Flavour Bomb Kale Chips

Party like it’s 2015 and munch on these addictively crispy and flavourful kale chips! Lavished with umami-packed nutritional yeast, these no fail kale chips crisp up in the oven and they’re ready in 30 minutes flat.

Make all the jokes about me being a dietitian cliche if you want, but I freaking LOVE kale.

I’m not kidding – right now, there are no fewer than six kale plants in my garden and I eat it alloftheways: I toss it by the handfuls into my brothy beans. I’d happily eat a kale caesar salad everyday. And I really, really like snacking on crispy kale chips, ALWAYS with nutritional yeast because I love me an umami bomb.

But if there is one thing I can’t do, it’s pay nine bucks for a bag of them because I will inhale said bag in exactly 6 minutes and that’s just too rich for my blood. So I’ve made kale chips allllllll sorts of ways…including a BBQ roasted kale/kale chip hybrid salad that I popped into my cookbook, Plant Magic.

With all of that experience under my belt, I think I’ve finally landed on my absolute favourite flavour and best method to make the most nutrient-dense and craveable snack! Tossed with nutritional yeast, garlic powder and paprika, they have tons of flavour for those of you with more-is-more tastebuds like me. Want something a bit more subdued? Just cut the flavorings – but not the salt – in half.

We’re baking them on a sheet pan at a low-ish temperature – 300F – to help preserve as much nutrition as possible and reduce the risk of browning and burning. But the temp isn’t so low that the kale chips will take forever…in fact, you can go from craving to munching in less than 30 minutes!

This is the perfect way to tidy up that overflowing garden of kale, or make use of the giant bunches of kale you found on sale at the store that two days later are still staring at you from the produce drawer.

I’m a big fan of leafy greens, and I try to eat them daily (actually, green leafy veggies are part of something I call my “Daily 3” along with beans and omega 3-rich seeds). Kale, a member of the super-healthy cruciferous veggie family, is one of my faves: packed with vitamin A carotenoids, folate and vitamin K as well as fiber. If you have kale skeptics at home, these kale chips just might convert them!

How to make the tastiest, crispiest kale chips ever

If you’ve ever attempted to make kale chips at home before, you’ve probably had a couple of epic fails. It can’t (I hope?) be just me! So I wanted to offer a VERY detailed step by step so you can understand what can go wrong, and how to prevent it.

First things first: your ingredients. Grab a large bunch of kale, like a half pound. You can use any kind of kale but I think curly green kale really creates the best flavour and texture. Then raid your pantry for oil, nutritional yeast, salt, garlic powder, and paprika. Yep, just 4 ingredients for an epic, nutrient-dense snack (I never count the salt and oil ha).

Step One: de-stem and tear your kale into roughly 3 inch pieces. Kale shrinks when it’s baked, so if you make your pieces too small, they’re going to end up tiny. And maybe burnt. Similarly, no need to get too obsessive about it, but try and make the pieces roughly the same size for even cooking.

Step Two: wash and dry your kale pieces THOROUGHLY. If there is too much moisture on the kale, they are going to steam and be limp, instead of crispy. I use a salad spinner, and I spin and drain the kale maybe 3 times and then turn it onto a clean kitchen towel and gently pat it dry even more.

Step Three: place your kale on a large, parchment-lined baking sheet and sprinkle the oil and seasonings evenly over it. Then, you are going to GENTLY toss and use your hands to ensure that the pieces are evenly coated with the seasonings. You don’t want to fully massage the kale like you do for a kale salad as it will make the kale taste funky.

Step Four: now, arrange the kale pieces in a single layer between TWO parchment-lined baking sheets. The reason for this is that if the kale is crowded on a single sheet it’s going to steam and be soggy instead of crispy.

Step Five: Now you’re going to bake! 300F (150C) for 8 minutes, then rotate the pans and bake for 5-8 minutes more…watching them like a hawk after about 3 minutes, just in case. They won’t burn fast at this temperature, but every oven is different and I don’t want you to be disappointed! They are ready when they feel dry and crisp to the touch. Give them a few minutes to cool as they’ll crisp up even more.

I eat the whole batch of these kale chips pretty much immediately…but if you need to store them, store uncovered on the counter for the rest of the day. Add a piece of paper towel (to absorb moisture) to the container and a lid if you’re keeping for more than a few hours.

Hot tip: ALWAYS measure the oil and seasonings precisely for kale chips…this is not the time to eyeball it! Too much oil will result in a greasy, soggy kale chip. And because kale shrinks in volume as it bakes, it’s easy to overdo it! If you want a more basic kale chip, you can ditch the nutritional yeast and paprika and cut the garlic powder in half.

More yummy plant-based snacks

• Spicy Sriracha-roasted Pepitas
• Crispy Roasted Chickpeas with Everything Bagel Seasoning
• White Bean and Roasted Red Pepper Dip
• Beet Dip With Hemp Hearts

Print

Flavour Bomb Kale Chips

Party like it’s 2015 and munch on these addictively crispy and flavourful kale chips! Lavished with umami-packed nutritional yeast, these no fail kale chips crisp up in the oven and they’re ready in 30 minutes flat!

Course Snack

Cuisine American

Diet Gluten Free, Vegan, Vegetarian

Keyword kale, nutritional yeast

Dietary Preference dairy free, Gluten-Free, low FODMAP, vegan, vegetarian

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes minutes

Total Time 25 minutes minutes

Servings 4 servings

Author Desiree Nielsen, RD

Ingredients

• 1 large bunch kale about half a pound, I prefer curly kale
• 2 teaspoons avocado oil OR replace one teaspoon of oil with your fave hot sauce
• 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
• ½ teaspoon garlic powder omit for low FODMAP option
• ¼ teaspoon paprika
• ¼ teaspoon salt

Imperial – Metric

Instructions

• Preheat your oven to 300℉ (150℃) and line two rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper.
• De-stem and tear your kale into roughly 3 inch pieces (see blog post for tips and the nerdy why behind each step!)
• Wash and dry your kale pieces THOROUGHLY. I use a salad spinner AND pat them dry with a towel.
• Place your kale on one large, parchment-lined baking sheet and sprinkle the oil and seasonings evenly over top. Then, GENTLY toss and use your hands to ensure that the pieces are evenly coated with the seasonings. DON’T vigorously massage as you would a kale salad.
• Arrange the kale pieces in a single layer between TWO parchment-lined baking sheets and bake for 8 minutes. Rotate sheets and bake for 5 to 8 minutes more, watching like a hawk after 3 minutes, until kale chips feel dry and crisp to the touch.
• Remove baking sheets and let cool for a couple of minutes, as they’ll crisp up further, and enjoy!

Notes

In case you don’t eat them all in five minutes, you can store in an airtight container with a piece of paper towel to help absorb moisture.

Low FODMAP note: without the garlic powder, this recipe is totally low FODMAP in a smaller serving. Curly kale was listed to have only trace amounts to FODMAPs…although it’s now missing from the app which probably means they’re retesting. Tuscan, or lacinato kale, is high FODMAP in larger amounts so ensure you eat no more than a quarter of this recipe.

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