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.
Oops! My apologies. I should have searched the comments FIRST, not after I post a question. Question answered. Ok without the yeast. I think I throw in some freshly grated parm though. Thanks again!
Well, my comment is still awaiting moderation. I had found my answer moments after I posted it, and made these chips. They are amazing. The tips were great! I didn’t use the onion powder. It just happens to be an ingredient I never liked. And I opted not to add cayenne the first time making them. And I didn’t have or use the yeast. I added a little parmesan. I love cayenne, but now that I’ve made and tasted these kale chips, I think they have enough punch with it. Such a healthy snack, topping for a pizza (after it comes out of the oven), and guests will love them.
Thanks to your tips I made kale chips for the first time last night. It took years for me to source kale here in Belgium, and was grateful for your tips to help me make them like a pro the first time around. It turns out that the lower rack cooked fine while the slightly higher rack had the dreaded singed bits, but I ate them anyway. Next time I will take out the upper rack sooner. Will try next time with toasted sesame oil and salt, like the delicious Korean kim (toasted nori) snack!
Predictions that Adriana grows up to be a adept kale chip prepper before kindergarten :) My 4yo DD is eager to help with the next batch.
I agree that a lower set oven for longer would work better. I used to do 350 for 15, but last time tried 325 for 20. I’m going to try 300 for 25 for sure.
I also thought about a salad spinner, but I don’t have one, so I just dab excessively with paper towels. The trick really is to remove all that moisture after washing.
I had just about given up trying to make these chips. The first time I burned and the second time they first went in the mouth okay Tand then immediately became soft. Then I saw your comments. They turned out GREAT! Thank you for checking into it!
I’m not vegan, I’m pescatarian, but your recipes sure do make me wish I was. I like to try one or two vegan recipes every major holiday and I mainly come to your site because it’s the best. My vegan friend told me about your site last year because it was my first year not eating meat and I didn’t know what I was going to do for thanksgiving. She said I could still do a traditional thanksgiving meal, but instead of turkey have a meat substitute. Last year I made your glazed lentil walnut apple loaf and holiday soup for the soul. I must say I was a little hesitate at first to make the meatless meatloaf because it didn’t look appetizing at first, but my vegan friend assured me it was really good, so I tried it anyways…she was right naturally. My dad also enjoyed your soup having 5 bowl fulls! Last years thanksgiving was such a success that I decided to try another two of your recipes this year, making broccoli and cheeze soup and lentil mushroom walnut balls. I really enjoyed both and so did my family and my friend. However, now I have a lot of thanksgiving leftovers and I didn’t want to keep eating the same over and over again, so I decided to see what other recipes you had on here when I found leftover pumpkin pie casserole. The only thing I substituted was the vegan pumpkin pie for regular pie and I must say it was really good. I think it’s the best thing that I’ve found yet on your website. My mom really liked it too and she doesn’t really care for as she calls it “funky food,” but she ate 3 slices before I told her it was vegetarian and it would have been vegan if I used vegan pumpkin pie instead. I also have leftover kale from my meatballs and i’m not a huge kale fan, but i’m super excited to trying your kale chips! I’ve also tried your vegan pumpkin pie and baked apples stuffed with cinnamon date pecan oatmeal thanks to my one vegan friend. She too loves trying new recipes and testing them on others. I always love trying her vegan food and her inspiration comes from your recipes. I cant wait till Christmas so I can try another few recipes of yours!
It’s my first time making kale chips. But after this solid advice, they’re amazing. Thanks for helping me skip quite a bit of trial and error with pro tips. Thanks
Thanks so much! i prefer mine soggy but thhanks for the great tips.
Fantastic! These tips are right on! The kale comes out perfectly cooked. I made a batch last night using 3/4 of a bunch of organic kale from Kroger/City Market. After cutting out the stems off & making a few large cuts on the leaves, I carefully dried my kale with two fresh clean dishtowels, rubbing the evoo (liquid, not spray) into the leaves carefully, Light sea salt, used 3 baking sheets ensuring there was plenty of air, carefully separating the leaves on the baking sheets before putting them in the oven. I did not stir/flip. After cooking I left the kale on the sheets for 3 minutes before touching. I left out the spices this time, but will try this recipe as soon as I purchase some nutritional yeast. I took my kale to work and it got two thumbs up. As usual, there was a bit of smoke inside the oven while cooking, but I have a Kenmore cook oven with an air guard feature that keeps the smells out of your house (mostly). Otherwise, I would recommend running the stove fan while cooking crunchy kale. I store my kale in glass tupperware (plastic when taking it with me) and find that it stays relatively crunchy for 2-3 days, which I would consider it’s shelf life anyway. As someone who used to be challenged making crunchy kale, I am grateful to have seen this article. Thank you!!
Hi,
This recipe sounds delicious and thank you for sharing your tips with us!
Do I have to use the nutritional yeast or may I pass using that?
Thank you so much! :-)
Beth
OOPS! I too, apologize! I should have read the comments more thoroughly, because my question was answered! SORRY!
Thanks again for the wonderful tips! Can’t wait to try this yummy kale chips recipe!
Beth
I have researched nutritional yeast and found that it comes in either powder form or flake form. I would like to try it, since it does add flavor.
Can you please tell me if I should buy the powder or the flakes?
Thanks! :-)
Beth
These were perfect! I’ve struggled with getting my chips ‘just right’ for a while now. So glad I found your tips!! I did have to adjust the time in the oven, but not by much! Thanks for posting :)
What are your thoughts about using coconut oil instead of olive oil? Thank you for the great recipe! This will be my first time trying kale chips and I’m happy I stumbled upon your website.
Great tips and explanation, I knew just what to look for when making made my first ever kale chips today. However I still managed to over cook the first batch, but not inedible, popped this into a chicken, walnut and mango salad, great texture and oh so yum. After adjusting oven temperature, a bit of guess work involved in converting F to C, second batch came out a treat. I just used a good olive oil, some rock salt and paprika as seasoning, tastes great, but unfortunately we were a bit full after the salad to eat these straight away, hopefully they stay okay until later today ;-)
Will definitely try this again, thank you, think I’ll head off and explore your website now.
I should have added that I’m not vegan, but that doesn’t stop me from searching healthy food alternatives. Love your website, already plotting to try more of your creations. Thank you.
Thank you for these wonderful tips! I made kale chips for the first time following your advice above and they turned out perfectly! I’m not much of a spice person so I only used Himalayan salt and used butter this time and they were absolutely delicious. I will experiment with coconut oil and olive oil to see which I like the best. Thank you again and have a fabulous 2015!
Will these turn out okay without using the yeast?
What is the purpose of the nutritional yeast in the recipe?
Well I made it… And a failed majorly.. I don’t know what I did wrong.. :-(
The texture of the kale was amazing, but my spices burned a little. Any tips on what I did wrong?