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Delicious and crunchy, Cheesy Kale Chips are so good that you won’t be able to resist this healthy snack. This kale and nutritional yeast veggie powerhouse recipe is vegan and gluten-free.

a bowl of cheesy kale chips with garlic

So, let’s talk dark leafy greens. Such a sexy topic. They’re good for you. Full of awesome vitamins and minerals. Some of the best foods you can put in your body.

Me? I don’t always care for them.

I know they’re good for me. I know they contain healthy stuff that can only be found in these specific plants.

I still don’t love them.

But kale chips? I’ll eat the crap out of some kale chips. As in like 10 servings of kale in one sitting. Kale chips are one of the tastiest ways to get leafy greens in your diet. I use nutritional yeast in this recipe to make them taste like white cheddar, but it is totally optional. Nutritional yeast is loaded with vitamin B, protein, fiber, and folic acid. It is a very delicious and healthy addition to most diets.

Making kale taste delicious to those kale-haters must be really hard, right? WRONG. Kale chips couldn’t be easier to make, and we’re going to walk you through it today.

A few things to note – buy nutritional yeast POWDER and not flakes. Using two tsp of nutritional yeast flakes would cause these kale chips to approach the “tastes like Sasquatches nuts” territory.

 

When the directions say to massage the kale with your hands, really get in there. Don’t be shy. Make that kale want to swipe right on your profile.

a hand massaging kale for cheesy kale chips

Also? These things can go from “perfect” to “burnt turd” in about 10 seconds. Follow my instructions for cooking and stirring time, but use your best judgment as well.

Helpful Cheesy Kale Chips Supply List

  1. Rimmed baking sheet
  2. Parchment paper
  3. Misto
  4. Nutritional yeast powder
  5. Salad spinner

These Cheesy Kale Chips are kid tested.

a child's hand reaching into a bowl of cheesy kale chips

 

And toddler approved.

a toddler eating cheesy kale chips

Cheesy Kale Chips WEIGHT WATCHERS POINTS

One serving of Cheesy Kale Chips has 1 WW Freestyle SmartPoints.

5 from 2 ratings

Cheesy Kale Chips {Whole30, Paleo, Vegan, Dairy-Free}

Prep: 5 minutes
Cook: 25 minutes
Total: 30 minutes
a bowl of cheesy kale chips with garlic
Delicious and crunchy cheesy kale chips that everyone will love snacking on. These veggie powerhouse cheesy kale chips will make you a kale lover too.

Ingredients 

Instructions 

  • Cut the kale off of the ribs, and then into large pieces.  Place the pieces in a salad spinner. Rinse with cold water and then spin multiple times to remove excess water. Place on a clean towel and allow to air dry for a bit.
  • Preheat oven to 275 degrees.
  • Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper, and place your kale on the parchment. Spritz with olive oil from a Misto, or drizzle 1 tbsp over the kale. Sprinkle with garlic salt and nutritional yeast powder. Using your hands, massage the kale a bit to make sure the oil and seasoning are distributed.
  • Bake until crispy, stirring every 10 minutes. I typically bake mine for 10 minutes, then stir and check. Bake 10 more minutes, and stir and check. Then bake for another 4-5 minutes. When they are getting close to being done, you'll hear the kale chips start to make scratching sounds across the parchment when stirred.
  • Place a paper towel or small piece of newspaper in an air-tight container, and put the chips on top. Store at room temperature.

Notes

They will keep for 3-4 days but will lose crispness over time.
Use nutritional yeast powder - not flakes.

Nutrition

Calories: 86kcal

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Additional Info

Course: Snack
Cuisine: American
Tried this recipe?Mention @sustainablecooks or tag #sustainablecooks!

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About Sarah

Helping you serve up budget-friendly sustainable recipes with a side of balanced living.
Come for the food. Stay for the snark.

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17 Comments

  1. I’ve been thinking about trying nutritional yeast for a while (which means it just never gets done), and I finally picked some up at Trader Joe’s, and thought, “now what? I have to actually find the recipes I thought I’d try with that.”

    And then this recipe came along. I am not a fan of kale, but I have made kale chips. For me, they weren’t worth the time, but we don’t eat chip snacks often (popcorn even less often, which leaves me scratching my head over popcorn for dinner), so no loss there. I will actually try it again with your recipe, though, especially since I read the nutritional information on nutritional yeast, which turns out to be full of all the stuff I need more of!

    1. The word “nutritional” in the nutritional yeast certainly doesn’t lie. That stuff is so full of great things! It’s delicious on popcorn too!

  2. My family would say,”oh kale no!” if I even tried having these as a snack though I sneak nutritional yeast in almost every other snack (inspired by your pumpkin seed recipe) . On the nerf gun front our local Meijer put all their nerf stuff at 90% off and now I can’t walk into a room with getting hit about a jillion times … fun times.

    1. Jack doesn’t like kale chips but Bennett does, but I take my wins where I can. 🙂

      Have you tried nutritional yeast on popcorn yet? So good! Oh goodness on the Nerf. Godspeed friend. Be safe.

  3. I love kale chips…try sprinkling a bit of nutritional yeast on them, tastes like Parmesan cheese. Also when I prepped my kale for smoothies, I accidentally put it in the freezer with the berries, I found it then crushes into tiny bits and takes less space, blends better and doesn’t get old and funky! Easy to sneak a few spoons full into soup and sauces too!

  4. You should put that on a tshirt and make millions!!!! I want one!!!!

    “What doesn’t kale you makes you stronger

  5. I love kale and kale chips! Kale chips are freaking EXPENSIVE at our organic grocery store, so I make them at home.

    1. I can’t believe how much stores are charging for them. Kale grows in any conditions – you could practically call it a weed. The chips aren’t hard to make; it’s robbery!

  6. I forgot which was son and which was husband. All the word play made me think Jack was a genius. I love kale cooked. I love any green cooked, except for spinach. Okay, I really enjoy it when I eat it cooked, but that spinach coming up is awful. (must be an allergy)

    Can these be dried without salt and oil?

    1. Ha! Jack is pretty smart, but his title would probably be “vegetables taste like poop mommy”. He’s poet!

      I’m sure they could be, but I’ve never tried. Do you have a dehydrator? I think you’d have better success making them sans oil and salt in a dehydrator vs. an oven.

  7. Yeah, I am not a fan of kale, but I love kale chips. We also add some garlic powder and some cayenne…AMAZING!

    1. Let me know how you like it! If you have a choice for kale, try to get the broad leaf kind instead of the really curly kind.