When it comes to foodie trends I am always behind the curve.
It’s not that I am unaware, I just have a hard time catching up.
For example, right now roasted strawberries are all the rage. Before that there was the Biscoff spread and bean brownies (a bandwagon I managed to hop on).
And let us not forget about Nutella, something that I’m pretty sure is always in.
Actually, I’m not sure when any of these trends first started. I think they might just rotate through the blogger world in a cycle. But, for some reason, I have this obsessive-compulsive logic that makes me want to try each one in the order I discovered them. Sorry strawberries. You’re almost out of season so you probably won’t be roasted until next year.
Here I am, finally trying kale chips.
Kale chips, where have you been all my life? You are soooooo good!
There are hundreds of kale chip recipes and methods floating around out there. My main objective was choosing the right cooking temperature and time. I wanted to create a perfectly crispy snack chip without burning it or having it turn out limp and soggy.
I did it on the first try. Yay, me! A huge part of this success is that I decided to go with the method suggested by Smitten Kitchen because, hello, it’s Smitten Kitchen.
These chips turned out super tasty and crispy, salty, good. They are my new ultimate favorite snack chip. They’re all natural, homemade, low fat, low calorie, and no carb. It doesn’t get much better than that as far as I’m concerned.
Well, it would be nice if you could dip them in hummus. Um, don’t try it because they will just crumble to bits. Ahem, not that I tried it.
If you enjoy roasted brussels sprouts or cabbage then you’ll love these chips. If not, they aren’t for you. My husband hates any and all members of the cabbage family and he said kale chips taste like burnt arm hair. I assure you, they don’t.
- 1 large bunch of kale (I used the curly kind)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- sea salt
- Preheat oven to 300 degrees F.
- Wash kale, remove the inner rib or stem, and tear into chip-size pieces. Make the pieces a little larger than you want the chips because they will shrink.
- The kale must be thoroughly dried. I ran it through a salad spinner, laid it out on paper towels for 5 minutes, and then ran it through the spinner once more.
- Put the kale pieces in a gallon plastic baggie and add the olive oil. “Massage” the kale to ensure that each piece has a coating of oil.
- Arrange the kale in a single layer on a large baking sheet lined with parchment paper (or you can place them right on the sheet). You may need a to use more than one sheet or bake in batches.
- Sprinkle with sea salt. Use a bit less than you think you need because the kale shrinks and the salt intensifies.
- Bake for about 20 minutes, until the kale is crisp and slightly browned.
- Enjoy!
{ 75 comments… read them below or add one }
Yum. . .kale chips! I have yet to get my husband to try them, pretty sure he would have a similar comment!
Jessica@AKitchenAddiction recently posted..Chewy Reese’s Pieces Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies
I’m amazed he actually tried them. Especially after I said “try this, you won’t like it”. Haha.
I’m always behind the curve too! Hey, better late than never
We don’t have kale in Israel and I miss it like mad - luckily I’m on my way to New York as we speak where I plan on eating copious amounts of kale and trying these chips! They look awesome.
What?! No kale at all? What about swiss chard? I heard that works, too but it’s not kale.
I tried it with swiss chard before and they were terrible. They were WAY too earthy. I LOOOVE kale chips, though!
Katherine…I live in Israel and I just bought kale today. I came upon this recipe and noticed your comment. If you want to find out where I bought it you can contact me at [email protected]. The kale is beautiful and organic. I’ll try the chips tomorrow.
LOVE kale chips! I will happily eat a pound of kale in one sitting when they’re deliciously crispy like this.
I totally hear you about being behind the curve. I always figure, if it tastes good, it will keep being trendy…right?
Yes, I think a whole bunch is barely one serving
I love a good helping of kale chips for a healthy snack! They are sort of addicting… These look nice and crispy!
Chrissy recently posted..Cedar Rosemary Salmon {much easier than you think}
Very addicting! Thank you.
I’m usually behind the curve too, although I caught the roasted strawberry thing (although I didn’t even realize it was trendy - I just saw it on a couple of restaurant menus and thought it was a nice idea). I love roast anything, but in particular cabbage, so I know I’ll like these. Good tip with using a plastic bag when coating the kale with oil - easy clean up! Nice post - thanks.
Thank you! Did you post your strawberry recipe? I still want to try to check that off my bucket list.
Kale chips are the ultimate best! And healthy too since it’s baked …i can eat a bowl of these when watching tv…lol
Cakewhiz recently posted..Peanut butter and chocolate chip cookies
Well, I am behind in that I haven’t posted any kale chips on my blog (ahem, called Cupcakes & Kale Chips). I was fancying some up, and wanted to re-make and re-photograph, and have gotten sidetracked. Oh, and I have not tried Biscoff yet. Darn gluten. But I have tried roasting strawberries. I liked, hubby was not a fan. Still debating posting my Roasted Strawberry & Goat Cheese Panini, since I was the only one who liked it.
Brianne @ Cupcakes & Kale Chips recently posted..Summer Fruit & Blue Cheese Salad with Strawberry Lime Poppyseed Vinaigrette
Go for it. I was the only one in my house who liked these! We’re just the only ones with good taste
I love love love love love kale chips… my husband is in your husbands club… I think if made right they almost taste like popcorn!
Part Time House Wife recently posted..Zucchini & Squash Taco Boats
I am behind on this trend too…I just tried kale chips last weekend at a party. Now I’m inspired to make them in my own kitchen!
Baking Serendipity recently posted..Pepperoni Rolls
Yes, do it!
Love those guilt-free kale chips!
Angie@Angie’s Recipes recently posted..Carrot, Fennel and Strawberry Salad
“Burnt arm hair”, haha.
I love kale chips but I haven’t been able to get them to crisp up the way I’d like, so I’ll have to give this recipe a try! I’m guessing they will soon be a favorite in our kitchen.
Hannah recently posted..Raspberry Almond Summer Salad
I think the lower the cooking temperature, the crisper they will get. Good luck!
I must be on the tail end of the kale chip extravaganza because I have not tried them yet … Must get with the program because these look so good
CJ at Food Stories recently posted..Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
These chips are actually allowed to be eaten by the bowlful - my heart goes out to them
Delicious!!!
Cheers
Choc Chip Uru
Choc Chip Uru recently posted..Birthday, Brownie, Crownie
I love kale chips too, I can’t wait till the kale in my garden is ready so I can have kale chips all the time! My husband actually liked them too!
Jane recently posted..Beet Quinoa Salad
I just found some homegrown purple kale at the grocery store. I’ll be making purple kale chips next!
TastefullyJulie recently posted..Crispy Kale Chips
Kale chips are the bomb! Seriously they are amazing, and the fact that they are good for you blows me away. My kids & husban love them too & they have become a great side for sandwiches or burgers. Or just snacking
I havent roasted strawberries yet. Now I feel like I need to
Yup. I tried these a couple of months ago. I thought they were a great snack. Brian’s verdict was similar to your husband’s comment!
Anita at Hungry Couple recently posted..Strawberry Cheese Crumb Cake
Men!
Love the crispy, salty!
I love kale chips but I alwyas have to eat them after someone else makes them. Mine never turn out, what am I doing wrong, LOL? These are such a tasty healthy snack and a great way to get in those greens.
Suzi recently posted..Herbed Black Olive Bread Sticks
I am all in for these lovely kale chips. I have made them a snack in my home and even add it to my pizzas.
balvinder recently posted..Cucumber Sandwiches With Pepitas And Chipotle
I love kale chips and have been snacking on them for years thanks to my tragically hip SF based daughter! My husband always looks at me as if I had died my hair kale color when I eat them though….not quite as funny as your husband’s comment!!
I love kale chips! These look so tasty!
Stephanie @ Eat. Drink. Love. recently posted..Vanilla Chai Cupcakes
I LOVE kale! I have a whole post about the wonders of this amazing superfood. With that said, kale chips are one of my favorite snacks and yours look fantastic!
I’m more behind the trend than you are, considering that I have not yet tried the ubiquitous kale chips. When I do, I’ll be sure to visit back to get your technique. I wasn’t aware of the roasted strawberry trend, I’ll have to get on that! We are just barely starting to get local strawberries here in the cold Northwest.
Mary@FitandFed recently posted..Chard, Kale and Fennel Salad with Wild Rice (Emerald City Salad)
julie, i seem to also be at the tail end of food trends at times. for instance, evidently there’s a whole “milk bar mondays” thing a few bloggers have going on, and here i’m toodling through the milk bar cookbook all on my own, thinking no one else had that bright idea.
you got me hooked on bean brownies, so you’re ahead of me. and these kale chips? i got so excited about this i ran out and bought a big thing of kale. i’ve used some for a salad already, but the rest is getting massaged and chip’d sometime this week. i can see myself snacking on these all. the. time.
shannon @ a periodic table recently posted..farmers’ market mondays: stone fruit salad.
I read a couple of weeks ago that Kale is sweeter if you blanche it first. Im going to try a batch both ways… blanched, and just plain and see which way my family likes it better. We have fallen in love with a soup recipe my SIL gave me that has Kale in it, but they liked it much better when I used the blanched Kale. You can also freeze blanched Kale… just an idea!
) I may have to try blanching, then putting it in the freezer with the oil and salt! (I have a ton of kale from my bountiful baskets lately!) Thanks so much for posting this recipe!
Love kale chips.. Great tip using the bag to apply oil! Try sprinkling cooked warm chips with nutritional yeast flakes (purchase at vitamin shoppe or nutritional food store) use this instead of salt but after they are cooked crisp. . Gives the chips a cheesy salty taste and its nutritional!
Thanks!
Sounds like a great idea, thanks!
Sorry Julie if this has been mentioned already and I missed it, but ALL fruits and vegetables have carbs. Kale has about 4 grams per 1/2 cup.
Sorry, you are correct. I should have been more specific but non-starchy vegetables are so low in carbs that I generally don’t count them.
hahahaha, “like burnt arm hair”, hahahahahahaha!
I flavor them with olive oil, salt, paprika and nutritional yeast, so great!!
If you like salt & vinegar potato chips, try adding vinegar to your olive oil shake & bake bag.
Great idea!
I had these the following day- ended up throwing them away! They stunk up the whole car while traveling and tasted bad. I prefer right out of the oven
Oh, sorry about that. I’ve only ever had them right out of the oven because I can’t stop eating them until they are gone
Had crispy kale on top of butternut risotto for lunch today poolside at the beautiful, historic Willcox Hotel in Aiken, SC. Absolutely delicious!
Oh, that sounds so good!
My Daughter got me interested in Kale chips. They are Great, and you can be as creative as you like. Found that a slight amount of Baking Soda will reduce the bitterness, when shaking the salt and spices (garlic powder to taste, same for onion, or whatever else you might like.)
I love the idea of using it as a toping. Will pass it to my Wife.
Enjoy
…and your husband would know what burnt arm hair tastes like how?
tasty & crispy. i put too much salt despite your warning. Now that you mention it, I can’t shake the idea of burnt arm pit hair…
Hahaha. Just regular arm hair, not the pits!
Just sitting here laughing and laughing …did we marry the same man ? “Burnt arm hair” , indeed !!!
A friend made these, and everybody loved them. Just made them in the little oven on top of our wood stove — scrumptious!
Donna Barr recently posted..Big Sis
They did not last more than 5 minutes in my home. It helps to make them in small batches so we only eat a little at a time. I could eat these all day long. I think getting them really dry first and then using a bag to coat the oil is the best idea I’ve tried so far. Best Kale Chip Recipe!
Excellent! I’m so happy you liked them.
Hello, there,
I don’t have baking paper, will my kale chips turn out fine nonetheless?
Geri
Sure! They will be fine. You will just have to wash the pan after
Tried this with a pinch of the tomato basil Mrs. Dash. They were delicious!
The second time around I used white truffle oil. This flavorful trick encouraged the finicky eaters in my household to try a healthy snack.
These are outstanding! I have heard of them but never tried them before. After Thanksgiving I made them out of the leftover kale and wow! Great directions, too. The only thing I would change is to put even less salt on them next time….the baking really intensifies it!
Thanks for sharing this recipe. Gone in 2 minutes…super tasty…can’t wait to make them again.
Awesome
I look forward to trying this. So simple!
Francesca recently posted..Avoid Holiday Weight Gain! and Lose Weight over 40 too!
Amazing!!! Made tonight and they exceeded my expectations!
these are great! Instead of salt try yeast nutrient (has a cheese flavor i use when i want cheese flavor) mixed with curry powder then sprinkle on before oven….. Yikes
Try Tony Chachere’s seasoning on them. I was making them with sea salt and tried the Tony Chachere’s Original seasoning. Yum!
Gee, all this time I thought kale was just the decoration on the salad bar that you threw away once it wilted and turned brown… I will have to try these, as I am always looking for low- or no-carb snacks
We serve these at FEMA Kamp all the time. Our Komrades love them!
https://www.facebook.com/FEMAKamp
tried this and i have to agree with your husband’s commet, lol. The kale chips tasted really bitter and not as tasty as i thought. I did however, also tried to see what the citrus salt taste on it and it wasn’t bad, a lot tastier than sea salt.
These were soooo good!!! The kids ate them in about sixty seconds!
Just made these and took them to a friend for tea. Yummy!
we tried to make you Kale chips from smitten kitchen …but my kids and husband ate the kale raw with the sea salt and the olive oil before I could get it into the oven! we will try again….:)
Can’t wait to make these.. I’m gonna take it a step further and add popcorn seasoning for variations of flavor.. I have garlic Parmesan and white cheddar
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