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Home ❯ Recipes ❯ Vegan Snack Recipes

Cheesy Oil-Free Kale Chips

Lori standing in her kitchen.
Updated 02/16/2023 by Lori Rasmussen. This post may contain affiliate links.
Cheesy Oil-Free Kale Chips pin for Pinterest

These Oil-Free Kale Chips are seasoned with a delicious blend of tahini, lemon, nutritional yeast, and mustard. Only 5 simple ingredients and they're baked in the oven. No dehydrator needed.

oil-free kale chips stacked on a plate.

Kale chips have been around for years now, but honestly, I don't eat them very often. In stores they're so expensive, and making them at home isn't exactly a quick affair!

So I wanted to give it another shot to see how much I could simplify the process. And after a little experimentation I'm definitely feeling more inclined to make kale chips on the regular. Hopefully, you'll feel the same way after giving these a try!

kale chips on a baking sheet ready to be go in the oven.

How to Make Oil-Free Kale Chips

Pretty much the only challenging thing about making kale chips is that there's a bit of labor involved. Cutting or tearing the kale into pieces and then massaging the tasty, cheesy, vegan sauce onto each piece takes a few minutes. But nothing about it is difficult, so that's good!

However, if you're in the mood for a shortcut, another option is to leave the kale leaves whole (well, not exactly whole; you do still have to remove the stem). See below.... 

kale leaves on a baking sheet.

Leaving the leaves whole means the kale will need a few more minutes in the oven to get fully dry and crisp. But it still saves time overall.

How to remove kale stems

My favorite way to remove kale stems is the method of holding the thick end of the stem with your dominant hand while making a sort of tight "okay" symbol with the other hand wrapped around the bottom of the leaf. Then you slide the "okay hand" away from your dominant hand, all the way up the leaf. You're left with the stem in your dominant hand and leaf in the other. It's so quick!

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I didn't take any instructional photos for this, but thankfully Your Produce Guy has created a short video showing you how to do it.

TIP: I don't even do the "pinch part" that he recommends. I just grab and strip, and the leaves separate every time!

kale chips ready to be baked.

After you wash, dry, and stem the kale, then simply rub-a-dub-dub that yummy vegan cheesy mixture into the leaves. Whether whole or cut into pieces, place the kale in a single layer on the baking sheets, and into the oven they go!  

Most recipes for oven-dried kale chips call for a higher oven temperature, but I find that 250 degrees Fahrenheit (120 Celsius) allows them to dry more evenly, without the risk of burning. Twenty minutes later you have a healthy, nutrient-packed snack!

I hope you enjoy these Cheesy Oil-Free Kale Chips. If you try them I would love to hear from you! Comment below and rate the recipe to share your feedback.

Oh! And P.S.
About the cost.... lately I've been buying locally grown lacinato kale at Whole Foods for $1.99 (their new regular price), which makes these WAY more affordable than the store-bought versions. 😀 Hooray for saving money!

You might also like: 

  • Easy Oil-Free Vegan Queso
  • Savory Granola with Rosemary and Kale
  • Teriyaki Seitan Jerky
  • Creamy Vegan Kale Salad
  • Couscous Kale Salad With Harissa Dressing

Recipe

kale chips in a white bowl

Cheesy Oil-Free Kale Chips (Baked)

Author: Lori Rasmussen, My Quiet Kitchen
Deliciously healthy 5-ingredient kale chips made in the oven. Vegan, gluten-free and oil-free.
5 from 14 votes
Servings: 2 servings
Prep Time: 40 minutes mins
Cook Time: 20 minutes mins
Total Time: 1 hour hr
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Ingredients

  • 1 bunch lacinato or curly kale
  • 1 ½ tablespoon tahini
  • 1 tablespoon stone ground mustard
  • 2 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
  • pinch of salt

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 250 degrees F (120 C), and line two large baking sheets with parchment.
  • In a small bowl combine the 1 ½ tablespoons tahini, 1 tablespoon mustard, 2 teaspoons vinegar, 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast, and pinch of salt. Whisk together with a fork. The consistency will be thick and paste-like.
  • kale leaves on a baking sheet
    Wash and dry the kale. Remove stems and cut into pieces approximately 3 x 3 inches. Irregular shapes are fine, too.
    *Having smaller, similar-sized pieces helps the kale dry more uniformly. But if you are short on time and don't want to cut/tear into pieces, the leaves can be left whole (after stems are removed; see photo). Increase bake time by 5 to 10 minutes.
  • Use your hands to massage the cheesy sauce into the kale. A thin coat is best. Place kale on the prepared baking sheets in a single layer. Pieces that are overlapping won't dry.
  • Bake for about 20 minutes or until the kale is dried and crispy. Serve right away, or cool completely before storing.

Notes

Store kale chips in a container (with the lid not quite fully closed) for up to 3 days.

Estimated Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 115kcalCarbohydrates: 12gProtein: 7gFat: 6gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 150mgFiber: 4gSugar: 0gVitamin A: 15250IUVitamin C: 165mgCalcium: 210mgIron: 2.9mg

Nutrition information is an estimate and will vary depending on the exact amounts and specific products and ingredients used.

Did you make the recipe?Comment below to share your feedback!
Cheesy Oil-Free Kale Chips pin for Pinterest

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    Recipe Rating




  1. A Winter says

    May 21, 2025 at 1:35 pm

    I can’t have nutritional yeast. Is it a dealbreaker? Or reasonable to try without? Or sub Parmesan or Romano since a can eat cheese?

    Reply
    • Lori Rasmussen says

      May 21, 2025 at 2:38 pm

      Definitely not a deal breaker! Any dry spice or seasoning blend you enjoy will work because it clings to the kale.

      Reply
  2. Lauren says

    March 17, 2022 at 6:24 pm

    These are amazing!!! I could even just eat the raw kale with the sauce like a salad it is sooooo tasty!

    Reply
  3. Sherri says

    March 07, 2021 at 6:30 pm

    These were awesome. Even my kale hating husband loved them.

    Reply
  4. Lydia Sherrill says

    February 04, 2021 at 10:56 pm

    I'd like to make these kale chips to use in your savory granola recipe.
    I have a container of baby kale.
    Approximately how many grams or ounces of kale would you suggest for the kale chips?
    Thanks!
    Lydia

    Reply
    • Lori says

      February 05, 2021 at 7:46 am

      Hi Lydia, that's an interesting idea to try baby kale! I've never tried to dry it before, so hopefully that works. Since the leaves are smaller and thinner than regular kale they will dry much more quickly, so I would expect to reduce the time. And keep a close eye on them. For the amount, around 80 to 100 grams of baby kale is my best guess. If you run out of tahini mixture you can always mix up more. Let us know how it goes!

      Reply
  5. Lauren says

    June 03, 2019 at 1:09 pm

    Oh yes! Thank you for reminding me how fun these are to make and eat, and they go quickly around here. Great tahini paste for the massage and love the stone ground mustard addition.

    Reply
    • Lori says

      June 03, 2019 at 1:46 pm

      That’s great! Thanks for the feedback, Lauren. 🙂

      Reply
a photo of Lori Rasmussen in her kitchen.

Hi, I'm Lori!

I'm passionate about flavor and simplicity. I share vegan recipes with a focus on both!

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