This Baked Kale Recipe Proves That Kale Chips Still Got It

There's nothing cool about baked kale—aka kale chips—anymore. And if we're being honest, transforming a notoriously fibrous cabbage varietal into a snack that can go toe-to-toe with actual potato chips is pretty much impossible. But the fact remains that baked kale is one of the easiest and most fun ways to eat a lot of vegetables, and our classic baked kale recipe has weathered the tests of time and trends.

Developed by Dan Barber of Blue Hill and Blue Hill at Stone Barns—a man who knows how to make vegetables shine—it was part of the Great Kale Shift of 2009. The recipe was created at a time when kale moved from produce-aisle afterthought to menu staple everywhere, (see: massaged salads, green smoothies, and, yes, chips). Don’t Kale My Vibe graphic tees were everywhere; Beyonce even wore a KALE sweatshirt in her 7/11 music video.

Raw kale salads are still a mainstay at fast-casual lunch spots and beyond, but kale chips peaked sometime around 2012 and we don't seem them often these days. Honestly, in a world of mushroom bacon and watermelon jerky, kale chips just couldn't keep up. And, the truth is, this kale chip recipe is pretty basic...but in a good way. It requires basically two ingredients—a bit of olive oil and a lot of Tuscan kale (plus salt and pepper)—and a teensy bit of prep. And that's why we still love it.

Spreading out dried kale chips between two baking sheets keeps each leaf crunchy and crisp instead of soggy or limp, and baking at a low temperature for a longer period of time eliminates the risk of browning or burning. There's only a tablespoon of olive oil in the whole batch, and we love to add Aleppo-style pepper and nutritional yeast along with that sprinkle of flaky salt. Make it for a pre-dinner-party snack, put it on savory oatmeal or polenta, or tell your kids it's junk food. Kale chips are dead. Long live kale chips.

Get baked:

Tuscan Kale Chips