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.
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Okay, I’m just gonna come out and say it: I’m a total sucker for pumpkin spice.
Call me #basic, but it’s the truth.
In fact, I’m all about everything fall: the colours, the coziness, the sweater weather, and yes, pumpkins and pumpkin spice. There’s just something comforting and nostalgic about it; Like grandma’s kitchen or the warm scent of pumpkin pie that wafts from the table at holiday dinners with family and friends.
What I’m NOT all about are the chemical preservatives and lab-created “natural flavours” in most store-bought and coffee shop pumpkin spice syrups and lattes. Not to mention, I don’t exactly love paying $5.00 or more for a single drink at a cafe.
This homemade pumpkin spice syrup, made with REAL pumpkin and spices and NO added preservatives solves all of these problems... It’s 100% natural and costs just pennies per batch. (And trust me when I say it rivals even the famed Starbucks #PSL when added to a homemade latte).
You definitely want to try this at home this pumpkin spice season. Er, I mean this fall 😉
Click the link in my bio @thehouseandhomestead for the full recipe or go to https://thehouseandhomestead.com/homemade-pumpkin-spice-syrup/
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As much as I'm honestly kinda over the garden by this time of year and ready to tuck in indoors and rest for a while, I know that the effort I put into my garden in the fall will pay a huge return come next spring and summer when we're ready to plant and then harvest our next round of crops.
For one, fall is the best time to amend and enrich your soil, so adding compost or manure or some sort of organic matter is pretty crucial this time of year.
Also, you should always cover your soil, especially over the winter months when soil is more likely to erode and nutrients can get washed away. A cover crop or a thick layer of mulch is a good idea to help keep your soil protected and intact.
And of course, garlic should be planted in the fall before your first frost to ensure huge bulbs next summer. Us homesteaders always have to be thinking ahead a few seasons!
I'm taking you into our garden as we're tearing it down and planting out our garlic. I'll show you our fall gardening routine and I'll walk you through planting garlic so you can start growing it at home too! (It's honesty the easiest, most rewarding crop that we grow).
It's time for the grand finale in the garden this year as we tear it down and prep it for next spring. Will you join me for one last hurrah?
Link in bio @thehouseandhomestead or go to https://youtu.be/llNFlxxUV-I
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First batch of homemade candles for the season. It’s a cold, grey day and we’re about to light the woodstove for the first time this season too. Now I have some homemade spice-scented candles to go with the cozy vibe:)
I LOVE candles, but good ones are pretty expensive to buy. However, since I started making candles myself I haven’t bought a single one from the store and I’ve probably saved myself hundreds of dollars.
I make at least a batch or two (or three) of these scented soy wax candles every year around this time. I burn a bunch of them myself over the winter and we gift them for Christmas. I’ve even sold them for upwards of $15 a piece!
If you want an easy and rewarding DIY project to get into as we head into fall and winter, homemade candles is your answer.
Click the link in my bio @thehouseandhomestead or go to https://thehouseandhomestead.com/homemade-soy-candles-essential-oils to learn how to make them yourself!
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#homemade #handmade #candles #diy
Sometimes I question why I do what I do. Why do I take on so much? Why do I bother making everything from scratch and growing a garden and preserving food when I could just as well buy it from the store and save myself a ton of time and effort?
Why am I working hard to build a business out of my passion when I could just as easily go to work for a pay check and just enjoy homesteading as a hobby on the side?
Why do I choose to do everything the hard way and see against the grain? Why not just go with the flow and hope for the best?
I can’t say for sure that I would have chosen to follow all the same paths that I’ve gone down over the past few years had I not become a mother, but what I 𝘥𝘰 know for sure is that my beautiful daughter is worth every ounce of hard work; every dollar I’ve invested in our future goals and dreams; every late night work fest and canning session; every seed planted and loaf of bread baked.
She’s worth it because I want to give her the best I can in life. I want her to eat good food and live a long and healthy life. I want to teach her how to be self-sufficient so that she has the skills she needs no matter what kind of world awaits her in the future. And I want to show her that anything is possible and any dream is worth pursuing, even if the work that it takes to achieve it is harder than following the herd and taking the road of least resistance.
This little human right here: this is my why. This girl and her goofy smile make everything worthwhile ❤️
What (or who?) is your why?
This growing season has seriously been the strangest I’ve experienced so far. Summer came so late we thought it wasn’t gonna come at all. Our greens and peas and spring crops produced for weeks longer then they normally do as we waited FOREVER for our tomatoes and peppers and summer crops to grow and ripen.
Now that we’re into October, we’re having a warm spell and the garden is acting like it’s summer! The tomatoes are all just starting to turn red, the cucumbers and zucchini are still givin’er, the pumpkins and squash are having another growth spurt, and now the green beans are starting on round two after about a month of dormancy!
We’re supposed to be going fishing tomorrow, and I’m wondering if the salmon are a little late this year too...
If there’s one thing 2020 has taught us all it’s that nothing is ever certain. So even though I’m sort of ready to be done with the garden already, I’m reminded of how fortunate we are to have such abundance come from our property and our surrounding environment; To have so much when so many have so little; To live in such a beautiful, bountiful corner of the world surrounded by a kind-hearted community that values sustainability and self-sufficiency like we do.
I love making plans for the future, and we wouldn’t be where we are today without some pretty serious planning. But sometimes you’ve just gotta go with the flow and trust that even when things don’t work out exactly as you’d imagined, they work out exactly as they should.
I wasn’t expecting to still be busy with the summer garden in October, but I have to say, this year, no matter how ready to be done with it I might feel some days, I’m more grateful than ever for everything we’ve been blessed with.
What are you feeling grateful for this year? It’s Thanksgiving next weekend here in Canada, so we’ll be talking a lot about gratefulness this week in our house 🙏
Can you imagine how bland and boring our food (and life) would be without spices??
Seriously! We take them for granted nowadays because they’re so readily available in our pantries and on grocery store shelves. But for thousands of years throughout history, spices were coveted, revered and hard to get. For around 1,500 years, spices travelled overland on camelback and horseback on the Silk Road from China to the west. And then, just over 500 years ago, explorers set out into the unknown to find a maritime trading route, and one of those explorers just so happened to stumble on the Americas along the way, essentially shaping history and the modern world as we know it.
But besides history and geography, the science behind spices is just as fascinating. Their culinary and medicinal uses have had a huge impact on the world and on the dishes we enjoy on a regular basis today. Oh, and did you know that, scientifically speaking, it’s actually possible to GROW even the most “exotic” spices at home, right here in North America??
I LOVE to geek out on this sort of stuff, so doing the research for the latest issue of Modern Homesteading Magazine was actually so much fun. (If you hadn’t guessed, this issue is all about spices!!)
I’d love to tell you so much more right here, but I’m a bit limited on space! However, you can read more about the fascinating story of spices, their culinary and medicinal uses, how to put them to use in your kitchen and yes, even how to grow them at home in the October issue.
So if you’re already subscribed, be sure to check your inbox for the latest issue (it came out yesterday). And if you’re NOT yet subscribed, then head on over and click the link in my bio @thehouseandhomestead to subscribe for FREE, and get the latest issue delivered straight to your inbox!
Wishing you a rich, flavourful fall season full of spice, pumpkin and otherwise;)
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You’ve probably heard me complaining about our green tomato “problem” all summer. We do, after all, have great fruit set and TONS of tomatoes on our plants. They’re just almost all green!!!
While I do love me some green tomatoes (green tomato relish is my FAVE and fermented green tomatoes and hot peppers are out of this world), I refuse to give up on luscious, red, homemade tomato sauce and salsa just yet. I refuse to accept that they’re all just green and that’s just the way it is! So I’m taking matters into my own hands and ripening them myself.
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Link in bio @thehouseandhomestead or go to https://thehouseandhomestead.com/how-to-ripen-green-tomatoes-indoors/ to learn this simple hack!
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Okay, I MAY have totally messed up a batch of blackberry jam today, but check out this carrot! Thing’s almost as thick as my forearm and as long as my face! (Is that an accurate way to measure things?)🤷🏻♀️
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September is such an odd time of year. It’s the time of year when we tend to find ourselves with a foot in two worlds: A transition season, if you will.
In the garden, some plants are dead or dying. There’s brown, crispy stems, dried pea pods bursting with next year’s seeds and a natural layer of mulch in the form of fallen leaves. But at the same time there’s still so much life. So much greenery and colour. So much of summer still left.
Indoors we’re busy putting up the harvest, stocking our shelves with jars of colourful food, baskets of cured onions and garlic, dried herbs hanging everywhere and crocks of fermenting foods on every countertop. But while we’re still dealing with the summer bounty, fall has begun, which means we’re back to schedules and routines and, for those of us with kids, school.
But this year our return to our “normal” fall routines is anything but. For many families, there is no return to school. Not in the traditional sense anyway. Instead, more families than ever before have found themselves educating their children at home for the first time, whether by force or by choice. And trying to balance all of the usual September tasks with navigating full-time homeschooling can feel daunting, to say the least.
I know we can all use as much help and expert advice as we can get at this time, so I’m honoured to have Ginny Aaron, a full-time homeschooling, homesteading mom of three sharing her wisdom on the blog this week. She’s generously shared her best tips for incorporating homeschooling with your existing routine and finding the teachable moments in the every day so that you don’t need to uproot your life or find another 7 hours in your day to recreate a classroom environment at home.
I just love Ginny’s approach to homeschooling and if you’re anything like me, I think you will too. You can check out her full post by clicking the link in my bio or go to https://thehouseandhomestead.com/homeschooling-on-the-homestead/
It’s also Ginny's first time guest posting so be sure to leave a comment while you’re there and let us know what school looks like for your family this year.
Link in bio @thehouseandhomestead
I’ve been feeling the weight of the world on my shoulders lately. Between balancing work and the garden and all of the canning and preserving tasks this time of year, I’ve already got enough on my plate. Add a string of social commitments, back-to-school and extracurricular activities, and I’m definitely feeling the pressure, as I usually do this time of year.
But lump on a pandemic, worsening political tensions, division and civil unrest, intensifying environmental disasters (we’re currently socked in with smoke from the California wildfires), and it all just becomes too much to bear some days.
I know I’m far from the only one who’s feeling this way. And yet, we all have to just keep putting one foot in front of the other and keep going even when we’re feeling stressed and overwhelmed and burnt out. Even when the present is frightening and the future is uncertain.
I’ve developed some strategies over the past few years that have helped me keep moving forward and get things done even when I’m feeling overwhelmed and don’t know where to start, and I want to share them with others who need help coping with stress and overwhelm right now too.
You can check out my list of 10 tips for managing stress and overwhelm on the homestead (and in life!) by clicking the link in my bio @thehouseandhomestead and then clicking the link to the full blog post at the top.
You can also grab my free time management planner by clicking the link in my bio and then clicking on “Free Resource Library,” (find it under “Homesteading & Self-Sufficiency Resources” in the library).
No matter what you’re struggling with right now, I hope some of these tips help keep you navigate these extra stressful times and stay focused and moving forward with your to-do list, as well as with your big goals and dreams. But most of all, I hope it reminds you that if you are struggling and feeling overwhelmed right now, you’re not alone.
Link in bio @thehouseandhomestead to read more.
I don’t think I have a jar big enough for this pickling cucumber 🥒
What do you do with the huge pickling cukes that inevitably get missed in the garden??
Please leave suggestions below! I’ve got two of ‘em! 😂
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#humanswhogrowfood #homesteadersofinstagram #mypickleisbiggerthanyours
Late summer is truly the time of abundance (and by far the busiest time of year for us).
We’ve got so much food that’s ripe for the picking in our own garden, plus baskets full of produce that we purchase locally when it’s in season and preserve for the winter.
Between harvesting and preserving (and trying my best to document it all for you along the way), there’s little time for much else in August.
We’re busy sweating in the garden and the kitchen, working around the clock to preserve all of the fruits (and vegetables) of summer so that come winter we hunker down and relax knowing we’ve got a pantry full of food to sustain us.
While there have been more times than I like to admit when I’ve asked myself why we do this when we could be at the beach or floating down the river like everyone else, come winter I am ALWAYS grateful for the time and energy we invested in the spring, summer and fall to grow and preserve all of the food that lines our pantry shelves.
With everything that 2020 has brought so far (and more uncertainty to come), this year I’m feeling grateful even in the thick of it; Even while I’m sweating and pulling late night canning sessions and constantly scraping dirt out from under my nails. This year it’s more apparent than ever how much growing and preserving our own food is worth the time and effort that it takes.
If you feel the same way and you’re looking to get even better at gardening, preserving and homesteading in general, or maybe you’re finally ready to start living a more sustainable lifestyle where YOU have control over your food supply, I highly encourage you to check out the Gardening & Sustainable Living Bundle (link in bio @thehouseandhomestead). It’s packed with almost $600 worth of resources designed to help you take control of your food security and live a more self-sufficient life, and it’s on sale today only for just $19.99!
If you ask me, we would all be wise to invest in our own food security as we head into fall and winter 2020, so click the link in my bio @thehouseandhomestead to grab your bundle now. The sale ends tonight at midnight so don’t wait!!
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