Kale Chips Recipe ⋆ 100 Days of Real Food
I’ll admit, I wasn’t a fan of kale before I started buying and eating local, but it’s a surprisingly easy and delicious veggie! With only three ingredients, this Kale Chips recipe is super quick to make for a healthy snack.
I made this kale chip recipe as a way to get my kids to try eating more leafy greens like kale. Turns out they’re actually a super easy and delicious way to get more vegetables into your diet and satisfy that desire for crunchy snacks.
Kale chips are great to make when kale is in season, especially if you grow it in your own garden!
Prior to this year I don’t ever recall eating kale before. I even discussed it with a few of my friends, and they also weren’t sure if they had eaten it before either (have you?). I don’t know what it is about the name “kale”, but the sound of it just isn’t appealing for some reason. However, things have changed and since I am trying my best to buy and eat local foods, I decided to go out on a limb and try it!
Why We Loved Oven Baked Kale Chips
I first discovered that kale can be substituted for (and even added to) spinach in some recipes like creamed spinach. I of course couldn’t get my daughters to even think about wanting to eat that. But (drum roll, please) when I received this super easy recipe below, courtesy of my husband’s step-mom, not only did my children like it, but they loved it and kept asking for more!
I will add that when my daughter first saw this greenish looking dish, just like any 2-yr-old would, she said “I don’t like that” without even trying it. She did follow the rule of trying at least one bite though, and with surprise in her voice she said “I like the kale” and then kept eating it.
And I have to agree that I was also surprised how good (and good for you) something with the name “kale” could turn out to be!
Alternative: Air Fryer Kale Chips
Since air fryers are so popular I thought I’d share this recipe alternative! You can make this recipe in the air fryer instead of the oven.
Set your air fryer to the same temperature (375 degrees fahrenheit) and toss in oil normally. The only difference between the oven and air fryer for this recipe is the cooking time: cook kale chips for 3-5 minutes in the air fryer.
Tips Baking Perfect Kale Chips
Kale chips are really easy to make but you do have to be careful to toss the oil evenly and not overcook them. Here’s some tips and tricks to help your kale chips turn out perfectly every time:
- Choose kale for your chips that’s as fresh as possible so the leaves are firm
- Make sure kale leaves are fully dried after washing
- Be gentle when you toss leaves in oil
- Make sure kale leaves are coated evenly with oil (this is both so they’ll crisp up and to make sure they don’t stick)
- Give kale chips plenty of space on the cookie sheet, don’t overlap or crowd
- Watch chips carefully as they cook
How to Store Chips
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.
If you find storing your homemade chips in an airtight container makes them soggy, consider adding something to the container that will absorb moisture like some dry rice. Another idea is to store in a brown paper bag; the bag will help absorb moisture and keep chips crispy.
