, did not succeed as oven to hot ! Will try again
without convection.
Thank you! I can’t remember how many bags of kale I’ve wasted trying to make chips! I bought a 2lb bag today to sautee and found your recipe. I used my connection oven at 300. This way works!
Hey! I love reading all your recipes, and I’m eager to try them. I’m not a vegan, or even a vegetarian, but I COULD be because I’m not very fond of meat. Hey, did you guys ever notice that people who don’t eat meat are almost always nice people? :-)
I tried it exactly, but they still tasted a little burnt :(
Mmmmmmm. Just ate these sitting on the balcony in the last of the summer sunshine with a gin and tonic. Delicious. Am trying REALLY hard to leave half for my partner…..
This recipe by FAR has been the best for kale chips. I used the coconut oil and the Herbamore organic blend of seasonings. PERFECT! Thank you for the recipe.