I had kale chips for the first time last week. And let me tell you, it was love at first bite. I will admit I was skeptical of this “superfood”, I thought that there wasn’t much to rave about; but then on a whim, we picked up a bag at my local health food store. I bit into the crispy and flavorful chip and I never looked back!
They come in so many different flavors and have these delicious, crunchy toppings dried right onto the chip. And, yes, they are actually crunchy – like a thinly sliced and delicate potato chip. After perusing the ingredients on a bag one day, I thought: “I could totally make these!”
This prompted me to get into the kitchen and make my own, considering the world’s smallest bag of these chips runs me about $5.50 a pop where I live. Not only is it budget saavy to make your own kale chips, but it is also a way to add the spices and flavors you want.
When Kale chips aren’t made correctly, they can come out bitter and flat-out unappetizing. This recipe, however, will definitely not disappoint! No bitter chips among the batch I made.
I also used the method of dehydrating these chips at a low temperature overnight, which locks in all the vitamins, enzymes, minerals, antioxidants, and nutrients found in the ingredients. Kale alone is packed with Vitamins A, C, and K, as well as calcium, copper, potassium, iron, manganese, and phosphorus.
Let’s get to the chip making!
Sweet & Salty Kale Chips
The Players
- 2 bunches of organic kale
- 1 -1/4 cup almonds soaked overnight in warm water and 1 teaspoon sea salt (where to buy raw almonds)
- 2 teaspoons sea salt (where to buy sea salt)
- 1 organic carrot
- 1 small red organic bell pepper
- 1/3 organic onion
- 2 tablespoons raw honey (where to buy organic raw honey)
- 2 organic garlic cloves
- juice of half organic lemon
- 1/3 cup coconut oil (where to buy coconut oil)
The How-To
1. The night before, soak the almonds in water with 1 teaspoon of sea salt (adding enough water to cover the almonds by three inches).
2. The next day, wash the kale well and trim out the stems (trust me, you don’t want the stems in there – they will come out like chewy twigs). Place all the kale leaves in a large bowl.
2. In a food processor, place the soaked almonds, pepper, carrot, garlic, onion, honey, salt, coconut oil, and lemon juice. Blend until it is well combined and creates a smooth paste.
4. Scoop the nut mixture over the kale and massage it in until the leaves are well coated.
5. Lay the leaves down in a dehydrator and dehydrate overnight at 115 degrees. (I recommend and use this dehydrator.)
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I have been looking for a wonderful kale chip recipe and this looks like “it”. However, I don’t have a hydrator and probably won’t get one. What do you suggest I use instead. Can I put in the oven at a very low temperature???
Hello Pat!
Yes, you can use an oven at 200 degrees to “dehydrate” the chips – though keep in mind, cooking at a higher temperature will reduce the nutrients, enzymes, etc. With that said, you can bake them at 200 degrees until they are crispy and making sure to flip them occasionally. 🙂
Hope this helps and happy Kale Chip making!
Katie
I have made kale chips, but only seasoned them with sea salt. This recipe sounds wonderful, really kicks it up. I will certainly be trying this. I don’t use a dehydrator and they come out fine from the oven. The only problem I’ve encountered… they barely get out of the oven before we are digging in!
I am the same way, I can’t keep my hand out of container once I put them away! 🙂
Hi! How long would you say we can “dehydrate” in the oven at 200?
Hi VR,
For around two hours, but really until they are to your crispness liking.
Thanks!
Katie
I found this site that explains how to use your oven (I don’t have a dehydrator either), but I like your seasonings better! Question – You call for 2 tsp salt, then use one for the almonds. Do you use 1 for the seasoning or 2?
I use 2 teaspoons for the seasoning, in addition to the soaked almonds teaspoon. That water will be drained off anyways. 🙂
Why do you put salt in the soak water? – For flavor?
It does improve flavor. But more importantly, it reduces the anti-nutrients present in the almonds, making them more digestible.
oops http://plantpoweredkitchen.com/oven-dehydrated-kale-chips-no-dehydrator-needed/
How much is “2 bunches”? I don’t buy kale, I grow my own, so “bunch” isn’t a defined amount. Can you give me a weight or some other measure? Thanks.
It depends on how large the leaves are, but I would say I used about twenty medium and large leaves for these chips. 🙂
Katie
Thank you!
Yikes! The dehydrator is OVER $200. I can’t even afford that for a months’ groceries. You mentioned that baking will take away nutrients. Do you have any other dehydrator’s you can mention that are within a normal person’s budget?
I used to put Tahini on my Kale chips, so good. I too would gobble them up as fast as I could bake them. Until I read the calories in Tahini.
Thanks.
I know Bed, Bath, and Beyond has some great cheaper alternatives. This one is not amazing by any means but it gets the job done and is a great “starter” dehydrator: http://amzn.to/12Q57Rj
Hope this helps!
Katie
I have made these twice in the last two days. They are incredibly good! I had blanched almond flour and used one cup in place of the almonds.
Woot! I am so happy you like them, Jennett! 🙂
DELICIOUS! The sweetness is such a nice surprise. I’m used to making them with coconut oil and sea salt but the ground up mixture is unique and worth the extra effort! Thanks for sharing Katie 🙂
I am so happy you like it, Aimee! 🙂
Hi, This recipe looks really good – different from the cashew based kale chips I make, which is cool. I am wondering if you consider Kirkland almonds to be raw in the sense that they still have the enzymes in tact. It’s my understanding that commercially sold “raw” almonds are legally required to be pasturized by heat or fumigtion. I believe I called Kirkland’s andthey fumigate their almonds. Another point is that we can only get unpasturized almonds directly from the farm. Maybe this in only a California thing – not sure.
No. I share your understanding. There are no commercially available authentically raw almonds available in the USA. So in this sense, they are “raw” because they’re not roasted.
I finally got around to making these and THEY ARE AMAZING!!! The first kale chip I had was store bought and I wasn’t too impressed, especially since I paid $5 for a tiny amount. I didn’t have a red bell pepper and it was still delicious. My husband and friends were quite surprised how tasty they were. I’ll be making more these for sure and will try it with the red bell pepper next time. Thanks for sharing your delicious recipe 🙂
Thank you, Mary! I am SO happy you enjoyed them – this made my day – thank you!
sounds interesting
ground raw cashews with a touch of olive oil and garlic. A pinch of sea salt and fresh ground pepper. So tasty!
I CAN’T CHEW THE KALE CUZ OF MY DENTAL PROBLEMS. SO I USED COLLARD GREENS. FAIRLY GOOD.
Rachel
Garlic , ginger , sea salt and red pepper flakes for a little heat .
What’s wrong with real salt?
Chuck Murray, I guess that depends on what you consider real salt.
I like what you write, but reality must be a part of anyone who blogs to the public.
Chuck, you can get sea salt at any grocery chain. I believe I have even seen it at Wal-Mart.
Cashew, nooch, miso, garlic, olive oil, salt 🙂
Chuck Murray, I agree with Brandilyn Slayton. Sea salt is not too hard to find. I’m not sure what you mean by the reality comment.
OH MY GOSH – Amazing recipe. This was so good. I only had pecans and a lime instead of almonds and a lemon. I have an over abundance of kale from my garden so I made a ton and shared with my coworkers. They love it! Thank you for this awesome recipe!
I love kale.
Ha ha. I’ve been fooled before by these recipes. I’ll just leave the kale chips to the rest of you! 😀