Kale Chips Anyone?
This satisfying kale chip recipe makes an easy, healthy snack or a simple side dish that will round out a number of meals. These kale chips are crunchy, delicious, and packed with nutrition making them the perfect veggie dish for the whole family.
I started making kale chips before I had kids, and now I’m so grateful for them. My son eats most veggies, but he’s not really into greens… unless they’re in the form of something crunchy. It must be a texture thing, so when I serve these crunchy snacks, he chows them down! Kale chips along with this healthy smoothie are my go-to ways to add some greens into his diet.
Here are a few tricks to making your kale chips turn out perfectly crunchy, but not overdone or burnt:
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COOK THEM LOW AND SLOW
Not only will this give you the perfect texture, but it also will help you maintain more of the nutrients available in kale. Cooking at too high of a heat and cooking your food to a crisp destroys so many of the vitamins and nutrients available in your food.
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TOSS THEM AFTER 12 MINUTES
This will help you keep the chips evenly crunchy, so they all cook at about the same rate.
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Don’t Use Too Much Oil
If the kale chips are too moist, they will have a hard time crunching up and will turn out soggy.
Ingredients & Benefits
Kale
Kale is the star in this recipe and it’s loaded with antioxidants and healthy fiber and provides a great vegetarian source of protein. It’s loaded with vitamins K, A, and C and helps to reduce inflammation and boost immunity. Kale also aids in digestion and supports a healthy heart. For the most nutrient value, organic kale is the best as kale is a heavily sprayed crop.
Coconut Oil
Coconut oil is what gives these chips an amazing flavor. It’s full of healthy fats and has anti-microbial properties that help to maintain a good balance between the good and bad bacteria in your gut. Coconut oil helps to boost immunity, supports healthy weight loss, and promotes good cognitive function. The best quality coconut oil is organic, virgin, and unrefined.
Avocado Oil
Avocado oil again contains health-promoting fats and helps to promote good digestion and healthy skin. It also supports heart health and good cholesterol levels.
Variations For This Kale Chip Recipe
These three ingredients combined with good quality sea salt and fresh ground pepper, make these chips so flavorful that you don’t really need anything else.
Of course, there are all kinds of variations including different herbs and spices, tamari (gluten-free soy sauce), coconut aminos, or nutritional yeast. Feel free to experiment and make this recipe your own. We like it dressed up sometimes and others we just prefer salt and pepper kale chips.
How to Make The Perfect Kale Chips
Wash a large bunch of kale and strip the leafy part of the green from the stalk. An easy way to do this is by pinching the bottom of the leaf and sliding your fingers all the way up the stem as you remove the leaf.
Next, wash and pat your kale dry and then cut into large pieces.
Add the kale to a bowl and toss in avocado oil, sea salt, fresh ground pepper, and any other seasonings you’re using.
Once coated evenly, arrange the kale on 2 stainless steel cookie sheets. Spread the kale out so it has room to crisp, making sure the leaves aren’t overlapping much.
Bake on “convection bake” at 225 degrees for 12 minutes. Then toss and rearrange kale so it will cook evenly. Bake again for 5- 10 minutes as needed to reach a perfect crispy texture.
Enjoy immediately! Homemade kale chips are much better eaten right away. If you do save some of them, you can reheat them at this temperature to crisp again before eating.
Satisfying and Simple Kale Chip Recipe
Equipment
- Oven
Ingredients
- 1 large bunch organic kale I like curly or black kale, but any kind will work
- 2-3 tsps olive or avocado oil depending on your bunch of kale
- 1-2 tsp coconut oil organic, extra virgin, & unrefined is best
- Sea salt to taste
- Fresh ground pepper to taste
Instructions
- Spread a teaspoon of coconut oil on each baking sheet and set aside.
- Wash a large bunch of kale and strip the leafy part of the green from the stalk. An easy way to do this is by pinching the bottom of the leaf and sliding your fingers all the way up the stem as you remove the leaf.
- Next, wash and pat the kale dry or dry in a lettuce spinner, then cut into large pieces.
- Add the kale to a bowl and toss with avocado oil, sea salt, fresh ground pepper, and any other seasonings you're using.
- Once coated evenly, arrange the kale on 2 stainless steel cookie sheets. Spread the kale out so it has room to crisp, making sure the leaves aren't overlapping much.
- Bake on "convection bake" at 250 degrees for 10 minutes. Then toss and rearrange kale so it cooks evenly. Bake again for 5- 10 minutes as needed to reach a perfect crispy texture.
- Enjoy immediately! Homemade kale chips are much better eaten right away. If you do save them, I suggest reheating them at this temperature to crisp again before eating.
Notes
More Great Recipes
This kale chip recipe can be a nutritious snack or can bulk up a meal as a side dish with very little effort, adding protein, fiber, vitamins, and nutrients.
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