Kale Chips Without an Air Fryer

I don’t know that I’ve ever had kale chips before and to be honest, the idea sounded kind of gross. I’m a fan of the real, unhealthy potato chips so when people try to say that there is an alternative that’s “just as good” I am very skeptical.  I chose to make kale chips as one way to use up all of the kale I’ve been harvesting from my garden this summer. Here’s how I preserved the rest of the kale for future use: Preserving Kale

Here are a couple of questions and answers you might have when considering making kale chips. 

What do kale chips taste like?

In my opinion, kale chips do not taste like potato chips and are not a potato chip replacement. It’s an easy-to-reach snack that I have on my counter that will satisfy my munchy mood. They are extremely light and almost dissolve in your mouth. I love how salty they are and find myself digging for the pieces with the most salt. 

How do you keep kale chips crisp?

Make sure the kale is completely dried before putting them on the parchment paper. I let mine sit on a dish towel for a few minutes before starting the baking process. Also making sure that the chips are fully dried out before pulling them from the oven will help with keeping them crisp. I then store mine in an airtight container at room temperature. My kale chips stay crisp for several days if I follow these steps. 

Will kale chips be bitter?

Not if cooked at a low heat, being carefully watched to not overcook. 

Do I need special equipment to make kale chips?

No! You don’t need an air fryer or any other specialty equipment to make these. Just an oven, baking sheet, salt, and oil. 

How do I make kale chips?

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Rinse the kale and destem it.  Ripping the kale leaf off of the largest part of the stem and tearing it into bite-size pieces. 

Lay the rinsed, torn kale onto a towel to dry out. If I have too much kale on the towel, I will roll the towel up to help in getting the kale dried out. 

I use parchment paper for easy clean up, if you don’t want to use parchment paper, you can just use a baking sheet plain. I use a refillable mist bottle that I’ve filled with olive oil but you can just drizzle olive oil on the tray and then brush it around with your finger or a paper towel. Here is the oil dispenser that I used. I use this dispenser to spray down anything that calls for “nonstick cooking spray”. 

Lay the pieces of kale on the sheet, spread them out, and make sure they are not overlapping. It usually takes me about three rounds to do this but I only do one tray at a time because the one rack of my oven is occupied with my cast iron skillets and dutch oven.  If you’re using a sprayer like me, just spray the top of the kale with olive oil but if you rubbed oil on the pan, toss the kale in the oil and then spread it out and make sure it doesn’t overlap. 

Sprinkle 1-2 tsp of salt over the tray from a height. The further up you sprinkle the salt, the more evenly the chips will be covered. 

Bake for about 20 minutes, until dried out and crispy but not burned. You should start checking at around 18 minutes for doneness. The more crowded the pan is though the more time it will take. 

Let cool and store in an airtight container at room temperature.