These Cashew and Roasted Red Pepper Kale Chips are savory, crunchy and bursting with flavor. People will beg you for the recipe! (vegan & gluten-free)
Kale chips are one of those things that people either love or hate. I’m somewhere in the middle because I love them when they’re done right. But I’ve tasted a lot of mediocre to bad kale chips over the years. I promise you- these are some of the best kale chips you’ll ever try. No joke. They’re thick, savory and crunchy. I’m kind of obsessed with them.
These are coated in a mixture of pureed cashews and roasted red pepper. The cashews add a perfect amount of thickness and crunch and the roasted red pepper is sweet with a hint of bitter. Lemon juice offers acidity and nutritional yeast adds a cheesy flavor without any actual cheese (this recipe is completely vegan).
I don’t often require specialty equipment for recipes but you do need a dehydrator for these kale chips. I tried dehydrating them in the oven and the cashews never set properly. I found mine on Amazon for $35 and it’s worth every penny. I love making kale chips and I also use it for dehydrating various fruits and vegetables.
If you like the sound of this recipe, you should also check out my spicy tahini kale chips. They’re pretty awesome.
Cashew and Roasted Red Pepper Kale Chips
Ingredients
- 1 cup raw cashews
- 1 small or medium red pepper
- 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
- 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons fresh squeezed lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon water
- 8-10 ounces kale
Instructions
- Place the cashews in a container and cover by 2-3 inches with fresh water. Allow to soak for at least 6 hours or overnight.
- Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F. Place the red pepper on a baking sheet lined with foil. Allow to roast for 30-40 minutes, turning occasionally with tongs so that all sides roast evenly. Remove from the oven and allow to rest until the pepper is cool enough to handle. Peel and discard all of the skin as well as the stem and seeds.
- Rinse the cashews, discarding the water, and place in a blender along with the red pepper. Add the nutritional yeast, salt, olive oil, lemon juice and water. Puree until smooth.
- Remove the thick stems from the kale and rip the leaves into smaller pieces.
- Pour the cashew mixture over the kale and massage until the mixture is evenly distributed.
- Taste to check for seasoning. If desired, add additional salt.
- Place the kale in the dehydrator and dehydrate according to manufacturer instructions (Note: I typically dehydrate overnight).
Notes
The larger the red pepper, the stronger that flavor will be. I used a medium sized red pepper. Nutritional yeast can be found in most grocery stores or purchased online.
Recipe inspired by kale chips at Elizabeth's Gone Raw in DC.
Please read my full post for additional recipe notes, tips, and serving suggestions!
Nutrition
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I love kale chips and these look so good – love the thick coating of flavour! Yum!
This is almost exactly how I make my kale chips and seriously I cannot even wait for them to dehydrate because I start eating them of the trays! Except I use about 1/2 cup nooch (love the stuff so much) and don’t use any olive oil and have found that 3-4 hrs of cashew soaking is all that’s needed for my Vita to get busy :). Your chips are GORGEOUS!
I am so lazy when it comes to making my own snacks.. I love kale chips but always buy them from the store. You have definitely inspired me to make my own, they look delicious!
I’ve actually never tried kale chips. In fact, I’m not sure I’ve even heard of them (blush). They look and sound delicious, though! Cashew & red pepper coating … mmm!
These look awesome. I’m on the fence a bit about Kale chips, but I’m going to give these a whirl!
I happen to love one of those people who love kale chips! This looks so good!
Those look really great. And I’m with you, I love them when they’re really good, but otherwise I’d pass.
WOW. I bet they are delicious with the cashews. Great idea!
wow! Who needs potato chips when you can have these. LOVE THE CREATIVITY with the roasted red pepper added in
I don’t love kale chips, but this? This could really change my mind. And the photos are SO beautiful!!
I would much rather have kale chips than greasy potato chips. These will go on my to make list for sure!
I have never tried kale chips before – so I can’t tell you waht camp I’m in! But with these, I would totally give them a try!!
Hi.. may i know how do you keep your kale chips?
because I kept mine overnight in an air-tight container and the kale didn’t turn out crispy the next day
Thanks
I know this is completely unhelpful but kale chips never last longer than a day in my household so we don’t really need to store them. I just did a quick google search and found this tip: “Put dry uncooked rice into the bottom of your airtight storage container then put the kale chips loosely on top. The rice works as a drying agent, absorbing any excess moisture and keeping your chips crispy.”
Making this asap. this is good stuff.