Seasoned Kale Chips Baked in the Oven

This is how I make delicious crispy kale chips in the oven with only three ingredients.

Grab these three ingredients and you will have yummy healthy kale chips great for snacking or adding to buddha bowls.

I’ve seen lots of recipes online for making kale chips in the oven; you probably have, too. They all seem to be the same ones with olive oil, salt, garlic powder and/or paprika. I wanted to try an easier way to season mine without all of the measuring and different ingredients.

Therefore I decided to find pre-mixed seasonings in my spice drawer and do an experiment. The three I found were Everything Bagel Seasoning, Montreal Steak Seasoning and Nature’s Own Seasoning. Let the experiment begin!

https://gingerwithroots.com/how-to-grow-kale-and-3-easy-ways-to-use-it-in-the-kitchen/Thankfully, my garden is overflowing with kale right now. I have bunches of curly leaf kale that were at prime picking. To read about growing and harvesting kale, read my post: How to Grow Kale and 3 Easy Ways to Use it in the Kitchen.

I like using curly blue kale for kale chips because the leaves are large and textured. Kale will shrink down in size as it cooks, so the larger leaves provide larger chunks perfect for kale chips.

How to Prepare Kale for Kale Chips

After harvesting my leaves, I brought the basket inside to prepare them for my experiment. First I rinsed the leaves thoroughly to remove soil, debris or critters (hey-it’s homegrown and chemical free-that means there might be a little someone nibbling on the plant, and I would rather see a hole in my kale then eat pesticides!

Next I removed the tough fibrous stem from the kale leaves with my hands, but you could also use a sharp knife if you prefer. I tore them into large chunks and washed them again.

Finally, I put them in the salad spinner and whirled them around until the were COMPLETELY dry.

*Ginger Tip: This is a crucial step; don’t skip it! You must get the leaves totally dry so that they can crisp up in the oven and not steam cook from the water droplets. That makes soggy kale chips, and we want crispy ones, right?

How to Season Kale Chips

Whenever eating kale raw or as chips, it’s important to massage the leaves with oil for one to two minutes. I put the dry leaves in a large mixing bowl and drizzled a couple tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil over them. You could wear rubber gloves if you want, but I appreciated the mini-spa treatment for my hands.

I really made sure each leaf was sufficiently coated and rubbed before transferring to the lined baking sheet.

This next step was the fun part! I spread the kale leaf chunks evenly across the baking sheet. Remember we want them to crisp, not steam-so don’t overcrowd them.

I lined up my three bottles of seasonings and mentally divided my sheet into thirds. I sprinkled the Everything Bagel on the left side, the Montreal Steak on the middle, and the Nature’s Own on the right side.

How to Cook Kale Chips in the Oven

Now that the kale was oiled, massaged and seasoned, it was time to cook them! I popped the sheet pan into the 350°F oven and set at timer for 8 minutes.

After 8 minutes, I checked and added another 3 minutes because they were still pretty raw looking. I checked again and added another 2 minutes to really crisp them up. Finally they looked slightly browned and ready to take out at the 13 minute mark.

I checked so many times because my new oven is slightly different from my old one. Kale chips can go from almost done to overdone really fast-so keep a close eye on them! Each oven is a little different, sheet pans vary in thickness, etc.

After removing my kale chips from the oven, I let them cool for a few minutes to let them keep crisping.

Which Seasoning Won?

My husband and I both tried the three differently seasoned kale chips and came to the same decision. While all three tasted good, we both really loved the ones with Nature’s Own Seasoning! So good!

If you can’t find it in your local grocery store, you can buy Nature’s Seasonings on Amazon. I also use it on roasted broccoli, chicken and fish. It’s a great blend of salt, garlic powder, onion powder, and pepper.

Now when it’s time to make kale chips in the oven, I will only grab three ingredients! Super easy!

I hope you have fun making kale chips in the oven. Interested in experimenting with flavors? Drop a comment below if you have a favorite of your own!

Want some more kale recipes? Try my Very Berry Kale Smoothie!

Or if you want more salty savory goodness, try my Easy Sautéed Kale with Garlic and Ponzu.