This weekend,we found ourselves with two very large bunches of Kale. Having already prepared a very large drawer full of salad greens, we thought that the best idea would be to make kale chips for the pantry. Since we had so much kale on our hands, we were able to mess around and come up with four original twists on our basic kale chip. First, read our Kale Chip Essentials for all of the basic instructions. Then, choose from one or more of the five Flavour Profiles below: Basic, Honey Cinnamon, Garlic & Pepper, Soy Nut Sesame, & Spicy Chile Nut – and get baking!
Kale Chip Essentials
Measuring
1 bunch of kale provides 14-16 cups of torn leaves.
Each of the flavour profiles below uses 8 cups of torn leaves and produces a large soup bowl (3-4 cups) of chips.
Preparation
To prepare the kale for baking, wash each bunch thoroughly.
Remove the green ruffly leaves from the stem and ribs. (Use the stem and ribs for compost or soup.)
Rip and tear the ruffled leaves into medium sized pieces.
Dry the kale with towels, or, preferably, use a salad spinner to dry those pieces out in large batches.
Flavouring and Baking
Mix 8 cups (half of one bunch) of torn kale leaves with one of the flavour profiles below.
Spread flavoured kale onto parchment lined pans. 2-3 pans per 8 cup batch.
Make sure kale leaves are spread out and barely touch one another. Do not overlap.
If you use more pans and spread the kale further apart, kale takes less time to cook and will not take on a burnt taste.
You can use old tin cans or raised cooling racks to stack more than one pan on top of each other on a single rack in an oven.
The thicker/more developed the flavour profile (below) the longer it will take your chips to bake.
Cool on parchment-lined pans for 10 minutes before removing to a bowl or air-tight container.
Hold the Salt!
We recommend that you do not add salt until after the chips are baked.
Kale shrinks significantly in the oven.
What looks insignificant in terms of flavouring an 8 cup bowl of fresh kale leaves becomes quite significant when that bowl shrinks by more than half in cooking!
Flavour Profiles and Cooking Times
Plain Kale Chips
Pour 2 tbs olive oil over 8 cups of torn Kale and stir thoroughly.
Spread Kale onto 2-3 parchment lined pans
Bake 25-30 minutes at 275.
Add salt to taste.
Honey Cinnamon Kale Chips
In a Small Bowl, Mix:
3 tbs honey
2 tbs olive oil
1 tbs ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground cloves
Drizzle this Mixture over 8 cups of torn Kale and stir thoroughly.
Spread Kale onto 2-3 parchment lined pans.
Bake 30-35 minutes at 275.
Garlic & Pepper Kale Chips
In a Small Bowl, Mix:
3 tbs olive oil
1 tbs garlic powder
1 tsp red pepper flakes (optional)
Drizzle the Mxiture over 8 cups of torn Kale and stir thoroughly.
Spread Kale onto 2-3 parchment lined pans.
Bake 30-35 minutes at 275.
Soy Nut Sesame Kale Chips
In a Small Bowl, Mix until thin, smooth and wet:
3 tbs natural peanut or other nut/nut-substitute butter
2 tbs soy sauce
1 tsp sesame oil
Drizzzle the Mixture over 8 cups of torn Kale and stir thoroughly.
Spread Kale onto 3 parchment lined pans.
Bake 35-45 minutes at 275.
Spicy Chile Nut Kale Chips
In a Small Bowl, Mix until thin, smooth, and wet:
3 tbs natural peanut or other nut/nut-substitute butter
2 tbs Sriracha chile sauce
2 tbs balsamic vinegar (more if the mixture is too thick)
Drizzle the Mixture over 8 cups of torn Kale and stir thoroughly.
Spread Kale onto 3 parchment lined pans.
Bake 35-45 minutes at 275.
Kale Chips FIVE Ways: Basic, Honey Cinnamon, Garlic & Pepper, Soy Nut Sesame, & Spicy Chile Nut
Equipment
- 2-3 parchment lined pans per 8 cups of kale [1/2 a large bunch]
Ingredients
Plain Kale Chips
- 2 tbs olive oil
- 8 cups of torn Kale
- Salt to taste
Honey Cinnamon Kale Chips
- 3 tbs honey
- 2 tbs olive oil
- 1 tbs ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp ground cloves
- 8 cups of torn Kale
Garlic & Pepper Kale Chips
- 3 tbs olive oil
- 1 tbs garlic powder
- 1 tsp red pepper flakes optional
- 8 cups of torn Kale
- Salt to taste
Soy Nut Sesame Kale Chips
- 3 tbs natural peanut or other nut/nut-substitute butter
- 2 tbs soy sauce
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- 8 cups of torn Kale
- salt to taste
Spicy Chile Nut Kale Chips
- 3 tbs natural peanut or other nut/nut-substitute butter
- 2 tbs Sriracha chile sauce
- 2 tbs balsamic vinegar more if the mixture is too thick
- 8 cups of torn Kale
- salt to taste
Instructions
Measuring
- 1 bunch of kale provides 14-16 cups of torn leaves.
- Each of the flavour profiles below uses 8 cups of torn leaves and produces a large soup bowl (3-4 cups) of chips.
Preparation
- To prepare the kale for baking, wash each bunch thoroughly.
- Remove the green ruffly leaves from the stem and ribs. (Use the stem and ribs for compost or soup.)
- Rip and tear the ruffled leaves into medium sized pieces.
- Dry the kale with towels, or, preferably, use a salad spinner to dry those pieces out in large batches.
Flavouring and Baking
- Mix 8 cups (half of one bunch) of torn kale leaves with one of the flavour profiles below.
- Spread flavoured kale onto parchment lined pans. 2-3 pans per 8 cup batch.
- Make sure kale leaves are spread out and barely touch one another. Do not overlap.
- If you use more pans and spread the kale further apart, kale takes less time to cook and will not take on a burnt taste.
- You can use old tin cans or raised cooling racks to stack more than one pan on top of each other on a single rack in an oven.
- The thicker/more developed the flavour profile (below) the longer it will take your chips to bake.
- Cool on parchment-lined pans for 10 minutes before removing to a bowl or air-tight container.
Hold the Salt!
- I recommend that you do not add salt until after the chips are baked.
- Kale shrinks significantly in the oven.
- What looks insignificant in terms of flavouring an 8 cup bowl of fresh kale leaves becomes quite significant when that bowl shrinks by more than half in cooking!
Flavour Profiles and Preparation
Plain Kale Chips
- Pour 2 tbs olive oil over 8 cups of torn Kale and stir thoroughly.
- Spread Kale onto 2-3 parchment lined pans
- Bake 25-30 minutes at 275.
- Add salt to taste.
Honey Cinnamon Kale Chips
- In a Small Bowl, Mix:
- 3 tbs honey
- 2 tbs olive oil
- 1 tbs ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp ground cloves
- Drizzle this Mixture over 8 cups of torn Kale and stir thoroughly.
- Spread Kale onto 2-3 parchment lined pans.
- Bake 30-35 minutes at 275.
Garlic & Pepper Kale Chips
- In a Small Bowl, Mix:
- 3 tbs olive oil
- 1 tbs garlic powder
- 1 tsp red pepper flakes (optional)
- Drizzle the Mxiture over 8 cups of torn Kale and stir thoroughly.
- Spread Kale onto 2-3 parchment lined pans.
- Bake 30-35 minutes at 275.
- Salt to taste.
Soy Nut Sesame Kale Chips
- In a Small Bowl, Mix until thin, smooth and wet:
- 3 tbs natural peanut or other nut/nut-substitute butter
- 2 tbs soy sauce
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- Drizzzle the Mixture over 8 cups of torn Kale and stir thoroughly.
- Spread Kale onto 3 parchment lined pans.
- Bake 35-45 minutes at 275.
- Salt to taste.
Spicy Chile Nut Kale Chips
- In a Small Bowl, Mix until thin, smooth, and wet:
- 3 tbs natural peanut or other nut/nut-substitute butter
- 2 tbs Sriracha chile sauce
- 2 tbs balsamic vinegar (more if the mixture is too thick)
- Drizzle the Mixture over 8 cups of torn Kale and stir thoroughly.
- Spread Kale onto 3 parchment lined pans.
- Bake 35-45 minutes at 275.
- Salt to taste.
P.S. If you like this post, you might like our Whiskey Fig Cranberry Sauce or our Gochujang Pickles:
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