These delicious garlic and parmesan Kale Chips are baked in the oven until crispy and make a delicious healthy snack. You wont believe how easy they are to make!

We love healthy snacks here at TBFS.  Some of my favorites include Oatmeal Peanut Butter Energy Bites, Healthy Granola, and Skinny Banana Bread Muffins.
Kale chips in a bowl with a hand towel in the background.

I’ll admit that sometimes I fall into that trap of thinking I don’t like something, even when I haven’t tried it.  Years ago as a new college graduate I tried Kale chips for the first time. I was working for an Organic foods company and got to try kale chips samples from many different brands.  I learned quickly that not all kale chips taste great and I set out to create a GREAT recipe that’s simple and flavorful.

What I love about this healthy snack:

  • Fast: Kale chips are so EASY and fast to make!  Just toss them with some olive oil and salt, bake them, and sprinkle with parmesan cheese!
  • Healthy: Kale is a super food for good reason. It’s high in fiber and a great source of Vitamins A, K, C, E, and Calcium. Plus, it’s low-calorie!
  • Inexpensive: Fresh kale is really cheap at the grocery store and you likely already have garlic, salt, olive oil, and parmesan in your fridge!

How to Make Kale Chips:

1. Chop the kale.  Remove the large stems from kale and chop it into chunks.

2. Wash the kale.  I use a salad spinner to wash the kale because it works really great for removing all the water from the kale. The key to crispy kale chips is making sure the kale is completely dry before seasoning it, and giving the individual pieces of lettuce space on the pan. If the kale is too wet or overcrowded it will steam, instead of roast. .

3. Season.  Place kale in a large bowl and toss lightly with olive oil, sea salt, and garlic.

4. Bake. Lay the freshly seasoned kale flat on a large baking sheet. For best results, don’t overcrowd the baking sheet. (Make in two batches if necessary). Bake at 300 degrees F for 10 minutes, then rotate the pan and bake for an additional 10-15 minutes or until crisp.

Chopped kale in a bowl next to a sheet pan with kale leaves on it.

5. Top with parmesan.  Allow to cool for a few minutes on the baking sheet, then sprinkle with parmesan cheese.  Serve warm or store.

Store kale chips in an airtight container at room temperature for up to one week.

Baked kale chip on a sheet pan.

Seasoning Variations:

I season my kale with olive oil, sea salt, and garlic then top them with a handful of parmesan cheese before baking them in the oven. You can really season them with whatever flavors you like. Try chili powder, cumin, onion powder and paprika for a southwest flavor.

More Healthy Snacks to Love:

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Recipe

Kale chips in a bowl with a hand towel in the background.
Prep 5 minutes
Cook 16 minutes
Total 21 minutes
Save Recipe

Ingredients
  

Instructions
 

  • Remove large stems from kale. Chop into chunks and wash well. (I use a salad spinner, which works really great for removing all the water from the kale.) Dry really well! This will make all the difference in allowing the kale to bake up crispy, instead of "steaming" because of water droplets.
  • Place kale in a large bowl. Toss with olive oil, sea salt, and garlic. 
  • Lay flat on a large baking sheet. For best results, don't overcrowd the baking sheet. (Make these in two batches if necessary).
  • Bake at 300 degrees F for 10 minutes, then rotate the pan and bake for an additional 10-15 minutes or until crisp. Allow to cool for a few minutes on the baking sheet, then sprinkle with parmesan cheese.
  • Serve warm or store in an airtight container to save.

Nutrition

Calories: 61kcalCarbohydrates: 4gProtein: 3gFat: 3gSaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 2mgSodium: 83mgPotassium: 222mgVitamin A: 4360IUVitamin C: 52.8mgCalcium: 119mgIron: 0.7mg

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Have you tried this recipe?!

RATE and COMMENT below! I would love to hear your experience.

I originally shared this recipe July 2013. Updated January 2020 with step-by-step photos and instructions.

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About The Author

Lauren Allen

Welcome! I’m Lauren, a mom of four and lover of good food. Here you’ll find easy recipes and weeknight meal ideas made with real ingredients, with step-by-step photos and videos.

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Comments

  1. 5 stars
    Oh, My Goodness! This recipe is amazing! I have never made kale chips before, but needed something to make with lots of leftover kale after making Zuppa Toscano, so I tried this. I did use my air fryer, shaking every minute, and the batches were done in just minutes and perfect. I also used garlic salt, jarred minced garlic and a little crunchy salt flakes at the end. I made sure to massage my kale with the oil, lemon juice and garlic salt, since ALL kale needs a good massage! 🙂 I will say that the lemon juice made this! I did not measure it, just to taste. I will probably make this every weekend from now on! Thank you SO much for a fabulous easy recipe!!!

  2. 5 stars
    Really good! I was worried they wouldn’t get crispy with the low oven temperature but they crisped right up! Will be using this as my go to recipe in the future and might add red pepper flakes for a bit of heat!

  3. 5 stars
    I washed the kale and stood it in a jar with water on the counter like a bouquet so the leaves could dry and added extra olive oil before baking. To make it easy and keep clean up to a minimum, I used garlic powder instead of garlic cloves, mixed it in a deep casserole dish it was baked in, and we loved it.

  4. 5 stars
    Turned out great! I tossed them a bit instead of just rotating them and added the parmesan the last couple of minutes!

  5. 5 stars
    These were great. I did ten minutes, rotated the sheet, three more minutes, sprinkled the parm on and two more minutes to melt the parm. Perfect!!

  6. 5 stars
    Even my kale-hating boyfriend loved these. I sprinkled woth parm a few minutes before they were finished baking qnd popped them back in the oven so the cheese would crisp. Thank you for this recipe!

  7. 4 stars
    I am curious…kale is supposed to be high in fiber but the nutritional aspects do not list any fiber in this receipe. I am on the keto diet so if there is fiber, it’s helpful to know. Also, I am not sure if the nutrition information is per serving or for the whole recipe. At the top of the recipe it says “6 servings” and “61 calories” but clarification on that would be helpful. The chips are tasty but I would like more information!

  8. 5 stars
    Some years ago I made a batch of kale chips and recently my (16 yr old) son remembered this and asked for more. I used dinosaur kale. They didn’t last very long. we both ate them right out of the oven. Didn’t even wait for them to cool off to put the parmesan on.

    1. 4 stars
      I loved the recipe but I have a convection oven so I only baked the kale for 8 min, and they still browned up a lot.

  9. Hello. I tried to make these because they looked amazing, but they burned spectacularly. I think you have the temperature set way too high and it needs more flavor.

  10. Can I use baby kale for these? I just bought a big bag for smoothies and wasn’t sure it would work for chips.