DIY Food

Homemade Kale Chips

April 12, 2013

Every week, a DIY expert spares us a trip to the grocery store and shows us how to make small batches of great foods at home.

Today, Becky Rosenthal from The Vintage Mixer shows us how to turn everyone's favorite green into a crispy, crunchy snack.

Kale2

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I'm always looking for a little more crunch in my snacks. But bags of potato chips, tortilla chips, and pretzels can get a little boring, and they leave me wanting for something healthier. More green, perhaps. Enter kale chips. 

By simply tearing leaves of kale into bite-sized pieces, massaging them with oil, seasoning, and baking, you can turn this salad green into a crispy, satisfying snack. The boxes of kale chips you find at the store are shockingly pricey, but don't let those numbers fool you -- homemade kale chips are inexpensive to make, and whipping up a batch at home will likely cost you less time than a trip to the store. This is not rocket science, folks -- my father actually was a rocket scientist, and he assures me this is easier. 

These crunchy little bites provide everything I look for in a snack: easy, healthy, crunchy and crowd-pleasing. Move over, potatoes; there's a new chip in town.

Spices

Kale Chips

Serves 3 to 4

1 bunch kale, washed and dried
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon salt

Kale Strip

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Wash your kale, then gently pat it dry. Remove the tough stem from each leaf, then tear the leaves into large pieces -- they will shrink down when they bake.

Kale Bowl

In a large bowl, drizzle the olive oil onto the kale, using your hands to massage the oil into the leaves. Sprinkle the cumin and paprika onto the kale -- you may need to use your hands here, too, to evenly distribute the spices.

Another way to massage your kale: Amanda's Kale and Anchovy Salad

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Lay out the leaves on a baking sheet covered in parchment or a silpat. Dust with sea salt, then bake for about 16 minutes, turning halfway through. Your chips should be crisp and curled at the edges. Pile them into a bowl, and enjoy!

See the full recipe (and save and print it) here.

Kale2

Looking for more homemade snacks? Try these:
Movie Theater Nachos
Whole Wheat Pitas, smeared with Labneh
Homemade Potato Chips

Photos by Becky Rosenthal

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16 Comments

jacqueline P. March 28, 2020
Loved the technique. "Bunch" of kale can vary greatly in amount and I found the salt quantity for my "bunch" a little overwhelming. Would cut it back by at least one half.
 
Ann L. April 15, 2013
I live in humid Miami and was pleasantly surprised that the chips I put in a zipped bag stayed crisp for days! Perhaps the trick is getting them THOROUGHLY dry?
 
hillaryhudson April 15, 2013
I am not sure what I did wrong, maybe it was the variety of kale I used (called dino kale at the store) but my chips were very bitter and not very tasty.
 
Sarahlmorford April 15, 2013
Yum! I adore Kale Chips - I only wish they would keep! I have not had any luck in keeping them crunchy for more than an evening. Oh well, guess they need to be gobbled up immediately!
 
Marian B. May 25, 2013
See Ann Landau's comment above -- maybe make sure they're completely dry before adding oil? At least they're tasty enough to eat in one sitting!
 
kelcancook April 14, 2013
We make a version of these almost nightly and they've become our appetizer before dinner, rarely leaving the pan they're roasted on. I typically bake them at 400 for 10 min. A few of the thicker stalks are still a little chewy, but I like this. Instead of using a separate boil to oil them, I use my misto filled with olive oil. This allows a nice, even coating for each piece. My latest addition was a little truffle salt instead of regular. Wow!
 
Aliwaks April 14, 2013
I add a spoonful of tahini and a sprinkle of sesame seeds ..nutty & crunchy great tv snack and if they get too crunchy I grind them up & they make great popcorn seasoning
 
tamater S. April 14, 2013
I didn't like the chips much, but something about them drove my Standard Poodle, Lamby, crazy. He'd go wild-eyed and get in the begging pose every time kale came into the kitchen. He'd watch me like a hawk, and when he knew I was using kale in soup or mashed potatoes instead of chips, he'd turn his back on me and flop down while emitting a long groany-sigh.

I haven't made chips since Lamby departed, but I'm now looking forward to trying your sesame/tahini variation, soon as my Kale's up.
I'll grind the leftovers and put in the shaker for popcorn (love that idea too) or rice. We'll raise the shaker to our old Lamby.
 
Marian B. April 14, 2013
Yum! I have to try this variation.
 
WishWorks April 14, 2013
I think a dusting of parmesan or another grated cheese would help
or garlic or onion powder, Kake by its nature is bitter and in my mind a little boost is needed. What do you folks think?
 
Marian B. April 14, 2013
I think that would be great! I would just make sure the cheese was finely grated. Some recipes for kale chips also include nutritional yeast, which is really nice and lends a somewhat cheesy flavor.
 
cook4fun April 14, 2013
Thanks, Becky, for sharing your kale chips. I wonder if you've experimented with a lower oven and longer baking time? I've found that dividing the kale between two cookie sheets so they are in a single layer, then baking at 225 degrees for an hour (rotating the pans at 30 minutes) creates kale chips that are crispy all the way through. The kind you could actually make ahead and even store without them losing their crunch.
 
bb2y April 14, 2013
I agree with cookbookchick; I did not care for them at all.
 
HalfPint April 12, 2013
How would you store these chips? And how long would they keep?
"This is not rocket science, folks -- my father actually was a rocket scientist, and he assures me this is easier." Love this!
 
Lemongrass&Lime April 12, 2013
Not sure what Becky thinks but I've never had success trying to store homemade kale chips myself. They really are best enjoyed the day they're made. I've tried to store them in airtight containers but they loose their crunch and are less enjoyable the next day in my experience.
 
Sara S. April 12, 2013
Once you taste one, you won't need to worry about storing them! :)