Baked Kale Chips

Kale chips are outrageously expensive to buy, but once you master the delicate art of the perfect crisp yourself you'll never reach for that plastic tub again.

I've taken the guess work out for you, tried higher and lower temperatures, various oils, and with and without parchment paper, and I can tell you, that these little things really add up.

Also, don't overlook your spice choices, as these will not only enhance your end flavor, but also the dryness of your chip, but also if they stay crisp or go limp after half a day (that is, if they last that long, bc mine seem to disappear within an hour of making them, which is good bc that's really when they are the best to eat anyway).


Makes one full cookie sheet, enough to fill a large cereal bowl when cooked.

What you'll use from your bag:
Kale, stems removed, 2-3 tightly packed cups or ~1/2 this week's haul (I'd do the whole haul,


doubling the recipe)

Pro tip: Wash them as soon as you get them so they are bone dry when you go to bake them!!

What else you'll need:
Refined coconut oil in liquid form, 2 Tbs
Sea Salt, 1 tsp
Ginger Powder, 1/2 tsp
Garlic Powder, 1 tsp
Nutritional Yeast, 2 Tbs
Parchment paper
--and some latex or food prep gloves aren't a terrible idea either

Optional:  For an ethnic twist, add 1 tsp cumin and 1/2 tsp turmeric for a middle eastern flavor, or 1 tsp of adobo spice for latin!  And as always, if you like a little heat, 1 tsp of crushed red pepper and 1 tsp of cayenne pepper are never a bad addition!


First, preheat the oven to 275 degrees.  Really.  Don't go higher. 
Going longer at a lower heat will help to dry out the leaf without encouraging it to burn...also, don't overdo the oil, or you'll increase the heat and tip it into blackening.  We are going for paper dry, and the border between dry and crisp and burnt and ashy is a narrow margin.


Put a layer of parchment paper on a cookie sheet, and set aside.



Next, mix the oil and the spices together
In a large bowl, put your prepared kale, and then massage the oil and spice mixture into each leaf,

making sure to cover both sides of each leaf.  Pull any excess oil or spices from each and distribute from leaf to leaf, and then toss them all together in the bowl, and massage by the handful to ensure the leaves soften, and the spices are thoroughly integrated.

Now, arrange the leaves on the sheet 
A single layer is essential as these babies need even air exposure. Unfold the leaves and let them lay flat.

Place the sheet in the middle rack, and flip the leaves over every 8-10 minutes, cooking for appx a total of 25-30 min. If you have some leaves that just won't get dry while the others are nice and crispy, pull out the crisp ones, and turn the heat off in the oven and let the stray ones dry out in a cooling oven for 15 min...or just eat those stragglers bc they're still tasty

Let them cool on the hot sheet for at least 5 minutes before devouring them!  If
you must store them for later, allow them to sit out uncovered for at least 1-2 hours before, and try not to seal them completely, or pack too much in a container, or they may get limp. Definitely do not refrigerate.  They will be good for up to a week if they stay dry.