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.

Bowl of kale chips with lemon and parmesan.

Kale chips, or kale leaves coated with olive oil and slow-baked until shatteringly crisp, are amazingly good. It’s surprising but true — I have admittedly polished off an entire sheet pan by myself just standing at the stove (which is clearly why I cannot allow myself even one single potato chip). But, thankfully, kale is one of the healthiest vegetables on the planet so we can all indulge guilt-free. It has more nutritional value, higher levels of antioxidants and fewer calories than almost any other food around.

In this recipe, I’ve topped the earthy leaves with nutty Parmesan, salt and a squeeze of fresh lemon juice. It’s a delicious way to get your crispy-salty fix.

What’ll you’ll need to make kale chips with lemon and parmesan

Chip ingredients, including kale, olive oil, and lemon.

How to make Them

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.

Bowl of kale leaves next to a pile of kale stems.

Add a few tablespoons of olive oil.

Olive oil pouring over a bowl of kale leaves.

Then use your hands to rub the oil evenly onto the leaves.

Person hand-tossing kale and olive oil.

Arrange the leaves in a single layer on two baking sheets.

Oiled kale on lined 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.

Lined baking sheet of crispy kale.

While they’re still hot, sprinkle them with salt, freshly grated Parmesan and a squeeze of lemon juice.

Eat for your health and enjoy!

Bowl of kale chips with lemon and parmesan.

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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.

Servings: 2-4 as a snack

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

  1. Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Line two baking sheets with aluminum foil.
  2. 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 25-30 minutes, until leaves are completely crisp but not browned.
  3. 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

Powered by Edamam

  • 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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Comments

  • Love these chips… but love making them with large spinach leaves too.

  • These kale chips have made converts of many of my kale-squeamish friends and family. To our 4 year-old niece they are “green chips” and she can’t get enough. My meat-and-potatoes father and father-in-law asked for the recipe so they could duplicate this at home. Wonderful recipe, that we make at least once a week.

  • Just made these today, they’re delicious! Thanks!

  • Love your wonderful tutorial! How simple and easy you make it. We’re going to feature this on our Facebook page and link here so people can see how you made it, and your lovely photography. If you wish, come LIKE us on Facebook for more recipes and tips on greens like kale, chard, beet, mustard, turnip, collard, escarole, dandelion and other green leafies. https://www.facebook.com/Cut.n.Clean.Greens

    –Your friendly Southern California farmers at Cut `n Clean Greens
    https://www.facebook.com/Cut.n.Clean.Greens

  • My little girl loves these. I like to serve them with Parmesan rosemary crisps, too (grated parmesan mixed with freshly ground pepper and rosemary baked in the oven on a Silpat).

  • These were yummy! I had a bit of trouble getting them crispy without a rubbery center. I believe I need to add more olive oil because I went on the light side.

  • This stuff is adicting; I make it often. It’s even simpler when you buy the kale already precut!

    • — Lisa Ballantyne
    • Reply
  • These are amazing!!

    • — Paula Birkenstock
    • Reply
  • I have made this recipe several times and they are addictive! The flavors blend so well.

  • This recipe is fantastic. While my son is home from college I wanted to make a healthy lunch. For lunch we made the kale chips, and paired it with chopped tomatoes drizzled with e.v.olive oil, kosher salt and white balsamic vinegar and along side that some pita chips with hummus. It was such a healthy yets tasty meal!

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