Baked Parmesan Kale Chips
Delicious and easy to make baked kale chips with parmesan makes this a great low-fat, low-calorie, low-carb, gluten-free, vegetarian, and antioxidant rich snack.
Baked Parmesan Kale Chips
It cracks me up to see my two year old munching on kale chips and going back for seconds and thirds. Normally when she finds a leafy green vegetable on her plate she picks it out and says “yucky”, but with these kale chips, there’s something about the texture and flavor that keeps her coming back for more. What surprises me even more is to see my husband (not a kale fan) enjoying them! Give them a try if you haven’t had them, you may be pleasantly surprised!
A few tips: I prefer shredded cheese vs grated cheese, add it towards the end so it doesn’t fall to the bottom. I used my misto to lightly spray them with oil which helps evenly coat them and get them crispy. If you don’t have a misto, use olive oil spray. I calculated them based on one teaspoon of oil, and that’s being generous. Don’t over-crowd the baking sheet, use two or three sheets so they crisp up.
Baked Parmesan Kale Chips
Ingredients
- 1 bunch kale, 12 oz after removed from stems
- 1 tsp olive oil, spray
- a sprinkle of sea salt or kosher
- 1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Lightly spray two large baking sheets with oil.
- Wash and thoroughly dry kale.
- Remove the leaves from the thick stems and tear into bite sized pieces.
- Place on baking sheets, spray with olive oil and sprinkle with salt.
- Bake about 10-12 minutes, turning and moving them around as they shrink to make sure they evenly crisp up.
- Top with shredded parmesan cheese, keeping a close eye on them, bake an additional 5 to 6 minutes until the edges are crisp but not burnt. Time will vary depending on your oven.
Do you think using frozen kale would work?
My oven might run a little hot. These burned the first time I made them within 5 minutes of putting them in the oven. This time, I lowered the temperature to 300. WARNING! Put these in a container and hide them from yourself, or they won’t last long enough to take them to work the next day! Unless you want to eat several servings of kale right away, in which case don’t hide them from yourself.
Do you have any ideas on how I could present them / cook them in a way that is more appealing to my little ones? If I put this infront of them I would have a hard time getting them to try them.
Am going to give this a go this weekend! #bigfanofkale
How do I store these? If they are made the day before for work the next day, to keep them crisp.
i made these last night they were so delicious!
I make these with Nutritional Yeast instead of cheese.
Be careful how long you cook them, and it shrivels up VERY easily, but they taste good 🙂
We made this recipe at our cooking club and everyone loved them. They were perfect since our focus is healthy food.
I've tried them in the oven, but hard to make sure they don't burn, so I'm ready to use the food dryer, which I own. Also the tip about doing them at a lower temp makes sense. I want to try them w/ nutritional yeast sprinkled on them after the oil spray. I've had those kind from the store and they are so good!
add sea salt and garlic or even just sprinkle with garlic salt. fabulous!
baby kale is too thin…..it nearly vanishes into thin air when you dry it
Does anyone know if this works with baby kale?
just made these, half with the parmesan, and half with salt and pepper. they turned out great! my whole family loved them! thanks for sharing :]
Just made some and it taste so good!:)
I made these tonight and all 6 of us loved them! we range in age from 5 to 40's and each person was happy -unheard of in this house! we didn't mind them even a bit "over crispy".
Do you think shreeded sharp cheese would be a good substitution for parm cheese?
Excellent recipe! What a healthy, easy snack. Cooking times for me were 9 minutes, turning once. I sprinkled on the cheese and baked for another 1.5 minutes. Total cooking time was 10.5 minutes! Simple enough to make during the week, too. Thanks for sharing.
I am really thankful to find this recipe! I have been doing well on weight watchers for 1 month now. But the last couple of nights , I've had trouble not munching on a salty snack. I am excited to try these , as they won't be high points and I won't feel guilty! Going to get up and cook some now!
Just made my first batch this afternoon, and my boyfriend inhaled the entire thing! Now I'm working on the second round…sooo delicious!
I just love kale chips. I forgo the oil and bake them nude. To keep them crisp for days I recycle the silica packs from the seaweed wraps I buy. You can also keep them in paper bags. Yum yum. Sometimes I sprinkle chili powder or garlic powder on them. Everyone loves them. I don't make them when my dad is over because it's hard to just eat a few and he's on warfarin ( high vit k in kale)
I love these so much but have accidentally overcooked them too many times in the oven. Then I discovered using the food dehydrator instead. It's foolproof! And, I believe, according to some raw food experts, they actually maintain more of their nutrition properties than baking them.
My son and I LOVE kale chips, I can't wait to try the Parmesan, yum! I planted my own this year, and I get at least one harvest a week right now from four plants. We keep ours in a bread basket on the counter and they don't usually last 3 days in our house. I love it when my 12 year old can't get enough of something so healthy!
I just made these for the first time and was surprised at how good they tasted. I had an old bag of kale that had gone too limp to enjoy in a salad, but too green to throw away. After reading some of the other comments, I was afraid they would burn, so took them out of the oven probably a minute or two earlier than I should have as some of the chips were a little chewy from not drying out enough. But the ones that were cooked enough were great. I can see munching away on these instead of potato chips.
I've made these… they don't make it off the baking sheet… we just sit and eat them until they are gone!! LOVE them.
I have left out the Parmesan but added salt and cayenne pepper and in my oven they were done after 5 minutes. That might be because I had a different kind. But they were so delicious and spicy!
Thanks so much
These are my latest obsession!!!! We made them for July 4th along with a leaner burger and I swear I didn't miss having potato chips or fries or anything else! In fact, I had to get them away from me for fear I'd eat them all!!!! They only took ten minutes in the oven and i sprinkled the parmesan at the beginning because the others burnt (too much time in the oven). It was just for the hubby and me so we divided it into 4 portions and the two leftover were re-heated for 4 minutes in the oven and were just as good as the day before! Thanks Gina!
Kale Chips? WHO KNEW!
These were so good I ate my whole portion while waiting on my black bean burger to cook up! My two year old couldn't get enough of them either. Again, my three year old hates to try new things and he was already ticked that his burger wasn't 'real meat'.
I think with how salty the parmesean is there was no need for salt but that's just personal preference.
It's also extremely important to give them plenty of space so they don't 'steam' and to dry them extremely well. I had one batch that was a little 'chewy' because I was too eager to get them in the oven and didn't dry it completely and put them a little too close together. But it was so good we fought over those chips too.
So glad to find your website!
I admit I have not read all of the comments, so I'm just going to ask… Anyone else have a picky eater that these have worked for? My 17 month old refuses all vegetables, I'm wondering if I can get her to eat these….
Kale chips that are dehydrated like Kale Joy keep all of their nutrients!
http://www.freshlywild.com/shop Kale chips that are vegan, gluten-free, dairy free, 100% natural, full of antixoidants, non-gmo, full of omega 3 & 6, no trans fat and manufactured with 100% wind energy!
Hi Gina! I am a yearlong lurker of your blog. I love your receipes, but I just had to send in a note about this one. These kale chips are a revelation! My husband and I stare at the oven and then fight over KALE after they are baked. Thank you. Angie
how do you store them?
Just made a batch of these, and I LOVE them! Thank you!
I have just made these for myself and my fiancé and they are absolutely delicious. I needn't have worried about how to store them as he managed to eat them all in one sitting! Thanks for a fantastic recipe 🙂
I watched mine and they still burnt!
I will probably make this spicy Asian marinade and then bake the kale chips. http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/crispy-kale-and-tofu-salad-with-coconut this recipe was fantastic, except I used chili oil instead of sesame oil since it was what I had on hand, and I like spicy food anyway.
I saw a kale chip recipe that had the oven heat at 225. I will try to lower my oven heat and watch them more closely next time… burnt is no good!
finally gave these a try tonight, and had a slight mishap in one spot w the salt so those were too salty other than that they were a very nice delicate crispiness
what i did because i was worried about them burning is cooked them for 10 minutes stirring them around often then after i put the fresh grated parmesan cheese on I let them sit in the oven . with it turned off ..
I mahy try doing them again soon as I have more kale and next time will try to keep the oven on for maybe 3 minutes after the cheese and then turn it off . didn't burn one this way
I have added this link to a recipe that I posted on my blog. 🙂 Thank you! http://hippiedogcompany.blogspot.com/2012/05/kale-chips.html
I love Kale chips – I find baking at 275 for 20-25 minutes better – less likely to burn. I also love them sprinkled with nutritional yeast, salt, and garlic powder – they become an even biggger powerhouse of nutrients!! My 7 yr old daughter likes them too!! My husband came home and was like – what smells so good – he was sorely dssapointed when he saw my bowl of kale!! Hahaha. A few other ways are to may or buy fresh cashew butter and add the seasoning to that – and rub all over kale and bake the same way. I always use parchment when I make these as well!
Made these on Sunday, delicious and very easy, thank you Gina! Though I made sure they were all completely dried on the second day they were a bit chewy – perhaps from the humidity? No problem though, I put them in the preheated oven for a minute or two and they were back to their original crispiness!
can you suggest a light dip to go with these?
This is awesome! A great snach throughout the day!
Thanks! I just made them and it's a great recipe. For those who are fearful…don't be. I am not a chef and mine came out fine. Just watch them after adding the parm. 😉 I only wish the kale didn't shrink up SO much!
These turned out so great! I'll admit I was skeptical even after reading all the rave reviews… I baked have of mine with cheese, and the other half with chili powder. Both tasted good, but I preferred the chili ones. A little thin, but still tasty!
I made these as a side with dinner tonight and my 2yo even enjoyed them! I don't think they need salting with the addition of parmesan, but I don't really use much salt anyway.
Thanks Gina!
Just made these and followed the suggestion to add brown sugar with the salt. Incredible!
My first try at Kayle. I added a little black pepper as well as the cheese. I turned mine after 5 mins Last 5 mins I reduced heat to 275 .Yummy in the Tummy (:> !
Just pulled mine out the oven! They are soooo good! I think I put little too much salt but I will be making again!
Thank you for this recipe! I really enjoyed these chips:)
My 2 year old, who normally won't hardly touch anything green, is walking around the house right now with a bowl of "green chips" and munching on them quite delightedly. THANK YOU!!!!
Gina, These were so fabulous! I've never made kale chips before but I'm trying to get more greens in my life (that green smoothie has been very helpful!). Is there any way to make them less frail/crumbly or is that just how they are? Thanks! Lauren
Love it! Never tried kale before but will be making them again for sure.
Just made the kale chips. What a great fun snack. Thanks for sharing
Gina, thanks for posting this. I saw them at Whole Foods and wondered about them but bypassed them due to the high price tag. Then a couple of days later, here is your recipe! I just made them and they are quite interesting. I like the texture and how they seem to disintegrate in your mouth. I think next time, I will also add a pinch of brown sugar too, as I am a little sensitive to bitter tastes. But honestly, I am enjoying these as-is. Good way to get kale into the diet. Usually I cook it in soup or in the skillet with apples and apple cider but I love having another way to prepare it since it is so healthy for us! Thanks again!
I just learned a valuable lesson in my second small batch (each batch is about 1/3 bunch)..If you add brown sugar or anything sweet for the last 4 minutes, it will crisp up MUCH faster and burn easily. So for those of you who wanted to add a half-teaspoon of brown sugar, keep that last baking cycle to 3 min. or so. 🙂
Tried this tonight, and I have two comments for anyone trying these for the first time: try some fresh ground pepper with the salt, and make sure not to stack too many leaves together. DO use two pans. Otherwise, they will steam and not get crispy. Yummy, otherwise!
I also had not tried kale before, but last night I made these and they were SO good! Thank you for all of your recipes! I have tried a lot of your recipes over the last 3 months. Not only are they DELICIOUS but I have lost 15 pounds!!!
I had never had kale before…it just seemed a little too daunting to try it. But, I just made these tonight and am in LOVE!!!! I can't believe that this was my first time eating kale. You have converted me, Gina. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!
Kale chips were yummy and my kids loved them also!!
I have been thinking about trying to make kale chips for a while, so I'm so glad you posted this recipe…they turned out great! You have been a staple in my Weight Watchers lifestyle, and I turn to your blog for recipes at least three times a week…my husband DEVOURED your swedish meatballs just the other night! Keep up the amazing work! Also, had to mention, your nail color choice is just FABULOUS in that pic, by the way! Just wanted to thank you and let you know how much you are appreciated! 🙂
OMG! I have just found a yummy addiction! I forgot the salt (oops) but they were still very good, My 4 year old was not a fan and the house does smell like kale (not terrible though) I just sprayed some lysol air freshner and I geuss a candle would work too. I geuss kale is a love/hate relationship, but it was a win for me! plus, super cheap and quick and easy! <3 your site Ginna, I dont do WW but this site has been great in helping monitor my calorie and fat intake. I am so excited to get my body back and still enjoying food! thank you!
I love kale chips but the smell lingers for days in my house. My 6 year old declared the morning after I had made them that "our house smells like kale! (sounded like she said Hell) Too funny =)Any tips for the odor issue?
Wow, are these ever delicious! I am very anemic, and always looking for recipes high in dietary iron. I was skeptical when reading the recipe, as I am not a big fan of kale, however, the texture in combination with the parmesan and salt flavors is amazing!! I didn't change a thing, although I bet this recipe would be great with garlic-infused oil. Thanks Gina!
awesome 😀
I can eat a whole batch by myself!! Love this stuff! Now my husband does not feel the love like I do!!
Hey, Gina would this be like 1c.serving?
Something like that, it's hard to measure.
This recipe worked! I could not imagine how the chips would taste, but they were light, crispy and sooo good! When I went in to turn the chips I discovered how light and crisp they were getting while still appearing as leafy and green as when I put them into the oven.
I used a convection oven set at 330.
A little lemon juice with nutritional yeast is a good & healthy
variation. To prevent burning, try drying in an electrical air food dryer. This will take longer…like 12 to 24 hours but healthier…more of a raw food version.
Thanks for recipe. Recently bought Kale Chips (parmesan garlic flavor) at Whole Foods, but so simple and easy to make with this recipe. What is the shelf life when homemade? I know I would be the only one eating them so I have top buy, prep, and make according to this surplus 🙂
I'll be honest, we ate them all so I'm not sure!
Never thought I'd be saying the words "chips" and "healthy" in the same sentence, but…. these kale chips look really healthy! And yummy, too =)
I loved those ones. They were great! I haven't yet fallen in love with kale but these chips are going to help me make the transition.
I would pay for an iphone app if you ever launch it. I love how yummy the food tastes!
good to know!
I would, too! Another idea is having a comment ranking system, along the lines of allrecipes.com, so that you can show the most helpful comments first. I love reading the comments, but it seems like lately there have been a lot of people asking the same questions over and over again! It's just an idea, though; things are pretty great as they are! 🙂
Yes Gina, publish a cookbook! Also, have you thought about creating an app for the IPhone. The web sight is almost unusable on the phone. Thanks for your great recipes, every one I have tried has rocked!!
I love Kale and put it in everything I cook that calls for spinach. I haven't made chips before but will try it now.
Gina when are you going to publish a cookbook? YOU ARE THE BEST SKINNY CHEF; I love your recipes and so do all my friends.
thanks 🙂
So, seriously, is there a cookbook coming out? Please!!!!!!!!!!!! 🙂
I tried these once before and I guess I burnt them because mine were mostly brown and tasted terrible. I can see from your picture that they should still be mostly green. I will give it another try, thanks Gina!
Yes, they shouldn't be brown, just crisp.
Brilliant snack idea, and so wholesome too! Delicious recipe, Gina. Thanks for sharing!
Thanks Gina! I was just thinking about making these and I always prefer your recipes to anyone else! Gotta go buy some kale 🙂
Wow, I just discovered your site through lifewith4boys.com. I can't wait to take some time to look at all the delicious recipes starting with your kale chips. Sounds like a good way to get my daughter to eat more dark greens. I think she needs the iron. Of course, your pina colada muffins will be a must.
I just made some the other day (without parm, since it was before I saw this recipe!). They were awesome, but after being in a tupperware on the the counter they were soggy the next day. Any other tips? The recipe I used said to store them with a silica gel packet, which I forgot. Has anyone done that? Thanks!
I tried to make kale chips a couple of months ago and just slightly burnt them. Oops! It was just barely, though, so even though that batch wasn't a keeper, we could tell they had the potential to be super yummy. I'll definitely be trying these parm ones soon. Great idea for St. Patrick's Day.
For me, the kicker is the sprinkle of brown sugar at the end of the baking process. I've tried them plain and just DON'T like them, BUT sprinkling just a bit of brown sugar makes a world of difference! The misto is a wonderful idea as well! I haven't tried the parm, but I am willing to give it a go!
I bought some bok choy/pak choy on a whim, do you think I could substitute it?
Did you try it with bok choy?
I
ve tried Kale and for some reason I can't get into it. Wish I could because it such a healthy, low calorie snack!
I love kale chips! I usually use just olive oil cooking spray instead of using the actual oil.
Check out my new recipe on my blog! http://runningwithginger.blogspot.com/
Spicy Sesame Chicken Chow Mein 🙂
I make kale chips under the broiler. I put a wire rack on the baking sheet and they take less than 5 minutes! Great snack as soon as I get home from work.
I recently discovered kale chips and absolutely LOVE them. Seriously addicting. Haven't made them parmesan though – will have to give it a try!
great idea! I am featuring this on my fan page today
Thank you….you come up with great recipes, that are easy to follow. I have to try these next. Keep on coming up with more!!
Also, I made the chocolate chip scones…..amazing!!
Thank you. I am always looking for great shots of food, with recipes and very good instructions
Any chance this can be made with Cima di Rabe in Europe?…In this corner of France, I cannot seem to locate kale in spite of my searching high and low for it! If you or any of your readers have ideas for a substitution I would be all ears…I so miss the "crunch factor" at the "apèro" or pre-dinner/cocktail hour…
Not sure but it's worth a try!
You must have read my mind! I just searched for kale chips this morning on your site! I was skeptical…but knew if you had made them, they had to be good! Can't wait to try it 🙂
I love Kale Chips. When we had a farm share, they had a similar recipe, but included some cider vinegar and toss with the parm cheese, then bake. Yum yum yum!
Do you suppose that spinach would work too?
I was wondering the same thing. I found this recipe that sounds good – http://cooking-books.blogspot.com/2009/02/baked-spinach-chips.html
I absolutely love kale. I can't believe I only discovered it last summer, it is now one of my most eaten foods!
This is soooo funny!! I am actually preparing to make kale chips RIGHT NOW!! And I was just wondering where your amazing recipe for it was, here it is!! Great as usual!
My son was just saying last night that he wanted Kale chips again (we had them about a year ago). I'm writing out my shopping list wrote down kale and came here to get ingrediants for another recipe and here are kale chips! Must be something in the air. (or garden!)
My kids love these. But I've not tried them with parm. Can't wait.
These look so good, I love kale chips i just need to make them more often!
I love them, even have a restaurant near my job that has them a appetizers (so good.)
I finally made kale chips for the first time a few weeks ago. I was so excited because I only hear good things about them I was not a fan, and my entire kitchen smelled like kale for the rest of the day. I am willing to try again though, maybe the parmesan will be what I need to enjoy them!
My family had the same response. I really can't understand why people think they're so good. Maybe I just have ultrasensitive taste buds! Too bitter for me.
I made them without the parmesan and didn't like them as much. I think what you put on top of them makes them good.
Burn a candle nearby while they cook. Also works when you cook cabbage.
I made my first batch a couple weekends ago and they were delish, but the smell in the house was awful! I'm glad I tried it before making for my book group, as they would turn and run from the door if it smelled like that. Is it universal? I've only seen 2 comments about the smell, maybe my kale was just on the verge or something?
I make kale chips and they are amazing!
I have a VERY picky husband, that is allergic to anything in the lettuce family…it's a struggle to get him to eat his greens! I'll have to try this out and see if it works for us. Thanks for the great idea!
I'd love to know if I can store these for the next day. I've tried before (in the fridge and in a ziplock bag with no air and it was a complete fail, the chips in both cases got soft) is there a secret I'm missing?
I would think in a ziplock as I see them for sale in the healthy food store. No it the fridge.
We store them in a Tupperware container on the counter – they stayed good for many days.
I would imagine like so many things, if you're going to store them air-tight, they HAVE to be absolutely, completely cooled to room temperature or you risk moisture from condensation. Or, if there were still moisture in the 'chips' after baking, same end result. My solution for items like this is to either pop 'em in a small toaster oven to re-crisp (mine will burn them super fast!) or leave them in a bowl overnight, draping a kitchen towel/napkin on top after they've cooled but still allowing air movement in case they still had moisture in them. Since the Parm is baked, there's no health concern about the cheese.
I agree with some of the above comments, I'm a little intimidated to try these, but I think I will! They look great!
I seriously can't wait to try these!
I made a triple batch of kale chips (we have plenty from our garden). I sprinkled them with salt and a bit of brown sugar…delicious! My husband ate 2/3rds of the container before I could stop him. 🙂
i just made kale chips last night, on a whim! very different from what i expected, and i went WAY too heavy-handed with the salt, but overall, pretty good!
Wow, if I want to spark a controversy, it seems all I have to do is profess my love of Kale chips! My family finds them revolting and a friend ranted on Facebook about how awful they were…of course I had to counter that! I love them, and as lifelong anemic, I can't help but think of that iron I'm getting! These look great!
LOL! I bet : )
Now I know what to do with the bunch of kale I bought on a whim! Thanks, Gina!
These look great! What is the best way to store them and how long is the shelf life?
I don't think storage is a great idea – never tried it but I think they're probably best right out of the oven!
DO NOT STORE!!! I made the mistake of baking them the night before, then putting in an "airtight" container for the next day's lunch. They were "toughly chewy"….that's the only way I can describe them. Never again. If anything, I'll get up earlier in the morning to bake them that day.
🙂
I have stored them in a bowl, on the counter, overnight. Actually over two nights and they were still good and crunchy.
Mine have lasted many days on the counter in a plastic container. I think the key is making sure they are completely dry before they go in the oven, and then making sure they are in the oven just long enough to fully crispy but not burnt. If they come out of the oven with some moisture left in them that's when they'll get chewy on the counter. My fussy kids and picky husband LOVE them!
If they get chewy just pop them in a warm toaster oven (150-200) for like five minutes and they're perfect again. 🙂
We've suited ours in the freezer in a baggie with good results…
sounds great – going to give it a try this weekend. should these be crunchy like a chip?
They are light, crispy and delicate. Not as sturdy as a chip.
I've made a version of this minus the parmesan and they were surprisingly easy and delicious! I can't wait to add a sprinkle of parm!
Mine start burning at exactly 11 minutes 🙂 You do really have to watch them closely!
Yes, and every oven is different. Mine takes longer.
Interesting..so interesting. Been thinking of making these (or some type of veggie chips!) from scratch…but I'm nervous I'd mess up LOL 🙂
almost impossible to mess up – and you'll never stop making them afterwards 🙂 — also good with just any spices you have lying around – cheese isn't necessary.
There is such a fine line when dealing with uncooked vs. burnt kale chips – I haven't tried a parmesan version before!
Yes, I agree, they are not good burnt so don't let them get to that point.
I've seen other recipes call for as low as 250 for 20 min, turning halfway thru and 300 for 15 min
Two weeks ago just for fun, I tried baking at 200 F and they were wonderful. Stored in a large glass jar they kept well. Good plain, better seasoned, awesome with parmesan. I kept a small glass jar of kale chips on hand for the grandkids and they are as crisp as on day one.