Crispy Kale Chips Recipe ~ Rants From My Crazy Kitchen (2024)
Jump to Recipe Print Recipe
A month from today I will have been blogging for a full year! I have "met" so many great people in the food blogger community and beyond. Some of them I even consider my personal friends now, even though we have yet to meet in person. These "recipe swaps" I've been doing have been a good way to get to know those friends and their cooking stylea little better and for those that have swapped with me to get to know me and my cooking style.
One of the closefriends I have made is Monica from Sweet Heat Chefs. She made my Spicy Guacamole with Baconrecipe and I'm making her recipe for crispy kale chips.
Now, a little bit about kale, and kale chips.
Kale is a member of the cabbage family, along with broccoli and cauliflower.
If anything but well cooked broccoli bothers your stomach, you might want to stay away from these, just ask my husband 🙁
My only experience with kale is from my years working in the food service of a local private boarding school where we used it as a garnish for EVERYTHING. I had never eaten it, nor did it even really occur to me that I could, until right around the time I started this blog and I started seeing recipes with it all over.
So, when I found these while searching Monica's recipes to find something for the swap, I knew it was time to try it. The first time I made them they burnt really fast, so I asked Monica what I did wrong and after talking to her she updated her recipe to better explain how to cut the leaves, and the second time I was able to make them much better, with just a little modification.
Honestly, you NEED to try these kale chips.
They're REALLY delicious, but they are also addicting! Don't eat all of them yourself, because they WILL give you gas! Just saying.....
Print Recipe
No ratings yet
Crispy Kale Chips
Healthy kale is rubbed with oil and spices, then baked up until crispy. It's a healthy snack that you can enjoy any time of the day.
Make sure kale is thoroughly washed and dried. Preheat oven to 300*F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
Cut off the stems off the kale and remove the ribs from the middle of the leaves, keeping the veins of the leaves intact. Cut the leaves into larger bite size pieces, keeping in mind that they will shrink as they bake and they will burn if cut too small! I cut each leaf in half lengthwise and then in half again crosswise.
Put the leaves on the lined baking sheets, drizzle with the oil and sprinkle with the salt and pepper. Mix to coat well, then make sure they are as spread out and flat as possible so they crisp up nicely. Bake for 12-24 minutes*. Watch carefully to make sure they don't burn and turn over half way through.
Notes
* I know that's a wide range for the baking time. Monica's recipe calls for 24 minutes, turning over after 12. The first time I made them I cut them way too small and some of them burnt after only 12 minutes. The second time I made them and cut the leaves much bigger, they were still almost crispy after 12, so I turned them and put them back in for 3 more minutes. None were burnt and all of them were crisp. Basically your going to have to watch them and adjust your time accordingly. Is it worth standing there and watching? Absolutely!
I haven't made kale chips in quite a while, but you've got me craving them! I'm going to have to pick up some kale and make a batch. And congratulations on your upcoming blog anniversary! Be sure to come to the Weekend Kitchen Link Party to link up another recipe!
To keep them crispy, it is important to let them cool completely. Once cooled, they can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for 2-3 days. You could also try adding a few grains of raw rice or silica packs (like those found in store-bought kale chips) to the airtight container. & Perfect for snacking!
Damp leaves make soggy kale chips. Use a light hand when you coat the dry kale leaves with olive oil. You don't want to drench them or they'll never crisp up. Use a large enough rimmed baking sheet so each kale leaf can lie flat in a single layer.
However what tends to happen at this temperature is that the thinner parts of the kale become brittle, brown and bitter while the thicker parts are either undercooked or chewy. To get perfectly uniform, crispy kale chips, the key is to bake them for longer, at a lower temperature.
Rinse and dry the kale leaves before removing most of the centre stalk, leaving long, thin pieces of kale. Toss the kale in the oil, then sprinkle with the sugar, cinnamon and ½ tablespoon of sea salt. Arrange the leaves in a single layer on a couple of baking trays and bake for 5 minutes, until crisp.
Although I prefer to eat my kale chips immediately, made ahead or leftover kale chips should be stored in an airtight container once cooled. Your chips will keep about 2-3 days at room temperature, or up to a week if stored in the fridge.
Give your chips an ice bath, and leave for 15-20 minutes if you have the time. This will wash off some of the starch – you'll see as the water goes cloudy. Starch on the surface of the chips locks in moisture and causes them to go soggy. Drain the chips and rinse under cold water, then dry thoroughly before cooking.
Kale contains a large amount of fiber, which is great for digestion but can be dangerous if you eat too much. If you overeat on kale chips (or any food) then you may experience bloating, gas, and constipation due to the excessive intake of fiber.
And unlike potato chips, kale retains its nutritional value when made into chips. Kale is high in fiber, antioxidants, vitamin A and calcium, as well as B vitamins, vitamin C and potassium. It's fat- and sodium-free, and the minuscule amounts of olive oil and salt used in my recipe barely bump up those amounts.
These crinkly, ruffled leaves are found bunched together in nearly every supermarket in the United States. Curly kales are distinctively mild-flavored and easy to cook with. These types are most commonly used for chips, green smoothies, and pestos.
Kale actually contains a phytochemical called beta carotene, which gets converted into vitamin A in the body. According to a 2021 study published in Frontiers in Nutrition, beta carotene displays antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties that may protect the gut lining and reduce intestinal inflammation.
To top it off, kale chips are usually labeled as raw, which means in order to get them crispy they are dehydrated and that takes a looooong time. So we've got expensive ingredients + a long production process = $7 for a mini bag of kale chips!
Kale chips can be an excellent source of vitamin K and vitamin A. Depending on how they are prepared, kale chips may also be a significant source of fat, but consumed in moderation, this snack can be a nutrient-rich addition to your diet.
How much nutrition does kale retain when you make them into kale chips? Contrary to what kale chips producers are claiming, baking kale to chips will remove large amount of nutrients, however it is still much better than potato chips. Kale is best consumed fresh, in smoothies and salads.
To avoid excess moisture, wrap the whole bunch of kale in a layer of paper towels, and store in a supermarket plastic bag or a zip-top plastic bag in the refrigerator crisper drawer. The kale should keep for 1 week.
Dry the kale at 145 F / 63 C for 1 hour. Reduce the heat to 115 F / 46 C and dry for an additional 3 to 4 hours until crispy dry. Transfer to airtight containers, or vacuum seal for longer storage. Enjoy.
How to store & reheat baked kale chips. Homemade kale chips are best eaten the day they're made, but they can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a day if you have leftovers. You can warm them up in a 250ºF oven if you need to re-crisp them.
Kale can be frozen without blanching but should be used within 4 weeks. Blanching greens before freezing stops the naturally-occurring ripening enzymes in the leaves. This will ensure that the leaves taste fresh and will not develop a bitter taste. Blanched kale will last up to 1 year in the freezer.
Introduction: My name is Arline Emard IV, I am a cheerful, gorgeous, colorful, joyous, excited, super, inquisitive person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
We notice you're using an ad blocker
Without advertising income, we can't keep making this site awesome for you.
