Recipes > Cheezy Cashew Kale Chips
- Serves: 4 to 8
- Active Time: 20 mins
- Total Time: 1 hr - 7 hrs
- Views: 40,316
- Success Rating: 100% (?)
Steps
Step 1: Making the Dressing
- 1 cup raw cashews
- 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
- 2 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 to 2 tsp hot sauce (such as sambal or sriracha)
- 1/4 tsp sea salt (or to taste)
- 1/2 to 2/3 cup unsweetened non-dairy milk (or water)
- 1 fresh lemon (approx. 2 tbsp juice)
Method
To prepare the dressing, first soak the cashews for a couple of hours, or overnight. Once they are soft, drain.
Next, juice the lemon and add to a high speed blender, along with the next 5 ingredients.
Add about half of the non-dairy milk and blend to combine. Add more liquid as needed. The dressing should be thick, but still somewhat pourable.
If using the oven to make the kale chips, preheat the oven to 275°F (135°C) and line two large sheet pans with parchment paper. (See notes, below, for using a dehydrator.)
Step 2: Cleaning the Kale
- 2 large bunches kale*
Method
*Note: You can use either curly green kale or the longer, flatter Italian kale, also known as dinosaur kale, black kale or lacinato kale.
To prepare the kale, simply wash and tear into large pieces. The trick is to remove the leaves from the stems, keeping the pieces of kale as big as possible. The pieces will shrink considerably once dehydrated or baked in the oven.
Step 3: Preparing the Kale Chips
Method
To prepare the kale chips, place the kale into a large bowl and pour the dressing over the kale. Using your hands, coat the leaves evenly with the dressing.
Depending on how much kale you started with, you may not need all of the dressing. However, this dressing is meant to be quite heavy, so don’t be afraid to really coat the leaves well.
Next, place the leaves onto the prepared sheet pans. Be sure the leaves are not overlapping, otherwise they will cook unevenly. Depending on the size of your sheet pans, you may have to cook the kale in multiple batches. Bake for about 45 minutes or until crispy. Turn the leaves over halfway through cooking to ensure they bake evenly.
Using a Dehydrator—
Alternatively, place the kale onto dehydrator trays. Make sure the leaves are in a single layer, otherwise they will not dehydrate evenly. Dehydrate at 115°F (46°C) for approximately 7-8 hours or until crispy. Depending on your machine, it may take more or less time.
Chef's Notes
- by Dawn Thomas
- •
- March 5, 2013
Indian Kale Chips
Omit the lemon juice, hot sauce and nutritional yeast and replace with:
1 tbsp chopped fresh ginger
1 pitted date
1 1/2 tsp curry powder or garam masala
1 1/2 tsp soy sauce
Italian Kale Chips
Omit the lemon juice, onion powder and hot sauce and replace with:
3 tbsp chopped green onion
1 cup loosely packed basil leaves
1 tbsp chopped sage leaves
1/2 tsp chili flakes (optional)
7 Comments
-
What temperature is the oven set at? -
275 degrees Farenheit -
Would this recipe work with sunflower seeds instead of cashews for someone with a tree nut allergy? -
Hi Shanti! Thank you for your question. Yes. Absolutely. Raw sunflower seeds would work well. Lauren -
When using a dehydrator, can you just place them directly on the plastic trays or do you need to use silicone sheets to prevent dripping? (I have an Excalibur 9 tray.) -
Hi Angela, with the Excalibur I would use the paraflexx liner/ silicone sheet if you have them. Lauren
-
Thanks! I figured that would be the case. I made two batches in the oven and my daughter and I ate an entire batch straight off the sheet pan. These are so delicious...and addicting.
Details