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.
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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.
Thank you for this fabulous recipe. After wasting a trolley-load of kale in the past trying to bake chips, I had nearly despaired. You have finally delivered the ultimate recipe! I baked 4 trays on Tuesday and need to bake more already – my 12 year old son is hoovering them up!
Wow, sounds like you have a kale chip fan on your hands! Haha. I’m so glad these tips helped you out, Tarka. Enjoy!!
What about giving metric equivalents for quantities and Celsius for temperatures? There are only two countries in the world that use Imperial weights and measures and fahrenheit temperatures – the US and the UK. All the rest of the world is metric and Celsius. It might be the case that you have no wish to have people outside the US and the UK take an interest in your recipes, but if that’s not so, please save thousands of readers the trouble of reaching for their conversion tables by doing it just once yourself.
Just made my first batch of kale chips but I hadn’t found your site until now. Your tips seem to solve all my issues. I have one question: I use a dehydrator and unless I’m drying jerky, I set my temps at 95 degrees (for all fruits and veggies… including ‘leathers’ aka fruit roll ups). I can’t seem to find directions on how long to dry the kale at 95 degrees. What do you think?
Thank you, thank you, thank you! I’ve been making kale chips for a few months but could not find that sweet spot between crispy and burnt. Your tips did it!
Yay! Glad they helped, Judy!
I really appreciate the recipe, have experimented and not succeeded until now. My husband loves the kale chips!
I made these, at another commenter’s suggestion, in a 350 deg. convection oven for 11 min. and they were PERFECT. My daughter and I didn’t even wait the 3 minutes to let them cool; we stood at the counter and ate the whole pan. DELICIOUS!!!
So glad to know that worked out so wonderfully, Jane! Thanks for sharing. :)
Wonderful kale chips! Taste good and are crunchy❤️ Easy to follow instructions??
Thank you for sharing?
So glad you found the recipe helpful and tasty, Ruth!
My question is….what do you store the chips in, and how long will they last…i would like to make a batch and take them travelling with us….
Not sure what a 1/2 bunch of kale means, that’s not really a measurement…
Thanks for your tips. I finally made kale chips that are delicious. I agree with that low temp is a key!
Great info. Kale is drying and I can’t wait. No more soggy or burnt chips for me.
Hope you enjoy the finished product, Janna!
Pampered Chef has a funny plastic rubber thing to make chips in the microwave. I’ve tried it and it’s as good as baked and much faster. I make them for company as appetizers. The Pampered Chef thing advertised as for potato chips. Those were not satisfactory.
Hi great recipe. I used convection oven @ 300 & it worked great. Only cooked it for total time
Including wait time 17 min. Linda
Thanks for sharing, Linda!
VEGANISM note to parents. My son has been a vegan for half his life. At first I was concerned about this decision, thinking it was too extreme. Well, 18 years later, not only is he well and happy but has just qualified for the Boston marathon. The trick is they need to know
something about nutrition. If they’re knowledgable, it’ll be all right. And maybe end up a fabulous cook like my son or Angela. Tip on kale chips: make sure they’re very dry and if
you live in the monterey California area use the vegan bacon olive oil. SOOOO good!
This recipe sounds so good. What is the best way to store kale chips so they stay crunchy? Thank you.
Hi Donna, In all honesty, kale chips are best served and eaten right away—they don’t retain their crunchiness very well no matter how I’ve stored them. I tend to leave the batch on the pan and snack on them throughout the day. If you do store them, you can try reheating leftovers in the oven to crisp them back up. (I would try about 5 to 7 minutes at 300F, then let them crisp up on the pan for a few minutes more.) If you give it a try, I hope that helps!
I leave my chips in an open container on the counter. They stay crisp for days! Every time I pass by, I eat a handful.
Hi, I tried the kale chips, and they turned very dark, looked unappealing, and tasted uckky. Next batch, I took out while they were still green, after about 5 minutes, let them cool and ate them as a salad. I think i’m not meant to have homemade kale chips…..Great recipe, perhaps, but sad results.
Delicious .. I’m put spike seasoning on mine .. Couldn’t stop eating them !
Thanks for the tip!
Hi I am about to go try your kale chips recipe but am wondering why it calls for yeast.
Hi Noreen, Great question! Nutritional yeast is great for lending a cheesy, nutty flavour to vegan recipes, so I love sprinkling it on kale chips. It’s different than the yeast used in bread (which is what’s known as “active” yeast and works as a leavening agent).
I don’t use all the spices–just a sprinkling of sea salt. I bake at 300 degrees for 15 minutes. I also cover my baking sheets with parchment paper–when they cool down a bit, I pick up the paper and dump them into a bowl. Put the paper back down and bake another sheet full. I store them in the open bowl on the counter and munch on them for the next week–never get soggy, but stay crisp.
Thanks for sharing, Linda!