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.
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 make mine with basil oil or any kind of flavored oil, soooo yummy!
Hi, I’m going to try your recipe. Your cat’s photo shows a body posture generally indicating a cat in a good deal of pain: hunched up back, feet drawn in close, eyes half closed (also could be nearly sleeping). I guess you knew she had to be experiencing some pain, and I hope your vet provided her a remedy for her. Sorry for the ordeal for both of you. Regards,
Thank you so much for this recipe! I’ve made Kale chips before but they always turned out soggy or burnt and this time they were perfect! I massaged the leaves pretty good, though I thought I put too much oil on it yet it turned out perfect! All I seasoned it with was Mrs. Dash onion flavour, cayenne pepper and pepper and baked at 250 for about 25 – 30 minutes checking at 10 minutes then another 10 then 5 and 5!
Hi, I’m going to try your recipe. Your cat’s photo shows a body posture generally indicating a cat in a good deal of pain: hunched up back, feet are drawn in close, eyes half-closed (also could be nearly sleeping). I guess you knew she had to be experiencing some pain, and I hope your vet provided her a remedy for her. Sorry for the ordeal for both of you. https://www.cybersuggest.com
Regards,
My son ordered Kale Chips to try at a restaurant and they were bitter, and burnt, soggy and horrible. I found your recipe & decided to make my own so he doesn’t have a negative view of Kale chips. These were amazing, I only used salt & paprika & I squeezed some lemon juice over them just before serving them to him – he ate the whole bowl = a whole packet of Kale. Thank you x 1000000000
Can you tell me the best way to store the cooked Kale?
This is a great recipe! Befire this, my kale chips had turned out easily burned and turn soft after a while. This time round, the kale chips turn out ultra crispy and scrumptious with the tinge of garlic powder! Thanks a lot!
GREAT tips for crispy chips, ha! ? now I want to make some…
So I’ve made (more like tried to make) kale chips a few times and every time they turned out badly, but I had extra kale lying around from another recipe and decided to give kale chips another go. This recipe, and the directions for it, were perfect! It was easy and they turned out amazing! I did the all dressed up kale chips and I would highly recommend trying them! Btw I did sub vegetable oil because I was all out of olive oil and they were perfect.
Just made these with a famous name catalog/home party seasoned salt and they are pretty good! 19 yr old said they needed more seasoning, but had no problem chowing down on them. Also made a batch with garlic powder and a smidge of onion powder, and salt–better than seasoned salt! Really like, remind me of broccoli cooked with olive oil and garlic-the way my family always has-fabulous! Can see the potato chip connection too with the garlic ones! We baked them at 300′ for 7 min, then rotated and switched racks, baked another 5–checked them and watched closely for another 3 minutes. Came out perfect! Crispy, not burnt! Overall, I will definitely make these from now on. Will definitely season more heavily now that I’ve done once. We grow kale and it usually grows through winter, even here in NE PA–which is unusual. Ours has grown thru winter last 5 years. I have a very hard time eating kale any other way, and I was able to eat some of these.
How do you store your kale chips without them getting soggy?
Cooking for 22 minutes made them a little too burned flavored for me. I’m going to try slightly less time next time. (It’s probably because I have a gas oven). They had a great flavor with the paprika, chili powder, and cayenne pepper, but I think I will add a little more salt next time. Thanks for the recipe! This was my first time making kale chips!
Made Kale chips for the first time using this recipe, they are perfect. My 3 yr old loves them, too! Thank you.
One year my husband grew so much kale I hung it on the clothesline outside to dry!
realllyyy yummmy. i used a “ROCK” baking sheet with grills, and did 12min/12min came out crunchy and ready to eat no waiting. I used green and purple kale grown locally here in Vancouver, BC. Thanks so much for putting this recipe together, I didn’t deviate from it besides packing the cooking tray with as much kale as possible :D
I quadrupled the seasoning and keep it in a jar. Then when I want to make Kale chips, I just massage in the oil and sprinkle with the ready made seasoning. Works like a charm.
I also use my convection at 300 and do 10 minutes one way and only 2-3 minutes after rotating the pan.
25 mins all up a little too long for my batch! 20 mins would have been perfect (I should have checked them at 20). Also way too salty for us however the other spices were great.
Will try again. Thanks ?
All ovens vary. The thing to do with any recipe is to start checking about five to ten minutes before the stating cooking time is up. That way you get the best results for YOUR oven. :)
These were delicious! It’s not always easy to find a good recipe for kale, but your chips turned out great! I mainly use kale (aka superfood) for juicing. Thanks for putting this together :)
Your recipes are great even though I am foreign I liked it and I was able to make it myself thanks
Hi!
I just found this recipe, and it sounds delicious. I just bought some Tuscan kale the other day, because I wanted to try your recipe.
I’m not too familiar with nutritional yeast. I was wondering if there are different varieties? Also, would you please share the brand that you buy? I just want to be certain, I get the “good kind!” LOL
Thank you for sharing your recipe, and I look forward to trying this!
Beth
Hey Beth, so glad to hear you are thinking of trying out this recipe! I typically purchase Bob’s Red Mill nutritional yeast, but have also had success with many other brands.