Baked Kale Chips (with Salt and Vinegar)

Baked Kale Chips with Salt and Vinegar are a delicious way to eat your greens; think salt and vinegar potato chips but with healthy kale! Just make them in a toaster oven when it’s too hot to use the oven.

PIN the Baked Kale Chips to try them later!

For years I’ve seen people roasting kale and now that I’ve finally made kale chips myself, I see what the fuss is about. Not only are they full of nutritious goodness, but these Baked Kale Chips with Salt and Vinegar are so, so delicious. If you don’t believe roasted crispy kale leaves can be that special, I challenge you to try them and see what you think.

When I finally decided to try making kale chips, I found there were endless variations on the recipe, so I tested 6 slightly different versions before I came up with the recipe I liked best, where the kale chips are roasted for a longer time at a fairly low temperature.

And I wanted to make salt and vinegar kale chips, and I found I liked the kale best when the salt was added after roasting. I don’t know if adding the vinegar made the kale chips turn more brown, but I didn’t care how photogenic they were because I loved the taste. 

What ingredients do you need for this recipe?

(This is only a list of ingredients; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe.)

• kale leaves
• extra-virgin Olive Oil (affiliate link)
• vinegar (see notes)
• sea salt to taste

What are Kale Chips?

Kale chips are pieces of fresh kale that have been roasted until they are dried and crispy. They’re really quite delicious for everyone who enjoys the flavor of kale.

What kale should you use for Baked Kale Chips?

Many people are fans of baby kale, but that’s not a good choice for this recipe. Use large leaves of organic kale that you cut away from the ribs for making kale chips.

What vinegar should you use for Salt and Vinegar Kale Chips?

I used Spanish Sherry Vinegar for this recipe, but any vinegar you like the flavor of will be fine.

Why are Baked Kale Chips such a good snack?

Kale is one of the most nutrient-dense vegetables, with many vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. And Kale is low in carbs, and the kale chips with salt and vinegar have only 2 net carbs per serving.

How to make Baked Kale Chips with Salt and Vinegar:

(This is only a summary of the steps for the recipe; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe.)

1. Start with a lovely bunch of curly kale. This was about six ounces, and that was just the right amount to fit on a small cookie sheet.
2. Cut away the inner ribs and discard, and then tear the kale leaves into same-size pieces. (I made my pieces about the size of a small potato chip.)
3. Here’s how many pieces I got from the 6 oz. bunch of kale in the top photo.
4. I washed my kale in a salad spinner, and then spun it dry over and over, until the leaves were dry. If you don’t have a salad spinner, I’d use paper towels to dry the leaves.
5. I used olive oil, Spanish sherry vinegar, and sea salt to flavor the chips, but I think any type of salt and vinegar that you like the flavor of would be fine.
6. I wanted to “massage” the kale leaves with olive oil to be sure they were well-coated, so I put the chips into a Ziploc bag, added half the olive oil, squished it around, added the rest of the oil, and then massaged some more.
7. Then I sprinkled in the vinegar, closed the bag, and shook it until the drops of vinegar were well-distributed on the kale pieces.
8. In all the directions, probably the most important thing is to arrange the kale pieces in a single layer on the pan so they aren’t crowded when they cook. Here are my kale pieces when they started out in the 300F/150C oven.
9. Here are the chips after they roasted for 10 minutes.
10. This next photo is how they looked after 20 minutes.
11. They’re a little more crispy after 30 minutes.
12. I let them cook five minutes more for a total of 35 minutes roasting time. Sprinkle with sea salt and eat immediately!

More Recipes for People Who Love Kale:

• Twice-Baked Spaghetti Squash with Kale
• Kale and Red Onion Savory Breakfast Squares
• Lemon Parmesan Kale Salad

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Yield: 3 servings

Baked Kale Chips with Salt and Vinegar

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 35 minutes

Total Time 50 minutes

I experimented with six version of Kale Chips, but these Baked Kale Chips with Salt and Vinegar were the ones I thought were really a treat!

Ingredients

• one bunch of kale leaves, about 6 oz.
• 1 T extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 T vinegar (see notes)
• sea salt to taste

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 300F/150C.
2. Cut away inner ribs from each kale leaf and discard, then tear the kale leaves into same-size pieces. (I made my pieces about the size of a small potato chip.)
3. Wash torn kale pieces and spin dry in a salad spinner or dry with paper towels until they're very dry.
4. Put kale pieces into a large Ziploc bag (or use a bowl if you don't mind getting your hands oily.)
5. Add half of the 1 T of olive oil, seal bag, and squeeze the bag so the oil gets distributed evenly on the kale pieces.
6. Add the other half tablespoon of oil and squeeze the bag more, until all kale pieces are evenly coated with oil and slightly "massaged."
7. Open the Ziploc bag and sprinkle the 1 T sherry vinegar over the kale leaves, then seal bag and shake to spread the vinegar out over all the leaves.
8. Arrange kale leaves in a single layer on a baking sheet, then roast until they are mostly crisp, about 35 minutes.
9. I checked every 10 minutes or so and turned some pieces over.
10. I also found I didn't mind if there were a few softer parts on some of the kale leaves, I liked the combination of crisp and softer parts.
11. When chips are done to your liking, sprinkle with a generous amount of sea salt and eat immediately.

Notes

I used Spanish sherry vinegar, but any vinegar you like the flavor of will work

This recipe adapted by Kalyn with inspiration from many other bloggers who also made kale chips.

Nutrition Information

Yield

3

Serving Size

1
Amount Per Serving Calories 57Total Fat 5gSaturated Fat 1gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 4gCholesterol 0mgSodium 207mgCarbohydrates 3gFiber 1gSugar 1gProtein 1g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated by the Recipe Plug-In I am using. I am not a nutritionist and cannot guarantee 100% accuracy, since many variables affect those calculations.

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Low-Carb Diet / Low-Glycemic Diet / South Beach Diet Suggestions:
Dark leafy greens have more nutrition per calorie than any other food source, and these baked kale chips are a perfect snack for any low-carb or Keto eating plan or any phase of the original South Beach Diet.

Find More Recipes Like This One:
Use Appetizers to find more recipes like this one. Use the Diet Type Index to find recipes suitable for a specific eating plan. You might also like to follow Kalyn’s Kitchen on Pinterest, on Facebook, on Instagram, on TikTok, or on YouTube to see all the good recipes I’m sharing there.

Historical Notes for this Recipe
These Kale Chips with Salt and Vinegar were first posted in March 2010. The recipe was last updated with more information in 2024.

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