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This Baked Kale Chip recipe is perfect for those times when you want an easy, healthy snack. Light on calories and high in nutrition, homemade kale chips are sure to satisfy. They’re a low carb and low fat snack that has the best crunch—who needs potato chips when you’ve got crispy kale chips?!
Table of Contents
I love baked kale chips as a healthy snack to have at parties, get togethers or even for your mid-day munchies! While you can buy crispy kale chips at the grocery store, they never taste quite as good as the homemade version. And they’re definitely not as fresh!
Oven-baked kale chips are a great snack for anyone looking to add more vegetables to their diet. I’ve found that even my kids enjoy them because they have that salty flavor and crunch factor that everyone loves in a savory snack!
Recipe At a Glance
Cuisine Inspiration: American
Primary Cooking Method: Oven
Dietary Info: Vegetarian, vegan, low-carb, keto
Key Flavor: Savory and salty
Skill Level: Easy
Summary
- Crispy and crunchy: If you love crunchy snacks, then roasted kale chips will be your new favorite. The process of baking kale leaves creates a crispy yet delicate texture that’s satisfying and fun to eat.
- Healthy alternative: Baked kale chips are much lighter compared to traditional potato chips or other fried snacks. They’re low in calories, but kale is packed with vitamins and minerals, making homemade kale chips an ideal snack for any time of the day. They’re even great as a side dish for burgers and sandwiches!
- Easy to make: Crispy kale chips are incredibly easy to make at home. All you need is some fresh kale leaves, olive oil, and your choice of seasonings.
- Versatile: You can customize homemade kale chips according to your personal preferences. Add different spices, herbs, or even cheese to create your own unique flavor combinations. The options are endless!
Ingredients You’ll Need to Make Baked Kale Chips
- Kale: I think curly kale makes the best kale chips.
- Olive oil: Avocado oil or another oil you use for cooking will also work.
- Sea salt: A little bit of salt brings out the best in these homemade kale chips!
Popular substitutions & additions
- Add nutritional yeast. Nutritional yeast is a popular vegan seasoning that adds a cheesy and nutty flavor to foods without dairy. Sprinkle it over the kale leaves before or after baking.
- Try different herbs, spices, and seasonings. The possibilities are endless when it comes to seasoning baked kale chips. Add garlic powder, onion powder, ranch seasoning, smoked paprika, or even everything bagel seasoning.
- Make them spicy. If you like a little heat in your snacks, add chili flakes or cayenne pepper to the kale leaves before baking. For a milder kick, taco seasoning is great, too.
- Add Parmesan cheese. Sprinkle freshly grated parmesan cheese over the kale chips before baking. The cheese will melt and crisp in the oven, making your baked kale chips even more irresistible!
How to bake crispy 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. 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.
- Using your hands, massage the kale leaves with 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 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.
- When the baked kale chips come out of the oven, sprinkle them with salt.
Tips for making the best kale chips
- 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.
- 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. You can even set the kale leaves between two kitchen towels overnight
- Don’t use too much oil. It’s easy to think that adding oil will add to the crispy factor. But because 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 kale bunch is, you can use more or less than a tablespoon. But just use enough to barely coat the leaves.
- 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!
- Make them in the air fryer. Air fry at 325°F for 5-7 minutes, tossing halfway through.
How to store & reheat baked kale chips
Homemade kale chips are best eaten the day they’re made, but they can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a day if you have leftovers. You can warm them up in a 250ºF oven if you need to re-crisp them.
How long will baked kale chips last in the fridge?
Oven-baked kale chips will last in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days. Keep in mind they will soften when stored this way.
Can I freeze roasted kale chips?
I don’t recommend freezing these crispy kale chips.
Frequently asked questions
Do kale chips keep well?
Unfortunately, baked kale chips do not keep well. They tend to start getting soft and soggy after a day of storage. They really are best enjoyed just after you make them!
Why are my kale chips soggy?
One common mistake is not properly drying the kale leaves before baking them. Moisture on the leaves can keep them from getting crispy in the oven. Another reason could be overcrowding the baking sheet, which can cause the chips to steam instead of crisp up.
Can I use any kind of kale to make kale chips?
You can use any type of kale to make these baked kale chips, but I think curly kale works best. Lacinato kale tends to have a softer texture when baked because the leaves are a bit thicker.
Homemade kale chips are the best kale chips! Light and crispy, with the perfect amount of sea salt for seasoning, this recipe is sure to become one of your go-to healthy snack options.
For more healthy snacks:
- Buffalo Cauliflower Bites
- Oven Baked Sweet Potato Chips
- Simple Guacamole
- Vegan Spinach Artichoke Dip
- Best Hummus
- Roasted Chickpeas
- No Bake Energy Bites
If you try this feel good Baked Kale Chips recipe or any other recipe on Feel Good Foodie, then don’t forget to rate the recipe and leave a comment below! It helps others who are thinking of making the recipe. We would love to hear about your experience making it. And if you snapped some shots, share it on Instagram so we can repost on Stories!
This Baked Kale Chips recipe was originally published on January 30, 2019. The recipe has not been modified, but the dip has been removed since it was sponsored by an almond milk beverage company.
Baked Kale Chips
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325°F, and line a large 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.
- Lay kale on a baking sheet and toss with the olive oil.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 10-12 minutes or until crisp, turning the leaves halfway through. Sprinkle with salt as soon as you remove them from the oven.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information provided is an estimate. It will vary based on cooking method and specific ingredients used.
What temperature should the oven be set to? Should it be preheated? Thank you.
Hi Nel, you can bake these at 325°F. Enjoy!!
I poured the olive oil in my palm, picked up the kale leaves and rubbed the oil in.
Cooking time is subordinate to feeling the chips to be sure that they have fully dried. My oven took 14-15 minutes to get them well done.
Thanks for your feedback!
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!
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.
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?
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.
I love kale chips! I put Nutritional Yeast and Everything Bagel seasoning on mine. 😊
Same here! Those are such great toppings!
We loved them! I had never heard of these before and was so excited to try!
Yay! I’m so glad you decided to give them a try!!
Turned out great. So nice to use an abundance of kale straight out of the garden.
Yay, so glad to hear it! What a great use for kale!
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!
So glad you liked them Maria!! Thank you!