These kale chips are delicious, oil-free, nut-free, and can be made without a dehydrator.
Most kale chips require a dehydrator, and many recipes also include oil.
These kale chips are incredibly tasty and crispy – without needing any oil – AND without needing a dehydrator.
Now, you do have to use a particular method of baking with the oven. Because it’s very easy to burn kale chips in the oven. When they overcook or burn in spots, they lose that gorgeous vibrant green color and taste bitter. The taste is just not the same. It’s not fresh and clean, but rather bitter and sulfurous.
See, most recipes for kale chips in an oven have the setting WAY too high, usually around 400 degrees. But even in recipes that bake chips at a lower oven temp for longer (ex: 300 degrees for 30+ minutes), your kale chips will “cook” rather than “dry”. A dehydrator is so effective because it dries the foods, it doesn’t cook them. That’s why the chips taste so fresh and the greens taste more sweet than bitter.
I don’t have a dehydrator so I started experimenting, to get these crunchy-munchy bites of deliciousness. And this is what I discovered…
The trick is to mimic dehydrating in your oven.
To do that, you need to use the lowest temperature setting possible for your oven, and then alternate turning the oven off and on. For my trials, this took about 1 1/2 – 2 hours. The result? Crispy, irresistable kale chips!
Healthy Kale Chips: Seasonings
Before I jump to the recipe for these healthy kale chips, let’s talk about seasonings. In my experience, kale chips can be too heavily overseasoned, or seasoned with just salt and oil.
This recipe gives you an oil-free ‘dressing’ for the chips that is flavorful but not sickly or hot-spicy. Remember that the kale becomes smaller, and more concentrated with this drying method or with dehydration. So, be somewhat conservative with assertive spices and also with the salt. Try the recipe as-is first, then add your spices to personalize the next time round (see note about seasoning).
And finally, this ‘dressing’ uses some nooch (nutritional yeast). I promise it tastes good. It’s the combination of the ingredients together. Give it a try, even start with a touch less at first to get the idea.
Let me know if you’ve made these, share in the comments. x Dreena
Oven-Dehydrated Kale Chips
Ingredients
- 1 bunch fresh kale curly or dinosaur; about 6–8 loosely packed cups after prepping
- 2 teaspoons tahini
- 2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon tamari
- 1/2 teaspoon pure maple syrup
- 2 1/2 – 3 tbps nutritional yeast
- 1/8 teaspoon (scant) sea salt
Instructions
- Wash the kale leaves. Strip the leaves from the stems and place the leaves in a salad spinner. Spin to remove as much water as possible.
- If leaves are still damp, use a kitchen towel to blot dry.
- Turn oven to lowest setting possible (ex: 170F).
- Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, combine the tahini, lemon juice, tamari, and maple syrup.
- Stir or whisk through until fully smooth in the bottom of the bowl.
- Add kale leaves and toss through with your hands, gently incorporating the sauce through the leaves.
- Add the nutritional yeast, and continue to work through the kale leaves.
- Transfer the kale leaves to the prepared baking sheets, spreading out.
- Sprinkle the leaves with the sea salt.
- Place the baking sheets in the oven on 2 racks. Bake for an hour.
- Then, turn off oven, rotate trays, and then let sit in the oven for 30 minutes.
- Then, turn oven to 170F again, and bake for another 15–20 minutes.
- Check kale: if completely dry and crispy, remove from oven. If not, turn off heat and let sit for another 30–40 minutes. By then, the kale should be crisp and ready to eat!
Notes
- If your oven can go lower than 170F, the process may take another 20–30 minutes.
- To re-crisp leftovers, reheat at same low temperature until flaky again.
- Do not add extra wet seasonings or it will make the leaves soggy.
- If you want to add other flavors, stick with dry seasonings, and remember the flavor intensifies with drying.
This post was originally published in 2012 and has been updated for 2023.
Tracy says
Just noticed yesterday that we have a “dehydrate” option on our Thermador oven. Anyone know if that works like a dehydrator or more like an oven on a low setting? Would love to know if anyone has experience with an oven like this…
Dreena says
Tracy, I have heard that some ovens have a dehydrate setting! How cool is that??! Mine doesn’t, if anyone else knows more about it…??????… please chime in!
Alana says
I can not wait to try these. Thanks Dreena!
Gena says
Nice work!!! I’ve never had ideal luck with non-dehydrated kale chips, so this is super inspiring. Thank you, Dreena!
Dreena says
Real nice to hear from you Gena with how busy you are! xo
Amanda says
Thanks for posting! I have a dehydrator (it does take a lot of space, so I keep it in our basement and just run the trays up & down stairs when I’m using it– and I use it a lot when the garden is full, when I find a super deal on fruit at the store, and when I make coconut yogurt, but there are times it goes unused for a while, too) but this is the first recipe I’ve seen without oil. I’ll have to try it when my garden is overflowing with kale again!
By the way, a side benefit of keeping it in the basement is the lovely smell when food is dehydrating– masks the “basement-y” smell down there!
Dreena says
Amanda, what a great idea to store the dehydrator elsewhere! I don’t have a ton of extra counter space, so I’ve wondered where I’d put it… but plenty of room in other places of the house! (plus, you get some exercise running up and down)! 😉 Do you make coconut yogurt with the dehydrator? What do you do? Interesting! thanks!
Amanda says
After I prep the yogurt on the stovetop (heat & blend/whisk coconut milk + agave + arrowroot or guar gum to about 175°F, cool to 115°, add starter culture from the last batch, and ladle into sterilized jars) I just take all the trays out and set the dehydrator to 110-115°, put the jars in there, and let it go for about 10-12 hours. Super easy and I can make much more yogurt than with the “yogurt maker” I bought at a thrift store, which worked fine but only made 7, 6-oz jars. I can make 2 to 3 times as much and put it in mason jars in the dehydrator; it’s got lots of room if the trays are out! (I know some people who use the oven at super-low temp to make yogurt, but my older, electric oven is harder to control temp on, and you can’t go over 115°F or you’ll kill the good bacteria.)
Mary says
Hi Amanda, I read you make coconut yoghurt – would you care to share your recipe please –
I’ve bee trying to find one that’s tried & tested.
Thanks.
Kasandra Bracken says
Oh – and for chips that seem to get kinda soggy through storage – my trick is to store the kale chips in tupperware or a glass container with a few sheets of paper towel (just like when I store leftover salad). The paper towel soaks up all the moisture and leaves the chips nice and crispy and crunchy! Yum yum 🙂
Dreena says
Kasandra, thanks for sharing that tip – b/c yeah, if the moisture goes somewhere it won’t stay in the chips. The kale chips I was buying were in a paper bag – think that’s the same idea, helps to take in the moisture. Great suggestion – thx!