"Cheesy" Vegan Kale Chips | Live Lovely Recipes

I stumbled upon vegan “cheesy” kale chips quite spontaneously one day a few years ago. I was looking for some kale chip snacks at the store and they were out of regular, so I picked up the vegan cheese variety instead. I’m not vegan and I love cheese, but I also see the selling points of a vegan diet. I was instantly addicted to these chips. The only problem was that I felt they were highly overpriced for some dried up kale and they came in very small bags. I went on a mission to make my own.

I read the ingredients list and researched recipes online. I found a few good ones, but nothing quite hit the mark for me. The store bought kale chips tasted better. So I decided to simplify and tweak the recipes I found and created this method; it tastes even better than the brand I bought at the store and I also know where all the organic ingredients are coming from. The best part is I can make as much as I want.

For this recipe, you will need a blender as well as bunch of fresh and bushy kale (the bunchier the better because those curly bunched up ends taste the best dried up), a red pepper, a lemon, some pink Himalayan salt, and nutritional yeast. I know that the nutritional yeast sounds gross, but it is the ingredient that gives you that delicious creamy taste we’re going for. If you’re not familiar with nutritional yeast, look it up online and trust me. It’s delicious.

One. De-seed and dice up your red pepper and place it in the blender with a little bit of water. Blend until smooth.

Two. Use a lemon squeezer or juicing bowl to juice your lemon and add the juice to the mixture in the blender.

Three. Add a pinch of salt.

Four. Add about a half cup of nutritional yeast to your mix and blend. You want the mixture to be thick, but also runny enough to cover your fresh kale. Add extra water as needed to loosen the mixture. Add a little extra nutritional yeast for an extra cheesy flavor.

Five. Rip up your kale into chip sized chunks and put them in a bowl.

Six. Pour your cheesy mixture over your kale and mix it up.

Seven. You do not need a food dehydrator for this step, but I do prefer using a dehydrator for these chips. I will share both cooking methods.

Food dehydrator: Place your cheesy kale evenly on the dehydrator sheets and set your temperature for approximately 115 degrees Fahrenheit. Set the timer for six hours and check on them once done. If they’re still not completely dry and crispy, add an extra hour or two as needed.

Oven method: Using a baking sheet, evenly distribute your coated kale chips and place in the middle rack at 200 degrees Fahrenheit until dry. Do not let it get golden or burnt. This method is much faster, but also much easier to burn up and requires more attention. Take out when crispy.

This snack stays fresh for several days. Enjoy!