Like beets, kale is a super nutrient-dense food, but not always a kid favorite. It’s taken a good amount of recipe testing to come up with uses for kale that my family enjoys. My kids don’t much like kale in stir-fries or cooked dishes, but they really like this crispy kale chips recipe!
All About Kale
There’s a reason that kale is called a superfood and nutritional powerhouse. It’s loaded with vitamins A, C, D, and K. Kale is also one of the best food sources of calcium. It’s dark green color means it has a good amount of iron and the antioxidant quercetin too.
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Most people have heard of kale’s amazing nutrient superpowers, but some still aren’t sure what to do with it. I mentioned earlier that you can toss it in a stir fry, but here are some other options:
Make a Salad
Kale is a leafy vegetable that looks like it should be tossed in a salad. If you’re not much of a kale eater though, you might be in for a shock if you try it that way. Kale is a little bit bitter and quite a bit tougher than your average salad lettuces.
The best way to soften kale leaves up a little is to slice them nice and thin and rub them with a vinaigrette. Yup, I said rub them. Most people enjoy a nice massage and apparently kale does too. Read more about it in this post for shaved apple and kale salad.
Put It in a Soup
Because kale is a little thicker and tougher, it holds up really well in soups. It becomes a little softer, but still has some nice bite to it. I freeze kale, onions, and carrots from the garden in the summer to make this chicken soup in the fall.
Put It in a Smoothie
Are you a fan of green smoothies? You could try replacing the spinach in this recipe with kale.
Make Crispy Kale Chips
Kale chips are, in my opinion, the most kid-friendly way to serve kale, especially if it is a new veggie at your house. It’s also one of the simplest recipes for it. Just rub each dry leaf with oil, sprinkle them with salt, and bake them in the oven until they’re crispy. Mmm. So easy and so tasty. You can be adventurous and try other seasonings too, like cumin, Parmesan, or lemon zest. This fun recipe adds sriracha and coconut chips!
One note on kale in case you don’t already know it: Cut out the center rib of each leaf. It’s really tough and chewy!
Kale Chips Recipe
Servings
Nutrition
Notes
- Flavor variations: try adding spices like cumin and chili powder or ginger and garlic for a different taste.
- If your leftover kale chips get soggy, toss them back in the oven for a few minutes to re-crisp them.
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Ever made kale chips? What is your favorite way to prepare kale?
Seriously delicious AND easy. I had to cook mine for about 14 mins. Thanks so much for your blog.
Such a delicious recipe. Thanks for sharing.
I love Kale chips, and so does everyone I have shared them with. I do them in my dehydrator, which in most recipes say take about 18 hours. I never had to wait that long, generally only about 3 or 4 hours if you flip them in between. I found a “cheesy” recipe that uses a pureed/blended mix of lemon juice, cashew nuts, red pepper, olive oil and nutritional yeast, and water, along with a few spices thrown in. Some people just drizzle it on the leaves, but I like to massage it in with my hands. It is a bit more work, but it distributes the flavor better and speeds up the drying time. I always remove the spines, as they are much thicker and would also take up a lot of time dehydrating. I prefer to use flat leaf rather than curly, they are easier to work with and I always use the largest leaves from the kale in my garden. Kale tastes stronger and more bitter in the larger leaves, but you do not notice that when you make chips out of them. They really do taste cheesy and are the most addictive thing I have ever eaten! I experimented with my own recipes and came up with a blend of soaked sunflower seeds, yogurt, dill and onion. They were yummy too. I store it in airtight containers and have found them to stay crisp. If they do get a bit soft, you can always re-crisp them for a few minutes in your dehydrator or oven.
I make kale chips all the time, I love the texture! 250degrees for 10-15 min, I’ve tried higher temps at less time and they either don’t crisp or I end up burning them, haha. Same oil and salt prep, except sprinkle a little lemon juice on them after removing from the oven and they are delicious! Mmmmm
I just made these the other night and actually put 1 Tbsp. of organic vinegar with the ‘mother’s milk’, Himalayan salt and they were delicious! I have totally changed my life because of your recipes in beauty and I enjoy all of your advice, you are amazing!
Love these! I mixed a little bit of the fat from my bone broth with a bit of olive oil, and they were delish!! Katie, I just want to say thank you for all your information. It has helped me and my family so much. I have tried so many of your recipes, and have loved everyone of them. Youre a great mama for doing what you’re doing for your family, cause this does take a lot of time, research, and patience. You’re awesome!!
Thanks so much! Glad you liked the Kale Chips 🙂
So glad I stumbled on this recipe for Kale chips. I love them more than potato chips. Very, very addicting.
I tried making these using another similar recipe, but they were so THIN. Any suggestions to give them a thicker texture with more crunch?? Is there a “thicker” type of Kale to use?