Full of good-for-you ingredients, vegan Cheesy Kale Chips are the perfect snack for warm summer months! They cheesy flavor comes from a combination of cashews and lemon juice, and nutritional yeast. They're so delicious, that no one will realize how healthy they are. In fact, you may need to make a double batch, because they're super addictive! This recipe makes the best crispy kale chips. They're vegan and gluten-free. You can make them in a dehydrator, your oven, or an air fryer.

Kale Chips

Remember when raw food was all the rage? I do. And I was all in. My dehydrator and high-speed blender were constantly whirring away in my kitchen, drying out flax breads and whipping up raw cheeses.

Kale chips were the snack du jour back then, with tiny gourmet bags of them selling for astronomical, eye-popping prices at health food stores across the nation. I opted to make mine. Homemade kale chips are so much tastier than store-bought, and they end up being much more economical too. I've made so many batches of chips, I'm sure I've more than made up for the cost of my dehydrator by now.

During the warm months, I still eat a lot of raw foods, and kale chips are still my raw snack food of choice. Two of my favorite kale chip flavors are Green Goddess, made with sesame seeds, and these cheesy chips made with cashews. Just a few simple ingredients transform plain kale to a super yummy snack.

Cheesy Kale Chips with tomatoes, lemon, and cashews

I’ve included directions for baked chips here, for those who don’t have a dehydrator. Be sure to keep an eye on them, as kale can burn very easily in the oven. You can also make them in an air fryer, but depending on its size, you may need to cook them in batches.

These will disappear in a flash, but on the off chance you have some left, store them in an airtight container.

kale, tomato, nooch, lemon juice, and cashews

How to Make Cheesy Kale Chips

Kale chips couldn't be easier to make!

First you blend everything, except the kale of course, together in a blender.
Then you remove the stems from your kale and tear the leaves into bite-sized pieces and place them in a large bowl.
Next you pour the dressing into the bowl with the kale and massage until its well coated.
Arrange your chips in a single layer on a teflex covered dehydrator tray. You may need to use more than one tray, deepening on their size.
Dehydrate your kale on 105°F for 6 hours.
Then you remove the reflex from the tray, flip the chips, and dehydrate them for another 2 hours. If the chips are still a little soggy, you can dehydrate them for a little longer.

In really humid weather, the chips can get kind of soggy, but they crisp back up after another hour or so in the dehydrator.

Oven Kale Chip Instructions

Kale chips can be made in a oven, but you need to keep an eye on them. They can burn really quickly!

Preheat your oven to 300°F degrees.
Arrange the kale chips in a single layer on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. You’ll need two or three baking sheets, depending on how much kale you have.
Bake until the kale chips begin to brown, about 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from the oven.
If the chips aren’t totally dry, carefully flip them over and bake for 5 or 10 more minutes.

Allow your chips to cool completely in a single layer. If you crowd them together or place them in a bowl, the heat can steam the leaves and turn them soggy again.

Air Fryer Kale Chip Instructions

You can also use your air fryer to cook your chips, but depending on its size, you may need to do it in batches. If the kale chips are too crowded, they won't cook.

Place your kale in a single layer on your air fryer and cook on 360°F for 6 minutes.
Shake the basket and cook for 2 more minutes. If they're still a little damp, you can cook them for a minute or two longer.

As with the oven instructions, allow the chips to cool in a single layer.