Crispy Kale Chips with Lemon and Parmesan
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These kale chips, topped with Parmesan, salt & a bit of fresh lemon juice, are a delicious way to get your crispy-salty fix.
Kale chips, or kale leaves coated with olive oil and slow-baked until shatteringly crisp, are amazingly good. Toss the ingredients together—just kale, olive oil, and a pinch of salt—and you’ll have a snack that rivals the crisp satisfaction of a potato chip but with far fewer calories. If I’m being honest, I’ve polished off an entire sheet pan by myself just standing at the stove. Thankfully, kale is one of the healthiest vegetables on the planet–packed with nutrients and loaded with antioxidants and fiber–so we can indulge guilt-free. In this recipe, I’ve topped the earthy leaves with nutty Parmesan and a squeeze of fresh lemon juice.
Kale isn’t just for salads—it transforms into one of the easiest, most satisfying healthy snacks you can make. These crispy kale chips are the perfect way to satisfy your salty cravings without the guilt.
“Really love these chips! The salt/lemon/parmesan combo really makes these taste amazing! Definitely easy to eat a whole pan yourself in one sitting.”
What You’ll Need To Make Kale Chips With Lemon And Parmesan
- Curly Kale: The foundation of the recipe, kale crisps beautifully in the oven for a light, crunchy texture.
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil: Ensures even roasting while adding richness and flavor to the chips.
- Salt: Enhances the kale’s natural earthy flavor and balances the lemon and cheese.
- Lemon: A squeeze of fresh lemon adds a bright, tangy finish to the chips.
- Parmigiano-Reggiano: A savory, nutty topping that elevates the chips with a rich umami note.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
Step-By-Step Instructions
Begin with a large bunch of curly kale. Remove the leaves from the thick stems and tear them into large pieces. If washing the leaves (I don’t bother unless they look gritty), be sure they are completely dry before proceeding with the recipe; moisture will cause the leaves to steam in the oven and they won’t get crispy. You can blot them dry with paper towels or use a salad spinner if you have one.
Add a few tablespoons of olive oil.
Then use your hands to massage the oil evenly onto the leaves.
Arrange the leaves in a single layer on two baking sheets.
Then bake in a low oven until crispy but not browned, about 25 minutes. As you can see, the leaves shrink quite a bit.
While they’re still hot, sprinkle them with salt, freshly grated Parmesan and a squeeze of lemon juice. Eat for your health and enjoy!
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Crispy Kale Chips with Lemon & Parmesan
These kale chips, topped with Parmesan, salt & a bit of fresh lemon juice, are a delicious way to get your crispy-salty fix.
Ingredients
- 1 pound curly kale, leaves removed from tough stems and torn into large pieces
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- Lemon
- 3 tablespoons freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Line two baking sheets with aluminum foil.
- In a large bowl, using your hands, toss the kale leaves with the olive oil until evenly coated. Arrange the kale in a single layer on the prepared baking sheets and bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until leaves are completely crisp but not browned.
- While the leaves are still warm, sprinkle with Parmigiano-Reggiano, salt and a squeeze of lemon (go very easy on the lemon; a little goes a long way). Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary. Transfer to a platter and serve.
Nutrition Information
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- Per serving (4 servings)
- Calories: 127
- Fat: 10 g
- Saturated fat: 2 g
- Carbohydrates: 5 g
- Sugar: 1 g
- Fiber: 5 g
- Protein: 6 g
- Sodium: 288 mg
- Cholesterol: 5 mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
Gluten-Free Adaptable Note
To the best of my knowledge, all of the ingredients used in this recipe are gluten-free or widely available in gluten-free versions. There is hidden gluten in many foods; if you're following a gluten-free diet or cooking for someone with gluten allergies, always read the labels of your ingredients to verify that they are gluten-free.
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Does this recipe work with spinach also? This sounds great!
Hi Danielle, I can’t say for sure since I’ve never tried it but I don’t think it would work with spinach.
I did try it with spinach, since my daughter found the kale too bitter but she does like spinach. Results were mixed. The spinach stayed very flat and was more delicate than the kale, so it was difficult to remove it from the foil without crumbling it. The taste was good, from my perspective, but my daughter didn’t care for it. If I were making the recipe again for myself, I would stick to the kale.
Omg, I just took these out of the oven for a Superbowl snack…Doesn’t look like I’m going to have any for the game…Can’t stop picking on them!!! These are wonderful…:)
I love kale. I have cooked it many different ways and the rest of my family pleads with me to not cook any more kale.
They groaned when they saw my shopping bags after the farmer’s market on Saturday. I had 2 large bunches of kale. I tried your recipe for kale chips with one bunch that afternoon. The chips were gone so fast; I didn’t get enough for my self. Even my pickiest eater asked for more. You know what happened to the second bunch of kale.
Amazing!
So nice to hear, Debbie. I wish my kids would eat it!
I am addicted to kale chips. i’ve never quite got my oil/salt balance right. I’ve evenutaly tried a half tsp of coconut oil and that works. Really have to try it with the lemon and parmesan too…delicious.
I’ve also used Mrs. Dash instead of just salt for a little variety. Whatever flavor you want works well!
We raise kale in our garden & it’s one of my new favorite foods….yummy in soups too for flavor, nutrition, & color!
i heard about these on the Ellen show from Gwen Paltrow. These look so refreshing and healthy.. I love chips.
I have also been wanting to try the kale chips. This looks like a great recipe, plus I’ve been counting the calories lately so good timing on a healthy snack.
I am with Heidi on this one, I am the WORST with vegetables. But I might have to make a sacrifice in order to try these 🙂
I don’t eat vegetables, like AT ALL. But this I must try. I am so glad I found you and signed up for emails because I pin almost EVERYTHING you post!!!
I have been wanting to try the elusive kale chips, bought some kale yesterday and, voila, here is the perfect recipe. Just came out of the oven and demolished half a pan before you can even say “Parmigiano Reggiano”…Thank you for this!