Foolproof Crispy Baked Kale Chips (+ 4 flavors)

Showing you my foolproof method for how to make the CRISPIEST baked kale chips, and four delicious ways to season them. Never bitter or chewy!

When you need that crunch factor, but want to keep things healthy, you have a few options available: make ultra crispy air fryer chickpeas, baked zucchini fries, or these deliciously crispy baked kale chips!

My ideal baked kale chips are perfectly crispy and bright green throughout. No burnt edges (makes them bitter). The right amount of salt and oil (so they don't end up bland or chewy).

And after a lot of batches, I finally got them just right and I'm sharing four different seasonings you can use on them.

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Recipe video

Watch the video below to see exactly how I prepped these kale chips. It’s so easy! You can find more of my recipe videos on my YouTube channel, or on Facebook.

Ingredient notes

• kale- you can use almost any type of kale in this recipe, from curly kale to lacinato kale; baby kale does not work as well.
• oil- I've used olive oil, though any oil that will thinly coat the leaves should work. Avocado oil is another great bet.

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Step by step directions

1. Wash kale- Tear kale into 2-3 inch pieces, removing and discarding the woody stem. Wash in cold water, drain and dry well using a salad spinner.

TIP- I like this salad spinner! Spin the kale twice to dry it more thoroughly.

2. Dry kale- Spread the kale out on a clean kitchen towel and blot with a second clean kitchen towel. Repeat as necessary to remove all water droplets from the kale leaves.

3. Toss in oil- Add the kale to a large bowl, then drizzle with the oil. Use a spatula to mix well, ensuring that each leaf is coated *thinly* with oil. Sprinkle with salt and toss again for even coverage.

TIP- you want your kale to be thinly coated and not completely drenched with the oil

4. Bake- Heat the oven to 250°F (if your oven has the convection setting, use that!), then spread the kale out on 1-2 sheet pans. Do not overcrowd your pans; it's OK if the leaves touch, but do not overlap. Bake for 15-20 minutes.

5. Check- Pick the biggest chip and give it a little poke in the middle. If the middle is flexible and bendy, it is not ready to come out. If it's rigid and firm, your chips are ready to come out of the oven

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Recipe tips

1. start with completely dry kale- water is the enemy of crispiness; dry the kale using a salad spinner, and blot up any remaining moisture using a clean kitchen towel.
2. cook low and slow- after testing three different temperatures, we settled on 250°F as the perfect temperature- the kale chips get nice and crisp, but never burnt or bitter.
3. don't overcrowd the pan- make sure your kale chips are not overlapping so that air can flow around and between them.
4. don't use too much oil- you want a very thin coating of oil; too much oil actually prevents the chips from getting crispy!

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FAQ

Seasoning ideas

These chips are the perfect blank canvas for your favorite flavoring ideas. Here are some of my faves:

• cheezy- toss in olive oil & salt, spread out on baking sheet, and sprinkle with 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast/ 4 cups kale
• sesame- swap olive oil for sesame; toss with oil & salt, spread out on baking sheet and sprinkle with sesame seeds
• ranch- toss in olive oil (no salt); spread out on baking sheet and sprinkle with 2 teaspoons homemade ranch seasoning per 4 cups kale
• fajita- toss in olive oil (no salt); spread on baking sheet and sprinkle with 2 teaspoons homemade fajita seasoning per 4 cups kale

Storage

Store at room temperature in a container without the lid to keep them crispy. Depending on the climate where you live, they will stay crispy for up to a week.

Kale chips cannot be frozen.

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