Homemade “Cheesy” Kale Chips: Dehydrator & Oven Instructions
Learn how to make your own cheesy kale chips at home with this simple tutorial that includes instructions for using either a dehydrator or an oven.
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When I was growing up, “kale” wasn’t even part of my vocabulary, let alone my diet. Not even close. In fact, I had never even heard of kale until a few years ago when it started being hailed as the new “superfood” du jour. And I’ll admit, at first I wasn’t exactly a fan.
In fact, I hated kale. I figured it was just for vegans and health nuts anyways, and at the time, I was definitely neither.
But as time went on and kale became more and more mainstream, I started to venture out of my comfort zone. Then one day I picked up a bag of kale chips and decided to give them a try, and I was hooked!
That was my green eggs and ham moment right there. As it turned out, I did like kale! I did like it, Sam I Am! Or at least, I liked kale chips😉
But OMG, kale chips are EXPENSIVE at the grocery store! So I refrained from enjoying them too often because I just couldn’t afford them.
Naturally, when I started growing my own kale, I knew I wanted to try making my own kale chips at home. At first I tried tossing them in a little olive oil and salt and drying them in the oven, but they dehydrated unevenly and tasted nothing like the cheesy, crunchy kale chips I used to get from the store.
Then, a few Christmases ago, I got an Excalibur dehydrator from my mother-in-law, and a whole new world of possibilities opened up!
Related: Dried Cinnamon Apple Slices Recipe
Again I tried making kale chips with just a little olive oil, salt and seasonings, and again they fell short of the crunchy, nacho cheese-flavoured kale chips I used to buy for $7 a (small) bag at the store. So I decided to find a recipe that would mimic the cheesy store-bought ones.
I soon learned that what gave these kale chips their crunch and signature cheesy taste was a combination of blended cashews and a little something called nutritional yeast. Finally, not too long ago now, I got my hands on some nutritional yeast of my own and decided to try making a batch of homemade cheesy kale chips in the dehydrator.
What is nutritional yeast and where can you buy it?
Nutritional yeast is simply an inactive form of yeast that grows on top of molasses (of all places). And yet, it doesn’t taste anything like molasses! Instead, it tastes a lot like -you guessed it- cheese!
Nutritional yeast is the perfect flavouring for cheesy kale chips since real cheese doesn’t dehydrate well (due to the fat content), and using nutritional yeast also makes these kale chips vegan-friendly, which is rather important when it comes to anything kale, don’t ya think 😉
I was able to find nutritional yeast in bulk from our local Bulk Barn store (I think it’s a Canadian chain). But if you can’t find it locally, you can purchase some online here.
How to make cheesy kale chips at home
Once you’ve got your kale, some cashews and nutritional yeast, you just need a few more simple ingredients to make some killer homemade cheesy kale chips. Here’s everything you’ll need for a batch:
- One large bunch kale
- 1 cup cashews
- ½ cup nutritional yeast
- 2 tablespoons avocado oil
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 2 large garlic cloves (raw)
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt (I use fine sea salt)
Start by soaking the cashews in water for at least an hour or two to hydrate and soften them. While they’re soaking, wash your kale, remove the leaves from the stems and tear the leaves into smaller, chip-sized pieces.
Make sure to dry the kale really well. Any amount of moisture left on the leaves can prevent the sauce from sticking. I like to spin mine in a salad spinner and then place it on a paper towel to dry.
Next, it’s time to make your “cheesy” sauce…
How to make cheesy cashew sauce for kale chips
Drain the cashews and set them aside. Then, add all of the ingredients (except the kale!) to a food processor or high-powered blender (I use the chopping bowl that comes with my Breville immersion blender set and love using it in place of a regular blender or food processor for quick, small-batch recipes like this sauce).
Blend on high until the ingredients are well combined and start to resemble a thick, creamy sauce.
You may need to add a little more water to the mixture to get it to blend to a creamy consistency. Add one tablespoon at a time so that you don’t overdo it and end up with a watery sauce that won’t stick to the kale leaves.
Once your sauce is well-blended, place the kale leaves in a large mixing bowl and add all of the sauce. Then, using your hands, toss the kale in the sauce and massage it into all of the leaves, making sure to coat each one.
Once your kale leaves are well-coated in cheesy sauce, you’re ready to lay them out on trays and start dehydrating them!
How to make kale chips in a dehydrator
Lay your coated kale leaves out on your dehydrator trays in a single layer and place trays in the dehydrator.
Set the dehydrator temperature to 135ºF and set a timer for 6 hours.
That’s it! Pretty easy, eh?
How to make kale chips in the oven
If you don’t have a dehydrator, you can dehydrate your kale chips in the oven instead.
Preheat the oven to 200ºF. Place coated kale leaves on a baking tray lined with parchment paper in a single layer. Bake for roughly one hour. Check kale chips at about 45 minutes to see if they’re done as everyone’s oven runs just a little hotter or cooler than others.
Likewise, make sure they’re dry enough if you’re planning to store them for any length of time as any amount of moisture left could cause old to form.
You can also set your oven to the lowest possible temperature if it goes below 200ºF. (Mine goes down as low as 170ºF). If dehydrating at a lower temperature, you might need to dry them for a little bit longer. Make sure to check your kale chips every 15 minutes or so past the hour to see if they’re dry.
How to store homemade kale chips
If you actually manage to make a big enough batch of kale chips that you don’t eat them all within a day or so, you’ll want to know how to store them. The good news is, as long as they’re completely dry, they’ll be shelf-stable for a long time and you can store them in a Mason jar, Ziplock bag or even a FoodSaver bag to make sure they’re well sealed and stay fresh. I like to store them with an oxygen absorber to help extend shelf-life.
* Moisture can cause the chips to go moldy so make sure that your kale chips are really well dehydrated as any residual
Honestly, this is another reason I prefer using a dehydrator over the oven, because no matter what, I always find that there are a few kale chips that are just a little less dehydrated than the rest.
That’s it! Pretty straightforward, however I’ve created a full video tutorial too if you want to see how I make mine in both the oven and the dehydrator.
If you’ve ever had cheesy kale chips from the grocery store before I would LOVE to know how you think these ones compare! Let me know in the comments below if you try this recipe out!
I’d also love to know your favourite ways to enjoy kale! Because I just made two batches of these kale chips and it doesn’t even look like I made a dent in our plants outside 😂
Ingredients
- One large bunch kale, washed, de-stemmed and torn into bite-size pieces
- 1 cup cashews, soaked for at least an hour
- ½ cup nutritional yeast
- 2 tablespoons avocado oil
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 2 large garlic cloves
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt (I use fine sea salt)
Instructions
- Drain the cashews and set them aside. Then, add all of the ingredients (except the kale) to a food processor and blend on high until the ingredients are well combined and start to resemble a thick, creamy sauce. You may need to add a little more water to the mixture to get it to blend to a creamy consistency. Add one tablespoon at a time so that you don’t overdo it!
- Place the kale leaves in a large mixing bowl and add all of the sauce. Then, using your hands, toss the kale in the sauce and massage it into all of the leaves, making sure to coat each one.
- Once your kale leaves are well-coated in cheesy sauce, either lay them out in a single layer on your dehydrator trays or on baking trays lined with parchment paper if using the oven.
- If dehydrating, set temperature to 135ºF and set the timer for 6 hours. If using an oven, set the temperature for 200ºF and bake for 45 to 60 minutes (give or take).
- Store dried kale chips in a Mason jar or Ziplock bag in your pantry.
Wishing you homemade, homegrown, homestead happiness 🙂
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Well, it was no small task, but I FINALLY got everything in my pantry inventoried, organized and put away.
I wanted to share my process with you too, so if you’re interested in getting a full tour of our pantry and seeing how I organize things, click the link in my bio @thehouseandhomestead and check it out on YouTube!
P.S. I know you’re not supposed to stack canning jars as having multiple heavy rows stacked on top of each other can compromise the seal of the jars on the bottom. I avoid stacking when possible, but due to the style of our pantry I have made the conscious choice to stack one row (max) on top of the bottom and always make sure to stack jars of equal or lesser weight on top. And yes, we do have plans to add more shelves soon. Just a disclaimer since I’m sure I’ll get more comments about it;)
Also, be sure to leave a comment and let me know about any pantry organization hacks you use! I’m always looking to improve our system:)
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Finally got around to taking EVERYTHING out of the pantry today and now getting ready to take inventory.
When everything is buried in the pantry, it can be so easy to forget what you have. That’s why I always recommend taking everything out when starting a pantry challenge so you know exactly what you’ve got. I was feeling like we hadn’t preserved enough food this year to get us through the month, but now that I see everything, I’ve got all sorts of creative ideas for how to use up the abundance of food that we have.
I’m also finding things I didn’t know I had, seeing what I have more than enough of and finding gaps in my food storage. This is one of my favourite reasons for doing a pantry challenge: it’s an excuse to pull everything out and actually see what we’ve got so we know what we’re working with.
In order to keep everything organized, I also created printable pantry, fridge and freezer inventory sheets where I can record everything I’ve got (so it doesn’t get lost at the back of our very deep pantry again). If you wanna grab these printables, along with my weekly meal planning sheet, homestead pantry checklist, pantry substitutions chart and 31 Days of Dinner Ideas cheat sheet, click the link in my bio @thehouseandhomestead and sign up for the Homestead Pantry Challenge and I’ll send everything to your inbox:)
Alright, back at it. Wish me luck!
Have you started organizing your pantry yet??
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🌱 One of the things I get asked the most during the #homesteadpantrychallenge is what we do for fresh veggies. Now, I much prefer to eat seasonally, which means eating the veggies that we preserved over the summer and fall during the winter. But I do start to miss my fresh greens by the time January rolls around.
Sure, I could grow some salad greens over the winter months, but that would require a level of organization that I frankly haven’t reached yet. And quite honestly, I don’t love going out to the garden in the middle of winter due to the torrential rain, swampy mud and frigid temps we get here in the PNW. No no, I’m a little too lazy and disorganized for all that! I’d much rather plant seeds a few days before I want to harvest them and do it all from the comfort of my kitchen during the nasty weather season.
And so, I turn to microgreens to provide me and my fam with fresh greens this time of year. They’re not only packed with nutrients (said to be higher in nutrients than their full grown counterparts!), they can be grown on your countertop and are ready to harvest in just a few days!
Not to mention, they taste delicious and look beautiful! I made this cheesy pasta dish topped with broccoli microgreens for dinner and the microgreens (which are just the seedling version of the full grown plant) tasted just like broccoli. Plus, the purple and green colours take an otherwise kinda boring dish and make it pop💥
I get all of my microgreens from @trueleafmarket, one of the sponsors of this month’s pantry challenge, as well as the current issue of Modern Homesteading Magazine!
To enter to win your own self-watering microgreens growing kit from True Leaf Market, be sure to join in the Homestead Pantry Challenge on Instagram, and to learn more about microgreens AND score yourself a sweet 10% discount off all True Leaf products, make sure you’re subscribed to Modern Homesteading Magazine (discount code is in the magazine and in the delivery email).
If you’re not yet subscribed, click the link in my bio @thehouseandhomestead and subscribe for free!
What’s your go-to source for fresh greens in the winter??
Well, we made it. It’s hard to believe that 2020 is finally behind us, but here we are, at the dawn of a new year; A fresh page and a new chapter.
This past year has been one for the history books for sure, and it most definitely has not all been good. But it hasn’t been all bad either. Us humans have a tendency to focus on the bad. It’s a survival tool that’s hard-wired into our brains to be on the lookout for danger. So we have to make a conscious choice to see the good in bad situations; To find what we can control and cling to it in a sea of things that we cannot control and, therefore, must let go of.
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There’s no way to know for sure what 2021 has in store for us, but I know that if we enter into this next chapter with open minds and hearts, along with a willingness to step up and take charge of the things in life that we can control while committing to let go of the rest, well then 2021 will be a good year no matter what.
To a new year and a fresh start 🥂
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Every year in January, I like to challenge myself to eat only what I've managed to store away throughout the year and avoid the grocery store at all costs. And after the year we’ve just had, many of us are doing our best to avoid the grocery store already. Plus, with the financial impacts of lockdowns and the fragility of our global supply chain, saving a few bucks and taking steps to become more self-sufficient are top of mind for a lot of people right now.
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🥫To join in and enter to win, post photos or videos of your pantry, your meal planning, your meals, etc. during the pantry challenge and use the hashtag #homesteadpantrychallenge in the caption. Every post equals one entry:)
🎞 You can also post in your stories using the hashtag #homesteadpantrychallenge and tagging me @thehouseandhomestead for additional entries!
I'm SO pumped about this year's challenge and I really REALLY hope you'll join me!
The challenge officially begins on January 1st and runs until January 31st, but you can sign up via my link in bio @thehouseandhomestead and get all the details before we begin!
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While this year, and subsequently this Christmas has been anything but normal, and while we weren’t able to be with our extended families this year , I hope you’ve been able to find peace and joy this season, and to enjoy slower, more intimate moments at home with your immediate family.
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Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night ❤️
Cranberry sauce is a holiday tradition, but if you’ve ever had store-bought cranberry sauce out of a tin, then you probably know how unappetizing it can be.
From the “glurp” sound that it makes as it slides out of the tin and into the bowl, to the way the jelly stays formed in the shape of the tin even after it’s out, to the bland boringness of the flavour.
No offence to anyone who loves commercially canned cranberry sauce, but even if you love the store-bought stuff, then you’re definitely gonna love homemade cranberry sauce!
I know a lot of people put orange juice or orange zest in their cranberry sauce, and you can totally do that too! But I’m actually not a fan of the orange-cranberry mix, so my recipe calls for a little cinnamon and vanilla, as well as some sugar to give it a sweet spiciness that goes oh so well with Christmas dinner.
But perhaps the best part is that you’re able to can this cranberry sauce too, which means you can make a big batch this year and have enough homemade cranberry sauce on your shelves to last you multiple holiday seasons! Or you could even give some away to loved ones with whom you’re not able to spend Christmas with this year.
Whether you want to can it for later or eat it fresh or just refrigerate it until Christmas, this recipe is a must-try this holiday season.
Link in bio @thehouseandhomestead to get my full recipe plus canning instructions:)
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Collagen has so many health and beauty benefits, including healthy skin (and reduced wrinkles), shiny, healthy hair and strong bones, cartilage, joints and muscles.
I love making my own broth at home because I can pretty much guarantee a good gel and lots of collagen in each batch. Plus I make mine super frugally, with bones and veggie scraps that I save in the freezer.
I’ll be posting my recipe (and canning instructions) soon. Start saving those scraps!
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#bonebroth #collagen #nourish #wholefoodnutrition #homesteadkitchen
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This year, instead of travelling all over the country and running around to every Christmas party and holiday event, we can focus on cozying up at home to enjoy the simple pleasures that this time of year brings.
While gathering and celebrating is a big part of the holiday season, it doesn’t mean there’s nothing to take pleasure in and no way to celebrate outside of parties and get togethers. We can still make the best of what’s left of this year by keeping the spirit of Christmas alive in our hearts and homes.
So that's exactly what we're doing right now: we're cooking and baking all the good food, lighting all the candles and twinkly lights, filling our home with all of the spicy, warm scents of the season and settling in for a long, restful winter ahead.
I hope that no matter where you are or who you're spending your holiday season with, that you continue to celebrate in your own way too and that you soak in all that this season has to offer. To help out, I’m sharing a few of my favourite holiday recipes and projects to help you bring the warmth and comfort of the season into your home this year.
DIY Christmas Room Sprays with essential oils, melt-in-your-mouth whipped shortbread cookies, traditional Christmas Eve tourtière wrapped in buttery, flaky homemade pie crust and delicious homemade eggnog to enjoy by the fire... These are a few of my favourite ways to enjoy the holiday season at home:)
Link in bio @thehouseandhomestead to get all of the above recipes.
Wishing you tidings of comfort and joy, now and always ❤️
After 9 long months of extreme hand washing and sanitizing, the last thing our skin needs right now is the harshness of winter. But winter is here my friends, and that means it’s time to give your skin a little extra TLC.
I make my own body butter every year around this time, and it’s become my favourite way to moisturize my skin during the winter months. Much like a deep conditioner works on your hair, body butter absorbs deeply into your skin to help moisturize, repair and protect it.
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Click the link in my bio @thehouseandhomestead or go to https://thehouseandhomestead.com/homemade-body-butter/ to get the full recipe and “whip up” a batch today;)
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#bodybutter #naturalbeauty #naturalliving #skindeep #homemade #handmade #naturalskincare
The holidays are fast approaching, and that means it’s time for my FAVOURITE THINGS!!! 🎉🎁🎄(aka. The modern homesteader’s Christmas wish list;)
I’ve rounded up all of my fave kitchen tools, books and home and body products that I use all the time and could not live without (ok, I could live without them, but I wouldn’t want to!) and I’m sharing them all with you in this week’s YouTube video!
Grab a mug of something warm (or a glass of something chilled) and come on in for a tour of all the goods!
Link in bio @thehouseandhomestead or go to YouTube.com/thehouseandhomestead for all the latest videos:)
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