Let’s start things off by acknowledging that I’m late to the kale chip trend. But better late than never right?
Last week I picked up a beautiful bunch of kale, along with a refrigerator full of delicious fruits and vegetables at my new favourite grocer. The problem was, in my excitement when presented with a fantastic array of produce, I bought way more than would fit in the fridge. So instead of undertaking the impossible task of fitting the kale in an already over stuffed fridge I settled on making kale chips, and seeing what all the fuss was about.
The process is simple. Remove the kale leaves from their stalks, wash, dry and lightly coat with oil and salt and bake. After making a couple of batches I found the lower the temperature you bake the kale chips at the better. The chips remain crispy for much longer (in fact 1 week later the last of kale chips are still crisp). Also, a lower temperature ensures the kale stays beautifully green.
A lot of recipes call for salting after the chips are baked, however I found the kale chips are best salted before baking. The reason for this is twofold. Firstly the oil helps the salt stick to the chips, and secondly, I believe the salt helps dry the chips out better. Anyway, that’s my experience. A word of caution though. Go easy on the seasoning because as the chips shrink in size while baking this will increase the saltiness.
As far as salt goes feel free to experiment with salts and other seasonings. My first batch used a flaky grey sea salt I picked up on my last trip to the United States and they were divine. The second batch used truffle salt, for a little bit of decadence. I also think they’d be wonderful with a lemon pepper salt, or a smokey salt. Well, that’s the plan for the next couple of batches I’ll be baking because this is definitely one trend I’ll be following because these chips are addictive. So much so it was a struggle to not eat the whole of the first batch straight from the oven.
So tell me, have you tried kale chips?
Kale Chips
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 120 celsius (250 fahrenheit) and line 2 large baking trays with baking paper. Remove the kale from the stalk and tear the leaves into pieces, keeping in mind that the kale will shrink when baked. Wash and dry well in a clean tea towel. It's important the kale chips are dry before baking otherwise your chips won't be crisp. Don't skip this step!
- Toss the kale in the olive oil and a sprinkling of salt until it's coated in the seasoned oil. Go easy on the salt here as you can always add a little more after baking if they aren't seasoned enough.
- Divide the kale between the trays and ensure that the kale is not overlapping to ensure maximum crispiness when baked. Bake for 10 minutes before turning the leaves over and baking for another 10 to 15 minutes.
Recipe Notes
If not eating immediately, cool completely before storing in an airtight container for up to a week. Storage time will depend on humidity, however I've been able to store them for a week and still be perfectly crisp.
Sooooo addicted to these things! Yummo
I love kale chips, make them a lot and sprinkle them over salads – and my secret indigence – over scrambled eggs 😉
Kale is a slow growing winter crop, so your seedlings may not do too well unless you live somewhere cool, as warm weather is just around the corner. Otherwise kale is quite easy to grow 🙂
I love kale chips, they don’t last long in my house!
I tried kale chips and I baked mine too high because they were crispy for about 5 minutes and then got chucked in the bin. I’ll try it again. 🙂
Yes, and I love them! Would not have guessed that baking at a lower temp would make them crispier, so thanks for that tip.
I absolutely love kale chips but don’t make them all that often as kale is so expensive. I bought a few seedlings last week though so I’m hoping to have my own supply soon. I never knew you could actually keep them. They don’t last more than a few minutes in front of me!
I actually kept some because I meant to photograph them the next day, but forgot and low and behold they were still crisp. And you’re right, Kale can be expensive. Let me know how you go growing it. Will you be growing it in pots?
I love kale chips! I eat the whole tray at once. I make an almost similar version of these. I also add a bit of white balsamic and add some sweet with the salty.
I’ve never tried kale chips but these look quite addictive!
I love kale chips. I put some into the oven whilst I’m preparing dinner, my 2yo maggie loves.
I like to crush up some cashews & chilli pepper flakes and sprinkle over after I’ve put the oil on.
I would love to know which grocer is your new fav jennifer!
Hi Jen, it’s Charlie’s fruit market http://www.charliesfruitmarket.com.au/. They have a fantastic selection of things that are often difficult to find and even better they offer online ordering, although I haven’t tried that yet.
Love your cashew and chilli pepper seasoning. I’ll have to try it.
I have indeed tried kale chips and I love them! Think they taste a bit like crispy seaweed 🙂 Great for waistlines too – I feed them to my Dad instead of crisps if my parents come over for drinks and nibbles 🙂
I’m definitely late to the party too…Does that just make us the ‘new wave’ of kale-chippers? Kale doesn’t tend to like my stomach when I eat it warm, so maybe the chips are the way to go 😉 I’ll definitely be giving these a try after my next farmer’s market visit 🙂
I’m late to the kale chip party as well. Love this and thank you for the very detailed instructions.
Interesting! I haven’t yet tried kale…
Cheers,
Rosa