How to Make Kale Chips

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Kale chips are the perfect healthy snack and easily satisfy any salty, savory, or crunchy craving. Just massage torn kale with a little bit of olive oil and salt, then pop them in the oven until crispy! 

A bowl of kale chips.
Photo: Gayle McLeod

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 the good news is that they’re nutrient-dense and satisfy all your salty and savoring cravings with very few calories.

I love homemade chips made from fruits and vegetables, and have recipes for apple chips, zucchini chips, and plantain chips. But these oven baked kale chips are one of my all-time favorites for a healthy snack. Plus, they’re incredibly easy to make! 

Ingredients for baked kale chips.

Kale Chips Ingredients

  • Kale: Two popular varieties of kale you’ll find at the market are curly kale and lacinato kale (Tuscan kale). These vary slightly in texture and taste, but either will work for this recipe.
  • Seasoning: A little olive oil and kosher salt is all you need to make salted vegetable chips. But if you want to add extra flavor, I’ve got some delicious ideas listed below.

Find the printable recipe with measurements below.

How To Make Kale Chips

Remove kale leaves from the stem. Preheat the oven to 300°F (150°C). Wash and thoroughly dry the kale. Remove the kale leaves from the stems and tear them into pieces. Place the torn kale into a large mixing bowl. 

Ripping off the leaves of kale.

Season the kale. Add the oil and salt to the mixing bowl and gently massage the kale until all pieces are lightly coated in oil. Don’t massage them too much, as you would for a massaged kale salad, otherwise, they’ll turn too soft. 

Massaging kale in a bowl.

Bake the kale. Lay the kale pieces in one single layer on a baking sheet and bake for 8 minutes. Rotate the baking sheet and cook for an additional 2 to 6 minutes, checking every minute or two to ensure they don’t burn. 

Kale leaves on a baking sheet.

Let the kale rest. Remove the baking sheet from the oven and let the kale chips cool for 3 to 5 minutes. 

Baked kale chips on a baking sheet.

Common Questions

How do I prevent my kale chips from burning?

The key here is to cook them at a lower temperature (even if it takes a few minutes longer) and keep a close eye on them. You’re essentially dehydrating the chips. The cooking times may also vary if you’re using lacinato kale rather than curly kale. Just check on them frequently towards the end of the cook time.

Why are my kale chips not getting crispy?

Your kale is probably too wet or moist from water or oil. First, after you wash the kale make sure that it’s 100% dry. You can use a salad spinner if your kale is already chopped, or you can blot the kale dry with a paper towel if it’s still full stems. Second, use a minimal amount of oil. You really only need about 1 to 2 teaspoons of olive oil per bunch of kale chips. If you drench the kale in too much olive oil, it won’t crisp up.

Can you air-fry kale chips?

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. 

Kale chips on a baking sheet.

Storage Tips

I doubt you’ll have leftovers as it’s so easy to keep popping these kale chips in your mouth! But if you do have some left over, let them cool completely before storing them in an airtight container at room temperature or in the fridge for 2 to 3 days. 

Seasonings and Flavors

Salted kale chips are great, but there are plenty of ways to make them extra flavorful. For all dry seasonings, add those seasonings before cooking the kale chips. For liquid seasonings, I recommend a light spritzing after they’ve baked (keeping in mind that they’re quite fragile).

  • Dry seasonings: Toss the kale in sea salt, truffle salt, garlic powder, paprika, chili powder, parmesan, nutritional yeast (for a dairy-free cheesy flavor), onion powder, and ground mustard. 
  • Liquid seasonings: Add a drizzle of vinegar, truffle oil, or tamari soy sauce. 

More Healthy Snacks

I hope you enjoy these kale chips! If you make them, I’d love to hear how they turned out in the comment box below. Your review will help other readers in the community. 

Kale chips in a glass mug.

Crispy Kale Chips Recipe

5 from 10 votes
Prep: 5 minutes
Cook: 10 minutes
Total: 15 minutes
Servings: 4 servings
Author: Lisa Bryan

Description

These oven-baked kale chips are the perfect healthy snack and easily satisfy any salty, savory, or crunchy craving. Watch the video below to see how I make them in my kitchen!

Video

Equipment

Ingredients 
 

Instructions 

  • Remove kale leaves from stem. Preheat the oven to 300°F (150°C). Wash and thoroughly dry the kale. Remove the kale leaves from the stems, then tear into pieces. Place the torn kale into a mixing bowl.
    Ripping leaves off kale stem.
  • Mix together. Add the oil and salt to the mixing bowl and gently massage the kale until all pieces are lightly coated in oil.
    Massaging kale with oil and salt.
  • Bake the kale. Lay the kale in one single layer on a baking sheet and cook for 8 minutes. Rotate the baking sheet and cook for an additional 2 to 6 minutes, checking every minute or two to ensure it's not burning.
    A baking sheet with uncooked kale leaves.
  • Let rest. Remove the baking sheet from the oven, let the kale chips cool for 3 to 5 minutes, then enjoy.
    Baked kale chips on a baking sheet.

Nutrition

Calories: 29kcal | Carbohydrates: 3g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 2g | Saturated Fat: 0.2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 176mg | Potassium: 198mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 0.5g | Vitamin A: 5694IU | Vitamin C: 53mg | Calcium: 145mg | Iron: 1mg
Course: Appetizer
Cuisine: American
Keyword: how to make kale chips, kale chips, kale chips recipe
Did you make this recipe?Mention @downshiftology or tag #downshiftology!

Recipe originally posted November 2016, then again in February 2019, but updated today to include new information and photos for your benefit!

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About the author

Lisa Bryan

Lisa is a bestselling cookbook author, recipe developer, and YouTuber (with over 2.5 million subscribers) living in sunny Southern California. She started Downshiftology in 2014, and is passionate about making healthy food with fresh, simple and seasonal ingredients.

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30 Comments

  1. Just made the kale chips using your recipe and it’s sooo good. Thank you so much! also  thank you for the recipe videos. I’m a visual learner and I can pick it up a lot faster with the video. 👍🏻👏🏻5 stars

  2. I just tried your Kale chips recipe and it turns great!
    My husband loves them.
    Thank you for sharing it!

  3. I made these with chopped kale pieces. They didn’t get crispy. Next time I’ll try without the stems. Thanks all your food is good.5 stars

  4. I was always looking for something like potato chips at healthy for me and you made my day by showing me kale chips thank you5 stars

  5. I have just made kale chips and they came out perfection!!!! This is the first time that the chips came out crispy. I have tried many times in the past using different recipes unsuccessfully. Thank you :)5 stars

  6. Tried the kale chips today and they were absolutely delicious! Have some left over is it best stored in the fridge 5 stars

  7. Hi Lisa,

    I was wondering if you trued to keep kale frozen. In my country it is a bit more difficult to findand I am ordering it. Therefore I would like to know if it would be ok to freeze it.

    The kale chips were just amazing!
    Thank youuu!
    Regards,
    Lore5 stars

    1. Hi Loredana – Yes! You can freeze kale, as you would any vegetable :) Glad you loved the recipe!

  8. Two questions please – 1. Can you use a toaster oven, (smaller batches of course) and 2. Can you refrigerate kale after prepped with oil, if so how long?

    1. Hi Tammy – I’ve never tried making the kale chips in a toaster oven, but I don’t see why not. And for the refrigeration, I’m sure you could, but the kale would definitely soften up and I’m not sure how that might impact the baking. If you try it, let me know how it turns out!

  9. May I suggest cutting the kale *before* washing it?

    That helps reduce its inherent bitterness and allows the full kale flavor to be appreciated.

  10. Hey there! Excited to try this recipe:) just wondering how long the chips stay crisp and fresh? I’m meal prepping for the next week, and wondering if I should bake them all now and seal them, or just separate them and bake as needed. Just found your channel the other day and have been obsessed with your videos these past couple days!!! 

  11. I can definitely see it. Berlin is covered with lights and decorations. But I like it a lot :D

  12. I have never made kale chips but have had them a few times and loved them. Thanks for all the hints and tips – I love the sound of adding tamari. Yum!

    1. I think most people (including myself) always thought there were more difficult to make than they are. But they’re super easy! Hope you like them and yes, add a spritz of tamari! :)