We have enjoyed kale chips over the years, but sometimes it takes a lot of patience to make them in the oven, baking them at a low temperature for a while. I discovered a technique for drying out herbs in the microwave, and realized we could do this with kale as well.

Kale is easy to grow in the garden, and this is a great way to use kale if you have run out of other things to do with it. My kids love kale chips!

What You Need

Kale
Olive Oil
Salt (preferably fine salt)
Microwave-safe plate

Directions

The first step is to thoroughly wash and prepare your kale.

To wash carefully and remove as much sand as possible, I usually soak the kale in my salad spinner, rinse it off, and then dry it in the spinner.

Rip up the kale into smaller pieces, and remove any woody parts (mostly the stems).

I then lay out the kale on a clean, dry dish towel, then lay another dish towel on top to dry off the kale. If you can allow to air-dry for a little bit, that is helpful too.

Once the kale is dry, I lay it on a large plate or tray, and drizzle with olive oil.

I use my hands to rub the oil on the kale (not my favorite part of the process, but at least olive oil is good for your skin!).

Once you have coated the kale in oil, sprinkle with some salt. Fine salt is best, as it will stick better.

Lay the kale on a plate and start by microwaving in 2 minute increments.

When the 2 minutes are done, check on the kale. I usually take it out, allow the steam to rise, blow on it, mix the kale with your fingers or a spatula. Basically, you want to rotate the kale and let the steam out to facilitate the drying process.

​​​​​​​You’ll want to keep microwaving at 1-2 minute increments, repeating the process of mixing in between, until your kale is crispy.

Enjoy!