Chips with benefits! Crispy, crunchy, ‘Cheese’ Pizza Kale Chips…..but without the cheese.
Are you ready for this? That’s right, PIZZA!
Seriously, who doesn’t love pizza? We sure do. In fact, the last time I visited Jess in Boulder, CO, she made the most delicious homemade pizza with sourdough crust. Oh my, it was out of this world! However, we’ll have to save that recipe for another day because we’re talkin’ kale chips today! Cheese Pizza Kale Chips.
Many of you might agree that there are times when only a chip will do. A salty, crispy, cheesy chip. So we decided to share with you our must-try cheesy BUT without the cheese Pizza Kale Chip recipe! And you’ll never know the cheese is missing because well…….they’re that good!
These Cheese Pizza Kale Chips are savory, simple and perfectly crispy.
You can enjoy them as you would any chip but unlike most chips, there’s a bonus that comes with these.
Cheese Pizza Kale Chips not only taste pretty darn amazing, but they’re packed with nutrients too! They’re a chip with benefits. Nutritional yeast (not to be mistaken for brewers or bakers yeast) has a nutty, cheesy flavor and provides a host of nutritional benefits including:
- Great plant-based source of Vitamin B12
- High in protein (2 Tbsp. contains 9 grams of protein)
- High in fiber
- Great source of folate
Add kale to the equation, and you have yourself one nutrient-packed snack that even picky eaters will enjoy!
So why Nutritional Yeast?
Blending the nutritional yeast with soaked cashews, roasted peppers, Italian seasonings, makes for a smooth, creamy and delicious sauce that taste just like cheese, but much much healthier. This sauce also tastes great when tossed with vegetables or one of our favorites, zucchini noodles.
Nutritional yeast is a common ingredient with those who follow a vegan diet or have a dairy-allergy/sensitivity. They get their ‘cheesy’ fix and it’s nutritious too! Other ways you could enjoy it includes sprinkling it on a salad, on roasted veggies, on an omelet, on tacos, on your favorite soup, on a sweet potato or potato and the list goes on.
Don’t let the lengthy baking time scare you off from making these Cheese Pizza Kale Chips.
The wait is worth it. We promise.
In order for the cheese sauce and kale chips to become crispy and not wet and soggy, it’s crucial that you bake the kale chips at a low temperature and for a longer period of time. No one wants wet, soggy kale chips!
The long baking time and low temp essentially dehydrates the kale and the sauce and makes for the perfectly crispy, mouth watering, cheesy kale chip. When stored in an air-tight container, they’ll stay crispy for the next few days…..if they last that long.
Note: If you have a dehydrator, you can certainly use it with this recipe.
We hope you love these Cheese Pizza Kale Chips as much as we do!
This recipe is gluten-free, dairy-free, paleo, vegan and Whole30-friendly. You can find even more great kale chip recipes, including Sea Salt & Vinegar and Vegan Sour Cream and Onion in this All You Need to Know About Kale Chips post.
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Cheese Pizza Kale Chips
Paleo and Vegan-friendly Cheese Pizza Kale Chips are a can’t-miss cheesy recipe….but without the cheese! And you’ll never know the cheese is missing because they’re that good.
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 90 mins
- Total Time: 1 hour 45 mins
- Yield: 10 servings
- Category: Snack | Side Dish
Ingredients
- 1 large bunch of kale
- 2 cups raw cashews, soaked overnight
- 2/3 cupjarred roasted peppers (+ 2-3 Tbsp. of the juice)
- 1/3 cup nutritional yeast
- 3 Tbsp. olive oil
- 1 lemon, juiced
- 1 tsp. Italian seasoning or pizza seasoning
- 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp. chili powder
- 1/4 tsp. sea salt
- 1/4 tsp. black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 200 degrees. Line 2 large baking sheets with foil, set aside.
- Wash the kale and pat dry.
- Remove the stems by tearing kale off into large, palm sized leaves and place in a large bowl. Discard the stems or add them to smoothies.
- In a food processor or high-powered blender make the cheese sauce by processing the remaining ingredients (not the kale) together until smooth. This may take a few minutes and you may need to scrape the sides of your food processor or blender during this step. Sauce will be thick.
- Add the sauce to the bowl of kale leaves and massage kale and sauce together until leaves are evenly coated.
- Single layer the kale leaves on two large baking sheets.
- Bake for 1 hour. Flip and bake for another 30-40 minutes or until dry and crispy.
- Cool and store in an airtight container.
Notes
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Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/10 of recipe
- Calories: 126
- Sugar: 2 g
- Sodium: 320 mg
- Fat: 9 g
- Carbohydrates: 8 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 5 g
We’d love to hear if you give this recipe a try! And if kale chips are something you make often, what’s your secret to the perfect crispy, crunchy, kale chip?
Looking for another ‘cheesy’ recipe?
We’ve got you covered with our Grain-free Cheese Crackers!
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This sauce is delicious. I am going to put it on everything. Kind of time consuming to spread it on the kale. I think I will try it on sweet potato chips.
Wondering why I have to use raw cashews. Is it ok to use salted store bought cashews?
That sounds good too! The raw cashews soak up the liquid to create a creamy textured sauce. Roasted cashews wouldn’t work as well but you could sure try it. If you do, let us know!