Crispy Crunchy (Protein!) Kale Chips
The Green Spoon•Apr 3, 2025
We’ve tasted good kale chips in our day, but what makes these special is what’s on them: a mix of olive oil, a tiny bit of honey, some of the hulled hemp whose virtues we extol on a near-weekly basis, ground pumpkin seeds, and umami-incarnate: nutritional yeast. Kale chips are generally satisfyingly crunchy and salty, but beyond the merits of the kale itself, don’t have a lot going on. Which is why we came up with a way to pack some extra goodness into the mix. They’re nutty (without containing nuts), they’re cheesy (without containing cheese), and they’re very, very addictive.
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We’re Fanny and Greta, dear friends with deep backgrounds in sustainable food. This is a space for the food lovers, home cooks, would-be home cooks and anyone who needs a bit of inspiration and gentle guidance in their family kitchen.
Instructions
Preheat your oven to 350°F.
Wash and dry the kale leaves (1 bunch) and remove the thick bottoms of the stalks (generally the inch or two beyond the leafy part).
In a bowl large enough to contain the kale, mix the olive oil (3 Tbsp) and honey (1 tsp), if using.
Add kale and mix with your hands to thoroughly coat the leaves, down to the littlest nooks and crannies.
Add nutritional yeast (2–3 Tbsp), hemp seeds (¼ cup) and ground pumpkin seeds (¼ cup) and toss to distribute the seasoning as evenly as possible.
Lay leaves in a single layer on one or two large baking trays and place them in the oven.
Check every 5 minutes and gently rotate the leaves with tongs to make sure they're crisping evenly—and not burning.
After about 10-15 minutes, when the leaves are visibly dehydrated, but not burn, remove from the oven and sprinkle with salt ( to taste).
This is crucial! Salting before baking results in an inedibly salty final product! Learn from our mistakes!
Allow to cool before serving. Any crunchy seasoning left on the tray can (and should!) be scraped off and used as a salty-sweet crunchy salad topping.
