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Seriously, O.M.G. Dill and Onion Kale Chips

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– raw / vegan / gluten-free / grain-free –

These kale chips were made especially for my girlfriend, Gina, for her Super Bowl festivities! Several years ago, I had the greatest pleasure in introducing her to the wonderful, addictive world of kale chips!  I love this woman dearly, and it brings me such great honor to make these for her.

Seriously,-O.M.G.-Dill-and-Onion-Kale-Chips-close-up-in-jar

I have been making kale chips for many years now, and I wanted to point out a few things that I have learned, which always provide me with great success.  First of all, start with fresh, crisp kale.  Not only do you get more nutrients from fresh kale, but the firmness will also be a fantastic base for a hearty chip.  Plus, old wilted kale tends to be bitter.  I also prefer curly kale over any other; all the beautiful folds within it offer great cubbies for the sauce to nestle in which will make the chips very flavorful.

Another helpful trick is to use a thick sauce, which makes giving the leaves a nice heavy coat much easier.  Often, especially when making my kale chip recipes, you might doubt me, thinking that I made far too much sauce for the amount of kale being used.  I do this for taste and structure!  Trust me. :)

Also, don’t tear the kale into small pieces.  The kale will shrink some while drying, and you don’t want to end up with tiny brittle flakes for chips, well unless, of course, that is what you want. Hehe, Washing the kale is essential, but most important is drying it! Either use a salad spinner or blot it over and over with dry paper towels.  Wet kale will make your sauce runny, and it won’t stick well.

Lastly, after you pour the sauce over the kale, use your fingers to mix it all.  Be gentle as you carefully massage the kale, making sure to coat each piece heavily.  Don’t over massage, though, like we do when making kale salads. If you over massage the kale pieces, it will cause the membrane walls to break down and will weaken the chip.

Well, I think I covered it all.  I hope you found my tips helpful.  Are you new to making or trying kale chips?  If so, I would love to hear from you.

Seriously,-O.M.G.-Dill-and-Onion-Kale-Chips-in-labeled-jarIngredients:

yields 3 cups sauce

Preparation:

Kale Prep:

  1. Selecting Kale:
    • Don’t use wilted / old kale; it can have a bitter undertone.
    • I prefer Curly Kale because all of the folds really hold onto the sauce.
  2. Wash and de-stem your kale.
    • Start by washing the kale and blotting it dry.  You can also use a salad spinner if you own one.
    • Make sure you get as much excess water off of the kale as possible.  If you don’t, it will make your sauce “soupy.”  Set aside.
    • Starting at the bottom strip away the leaf, leaving behind only the stem.
    • Tear the remaining leaves into pieces that are a tad larger than bite-size since they tend to shrink.

Sauce Prep:

  1. After soaking the cashews, drain and discard the water.
  2. In a high-powered blender combine the; cashews, water, vinegar, lemon juice, and spices. Blend until the sauce is creamy smooth.
    • Due to the volume and the creamy texture that we are going after, it is important to use a high-powered blender.  It could be too taxing on a lower-end model.
    • Create a vortex in the blender; this will help ensure that the sauce is getting fully blended into a creamy texture.
    • What is a vortex?  Look into the container from the top and slowly increase the speed from low to high,  the batter will form a small vortex (or hole) in the center.  High-powered machines have containers that are designed to create a controlled vortex, systematically folding ingredients back to the blades for smoother blends and faster processing… instead of just spinning ingredients around, hoping they find their way to the blades.
    • If your machine isn’t powerful enough or built to do this, you may need to stop the unit often to scrape down the sides.
    • This process can take 1-3 minutes, depending on the strength of the blender.  Keep your hand cupped around the base of the blender carafe to feel for warmth.  If the batter is getting too warm., stop the machine and let it cool, then proceed once cooled.

Assembly:

  1. Place the torn kale into a very large bowl.
  2. Pour in the sauce and with your hands gently and evenly coat each piece of kale.
    • This is a “hands-on” job.  Stirring with a spoon doesn’t do the trick.
    • I would suggest removing any jewelry from your fingers.  I have temporarily lost a ring here and there.

Dehydrator Method:

  1. Have the dehydrator trays ready by lining them with non-stick teflex or parchment paper.
    • Don’t use wax paper because food tends to stick to it.
    • Spread all the trays out in advance because soon, your hands will be covered in sauce, and you don’t want to get it all over.
    • I used three Excalibur trays.
  2. Place the kale on the non-stick sheets.  You can do this 1 of 2 ways:
    • Lay each piece out semi-flat if you want to create individual pieces.  More time-consuming and chips tend to be a little bit more fragile.
    • Or, drop clumps of coated kale on the sheets.  This technique will create hardy clusters that are loaded with sauce and flavor.  This is my preference.
    • It took 3 Excalibur trays.
  3. Dehydrate at 115 degrees (F) for about 6-8 hrs or until dry.
    • I tend to pull mine out before it gets 100% dry because I like it a little chewy.
    • The dry time is just an estimate.  The climate, humidity, dehydrator, and how full the machine is can all affect how long it will take to dry.
  4. Store in an airtight glass container and be ready to nibble non-stop till the last crumb is gone!
  5. If the kale chips start taking on some humidity from the house, you can place them back into the dehydrator for a few hours at 115 degrees (F).

Oven Method:

  1. Please use it as a guide and closely monitor the kale chips as they cook.
  2. Preheat the oven to 300 degrees (F), anything higher, and risk burning the chips.
  3. Line the baking sheet with parchment paper and place the kale chips on the baking sheet in a single layer.
  4. Bake for 10 minutes, rotate the pan, and bake for another 15 minutes.
    • The bake times will vary based on your oven, but it’s a good starting off point!
  5. Once you pull the tray from the oven, allow the chips to cool on the baking sheet.
  6. Store in an airtight glass container and be ready to nibble non-stop till the last crumb is gone!

43 thoughts on “Seriously, O.M.G. Dill and Onion Kale Chips

  1. Cristina says:

    I am thinking of trying these but might use Almonds instead since that is all I got in the house. They sound delicious! Thank you for such great recipe ideas!

    • amie-sue says:

      Good thinking Cristina… If I were to use almonds, I would soak them and pop the skins off before blending. Easier for digesting and no skin flecks… but you don’t have to, just an idea. :) Keep me posted! amie sue

  2. Yvette Dwornik says:

    These Kale Chips you brought to the salon the other day were awesome. All the clients, employees,and I loved them and want to learn to make them. Yumm! Thank you Amie!

    • amie-sue says:

      Oh hello sweet Yvette! It was my pleasure to bring them in to share them… do you guys want to be part of my taste testing panel? :) I love sharing and I know that you guys will be honest with me. love and hugs… see you soon. amie sue

  3. Donna D in TN says:

    Amie Sue – I made these yesterday and we love love love them! I put them in a gallon ziploc bag and I noticed about 2 hours after I took them from the dehydrator they started to soften. I have them at work today and they are softer still. What is the best way to keep these crispy? (other than eat them all in the first 30 minutes….heehee!)

    • amie-sue says:

      Hello Donna… yay!! So glad to hear that you are enjoying these. As far them getting soft I might recommend storing them in a glass container that has a lid on them, that is what I do. Or sometimes, I just leave them in an open container on the counter… actually, I put a lid on them but my never ending, grazing husband takes the lid off and doesn’t put it back. lol And to be honest, they stay fresh and fine. But then, they never last longer than a week here before they are all eaten up. If you keep your longer and they start to get to soft for you, throw them back in the dehydrator to touch them up. I hope this helps. Thank you for sharing Donna. Have a blessed evening! amie sue

    • Megan says:

      We use the silicon packets that come with seaweed packs. We stick them in the dehydrator to dry them out.

      • amie-sue says:

        Good evening Megan… grand idea! Thank you for sharing. I am going to try that next time. Have a blessed weekend, amie sue

  4. Dee says:

    Once again Amie Sue this was OMG awesome! The only thing I would do different is not add the black pepper, I only added half and it still is overpowering..but the taste, the taste, the TASTE!! OMG! I love ’em! I haven’t been able to really find one Kale chip recipe I’m crazy about until now! I will make some more tomorrow using your cheese sauce from the broccoli bites..I am curious to see how that will turn out. Thanks again!

    • amie-sue says:

      That is wonderful Dee! Just goes to show how we all have different tastes. For Bob and I, we could have put even more pepper in it, we LOVE pepper. hehe But I am just so happy that you tried them and enjoyed them… Have a blessed day! amie sue

  5. Nancy says:

    Holy Moly are/were these ever awesome!!

    Thanx, Amie Sue for your amazing recipes…

    :-)

    Btw, the ‘batter’ would be an excellent dip or dressing.

    <3

    Nancy

    • amie-sue says:

      lol well Holy Moly! :) Love that! Yes, that batter is heavenly… you could even thin it down and make a salad dressing…. oh wait, I just noticed you said that. haha Anyway, so thrilled that you are enjoying them. Have a wonderful weekend! amie sue

  6. Amity says:

    Holly Cow were these amazing! Our whole family went raw about 2 weeks ago and had found a lot of the food challenging for the kids (ages 15,13,12,4 & 2). These were being stolen from the tray at 6:30 in the morning by my 2 yr old. Last night I had to smack my husbands hands to keep him out of the sauce. He begged me to keep some aside to go with some raw veggies for his lunch. Then he asked if I could make actual potato chips to dip. I said what do I look like Amie Sue?

    We love your site! Thank you.

    • amie-sue says:

      Well that is just music to my heart Amity! Thank you so much for sharing that with me. I loved the last sentence…” I said what do I look like Amie Sue?” LOL That cracked me up. Thank again for taking time out of your day to write this to me. I hope you continue to find family favorites here! Blessings, amie sue

  7. Luana says:

    Aime, these were great…my first raw recipe.(applause):) I am soooo appreciating your website it has been so helpful in getting me into the “Raw’ world….. so much to learn and you put it out here to make it easier for us all. Blessings and thank you!

    • amie-sue says:

      Good afternoon Luana… what a great recipe to start with! Now you are addicted. hehe I am always here if you have questions or need clarification on recipes. Have a blessed weekend. amie sue

  8. robin says:

    Hi Amie Sue,

    Thanks for all your hard work that you so willingly let us benefit from.

    I’m making the OMG Dill and Onion Kale Chips and they taste great, but they have no white color. Some of your pictures are pre-dried, I can tell that, but the picture of them in the paper bag appears dry and they are still white. Mine aren’t completely dry, yet, but they are completely green, now, even though they were white when wet. I don’t think the heads I used were over-sized. Maybe the color comes back when they are completely dried and I’m wasting your time by asking prematurely, but if you have any info that can help, please let me know. They are so pretty and enticing with the white color.

    Have a great day!!

    Robin

    • amie-sue says:

      Hi Robin… gosh, the only thing that comes to mind is… did yo coat the chips nice and thick or was your sauce watery? Was your kale wet when you applied the sauce? Let me know how they turned out. amie sue

  9. Tammy says:

    Made them!!! And… OMG….. SERIOUSLY!!!!
    Soooooo good!!

  10. Sandi says:

    Yummmmm!!! Thanx amie-sue!

  11. Robyn says:

    I am going to try these this evening, but for the life of me I can not get my hands on fresh dill!! And believe me I have tried!!! So I will be using dried dill…. I am sure they will still have the OMG response that others have discovered when they made them! LOVE the responses from your fans…it helps to take the leap to make the recipe! Thank you again for the gift of your site, your talent and your wonderful personality that shines through!

    • amie-sue says:

      Good evening Robyn,

      I have ran into those issues too of not being able to find fresh herbs from time to time. It will still have that OMG factor so don’t worry about that. :) Keep me posted. I can’t wait to hear what you think. I am always grateful for everyone’s comments because I know that they help to inspire others… nice to hear that from someone. hehe Have a blessed and wonderful weekend. amie sue

  12. Lyn :] says:

    Hi Amie Sue,

    I’m back in the saddle :] Hurrah!! I just made these ( finally convinced Gene that he NEEDED to try some of your other kale chip recipes, as he has been happy for months having the Spicy Italian Kale Chips). Oh My Goodness these are incredible!!! . Did you see the LAY’S sour cream and onion chip bag just fly out the window :] !! YOU NAILED THIS !!!!! It is REALLY GOOD !!! Don’t worry- I will now gather my composure, go get the bag ,(not really, I can’t remember when I last bought a Lay’s bag of chips) , till I get to take a bite of these again. I did try this with 1/8 cup of dried dill weed. That was the perfect amount to impart a dill flavor, but not overpower the other flavors.
    Score!!!!!I will be using this sauce on my sweet potato chips that I will be making later this week. Now , on to the Cracked Pepper, sour cream and onion chips.
    Thank you once again, Lyn :]

    • Lyn :] says:

      P.S. I went back to the spicy kale chip recipe- I have been making this every week since September 21. Yah, I think it was time to try some of your other recipes :] …. just saying!!!

      • amie-sue says:

        haha You are too funny. I understand though, we all have favorites that we get stuck eating on for quite some time. :) hugs!

    • amie-sue says:

      Yeeeee-haaaw! Glad that you are back in the saddle. :) Giddy-up!

      I have yet to find a kale chip that I have made that I haven’t liked. :) They all make my eyes roll. haha Thank you for sharing, it is always good to hear from you! hugs and blessings, amie sue

  13. Kim says:

    i’m trying this right now! very excited! i’m also trying it with too many other things.. haha. should have done one thing and waited until tomorrow to try another veggie.

    Question about prep.. it’s quite time consuming (probably because I’m making 10 things instead of one :) but how long can the veggies sit out before they go into the dryer? seems like a silly question because I’m worried about them drying out.. before drying them. I finished my prep a little ahead of time but have a few hours before I start it up. I’m also thinking I”m already going to want to make a second batch of these kale chips and would ike to make the batter ahead of time- so mind as well wash the kale and make 2x the sauce at once and use the other half tomorrow. any problems with this?

    and one last question.. is there any other thickening item instead of nuts that could be used? i’m vegan but not raw, and i’m afraid that instead of being my protein and fat source, it’s only going to augment it.

    thanks so much!! I love this site!

    • amie-sue says:

      Good evening Kim… caught me just before I was about to head to bed. :)

      Q ~ Question about prep.. it’s quite time consuming (probably because I’m making 10 things instead of one :) but how long can the veggies sit out before they go into the dryer? seems like a silly question because I’m worried about them drying out.. before drying them. I finished my prep a little ahead of time but have a few hours before I start it up.

      A ~ A few hours might be ok. I would cover from plastic so the sauce doesn’t get weird. For the future it would be best to slide them right into the the dehydrator after coating the kale.

      Q ~ I’m also thinking I”m already going to want to make a second batch of these kale chips and would like to make the batter ahead of time- so mind as well wash the kale and make 2x the sauce at once and use the other half tomorrow. any problems with this?

      A ~ That would be just fine, keep them separated until ready to put in the machine, then coat the kale and set the in the machine to dry. :)

      Q ~ and one last question.. is there any other thickening item instead of nuts that could be used? i’m vegan but not raw, and i’m afraid that instead of being my protein and fat source, it’s only going to augment it.

      A ~ You could use sunflower seeds… would that work for you?

      Have a great weekend, I am out for the night…. (sleeping hehe) amie sue

      • Kim says:

        houston, we have a problem. while ltrying to decide on storage for the kale chips i ate them all.

        I realize it’s not raw, but would something like a little silken tofu work? sunflower sounds great but again, high calorie/fat. if this keeps happening i’m going to become obese as i just ate 24 grams of fat while inhaling :)

        goodness these are good.

        • amie-sue says:

          lol Not sure that it sounds like a bad problem. hehe

          I have no idea how tofu will work. I haven’t ever used it. You will have to experiment.

          amie sue

  14. Aga says:

    Can you bake them in the oven if you don’t own a dehydrator. Sorry I’m not vegan or doing raw foods. I just love kale chips. Any suggestions would be great

    Thanks

    • amie-sue says:

      Hello Aga, I understand. I haven’t baked any of my kale chip recipes so I don’t have a ton of experience in that department. I guess I need to try it because there are many others who don’t have dehydrators. Even though you are not raw, it might be a fun investment down the road. Not only due to the nutrients level retained more but I often find the flavors more concentrated in the dehydrated goods, verse baking. I experience this with crackers.

      But, I would keep the oven at the lowest temp, spread on a cookie sheet and just keep a close eye on them till you know how they will respond to the higher heat. Document it for future times. Have a great day Aga, amie sue

  15. Sheron says:

    Thank you amie-sue, these are amazing. Just made a batch and I don’t think they will last the whole day. The sauce is scrumptious.

    • amie-sue says:

      So happy to hear that you are enjoying them Sheron. :) I have made these many times over and there has been a time or two where the coated kale got eaten just like a salad. hehe Thanks for letting me know how it went. It always means a lot to hear from NR readers. :) Blessings and have a glorious weekend. amie sue

  16. Cheynne says:

    I may or may not have just stood at my kitchen counter and “tested” half of the batch.
    I better go get some more kale…. :)

    • amie-sue says:

      Good morning Cheynne,

      I am sorry that it took me a bit to respond to you. I have been on a “walk about” for the past 6 weeks (see blog posting). I am not fully integrating back into things but I wanted to start tackling some of the questions that have been collecting. :) All that to say, I appreciate your patience with me. :)

      lol, I can so relate… there have been batches of kale chips that never made it to the dehydrator. :P So happy to hear that you are enjoying the recipe. Have wonderful weekend, amie sue

  17. Bevan Davis says:

    BEST. KALE.CHIPS.EVER.!! seriously, nothing beats these babies – we made a whole dehydrator full, and then ate them in about 48hours! – thanks for such a fab recipe xx

    • amie-sue says:

      Hello Bevan,

      I am sorry that it took me a bit to respond to you. I have been on a “walk about” for the past 6 weeks (see blog posting). I am not fully integrating back into things but I wanted to start tackling some of the questions that have been collecting. :) All that to say, I appreciate your patience with me. :) I am THRILLED and smiling big as I sit her after reading about your enjoyment with these kale chips… I have to agree with you… these are amazing. I LOVE dill so they are one of my favorites.

      Thank you for sharing, I always appreciate that. Blessings, amie sue

  18. Roz Feinman says:

    BS”D

    These are insanely delicious! Thank you Amie-Sue!

    • amie-sue says:

      Well, you are insanely sweet Roz! hehe I am just thrilled that you are loving them. They are one of my favorite too! Thanks so much for commenting. Many blessings, amie sue

  19. Jacinte says:

    Yes OMG, we simply love this recipe. Thanks Amie-Sue

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