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 just made these and after less than 10 min in the oven at 350F they were burned to a crisp :( I don’t feel like the work that goes into making these is worth the end product. :(
Amazing! It’s my first time trying kale crisps, and I nailed it! My daughter, husband and I are fighting for the crumbs as I type! Thanks for the great recipe!
Awesome, Liz!! So happy they were a success.
This recipe worked perfectly for me! I roasted the kale per the instructions at 300 degrees in my electric oven for 20 minutes total, rotating the pan once. I will personally cut back on the seasoning next time and just do a light salt and pepper. I’m so happy that my mom-in-law sent me this recipe because my past kale chips effort were a soggy and burned failure.
Thank you, great added twis to my boring roasted kale.
Hi,
I want to try to make kale chips for the first time, but I got stuck with 1/2 of bunch. I havr kale growing in my garden so thwt font come in bunhes :D How much really is that in grams approximately? Thank you!
Hi Angela, thanks for the Kale chip recipe all dressed up. I don’t have any nutritional yeast any other suggestions? And ,how would a bit of mustard powder do to the flavor?
I tried to do them before in the dehydrator but I could not get the seasoning to stick, do you still oil them and mix the seasoning the same way and then dehydrate them?
My seasonings always fell off.
Can you also send me your recipe for roasted chickpeas and are they so hard that they can hurt your teeth when you eat them?
Appreciate you bunches, Bonnie
When reading through the comments Copernikus wrote about silica gel beads that have a color indicator. Does anyone know where I can buy these? Thank you
Best Kale Chips EVER!!!
love these! very easy and yummy.
These turn out perfect every time! Believe it or not, I store my kale chips in a brown paper bag and just fold the top down a couple times. They stay crispy for a few days!
Hi ! Awesome recipe you have shared with us, healthy and delicious Kale chips. Would love to read more recipes using Kale. Thanks and keep sharing :-)
God gave us many good things to eat but I couldn’t understand why he gave us Kale. So after trying your Kale chips, I get it. Thank you for very good instructions and explanations.
Yay for Kale chips!
Haha, you’re so welcome, Esther! Enjoy that kale ;)
These are awesome! I was out of onion powder so I had to omit this ingredient but they were still delicious! The taste is night and day compared to store bought kale chips from the natural food section at the grocery store. They don’t even compare. Needless to say, they did not last five minutes!
I’m so happy you enjoyed them, Kathrine!! (They don’t last long in our house, either, heh)
Hi,
Is it normal that it tastes bitter?!
Or not, what could it be?!
Txs
Very bitter tasting but made nice crisp chip Anyway to avoid bitterness?
I make them in a airfryer cook at 390 for 6 min so good
Can kale chips be reheated to add crispness. I am making these ahead of time for a school garden program and will not be able to prepare on location. Can I make ahead and put a large batch in the school oven to reheat before program? Or any tips to keep them fresh longer?
Hi Amy, You can try reheating them in the oven to crisp them back up, for sure. I think I’d suggest 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 really hope that helps! (And please let us know how it goes!)
I had never had this before and I really didn’t know what to do with the Kale I brought home the other day. I love it! I want to try all sorts of combinations with what to season with. Thank you for posting!
So glad you found this post helpful, Cole! Enjoy those kale chips. I’d love to hear what seasonings you try!
I grow A LOT of Kale… we just harvested half our Kale with making “chips” in mind. I have an Excalibur, also have 3 ovens. I’m trying a few different methods to find the one that works best for us and the volume of Kale we have to process.
We spent the morning washing, and de-stemming it all (a LARGE clear plastic leaf bag worth) We were trying to mass SPIN the excess water off, when my hubby said, “Can’t we dry it in the dryer?” I said, “give it a go”… we used 2 flannel pillow cases, half filled each with fresh washed Kale, and popped it in the dryer, set to “delicate” the pillow case came out VERY damp, but the Kale was perfectly DRY. The time it saved is invaluable… thought we’d pass the “tip” along in the event you too are drying literally pounds of Kale leaves!!
Tried this recipe last week, love all your tips especially about rubbing the kale with olive oil (rather than drizzling the oil over) and using a lower temperature for a longer time so the chips don’t get burnt! The kale chips turned out perfect, crispy and not oily! My grandson ate almost the whole lot in one sitting! Thanks for sharing!