Dehydrated kale chips can be eaten plain, used in recipes, or even used to make kale powder. There are so many options! It is a superfood with a ton of health benefits and sneaking it into meals are a great way for the kids to get a vitamin and health boost.
You will need a dehydrator to truly dehydrate kale and get the best results.
- Wash Kale thoroughly.
- Cut out any thick ribs from your kale leaves.
- Pat dry. The more you can dry your produce now, the less time it takes in the dehydrator.
- Lay out kale on your dehydrator trays,
- Place trays in dehydrator
- Dehydrate at 125 degrees until they are crisp. This is going to be determined by how wet they were when you put them in, how large the chunks were, what the humidity in your area is. Mine typically take 4-5 hours.
If you don’t have a dehydrator, you can use your oven and baking sheets.
Turn your oven on to it’s lowest setting, put something in the oven door to not allow it to close all the way, and watch those puppies closely. You can bake for about 30 min, and then you’ll have to check for doneness, and continue baking if they aren’t crispy.
Don’t overlap them for best effect.
If you feel like you have more kale then you need to dehydrate, you can always freeze kale too! This way you will have extra when you need it.
Adding flavor to kale chips
Once the chips are done you can add some flavor to them.
Toss them in a bit of olive oil or coconut oil, salt, nutritional yeast, parmesan, ranch seasoning or other fun flavor of your choice.
Don’t use much oil or they’ll be greasy and only add oil when you are ready to eat them. They will not store well with oil and flavorings on them.
I’ve sometimes added the oil and salt before I dehydrate, but it can make the chips harder to determine if they’re done. But it still is great.
Note: If you are dehydrating kale for the specific purpose of making kale powder, do not add any flavors to your kale. Adding oils, salt, or other tasty elements can go rancid when you store the powder. If you are dehydrating your kale for this specific purpose, keep the kale plain!
One of my readers, Paula, shared how she makes kale chips in the oven. These come out like potato chips – just healthier. But you get the crispy goodness and touch of salt flavors with a whole lot of healthy goodness.
- Wash kale
- Tear into smaller pieces
- Spray kale with Pam (or you can use a mix of virgin olive oil and water like Paula does)
- Arrange kale on tin foil on a cookie sheet
- Sprinkle sea salt lightly on kale (optional of course)
- Bake at 300 degrees for about 10-15 minutes
Remove from oven, let cool and enjoy! These may not last too long – so don’t make too much at a time. It should last a couple of days in an airtight container.