Kale chips are one of my families favorite snacks. I make a batch and it’s gone in minutes. This healthy treat is simple to make if you follow a few easy tips. Learn how to make kale chips with these tips. This recipe only has three ingredients so it couldn’t get any easier.
And, if you like the health benefits of kale, check out our kale and sausage tortellini soup. It’s packed with flavor and nutrition and perfect on a chilly day.
Kale Chips
I’m late to the kale chip bandwagon, but boy and I on it now!
About a year or so ago I made a batch of kale chips and it was a big #fail. I don’t know what made me try again, other than the fact that I had a big bag of kale that was going to go bad and I need to do something with it.
Enter kale chips, round 2. I had to learn how to make make chips.
I bought a bag of pre-washed, ready to eat kale and made chips with it. I practiced and practiced until I got it just right.
The first batch never even made it off the cookie sheet.
My 7 year old daughter is a huge fan! Really, she LOVES these baked kale chips and has now learned how to make kale chips herself.
Kale Chip Ingredients
- kale – we buy kale in a bag from the produce section. You can get organic kale or not. Up to you.
- olive oil – extra virgin or not, up to you. The olive oil is necessary to make the kale crisp
- salt – regular or kosher, again, up to you 😉
How to Make Kale Chips
Wash and pat dry your kale. We buy it in a bag and just do a quick rinse.
De-vain the kale. This is important. I share more details in the tips section below. The vein is bitter and will ruin your kale chips. You only want to use the leaves of the kale.
Spread the kale out on a cookie sheet and drizzle with olive oil. Don’t use too much oil. You don’t want to make the kale soggy, but you want enough to lightly cover the kale.
Cook in the oven and watch the kale like a hawk! It will burn quickly. There is a fine line between done and burnt.
Tips to Make Kale Chips
Here are a few tips I learned that make the perfect batch of kale chips:
- Remove the stems
The stems are bitter. It takes a minute, but it’s worth the effort. - Use dry kale leaves
If you wash the kale, be sure they are completely dry. If there is moisture, it will steam while cooking and the chips won’t crisp. - Don’t over saturate the kale leaves with oil.
Too much and the kale chips won’t crisp. The best way to do it is drizzle the oil onto the kale and use your hands to spread it over each piece of kale. The olive oil on your hands will get onto the kale leaves, but don’t put too much onto each piece of kale. - Spread out the kale.
Leave room between the kale pieces on the baking sheet.If you need to, use two sheet pans. You want the heat to get around the pieces of kale. - Salt
I salt before they go into the oven. Not sure why I started doing this, but I love how it turns out. - Cook until they are almost burned.
This seems counter-intuitive, but it’s my litmus test to make sure they are crisp
This bowl of kale chips was demolished in a flash. Everyone had some.
Since our successful batch, we’ve been making these on weekends as snacks. I made a batch during the Super Bowl game and was so busy watching the game, and making other food that the kale chips never made it into a bowl – they were devoured right off the pan and I didn’t get even one!
How Do You Keep Kale Chips Crispy?
To keep kale chips crispy, they need to be stored in an air-tight container. After the baked kale chips done cooking, put move them to a bowl or plate to cool completely. Then you can put them in a container or zip-top bag and store for several days.
But trust me, these things will be gone before you have a chance to try to store them.
Are Kale Chips Healthy?
Of course kale chips are healthy. Kale chips are actually a great source of B Vitamins. They are also gluten free, dairy free, paleo, keto, vegan, and Whole30 friendly.
Also, according to Monica Reinagel, MS, LD/N, CNS (aka Nutrition Diva), “Oven-roasting won’t affect the vitamin K in kale—which is good for your bones and heart. On the other hand, you’ll lose some of the beta-carotene and vitamin C. But kale is so high in these vitamins to start out with that it’s still a good source after it’s been cooked.”
Kale Chips
Ingredients
- 1 bag chopped kale
- 1-2 tablespoons olive oil
- salt to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350
- Wash and dry kale (or use pre-washed kale). It's critical the kale is completely dry
- Tear out the stem of each piece of kale (this is the large membrane, not the smaller veins)
- Put remaining kale "leaves" on a baking tray or cookie sheet
- Sprinkle kale with olive oil (making sure not to drench the leaves. They just need enough to glisten
- Spread kale out on pan, leaving room between kale pieces so heat can move around each piece
- Sprinkle with salt
- Put in oven and cook for 18 minutes
- Check kale. If some pieces are soft, cook for 2 minutes longer
- Place kale chips in a bowl or serving tray and serve immediately or place in sealed container for later
Did You Make This Recipe?
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