Parmesan Kale Chips
This 45 minute oven baked parmesan kale chips recipe gives me a crispy, addictive snack without the heaviness of fried chips. Using simple ingredients like kale, oil, cheese, and seasoning, I serve these homemade kale chips as a healthier alternative to potato chips for both kids and adults.
Servings: 6 servings
Calories: 40kcal
Ingredients
- 1 bunch of kale
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil more if needed
- ½ tsp garlic powder or 3-4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1-2 tbsp grated parmesan cheese or nutritional yeast, for a vegan option
- ¼ tsp Sea salt more to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 275 degrees F
- Rinse kale in a salad spinner and make sure it is completely dry.
- Remove dark ribs and chop kale into bite sized pieces.
- In a small bowl mix olive oil, garlic powder, and salt. Add kale to a large mixing bowl and drizzle in olive oil mixture. Toss thoroughly to combine, using hands to distribute the oil and seasonings evenly.
- Note: for the parmesan, you can add it before or after baking. If you add it before baking, toss the kale with the olive oil, garlic, salt and parmesan together – then bake (the parmesan will get slightly browned and crispy with the chip). If adding it after baking, add it right after you pull the kale chips out of the oven so the cheese will melt a bit on the chips (but the cheese will stay creamy and moist). If you're using nutritional yeast, add it before baking with the olive oil mixture.
- Spread the kale over 2 large baking sheets, ensuring the kale touches as little as possible to help it crisp while baking.
- Bake for 20 minutes, then turn the pans around and lightly toss/stir kale to ensure even baking. Bake for 10-20 minutes more, or until kale is crispy and very slightly golden brown (depending on how much moisture is in your kale, you may need a longer baking time). Watch closely as it can burn easily. Remove already crispy kale if needed, for them not to burn while the rest is still baking.
- Remove from oven and let cool slightly – chips will crisp up even more once out of the oven.
- Enjoy immediately! Best when fresh. Store leftovers covered at room temperature for 2-3 days.
Notes
- My #1 Secret Tip for this recipe is to remove the ribs from the kale before chopping it. The stalks of most kale varieties are tough and don’t bake up well, so I just use the leaves for this kale chip recipe.
- Adding parmesan before baking: For the parmesan, I can add it before or after baking. If I add it before, I toss the kale with olive oil, garlic, salt, and parmesan together, then bake. This way, the parmesan gets slightly browned and even crispy along with the chips. If I’m using nutritional yeast, I always add it before baking.
- Adding parmesan after baking: I find the best way to add parmesan is after baking. I sprinkle it on right after pulling the kale chips from the oven so the cheese melts slightly on the chips while staying creamy and moist.
- Massaging the Kale: I make sure to massage the kale thoroughly with the olive oil mixture before baking.
- Baking for Crispy Chips: For perfectly crispy chips, I bake the kale low and slow. I use a lower temperature for a longer time to make sure they dry out completely.
- Draining Excess Oil: I place the chips on a plate lined with a paper towel to absorb any excess oil.
Nutrition
Calories: 40kcal | Carbohydrates: 3.5g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 3g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 1mg | Sodium: 113mg | Potassium: 150mg | Fiber: 1g