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Crispy Baked Kale Chips

Crispy Baked Kale Chips – Easy to make and customize with a variety of seasonings (spices and herbs), these healthy homemade chips made from kale bake up crispy and utterly delicious!

crispy baked kale chips on a white round plate with black rim

I don’t know about you, but crispy kale chips baked to perfection are one of my favorite ways to eat this king of the leafy greens!

Why We Love This Recipe!

  • Healthy and nutritious. These light and crispy chips made from kale are loaded with essential vitamins and minerals. See the nutrition info below!
  • Easy and delicious. They are easy to prepare and bake up within 10 minutes. I can easily sit and eat a whole batch of kale chips at one time!
  • Budget-friendly. Bundles of fresh kale come reasonably priced, typically between $1 and $2. That’s a great price for this nutritionally packed leafy green, making it an affordable, healthy snack!

Now, bring on the kale, and let’s get baking!

curly kale sticking out of a produce bag

Types Of Kale To Use

When making kale chips, all varieties will work, so choose your favorite type. For this recipe, I used curly kale. You can also use the more flat-leaf kale, known as – lacinato, tuscan, dinosaur kale, cavolo nero, and black kale. I’ve played around using both curly and flat kale. Both types make for light & crispy baked kale chips.

Optional Seasonings

Add flavor to your kale chips with different seasonings. Here are a few ideas to get you started.

  • For the batch shown here, I’ve used za’atar, garlic powder, mineral salt, and pepper.
  • Looking for spicy, try using a dash of cayenne pepper or chipotle and pink salt.
  • A garlic sea salt blend would be great.
  • The simplicity of just salt & pepper is fantastic too.
  • Add a sprinkle of nutritional yeast for a ‘cheezy’ flavor.
  • For a sweet & salty flavor, try brown sugar and mineral salt.

Have fun and be creative!

top down view of kale being prepped on a wooden cutting board.

Ingredients You’ll Need

  • Kale – Use curly or flat variety.
  • Olive oil – Feel free to substitute with your favorite neutral-flavored oil.
  • Salt – We love pink Himalayan salt or regular sea salt. You can include any of your favorite optional seasonings.

How To Make Crispy Baked Kale Chips

Making baked kale chips is as easy as can be!

  • Start by washing and drying the kale stalks.
  • Remove the hard center stem, and tear the kale leaves into 1 or 2-inch pieces (shown above).
top down view showing the process of making crispy baked kale chips.
  • Add kale to a large mixing bowl. Massage with olive oil and toss with seasonings of choice (shown above).
  • Lay your freshly tossed kale chips on a baking sheet (shown below) and bake for about 10 minutes, checking them after 6 minutes to prevent overbaking.

And that’s it – now you have yourself a healthy snack!

Get ready to devour the whole batch because you can’t eat just one, two, or three!

kale pieces rubbed with oil and seasoned before baking kale chips.

How To Store Kale Chips

Homemade baked kale chips can be stored in an airtight container for 5 – 6 days.

Serving Suggestions

Serve as a snack, or use them crumbled up as toppings. They can also be served as a side to another main dish. Here are a few of my favorite options:

crispy baked kale chips cooling on a wire rack

More Healthy Snack Recipes!

Having healthy snacks on hand is always a plus. Here are a few more favorites:

They all make for great snacks to have around the house or take on the go!

More Kale Recipes!

Kale is the powerhouse of the leafy greens. Here are a few great kale recipes to add to the meal rotation. You may find a new favorite kale recipe!

If you try this kale recipe, please let me know! Leave a comment and rate it below. I love to hear what you think, or any changes you make.

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CRISPY BAKED KALE CHIPS

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

5 from 2 reviews

Simple and flavorful, crispy baked kale chips are a delicious, healthy alternative to chips! Enjoy as a snack, tossed in salads, or crumbled up and topped on soups.

  • Author: Julie | The Simple Veganista
  • Prep Time: 10
  • Cook Time: 10
  • Total Time: 20 minutes
  • Yield: Serves 8
  • Category: Snack
  • Method: bake
  • Cuisine: Vegan

Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 bunch of kale (curly or flat)
  • 1 tbsp olive oil (I usually use a little less)

Optional seasonings:

  • mineral salt
  • cracked pepper
  • garlic powder
  • nutritional yeast
  • za’atar
  • spice blend (cajun or chili powder)
  • or whatever you feel like using…

Instructions

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

Prep: Wash kale thoroughly and pat dry. Remove leaves from stem and break up into the medium sized chunks, about 1 – 2 inch pieces.

Add oil + seasoning: Put leaves into a large bowl and drizzle with olive oil. Massage until coated. Add herbs/spices and toss to coat.

Layer: Lay pieces on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper making sure to keep a little space between. Don’t overcrowd them or they may not cook evenly and take longer to cook. Use two baking sheets if needed.

Bake: Place them in the oven on the middle rack for about 10 min. Check after 6 minutes or so and flip any that seem to be browning too much on the edges.

Store: Keep baked kale chips in an airtight container for up to 5 – 6 days.

Notes

Different types of kale cook differently and you should watch your oven after 10 min until you have perfected your chip. Lacinato kale may cook a little faster and should be watched closely after 10 minutes.

Nutritional information is calculated with 1 bunch of kale and 1 tablespoons olive oil. Spices and additional topping are not calculated as that will depend on what you are using.

RECOMMENDED EQUIPMENT: I love my Silpat or these parchment liners for lining this rimmed baking sheet (affiliate links). And for cooling kale chips, these wire racks are great.

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4 Comments

  1. Holy moly, these are so good. Incredibly easy to make too! Thanks for the recipe :)






  2. A favorite snack indeed!






  3. What tepmerature is the oven????

    1. Julie | The Simple Veganista says:

      Hi Chris, it’s 325 degrees F. It’s on the first line of the instructions. Enjoy, and let us know how you like them!

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