Baked in the oven, these Dehydrated Kale Chips are a tasty way to get more veggies into your day! Made with just three ingredients and a great way to use up extra greens, these kale chips are a snack you can eat again and again without the guilt.
Do You Want to Save This Recipe?
Enter your email & I'll send it to your inbox. Plus, get great new recipes from me every week!
By submitting this form, you consent to receive emails from A Sweet Thyme
Lightly salted, deliciously crunchy, and made in about an hour, this recipe for kale chips in the oven can be varied based on your favorite flavors or enjoyed with just some salt. These chips are almost foolproof to whip up and so simple to make a healthy snack.
If you’re not sure what to do with the abundance of kale from your garden or you have too much kale from your local farmers market, whip up these chips and watch as they disappear in just moments.
Jump to:
These homemade kale chips are the best way to eat more vegetables and a delicious snack similar to potato chips without all of the carbs. Gluten-free, making your own kale chips tastes better than the store-bought kind.
Kale chips are very thin, delicate, crispy chips. If you’ve ever had seaweed chips, they’re similar in density, with the feeling that you’re chomping on salty air. There’s not much to them. But they are nutrient-dense and satisfy all your salty and savoring cravings with very few calories.
I like to eat these chips when I am watching the snacks that I am eating. I do love my Roasted Herb Spiced Nuts With Sage, Mediterranean Citrus Olives For A Charcuterie Board, and my Roasted Turkish Eggplant Dip however!
Why You Will Love This Recipe
- Easy Recipe - This is a simple recipe that comes together quickly with just a few ingredients
- Uses Leftovers - Use up that last bit of kale that you have on hand
- Change It - There are a variety of additions to change the taste
Ingredients
You will need the following ingredients to make these amazing kale chips:
See the full recipe for recipe quantities.
Do You Want to Save This Recipe?
Enter your email & I'll send it to your inbox. Plus, get great new recipes from me every week!
By submitting this form, you consent to receive emails from A Sweet Thyme
Additions And Variations
This baked kale chips recipe is utterly simple. However, there are a few fun flavor variations you can try if you want to switch it up.
- Cheesy: After drizzling with olive oil, sprinkle on some parmesan cheese or nutritional yeast with the salt for a dose of vitamins and a light cheesy flavor
- Spicy: If you like a kick of heat, adding red pepper flakes, Aleppo pepper, or cayenne pepper for a spicy, salty taste is a fun variation.
- Sweet: You can make these kale chips like a dessert by drizzling on maple syrup with olive oil. Add a sprinkle of cinnamon and the salted, maple flavor pops.
- Ranch - use a ranch seasoning with the salt
- Tahini - along with the olive oil, drizzle some tahini onto the kale before roasting for a nutty flavor
- Garlic - why not add some sliced garlic to the kale, or even some garlic powder to create a garlicky kale chip
- Curry - add a touch of curry powder to the oil before baking and create curry kale chips
- Salt & Vinegar - along with the salt, add a splash of white vinegar to create a salt and vinegar kale chip
How To Make This Recipe For Dehydrated Kale Chips: Step-By-Step
Here are some quick visual instructions. Remember that the full instructions with the exact ingredients are in the printable recipe card:
Step 1: Preheat your oven to 250℉. Wash, dry using a salad spinner or paper towels, and de-stem the bunch of kale. Or use baby kale. Chop the kale into bite sized pieces.
Step 2: Place parchment paper on a baking sheet. Add the kale in a single layer and drizzle it with olive oil.
Step 3: Sprinkle it with salt and any other seasonings of your choice.
Step 4: Roast it on low heat in the oven for roughly an hour until crunchy.
Recipe Tips
- Wash the kale thoroughly before removing the stems and chopping. Due to all its folds, kale tends to hold dirt easily. To de-stem kale, hold it at the stem and grab the leaf. Peel it down and away from the stem.
- Know that kale chips shrink down once baked. So, always do more than you anticipate needing.
- When laying the kale on the baking tray, try not to let the pieces overlap or they won’t cook as quickly or crisp up. Use multiple baking sheets if needed.
- Make sure to cool the chips before storing to avoid soggy chips.
Confidence Tip
Do not purchase pre-chopped kale. The bagged kale has chopped stems which you would need to remove to make this recipe.
Storage
- You can store the chips at room temperature for about 4 days in an airtight container on the counter.
- Do not freeze the kale chips.
Which Kale Is Best?
There are a few different kinds of kale and all of them will work. However, Tuscan kale tends to be a favorite as the leaves are smaller and flatter.
Curly kale will work as well but it tends not to be as tender and takes a bit longer to cook. I prefer to buy a large container of organic baby kale for this recipe. I sometimes substitute the spinach for kale in the Mediterranean White Bean Soup or the Lentil Soup With Sausage recipe.
The trick to crispy kale chips is to ensure they’re cooked all the way and to let them cool fully before storing them. If you store them half-cooled, moisture from the steam will make the kale chips soggy in the container.
While kale stems are fine in salads or soups, when making kale chips you want to stick to the leaves themselves. The stems are tough tasting and don’t crisp up as much as the leaves.
Yes! After seasoning and massaging your kale, add the pieces in a single layer in your air fryer and cook at 350°F for 5 to 7 minutes.
Yes! Use a food dehydrator and dry the kale at 110 F / 43 C for about 8 hours.
Other Appetizers and Snacks
These are the best kale chips and my favorite way to create a flavorful chip for healthy eating. We love having snacks on hand and these are by far my favorite snack!
Did you try this recipe? I would love to hear about it! Scroll down to the comment section and leave a ⭐️ rating and review. Share it on Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest!
xoxoxo
Gwen
Dehydrated Kale Chips
Do You Want to Save This Recipe?
Enter your email & I'll send it to your inbox. Plus, get great new recipes from me every week!
By submitting this form, you consent to receive emails from A Sweet Thyme
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 bunches Tuscan Kale chopped, or 1 16oz bag of baby Kale
- 2 tablespoon Olive Oil
- Kosher Salt or flaky sea salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 275 ℉.
- Clean and de-stem the kale.
- Chop into pieces and place on a jelly roll pan.
- Drizzle with olive oil and kosher salt to taste
- Roast until crisp, about an hour.
- Stir halfway through roasting to ensure that all pieces of kale are evenly roasted.
Anonymous says
Yum