Spicy Tahini Kale Chips- These are without a doubt the best kale chips you will ever try. Make them at home and try not to eat them all up at once!
Have you tried kale chips yet? Did you think they were “just ok” but didn’t get the hype? That’s probably because you didn’t have these.
All too often I see recipes for kale chips that include nothing more than “olive oil, salt, pepper and an optional seasoning of your choice.” No. That’s boring. I tried simple kale chips and was thoroughly underwhelmed. In the end, kale just isn’t that exciting until you jazz it up a bit. Don’t get me wrong, I love kale and eat it almost every day. But I need some ZING in my snacks. Let me tell you now: these chips have zing.
Tahini adds a thick creaminess, lime juice provides that perfect acidity, nutritional yeast creates mouth-watering cheesiness and the red pepper flakes add heat. You don’t need salty processed chips to give you that savoriness we all crave. You need these. Try not to eat them all at once, though.
I use a dehydrator when I make these spicy tahini kale chips. Mine is pretty cheap and it works perfectly well for veggie and fruit chip snacks. But I mostly use it for kale chips and it has been worth every penny. I prep them before I go to bed and the next morning I wake up with ready-to-go snacks. I realize that most of you don’t have dehydrators sitting around so I’ve included oven directions here.
Spicy Tahini Kale Chips
Ingredients
- 1 large bunch of kale, inner ribs removed
- 2 tablespoons lime juice
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 4 tablespoons tahini
- 1 teaspoon nutritional yeast
- 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 200 degrees F (or plug in your dehydrator). Line a baking sheet with foil or parchment.
- Wash and thoroughly dry the kale, then remove the leaves from the tough inner stem. Slice or rip into large pieces. Remember- they'll shrink as they dehydrate so don't go too small. Place in a large bowl.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the remaining ingredients. Pour over the kale and coat each leaf thoroughly. It's messy, but the best way to do this is with your hands.
- Spread the chips in a single layer on the baking sheet or in the dehydrator. The dehydrator should take approximately 8 hours. The oven will take up to an hour (start checking on them after 30 minutes. They're ready when the seasonings are completely dry and the kale is crispy.
Notes
Please read my full post for additional recipe notes, tips, and serving suggestions!
Nutrition
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Seriously addicting. I can relate to the person who said that these are dangerous. I also have to fight to not eat the entire batch myself right out of the oven. My 4 year old daughter also loves them and can put them down almost as fast me. This is a winner of a recipe!
I’m impressed! These taste like delicate, melt-in-your-mouth, healthy Cheez-It alternatives . . . which is especially amazing, because it’s entirely vegan. My partner — who HATES kale — gobbled up half a batch in one day. SCORE! I’ve already sent this recipe to my ex-husband, who always struggles with tasty vegan snacks for his girlfriend.
These are a revelation, thank you!! I used the oven method. Took a little over an hour at 200. Took out the crispy and left some others in after turning the oven off. Also added extra nutritional yeast (2TBS) because we love it so much.