Crispy Kale Chips
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.
They’re sort of one of those things you have to try to believe. When a friend proclaimed she and her husband (who has been known to drive 40 minutes for his favorite burger) preferred kale chips to potato chips and even to french fries, I had my doubts. It was about time I tried for myself, however. I’ve only been reading about these crisps on the blogosphere for about 3 years.
Well, what can I say? If you think you can’t eat a head of kale in one sitting, think again. You can, and you will. In fact you might find that one head is not enough for one sitting. And you might find that 8 heads of kale from the farmers’ market won’t suffice for the week. And you might find yourself panicking mid-week, making stops to your not-so-favorite market to preemptively restock your supply. I mean it. These kale chips are that good. It would make me so happy if you tried for yourself.
Crispy Kale Chips
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 1-2 servings
Ingredients
- 1 bunch kale*
- extra-virgin olive oil
- kosher salt
*Of course bunches vary in size, but this recipe is not precise anyway. Also, there are many varieties of kale. I’ve made this recipe with at least 3 different varieties, and they all are delicious.
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Tear kale into smallish-sized pieces as pictured above. Toss lightly with olive oil and kosher salt. Spread evenly on a sheet tray. Don’t be afraid to fill it up — it shrinks way down while it bakes (see picture below.)
- Place sheet tray in the oven for about 15 minutes. Reach inside being careful not to burn yourself and feel the kale pieces. They should feel slightly crispy. If the pieces are not crispy at all, keep cooking for another couple of minutes.
- Remove sheet tray from the oven and place on cooling rack for a minute or two. Eat! Once you make this recipe once or twice, you’ll discover how long it takes for a batch to cook. Some pieces will always be overcooked; some will be undercooked; but most will be delicious! Enjoy.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.
19 Comments on “Crispy Kale Chips”
I’ve been having a love affair with Kale recently and this has been one of my very favorite ways to eat it. It’s so addicting!
Kale chips are a favorite in my house. I should definitely make some again soon.
I LOOOOVE ur blog. I have a little baby like u, just a few months younger, and it boggles my mind how u manage to keep up with the blog. Have been reading about these for a while now. Time to try them! Thanks a bunch.
These are a fave. Try tossing the greens with a little apple cider vinegar, olive oil and salt, then bake. So good.
Like you, I’ve seen these referred to and been very, very sceptical. I am still sceptical! But next time a bunch of kale comes my way I will have a go.
I am going to make this right this minute. Really. : )
Crispy beautiful bunch of goodness!! Absolutely lovely.. I could eat a whole plateful:)
Despite being a so-called “supertaster,” I am a recent convert to brussels sprouts (chopped small, cooked stovetop w/very hot olive oil and s/p) and so I was very excited to try another healthy/bitter food cooked in a similar fashion.
I cooked up a batch tonight, and my initial impression (in the first few seconds) was that they were wonderful, but then the flavor became very bitter just before I was ready to swallow it. I decided I might have overcooked them, and tried again. This time there was almost no brown at the edge – I cooked them just long enough to be crunchy. They were definitely MUCH less bitter than before, but still quite bitter to me. So I will say this is probably a great recipe for lovers of bold reds, asparagus and black coffee, but it’s a little too strong for my “pansy” taste buds.
I’m glad I tried it, though. It was certainly very easy and quick to make. I might try again with a smaller kale, or a different variety. Or I might throw a few dandelion greens in the oven and see how they do.
I’m enjoying your blog – I started reading it last month when I did a web search for St. Patrick’s Day desserts, and found your post from 2007. I ended up making a different version of the Guinness chocolate cake (from the King Arthur Flour site), but I think it was only because that recipe made a bigger cake and I was cooking for a big crowd. It’s a wonderful cake and anyone “on the fence” about it should go for it!
Anyway, I especially want to try your recipes for Guinness braised short ribs, buttermilk/bleu cheese biscuits and the sauteed cabbage with bleu cheese, bacon and radicchio. I am determined to find some more cruciferous veggies that I can eat!
mmm… I love the blueberry scone recipe. Today I substituted from frozen cranberries I had been hoarding… lovely.
The kale chips were also a hit with J and me… and I recently made the baked chicken with white wine (for the second time).
I turn to your site frequently for inspiration… thanks.
m
These crispy kale chips look quite unique. Thanks for the recipe.
Just ate 3 head of kale in 3 days 🙂 I tried sprinkling different seasonings rather than sea salt (i.e. garlic salt, grill seasoning) with outstanding results. I am an official chip convert.
I know it is rare to have leftovers of kale chips but does anyone have a way to save them? Mine always wilt. Ok the ONE time I actually had enough to try to save they wilted.
Oh man, wish I had some suggestions for saving these. Their shelf life is pretty poor unfortunately. Let me know what you discover.
I love these! So addictive. I can easily eat half a head of kale on my own (maybe even a whole one if there’s no one to share with).
Has anyone tried using other types of leafy greens, like collard greens?
STORAGE: I put them in an airtight container (something like those Snap ‘N’ Lock containers), making sure they’re completely dry/dehydrated/cooled first. I’ve had a huge double batch of kale last a week that way! Don’t use a Ziploc bag or they’ll wilt.
Oh, and my experience with both a (Nesco) dehydrator and the low-heat oven method has landed me a fan of the former. You can pull the done ones out easily and let the others finish. Depending on your dehydrator, this can take a day.
Puree red bell pepper and 1/4 cup nutritional yeast flakes with a little olive oil mixed with raw kale leaves and dehydrated/dried are AWESOME.
My grand-daughter make this all the time now I am going to make this I saute kale all the time this look better.
Janet — i love sautéed kale, too. These are just different and delicious in their own way. I hope you like them!
I kept reading about kale and all it’s health benefits but couldn’t locate any in Israel, where we live. So I ordered some seeds over the internet and now we grow 5 types of kale in our garden. It’s a great cold weather crop and we use it in salads, cooked like spinach, and now thanks to your recipe we make delicious kale chips.
Mordechai — wonderful to hear this! We love our CSA in the winter more than any other time of year for this reason — we get so many yummy greens including kale. I’m very jealous of your garden — every year I tell myself I am going to be a good gardener, but for the past few years, I have failed. Maybe this will be the year!