Baked Kale Chips

4.99 from 58 votes

Baked kale chips are a great healthy Whole30 substitute for potato chips with less calories, less carbs and less fat. Pair them with my vegan dipping sauce!

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This baked kale chip recipe is perfect for when you want an easy healthy snack. Low in calories and high in nutrition, this quick to make snack is sure to satisfy! Roasted in the oven for deliciously crunch chips that are made for dipping!

Large bowl of kale chips with dipping sauce

If you’re doing Whole30 or just looking for more ways to eat whole foods and fruits and vegetables, you gotta try these oven baked kale chips. Kale chips have been popular for more than a decade, but their addictive crunchy texture doesn’t get old!

They are a low calorie, low carb and low fat snack that are also loaded with lots of nutrients. I pair mine with a vegan dipping sauce, so it makes for great party food!

Health Benefits of Kale

  • Kale is one of the most nutrient dense foods on the planet!
  • It is loaded with powerful antioxidants.
  • It’s an excellent source of vitamin C and K.
  • It can help lower cholesterol and the risk of heart disease.
  • It is low calorie but will make you feel full.

How to make oven baked kale chips

Start with a fresh bunch of kale. Look for curly sturdy leaves at the store that will hold up after washing, drying and baking.

Fresh bunch of kale to make baked kale chips

Next, use kitchen shears or your hands to cut the kale into bite-sized pieces. And then wash and dry the kale leaves thoroughly. It helps to use a salad spinner to make sure there’s no moisture left on the kale leaves. You can also lay them out on a kitchen towel to dry them.

Collage showing the fresh kale getting cut and dried to make baked kale chips

Using your hands, massage the kale leaves with a just a tablespoon of olive oil so that each leaf has just enough oil but is not drenched in it. You’d be surprised how little olive oil you actually need.

Then it’s baking time. Watch them closely in the oven and turn then halfway through to make sure they are crispy and not burnt. You want the leaves to become dark green but not brown. If any leaves are brown, they will have a bitter taste.

Kale leaves on baking sheet before baking

How to make the dipping sauce

While the kale chips are in the oven, you can make the dipping sauce. It only needs 4 ingredients: almond milk, tahini, lemon juice and cumin (or you can substitute another herb or spice). Just whisk them together in a small bowl until well blended.

If you have any of the dipping sauce leftover, it makes for a great salad dressing as is or thinned out a bit with milk or water.

Collage showing the dipping sauce getting made

When they come out of the oven, sprinkle some salt on them, crushed red pepper or even parmesan cheese or other herbs. And just like that it’s dipping time!

Large bowl of baked kale chips with one getting removed by hand

Tips to make this recipe

  1. Buy the kale on the day you plan to bake it, or the day before at the earliest. This way it guarantees that you have fresh and crisp kale that won’t wilt after you wash it and bake it.
  2. Make sure the kale leaves are thoroughly dried. In fact, it might even help to wash and dry the kale the day before to make sure there’s no moisture left on the leaves. This will help when it comes time to baking so they don’t wilt.
  3. Don’t use too much oil. It’s easy to think that adding oil will add to the crispy factor. But becauses we’re dealing with a leafy green, too much oil can actually backfire in this situation because it adds too much moisture to the kale. Depending on how large the the kale bunch is, you can use more or less than a tablespoon. But just use enough to barely coat the leaves.
  4. Add salt after baking. Usually adding salt before baking helps with the best flavor. But in the case of these baked kale chips, the salt dissolves and can also lead to too much moisture on the leaves. So salt immediately after they come out of the oven. The kale chips will be salty without being  sad and wilted!F

Frequently Asked Questions

Do they have nutritional value?

Cooking kale in this way, means that you don’t lose any of it’s amazing health benefits, you are simply just getting rid of the water in contains to get them nice and crispy. By making your own, you can control the amount of salt added and cut down on the fat content compared to store bought varieties.

How long do they keep?

You can store baked kale chips in an air tight container for a day at room temperature, or in the fridge for 3-4 days. They can lose their crisp and go soggy after this time, at which point you can try to reheat them so they become crispy again.

What do you serve with them?

Kale chips are great on their own, but I highly recommend serving them with my creamy dipping sauce. Feel free to experiment with different seasonings to sprinkle over or serve with your favorite ranch dressing.

Close up shot of baked kale chips with dipping sauce

For more healthy snacks, check out:

I love these baked kale chips as a healthy snack to have at parties, get togethers or even for your mid-day munchies! They are a great snack for anyone looking to add more vegetables to their diet. They’re especially great if you’re vegan, doing Whole 30 or trying a ketogenic (keto) diet. I found that even my kids enjoyed them because they have a salty flavor and crunchy texture that is so great for snacking!

If you’ve tried this healthy-ish feel good Baked Kale Chips recipe or any other recipe on FeelGoodFoodie, then don’t forget to rate the recipe and leave me a comment below! I would love to hear about your experience making it. And if you snapped some shots of it, share it with me on Instagram so I can repost on my stories!

Baked Kale Chips

Baked kale chips are a great healthy Whole30 substitute for potato chips with less calories, less carbs and less fat. Pair them with my vegan dipping sauce!
5 from 58 votes
Servings 4 servings
Course Appetizer, Snack
Calories 108
Prep Time 5 mins
Cook Time 12 mins
Total Time 17 mins

Ingredients
  

Dipping Sauce

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 325°F, and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
  • Using a knife or kitchen shears, carefully remove the ribs from the kale and cut into bite sized pieces. Wash and thoroughly dry the kale with a salad spinner.
  • To make the dipping sauce, whisk all the ingredients together and set aside.
  • Lay kale on a baking sheet and toss with the olive oil.
  • Bake until crisp, turning the leaves halfway through, about 10-12 minutes. Sprinkle with sea salt as soon as you remove from the oven.
  • For air fryer instructions: Air fry at 325°F for 5-7 minutes, tossing halfway through.
  • For the dipping sauce: In a small bowl, whisk the almond milk, tahini, lemon juice, cumin and some salt and pepper until combined. Serve with the kale chips.

Video

Notes

Storage: Store any leftovers in an airtight container on the countertop for 1 day. You can also store them in the fridge for up to 3-4 days but they will soften in the fridge.
Make Ahead Tips: You can make the dipping sauce in advance and store it for up to 14 days. Then it’s ready for dipping when you make the kale chips.
Substitutes: For best results, follow the recipe as is. However you can add any seasoning to the kale chips after they bake. You can also add any seasoning or spices to the dipping sauce.

Nutrition

Calories: 108kcal, Carbohydrates: 4g, Protein: 2g, Fat: 9g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Sodium: 29mg, Potassium: 121mg, Vitamin A: 1425IU, Vitamin C: 19.1mg, Calcium: 56mg, Iron: 0.8mg

Nutrition information provided is an estimate. It will vary based on cooking method and specific ingredients used.

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Close up shot of baked kale chips with dipping sauce

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Comments

  1. I was wondering if the calorie count is with the dipping sauce or without? I’m trying to find calorie count for homemade kale chips minus sauce.

    Thanks!

    1. The nutrition value is for one serving with the dip, but this is likely more dip than you’ll need for the amount of kale.

  2. I’ve been making these before I found this recipe.

    Wegman’s grocery stores sell cut up Kale in bags for easy storage.

    I don’t add salt, do baked kale chips contain any sodium?

    1. That’s great! If you add salt, there’ll be a little bit of sodium. Considering you don’t add salt, probably not! Or, if there is, it’s a very minuscule amount.

  3. Made these as a side to burgers last night. (Trying not to eat so many carbs!) They were completely delicious and completely scarfed down by the family – including my son who had asked me to make sweet potato oven fries. I would have taken a picture but they disappeared too quickly!