Kale Chips with Parmesan Cheese and Garlic
⏲ ~29 min total · prep 9 · cook 20 · 4 servings
Sides⏱ 45 min total🔥 3.0g net carbs
By the KFI Test Kitchen · Tested & approved by Jason Lieu, KFI recipe editor
Published Sep 15, 2026 · Updated Sep 15, 2026
Ingredients
- 2 bunches lacinato kale (about 12 oz total)
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1/3 cup finely grated parmesan cheese
- 3/4 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
Instructions
- Wash the kale and dry it completely — salad spinner, then 10 minutes spread on towels; any water left on the leaves steams them into leather.
- Strip the leaves off the stems and tear into 2-inch pieces, discarding the woody ribs; keep the pieces big, because they shrink as they bake.
- Toss the dry leaves in a large bowl with the olive oil, massaging with your hands until every surface is lightly filmed, then sprinkle in the parmesan, garlic powder, salt, and pepper and toss again.
- Divide between two rimmed sheet pans in a single layer with no overlapping pieces — crowding is the difference between crisp and steamed.
- Bake at 275°F for 18-22 minutes, swapping and rotating the pans halfway, until the leaves are glassy-crisp and the parmesan spots turn pale gold; pull them the moment they're dry, as the line from done to scorched is short.
- Cool 5 minutes on the pans — they finish crisping as they cool — and store airtight for up to 2 days.
Why this recipe works
- Bone-dry leaves Water on kale steams the leaves into leather before they can crisp. A salad spinner followed by 10 minutes on towels is not fussiness; it is the recipe.
- A slow 275°F oven Low heat dries the leaves all the way through while the parmesan spots turn pale gold. A hotter oven burns the cheese before the centers finish drying.
- Massaged oil Working the olive oil in with your hands films every fold of every leaf. Tossing alone leaves dry patches that burn and bald spots that stay chewy.
Tips for making this recipe well
Tear big
The pieces shrink by more than half as they bake. What looks oversized on the sheet pan comes out snack-sized.
Two pans, one layer
Overlapping leaves trap steam where they touch. Divide the kale between two rimmed sheet pans and swap their positions halfway through.
Pull them the moment they're dry
The line from done to scorched is short near the end of the bake. Glassy, brittle leaves are ready; brown edges mean the oven won.
Season after the oil
Parmesan and garlic powder stick to oiled leaves and slide off dry ones. Massage first, then sprinkle and toss again.
Cool on the pans
The chips finish crisping during 5 minutes of cooling. Bagging them warm traps steam and undoes the whole bake.
Serving suggestions
Set the bowl out and it empties fast, so double the batches if more than two people are around. Whole chips make a sharp, salty snack; crushed ones turn into a topping for soups or scrambled eggs. Serve them the day they bake for the best snap, and keep the bowl away from steaming pots on the stove. They disappear faster than anything store-bought.
Storage and meal prep
Store the cooled chips airtight at room temperature for up to 2 days, which is the limit the recipe itself suggests. Do not refrigerate them; the humidity softens the leaves within hours. If a batch loses its snap, spread it on a sheet pan and warm it in a 275°F oven for a few minutes to re-crisp. Skip the freezer entirely, since condensation on thawing turns every chip limp at once.
Variations worth trying
- Lemon zest after baking Grate the zest of half a lemon over the warm chips. The oils hit while the parmesan is still faintly soft and stick there.
- Chili oil version Add a pinch of red pepper flakes to the olive oil before massaging. The heat builds slowly chip by chip.
- Curly kale swap Curly kale works the same way with more ruffled edges. Toss a little longer so the oil reaches into the curls.
- Nutritional yeast Replace the parmesan with the same amount of nutritional yeast for a dairy-free pan. Keep the garlic powder; it carries the savory note.
Frequently asked questions
Why are my kale chips chewy instead of crisp?
Water is the usual cause: wet leaves, or a crowded pan that trapped steam. Dry the leaves completely and give every chip its own space on the sheet.
Can I bake at a higher temperature to save time?
Resist it. Above 275°F the parmesan browns long before the leaves finish drying, and you get dark chips with soft centers.
Do I have to remove the stems?
Yes. The ribs stay tough and woody at any bake time a leaf can survive. Strip and tear the leaves, and save the ribs for stock if you like.
How long do they keep?
Two days airtight at room temperature. After that they drift stale, though a few minutes in a low oven brings most of the snap back.
How many net carbs per serving?
3.0 net carbs, mostly from the kale itself. The olive oil, parmesan, and seasonings add little.
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As an Amazon Associate and affiliate partner, Keto Food Ideas earns from qualifying purchases at no additional cost to you. Nutritional values are estimates. Recipes are developed with AI assistance and reviewed by our editors before publishing.
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