Finally, the Best Ever Kale Chips Recipe – Vegan “Cheesy” Kale Chips | Little Green Dot (2024)

Finally, the Best Ever Kale Chips Recipe – Vegan “Cheesy” Kale Chips | Little Green Dot (1)

My obsession with kale chips is serious. When I travelled to the United States last December, I went to every health food shop in town, just to buy and taste-test kale chips. I would read the ingredients and then try to recreate the flavours at home. After a good 6 months of tinkering… I finally have the recipe down. So, today I’m going to show you how to bake Cheesy Kale Chips, using my favourite vegetarian and vegan-friendly Go Nuts “Cheese” Sauce – great in pasta, over veggies and as a dip!

Want my tips to make perfect kale chips every time, plus 5 more kale chip recipes?
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Now, it’s not that I don’t eat real cheese. I do, I love it. I just try not to eat a lot of it, so I like exploring alternatives. Plus, when baked over kale, this nut sauce has a great crunchy texture and flavour that is so delicious!

Finally, the Best Ever Kale Chips Recipe – Vegan “Cheesy” Kale Chips | Little Green Dot (2)

The “cheesy” flavour in the sauce comes from nutritional yeast – a cultured strain of yeast that is grown, then de-activated (killed) with heat. It has protein and vitamins and a unique flavour that works well re-creating cheesy dishes. Sounds like space food, I know, but it’s very similar to brewer’s yeast, which is often used for making bread, and all totally normal!

Finally, the Best Ever Kale Chips Recipe – Vegan “Cheesy” Kale Chips | Little Green Dot (3)

I use my new dehydrator to get perfectly cooked, crunchy kale chips. It’s a recent purchase and I love it. In the past, I used the oven with good results – it’s not as consistent as a dehydrator, and I burned a few batches – but with a careful eye the oven works fine.

Finally, the Best Ever Kale Chips Recipe – Vegan “Cheesy” Kale Chips | Little Green Dot (4)

enjoy!

Go Nuts “Cheese” Sauce

Finally, the Best Ever Kale Chips Recipe – Vegan “Cheesy” Kale Chips | Little Green Dot (5)

NOTE: the seasonings below are to taste – use these to start, then keep playing with it until it tastes good to you. To be honest, I’ve never really measured it out!

  • 1 cup cashew nuts
  • 1 cup red bell pepper
  • 1/3 cup nutritional yeast
  • 4 tablespoons olive oil
  • squeeze lemon juice
  • 1 tablespoon fresh thyme (if you have it on hand – adds a nice flavour, but not necessary)
  • 1/4 to 1/2 cup water to get the right consistency (- thick but creamy)

Seasonings

  • 2 tsp salt
  • 2 tsp onion powder
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tsp cayenne pepper
  1. Toss all the ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth and creamy.

  2. Add water until you get the consistency of a cheese sauce.

  3. If you want to use this for kale chips, amp up the seasonings to really flavour the kale, more so than if you were to eat it on its own. Does that make sense? The flavour will get diluted over the kale, so don’t be scared to get generous with the seasoning.

Vegan "Cheesy" Kale Chips

Finally, the Best Ever Kale Chips Recipe – Vegan “Cheesy” Kale Chips | Little Green Dot (6)

  • Go Nuts “Cheese” Sauce
  • Kale
  1. tear the leaves off of the stems, make sure not to include the spine!
  2. wash the kale and dry thoroughly
  3. pour the Go Nuts “Cheese” Sauce over the kale until fully coated
  4. OVEN: place on a baking tray and bake at 135° C (275° F) for about 25 minutes – flipping over half way through.
  5. DEHYDRATOR: place on the rack and set to dry at 50° C (130° F) for about 10-12 hours or overnight.

If you liked this recipe, get 5 more kale chip recipes plus my tips to make perfect kale chips every time…
Click here to grab the download!

My Tools Of Choice

Finally, the Best Ever Kale Chips Recipe – Vegan “Cheesy” Kale Chips | Little Green Dot (7)L’EQUIP Food Dehydrator LD 918H: Yes, the dehydrator takes a million years compared to a hot oven, but it produces a really good even crisp! I saw inconsistent results with the oven, so I’m loving the dehydrator for things like drying herbs, fruit and making sweet potato and kale chips. If you are considering buying one, here’s the one that I’m using, which is much more affordable than the Exalibur and works really well for me. If you are interested in knowing what else I use my dehydrator for, let me know and I’ll share more on that!

What I love too is that it has a filter and a fan, which is important for circulating clean air around the food. Plus, it has a timer so that you can set it to turn off automatically when it’s done. Most things take about 10 hours to fully dehydrate, so it’s perfect for setting before you go to bed.

Check it out:L’EQUIP Food Dehydrator LD 918H


Finally, the Best Ever Kale Chips Recipe – Vegan “Cheesy” Kale Chips | Little Green Dot (8)Vitamix Blender:
It costs a bomb and this machine is only for people who are serious about their tools and like to go for investment pieces. It’s for people who want the smoothest green shakes, the creamiest sauces and soups. I love this blender, I feel like a pro every time I use it. You can turn grains into flour, turn nuts into creamy nut butter and anything into a smoothie or soup! Again, it’s only for people who really love their high-quality kitchen appliances.

Check it out: Vitamix Blender

Finally, the Best Ever Kale Chips Recipe – Vegan “Cheesy” Kale Chips | Little Green Dot (9)I buy my nutritional yeast from iHerb, which if you live in Singapore, I find to be a much more affordable price (including shipping)!

p.s. nutritional yeast is also amazing sprinkled over popcorn and avocado on toast! And if you are at all worried about candida (yeast) this product is inactive (dead), so there is no issue there. I know it sounds so strange – but I promise it’s totally normal food-stuff and very yummy! Click here to use my affiliate link to get $10 off!

[ribbon title=”Singapore Shopping Guide”][/ribbon]

Finally, the Best Ever Kale Chips Recipe – Vegan “Cheesy” Kale Chips | Little Green Dot (2024)

FAQs

How to make kale chips Martha Stewart? ›

Arrange kale on two rimmed baking sheets. Drizzle evenly with olive oil and toss. Season with salt. Bake, rotating trays once, until crisp, 12 to 15 minutes.

What is kale chips made from? ›

That's the beauty of these homemade baked kale chips. Made by quickly tossing together three simple ingredients – fresh kale, olive oil, and flaked sea salt – and baked low and slow for only 20 minutes, these crispy kale chips are easy to make, there are no mystery additives, and even fussy eaters snap them up.

Do kale chips taste good? ›

Kale chips are great as a snack, of course — eat them anytime you'd reach for potato chips or pretzels. But they're also delicious served alongside eggs for breakfast, packed into a grain bowl for lunch, or served alongside a protein for dinner.

Why are my homemade kale chips bitter? ›

If, however your kale chips come out bitter, then one possible explanation for the bitterness is that you raised the cooking temperature.

How do you keep kale chips crisp? ›

To keep them crispy, it is important to let them cool completely. Once cooled, they can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for 2-3 days. You could also try adding a few grains of raw rice or silica packs (like those found in store-bought kale chips) to the airtight container. & Perfect for snacking!

Can you eat too much kale chips? ›

Kale contains a large amount of fiber, which is great for digestion but can be dangerous if you eat too much. If you overeat on kale chips (or any food) then you may experience bloating, gas, and constipation due to the excessive intake of fiber.

Are kale chips healthier than potato chips? ›

And unlike potato chips, kale retains its nutritional value when made into chips. Kale is high in fiber, antioxidants, vitamin A and calcium, as well as B vitamins, vitamin C and potassium. It's fat- and sodium-free, and the minuscule amounts of olive oil and salt used in my recipe barely bump up those amounts.

How to make kale chips Jamie Oliver? ›

Rinse and dry the kale leaves before removing most of the centre stalk, leaving long, thin pieces of kale. Toss the kale in the oil, then sprinkle with the sugar, cinnamon and ½ tablespoon of sea salt. Arrange the leaves in a single layer on a couple of baking trays and bake for 5 minutes, until crisp.

What kind of kale is best for chips? ›

Curly Kale

These crinkly, ruffled leaves are found bunched together in nearly every supermarket in the United States. Curly kales are distinctively mild-flavored and easy to cook with. These types are most commonly used for chips, green smoothies, and pestos.

How do you make kale less crispy? ›

By massaging it for as little as 2-3 minutes with a little oil and/or lemon juice, it becomes more tender, making it easier to chew and digest. The other reason is to infuse the kale with more flavor before the dressing is added.

Do kale chips fill you up? ›

Kale chips have fewer calories than unhealthier snack alternatives like potato chips, particularly if they're not fried and are minimally seasoned. Plus, eating kale chips can make you feel more full than less-healthy snacks, which helps you consume fewer calories throughout the day.

Why did my kale chips get soggy? ›

If the leaves aren't properly dried, the water can “steam” the kale chips while baking and lead to the dreaded soggy kale chip! Be sure they are nice and dry before you massage in the oil. A salad spinner works great; just be sure not to overload it so the leaves can properly dry.

Why are kale chips so expensive? ›

There's the cost of the actual ingredients, the labor costs to produce it, the packaging etc. And for kale chips, I think the two main factors are the food costs and labor costs. The ingredients for most kale chips are a base of raw cashews and nutritional yeast, both of which are pretty pricey.

What is the tastiest chip? ›

REVIEW: Finding the best chip at the Barn
  1. #1: Ruffles Cheddar & Sour Cream.
  2. #2: Salt and Vinegar Lays. ...
  3. #3: Lay's Classic chips. ...
  4. #4: Flaming Hot Cheetos. ...
  5. #5: Doritos Cool Ranch. My first thought is that these chips are very hard, and do not necessarily melt in your mouth. ...
Feb 28, 2024

How healthy are homemade kale chips? ›

And unlike potato chips, kale retains its nutritional value when made into chips. Kale is high in fiber, antioxidants, vitamin A and calcium, as well as B vitamins, vitamin C and potassium. It's fat- and sodium-free, and the minuscule amounts of olive oil and salt used in my recipe barely bump up those amounts.

How to make kale taste better? ›

Method:
  1. In a mixing bowl add Kale and Olive Oil.
  2. Massage oil into the Kale for one minute until totally covered.
  3. Add lemon juice and a pinch of salt.
  4. Continue to Massage into Kale.
  5. Add the rest of your ingredients.

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