Kale Chips Keto Recipes: 3 Recipes and 12 Seasonings for Keto-Friendly Snacks

Are kale chips keto-friendly? Sticking to a diet to lose weight is hard enough without wondering what you can eat in place of your favorite snacks. You know you aren’t supposed to snack on the regular potato chips you once did, but can you really eat kale chips?

Kale chips on keto are a treat for the snackaholics who are waiting for something to replace their need for crunchy goodness without unwanted extras. Fortunately, kale chips are a popular snack you can enjoy in multiple ways. But first, let’s see whether kale is good for keto. 

Is Kale OK on Keto?

Low-carb kale chips you make at home are ideal for keto snacks, including these recipes:

• Keto Kale Chips Air Fryer Recipe (1)
• Keto Kale Chips Baked Recipe (12)
• Crispy Keto Kale Chips With Seasoning Recipe (11)

Additionally, you can add various seasonings to change the flavors. But first, let’s see what makes kale OK on keto. 

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Are Kale Chips High in Carbs?

Kale chips on keto have different carb counts. For example, the air fryer recipe has 10.5 g of carbs per serving (1). Meanwhile, the crispy, oven-baked kale chips recipe only has 2 g of carbs per serving (11). The first recipe looks like it has insanely high carbs. 

However, the net carbs are only 6.3 grams because the fiber is 4.2 grams. Medical News Today suggests subtracting the fiber from the total carbs to get your net carbs (7). Ultimately, neither recipe has high net carbs. 

Can I Eat Kale Chips Every Day?

You may eat keto kale chips daily if you stick to the recommended allowances for carbs. Harvard states that 50 grams of carbs daily is typically the maximum allowance on a 2000-calorie keto diet (3). You need to divide this daily allowance between all your meals. 

However, be cautious about the fiber content in kale chips. Very Well Fit suggests avoiding eating kale chips daily if you’re experiencing digestive disturbances (8). Some people may experience bloating and discomfort from daily high-fiber snacks if they are not used to eating a lot of fiber. If you’re increasing your fiber intake, it’s best to do so gradually to avoid discomfort. 

Are Kale Chips Better for You Than Potato Chips?

Let’s compare store-bought kale and potato chips to understand which we prefer. Very Well Fit gives the following nutritional information for a 28-gram bag of kale crisps (8): Meanwhile, the USDA shows the following values for a 28.35-gram bag of potato chips (14):

Kale Chips Keto-Healthy Recipes

Kale chips on keto will surprise you and save money from those pricey store-bought options. Let’s discover three essential kale chip recipes before sharing ways to enhance the flavors without breaking your keto rules.

Keto Kale Chips Air Fryer Recipe

Wholesome Yum has the ideal keto kale chips air fryer recipe to tantalize any snackaholic’s tastebuds (1). Meanwhile, it’s faster to make kale chips in an air fryer. The recipe works with the upcoming flavors but doesn’t add their nutritional values with the macros below.

Ingredients: 

• 1 bunch of curly kale
• 1 tbsp. olive oil
• ½ tsp. sea salt

Directions: 

1. Wash the kale leaves, removing the stems and drying them thoroughly,
2. Use a salad spinner or paper towels to remove all the excess water,
3. Chop the kale leaves into bite-sized chip pieces,
4. Add the oil, salt, and kale to a mixing bowl,
5. Toss the leaves until the oil and salt cover them well,
6. Add additional seasonings from the list below (optional),
7. Gently massage the leaves to ensure all the flavors mix thoroughly,
8. Preheat the air fryer to 325°F or 163°C,
9. Place parchment paper in the air fryer basket,
10. Spread your kale thinly, ensuring it isn’t crowded in the basket,
11. Cook them for 6 minutes, shaking the basket halfway.

Nutrition: 4 servings, 86 calories, 10.5 g carbs, 4.5 g fat, 4.9 g protein, and 4.2 g fiber (1)

Read more: Is Miso Soup Keto-Friendly? Our Top 3 Recipes Are Low-Carb, High-Protein Comfort Foods

Kale Chips Keto Baked Recipe

This kale chips keto recipe will have your taste buds in a twist. The recipe is courtesy of the Ketogenic Woman (12). The recipe uses gluten-free nutritional yeast. You don’t need spices unless you want to change the cheesy flavor. However, you’ll discover more about this soon. 

Ingredients: 

• 1 bunch of curly kale
• 2 tbsp. olive oil
• ½ tsp. sea salt
• ¼ cup of nutritional yeast

Directions:

1. Preheat your oven to 300°F or 148°C,
2. Line a baking tray with parchment paper to prevent the kale from burning,
3. Remove the kale stems before washing the leaves thoroughly,
4. Dry the leaves in a salad spinner or with paper towels,
5. Cut your leaves into bite-sized chip portions,
6. Put all the ingredients in a bowl before tossing them well to coat the leaves,
7. Replace the nutritional yeast with a seasoning of your choice (optional),
8. Spread the kale leaves in a single layer, ensuring you don’t overcrowd the tray,
9. Bake your kale chips for 10-15 minutes until dry and crispy.

Nutrition: 4 servings, 113 calories, 11 g carbs, 7 g fat, 4 g protein, and 3 g fiber (12)

Crispy Kale Chips Keto Recipe With Seasoning

Paleo Leap has a fantastic kale chips recipe for keto that uses a simple seasoning while keeping the chips crispy (11). The secret to crunchy, crispy kale chips is to ensure they’re 100% dry before entering the oven. Meanwhile, the lemon flavor is a refreshing twist.

Ingredients:

• 1 bunch of curly kale leaves
• 2 tbsp. coconut oil 
• ¼ tsp. sea salt
• 1 tbsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice
• ½ tsp. paprika
• ½ tsp. onion powder
• ½ tsp. chili powder
• ¼ tsp. garlic powder

Directions:

1. Preheat your oven to 300°F or 148°C,
2. Line a baking tray with parchment paper,
3. Remove your kale stems and rinse the leaves thoroughly,
4. Use a salad spinner to dry the leaves before patting excess water with paper towels,
5. Chop the leaves into bite-sized chip portions,
6. Mix all the spices in a bowl until well combined,
7. Melt the coconut oil and lemon juice,
8. Combine the spices, oil-lemon blend, and leaves in a mixing bowl,
9. Toss the leaves until the flavors cover every inch,
10. Spread the kale leaves thinly without overcrowding the baking tray,
11. Bake the kale chips for 25-30 minutes, turning them over after 10-12 minutes,
12. Watch the kale chips, pulling them out once crispy, or they will wilt again.

Nutrition: 4 servings, 59 calories, 2 g carbs, 6 g fat, 1 g protein, and 1 g fiber (11)

Kale Chips Keto-Healthy Variations & Tips

Kale chips provide a healthy keto snack, but how can you make sure to keep it low-carb? Let’s share some tips and variations to change the flavors or ensure you have crispy chips.

Kale Chips Temperature

You’ll notice that both oven-baked keto kale chip recipes use a temperature of 300°F or 148°C (12, 11). Kale leaves differ, but some are thin, and others thicker. Keeping the right temperature will ensure crispy kale chips without burning them, as thinner leaves will burn fast. Hence, you also use parchment paper to prevent the leaves from sticking or burning.

Kale Chips Nutritional Yeast

Kale chips with nutritional yeast are the easiest way to add a cheesy flavor to your keto snack. WebMD recommends nutritional yeast for vegans or anyone short of other nutrition, as the ingredient is nutritionally dense (13). Here’s what you find in two tablespoons:

• Calories: 50
• Carbs: 5 g
• Fat: 1 g
• Protein: 8 g 
• Fiber: 4 g

Kale chips with nutritional yeast also give you vitamins B1, B2, B6, zinc, and potassium (13). It’s also often fortified with vitamin B12. It’s a deactivated yeast form that may have heart health and immune system benefits due to its nutrient profile.. Meanwhile, it has a rich, cheesy flavor for kale chips on keto.

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12 Kale Chips Seasoning Ideas for Keto Recipes

Kale chip seasoning allows you to change the flavors as often as possible. However, please note that seasoning macros aren’t included in the keto recipes above. The idea is to use naturally low-carb flavors and spices, meaning they shouldn’t add abundant carb content. The seasoning ideas are courtesy of Wholesome Yum, the Keto Diet App, and Tasteaholics (9, 6, 2).

Caribbean Kale Chips Seasoning (9)

• 2 tsp. jerk seasoning
• ½ tsp. sea salt

Curried Kale Chips Seasoning (6)

• 1 tsp. onion powder
• 1 tsp. curry powder
• ½ tsp. turmeric

Pizza Keto Chips Seasoning (9)

• 1 tsp. nutritional yeast
• ½ tsp. sea salt
• ½ tsp. smoked paprika

Smoky Paprika Kale Chips Seasoning (6)

• 1 tsp. Smoked paprika
• ½ tsp. Garlic powder
• ½ tsp. chili powder

Nacho Cheese Kale Chips Seasoning (9)

• 3 tbsp. cheddar cheese powder
• ¼ tsp. garlic powder
• ¼ tsp. onion powder
• ½ tsp. chili powder
• ¼ tsp. cumin
• ¼ tsp. smoked paprika
• ½ tsp. sea salt

Mexican Kale Chips Seasoning (9)

• 1 tsp. chili powder
• 1 tsp. cumin
• ½ tsp. sea salt

Chili Cheese Kale Chips Seasoning (2)

• 2 tbsp. parmesan cheese powder
• 1 tsp. sea salt
• 1 tsp. garlic powder
• 1 tsp. crushed red pepper

Sour Cream * Onion Kale Chips Seasoning (9)

• 2 tbsp. buttermilk powder
• 2 tsp. dried parsley
• ½ tbsp. onion powder
• ¼ tsp. sea salt

Read more: The Best Keto Burrito Recipes to Lose Weight

Mediterranean Kale Chips Seasoning (6)

• ½ cup of grated parmesan cheese
• ½ tsp. onion powder
• ½ tsp. garlic powder
• 2 tsp. Italian herbs

Asian Kale Chips Seasoning (9)

• ½ tsp. sea salt
• 2 tsp. Furikake

Flamin’ Hot Kale Chips Seasoning (9)

• 2 tbsp. hot sauce
• 2 tbsp. cheddar cheese powder
• ½ tsp. garlic powder
• ½ tsp. sea salt

Chili Lime Kale Chips Seasoning (9)

• 4 tsp. lime juice
• 2 tsp. chili powder
• ½ tsp. sea salt

For more health-conscious information:

• Benefits of Kale Smoothie
• Fasting Diet for Men
• Kale Juice Benefits

FAQs

• Are Kale Chips High in Fat?

Kale chips from stores may contain more fat than homemade recipes. For example, a 28-gram bag of store-bought kale chips has 10 g of fat (8). On the other hand, a serving of homemade air fryer kale chips has 4.5 g of fat (1). Also, an oven-baked recipe has 6 g of fat (11). Making your own kale chips will decrease the fat, or buying from a store will likely increase the fat on keto.

• Is Kale Healthier Raw or Cooked?

Raw kale is nutritionally denser than its cooked counterpart. Spanish researchers compared five cooking methods to raw kale to see which would maintain the nutrients better (5). All of the cooking methods reduced the natural antioxidants and flavonoids in kale. However, steaming reduced it less than other methods. Raw kale is bitter, so steaming it may help you eat more. If you want to use other cooking methods, don’t worry – it’s still a very nutritionally dense vegetable, regardless of the cooking method.

• Is It OK to Eat Raw Kale?

You can eat kale raw or cooked in a variety of different ways. The best way to eat kale is to welcome the best of both worlds. Eat some raw kale in morning smoothies or a salad and crispy kale chips as a snack. However, the Mayo Clinic warns that you may need to limit kale if you have kidney stones or while taking blood-thinning medications (10).

• Is Kale a Superfood?

The Mayo Clinic boasts about kale being a superfood dense in the nutrition you need (10). The vegetable has vitamins A, B6, C, K, folate, fiber, carotenoids, and manganese, and only 20 calories per raw cup of kale. It may help support your immune system, improve blood pressure, and reduce cancer risk.

The Bottom Line

Kale chips keto recipes are simple, and the flavor possibilities are 12-fold. Stop preventing yourself from enjoying the tasty snacks you miss on keto. Instead, pick a recipe, pinpoint the first seasoning idea you’ll try, and get those delicious kale chips ready for snack time.