Spicy Smoky Kale Chips
Love kale chips? Try our spicy kale chips recipe for an extra kick of heat to our traditional baked kale chips. These are addicting! 
Spicy Kale Chips Recipe
Baked Kale Chips are always one of our forgotten favorites. When we plow through a big bowl of kale chips, we’re always reminding ourselves to make them again soon. But for some reason, this recipe gets buried under our pile of “must make again” list and regrettably, forgotten. That is, until someone makes them for us and our brains get re-freshed with these healthier “green” chips. The aroma of baked kale is certainly unique and rather pungent. Kale greens are a part of the cruciferous family and although they release a rather sulfer-like aroma, the smell is easily forgotten when you bite in to their feathery light chips.
Add chili flakes
To make these this baked kale a little more exciting, we added some chili flakes for a fun and spicy-kick. After they were baked, you can also add a touch of paprika or cayenne pepper on top for the smoky bonus flavor. Either way, these spicy smoky kale chips are fabulously addicting. They’re so light, crunchy and absorb the flavors of a good sea salt perfectly.
If you’re ever got a hankering for potato chips, try making a big batch of our Spicy Kale Chips Recipe. Kale is obviously lighter and less caloric than fried potatoes, and they’re also greener, which means many more vitamins to add to your daily intake. You’ll be feeling less guilty if you ate a bag of kale chips than heavy potato chips.
start with small amount of olive oil to coat, add chili flakes
better than potato chips! (well, almost)
Spicy Smoky Kale Chips Recipe
Ingredients
- about one bunch of kale , rinsed and dried
- 2 Tablespoons Olive oil , or more if needed
- Salt , to taste
- about 2 teaspoons of chili flakes (or to taste)
- sprinkling of paprika or cheyenne pepper power (optional for extra spice)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Remove the kale leaves from their tough end and inner stems. Cut longer leaves in half or preferred bite size pieces.
- Place kale pieces in large bowl. Start by tossing in about 1 tablespoon of olive oil. The kale leaves only need to be lightly coated with oil. Too much will make the chips too limp and greasy. Only add about 1 tablespoon of olive oil at a time. Then sprinkle in sea salt and chili flakes.Put the kale pieces in a single layer in a baking sheet lined. You can use parchment paper if you like for easier cleaning.
- Bake for 12-20 minutes or until crisp. Gently flip the chips after baking for the first 12-15 minutes. About 5 minutes before they are finished, you can gently turn them again in the sheet pan for more even baking. They will burn easy, be aware of how they are baking and check on them often. For more smoky or spicy flavor, lightly dust the kale chips with paprika or cheyenne pepper power.
Nutrition Information per Serving
This recipe was originally published in 2011 and re-publihsed in 2021 with updated recipe notes.
These chips are crazy good. Thanks!!!
I’m addicted to this recipe. The spiciness really gave it such an awesome kick.
I have recently turned vegan, and have been experimenting with recipes using kale (kale has great nutrients which helps prevent development of cancer. This recipe is wonderful . . . great for snacks, and so easy to make!
I think you mean cayenne pepper. 🙂
Right you are. Thanks for catching that!
hi there, what kind of kale is this? I tried to do this kale that had much larger leaves and it was a disaster drying it. Some came out wet even after several rounds in the oven and tossing.
Fantastic recipe. The second time around, I tried adding some paprika to give the kale chips a bit of a kick. Came out great, and they make a perfect substitute for potato chips.
I made kale chips using some ranch dressing seasoning from a packet bought at Whole Foods. Very good and no chemicals.
A bit off topic but I noticed the capped bottle that you had your olive oil in…is it by chance around 4oz? I am looking for a bottle like that that I can use to take my own salad dressing with me to go…I would love to know where you got it?
Hi Karen, we found those bottles at The Container Store. They might be available online too on their website!
I made them on the grill and it was amazing! Thanks for sharing.
I tried it and loved it! I believe I may have overdone them because I had to take some last minute quickie headshots so I turned off the oven but decided to leave them in. Still good. But probably not date night food. My friend and I had them stuck in our teeths:).
Love it – so simple! We have tons of leafy greens all the time – I keep forgetting that we can turn them into delicious chips!