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.
Thanks I’ve never been too crazy about kale chips but the low heat definitely helped. However, I used the convection temperature and they were done in 15 minutes. Glad I was watching them. Turned out perfect!
All kale is not created equal. Yup, curly kale is best.
Your procedure is just about perfect, but have to watch….
Some batches take 10 minutes on 300 degrees, then oven off and leave kale in for another 15 minutes. Perfection.
Some batches take 10 minutes, turn, 10 to 15 more minutes. Perfection again.
I found that I need to go very, very light on the salt!
Thanks !!
Thanks for the most perfect recipe ever!!! I followed exactly except I didn’t have the yeast… However, they turned out awesome! Crisp, tasty and perfect! Thank you so much! Love when a recipe actually works! :)
This recipe is amazing! Hard for me to share them……usually finish them as they dry on the dehydrator. Thank you for sharing. I rave about it to anyone who will listen.
yummm!! I’m in the process of making the chips and I’ve already eaten half of the first batch.
After only one round for trial and error. I played around with my first batch because if there is one thing I know, is that having a 1950’s stove, my oven doesn’t eat like a modern day oven. I se the oven to 300*and set my timer for 10 minutes to turn the pan. When the buzzer went off and I opened the door, it was too late. They were already burnt. So I tossed’em out started on round two. So I adjusted my oven to 250* degrees and then set my oven timer for 5 minutes. When the timer went off I turned the pan and set it for another 5 minutes, and whooolaa! So now I have it down pat. Thanks for the basic foundation recipe.
Sorry for not proof reading for typing errors above! Thanks for reading between the lines
I picked my Kale, came inside and looked for a recipe. Wow I found 6 Tips for Flawless Kale Chips + All-Dressed Kale Chips recipe. So I tried it. This is the best recipe and tips I have tried. I did less hot spices to my taste but the timing was perfect. Next time a little dill weed might go in. Thank you Karla
These worked just right. Thanks!
Thanks for the great tips! I made kale chips today for the first time. I followed your instructions to the letter and they were delicious! My husband even liked them.
I have 2 batches in the oven, love them! One batch has sea salt and fresh lime juice squeezed on them. I usually shut the oven off after 20 minutes and let them sit another 15-20 minutes. Thanks!
how long do you put them in a dehydrator and at what temp? I want to try that.
I stumbled across this when looking for a way to perfect kale chips. My mom recently attempted and don’t get me wrong she is an amazing cook but they did not turn out. Let’s jus say I ended up outdoing her by following this recipe. I made a huge batch and left the house, came back and they were all gone! Thank you!
easiest way to massage the oil into all the crannies is place kale and oil in plastic bag.
Thank you for the tips. I definitely cooked mine at 300 degrees F and I didn’t notice any burnt taste to them. I also used the racks for my dehydrator and that helped me cook a bigger batch at a time without needing to turn it (15 min/batch).
When I took this to church for our Bible study, everybody liked it. And the pastor later said that they really tasted good even though he’s not supposed to admit it because he’s a man. :-)
The next day, some of them were not as crispy so I put them back in the oven for a few minutes as an experiment. It worked! They got crispy again.
My husband cannot eat yeast…why do you use it in the kale chips seasoning? Is there a substitute I can use?
Have never tried kale, but received a whole lot of it in the bountiful basket and didn’t know what to do with it. Yum thanks for the recipes.
I just found your recipe for Kale chips and just wanted to say THANK YOU!. This was my first time making them and my family LOVED them. Thank you for the tips to make these delicious chips. I will be doing this again.
I used convection bake and only had to bake them 10 minutes, they came out delicious. I’m definitely making these again.
These are so tasty. Super fast and easy with my dehydrator. I’m making a jar of spice mix just for these so I can make them even faster. I can’t get enough. I buy Kale from a roadside stand. Whole plant $2.