Believe it or not, I’ve never purchased kale before — at least not that I can remember. But when I found the bag of washed and chopped kale marked down to $1.29, I figured it was high time we try kale.
I asked on my Facebook Page for ideas of what to do with it — knowing that you all would steer me in the right direction. And you did!
I decided on the kale chips, mostly because they were so simple and because I already had all of the ingredients on hand. These were so easy to make — especially since the kale was pre-washed and chopped!
And all of my family was impressed with how yummy they were. In fact, Jesse turned up his nose at first, but then I convinced him to just try a little piece. Soon, he convinced all the kids to try these, too.
They aren’t anything like typical chips, but they sure do pack a nutritional punch.
Homemade Kale Chips
- 1 bunch kale, rinsed, thoroughly dried, and chopped (remove thick stems)
- olive oil
- sea salt
Spread the kale evenly on two cookie sheets. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt.
Bake a 350 degrees for 10-20 minutes until the edges are browned but not burnt.
Recipe from AllRecipes.com
Great Recipe! Loved them the first time I tried them! some of the kids didn’t like them at first but it’s grown on them and now they love them!
Next time you’ll have to try adding parmesan. So yummy! Even my picky son loves them.
This is one of my favorite recipes to use kale… it is so good! we always find sausage marked down at the store and buy kale when it is either marked down or on sale. http://restaurant.food.com/recipe/olive-garden-copycat-zuppa-toscana-38298
definitely worth trying! i’ve shared this recipe with so many people!
Love these! They are as addictive as regular potato chips! I don’t find kale to be expensive…maybe it’s my area but I can buy a bunch of kale for .99 cents. Of course that’s not the washed and cut up bagged type but kale is easy to wash and tear yourself. I am going to have to try it with the Parmesan cheese that’s sounds super yummy!
They’re also good sprinkled with some garlic powder! That’s my favorite way to eat kale chips!
Kale is a really great substitute for spinach. I use it a lot in soups, casseroles, stews, etc. And it’s so healthy for you! A superfood! Kale and eggs is good too. Even just saute’ing the kale in olive oil and adding some crushed garlic and salt is delicious as a veggie side. And of course, kale chips are yummy too. 🙂
These are delicious, but very messy!! We usually find them worth the mess, though. 🙂
For some reason, kale chips have me burping kale taste for hours, which is yucky. And I don’t care for it in smoothies.
But I do love to put it in soups, or even better, to add it to stir-frys! It gets semi-crispy that way, and is just perfect.
These are delicious. I also do the same thing with acorn squash and add parmesan cheese as well as the salt. I cut it into thin half moons and then cook it the same as the kale. So delicious!
I’m going to try this one … thanks
Kale chips are a miracle in my house. My very picky kids (as well as myself) really enjoy them. We also like to mix a little balsamic vinegar with the oil and salt for some added flavor, or sprinkle a small amout of Old Bay seasoning for a BBQ of sorts effect 🙂
I love kale chips! I baked my own once though, and they didn’t store well. So, I just make a little, like a serving, at a time. Yes, kale can be pricey, but the individual packs of chips at Earth Fare or Trader Joes or Whole foods are like $5. For a 2-3 serving bag (which is really just one serving, hehe). So, just by baking your own, you are saving.
A lot of people I know also juice kale, so if you have a juicer that’s another option! They just it with apples, carrots, beets, etc for a green juice.
Glad yours turned out–mine always either end up burnt or bitter…
I’m a little confused. I would guess that it would wilt as it cooked. What is the texture of the kale chips?
Kale crisps up instead of wilting. Kale chips have a texture and crunch similar to dried seaweed but without the ocean flavor. They have a bit of their own flavor but largely taste like however you season them; seasoning salt, parmesan and garlic, etc. I love them!
Perfect timing for this recipe. LAst week after you posted a list of site/blogs with healthy ideas and recipes, we signed up with an organic co-op. Our first box included kale!
Yum, we tried kale chips for the first time a few weeks ago and loved them. We topped ours with parmesan and Italian seasoning and my 8-year-old thought they tasted like garlic bread.
Anyone know if it would work well to use my Misto Sprayer to spray them with Olive Oil instead of ‘drizzling’?
I tried these recently with a friend and def. need to try to make them myself!
yes, i use the misto – it does work!
thanks! can’t wait to try!
Yum! I LOVE Kale chips. They are so expensive to buy. Thankfully they are fairly easy to make.
Add a little garlic powder, it makes them REALLY yummy! All my kids will scarf them down that way!
My kids love kale chips (and they have a tough time with most veggies!)
I want to try these this weekend with my son. We’ve just started a gluten-free diet out and are exploring lots of new foods. He has never been a picky eater and enjoys trying new foods and this will be new to the both of us. I have never had kale… ever, that I am aware of.
Will they keep for a day or so after baking or are they meant to be eaten right away? If they keep how is best to store them?
I *think* that they’d be best eaten right away — that’s what we did. Does anyone else know?
I believe they can be stored for a few days as long as they are really dry. They never last that long, though! We eat them right off the tray.
Our Health Food Store makes them daily in the dehydrator and packs them in 2 cups plastic containers like used in most deli stores. Works great.
I think they tend to get a bit “chewy” once they start to cool off. We like them better fresh. I buy the big bags of pre-washed & chopped kale, and make these about three times out of one bag. I think it makes a diffrence in “keepability” if you make them in the oven vs a dehydrator.
Wherever they’re stored, you want to make sure it’s air TIGHT (storage container, baggie, etc.). If you find they get kinda chewy or mushy by the next day, you can always pop them back in the oven til they crisp up again! I do that with popcorn that’s gone a bit stale too and it works like a charm 🙂
Thanks! These are on our list for the coming week.
My kids like these so much they will fight over pieces dropped on the floor! We grew kale in our garden a couple years go and it was absolutely prolific. I would just cut leaves off a plant to use and the rest of the plant kept growing all summer.
Kale can be pretty expensive (although not your price!) so growing our own is a huge money saver.
any tips on growing this? we have a garden with some room to spare this coming planting season! this would be a great addition!
It’s pretty easy. Just stick the seeds in the ground. Thin out (and eat) as it grows.
I think I bought starts from a nursery. The kale was one of the only things that grew that year (the garden was a bit neglected). It grew like crazy. I had about 6 or 8 plants and we truly couldn’t eat it all.
I hate to pay big bucks for it at the store, especially when you roast it and it shrinks down so much. It’s such a healthy food.
thanks! I’ll have to see if our greenhouse has kale! they have great prices 🙂
Ah, you must try the chocolate coconut oil kale chips; even my husband said they were good. http://pinterest.com/pin/194569646372766879/
Okay, now *that’s* an interesting combination!
Surprisingly the chocolate masks the kale flavor.
Crystal, somehow I lost your recipe for the potato rolls, where is it…I thought I saved it. Ack.
Hmm, I’m not sure which recipe you’re referring to. Any more details on it so I can maybe remember it?
Sorry, I was multi-tasking….sigh. The recipe for rolls you posted today. I can’t remember the name of them.
They are here:
https://moneysavingmom.com/2013/03/pull-apart-oat-rolls.html
And you can also access all of our recipes on our recipes page:
https://moneysavingmom.com/recipes
Thank you.
Kale chips are a huge hit at my house. In fact, it’s the only green veggie my oldest willingly eats. I like kale and eggs for breakfast, too.
My 3 year old is a chip monster so I was hoping I could get her to eat these. She tried and promptly spit it out. You are right when you say then aren’t like regular chips 🙂
🙂 Yes, if they are expecting regular chips, they are going to be, um, sorely disappointed. But we thought they were yummy in their own right. It helped that Jesse told them they should really try them and that he thought they were good. 🙂
Looking forward to seeing you soon, by the way!
Yes, and I have to admit that meeting you is on my bucket list so I am doubly excited!
YUMMY! That’s a favorite here!!