These dehydrated kale chips with nutritional yeast have a delicious cheesy flavor that is addicting! They are a healthy snack packed with protein, fats, and healthy carbohydrates to keep you fueled.
Kale is a nutritious whole food exceptionally high in vitamin C, vitamin K, vitamin A, B2, and manganese. Fresh kale is quite a superfood as it is an excellent source of plant protein and contains many other vitamins and minerals.
The cheesy-flavored dehydrated kale chips are a healthy substitute for potato chips fried in unhealthy refined vegetable oils. Using a food dehydrator makes the best kale chips that are crunchy and store well in an airtight container. That is if you don’t eat them all up, as the dehydrated kale chips with nutritional yeast never last long in my house.
Disclaimer: This site contains affiliate links. As an amazon associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Making homemade kale chips is super easy when using a dehydrator. You must be patient and wait for them to dehydrate, which is the most challenging part! The cheesy carrot cashew sauce with nutritional yeast yields the best vegan kale chips that taste amazing once dehydrated.
It will be worth the wait, as the best way to make crispy kale chips is in a dehydrator. Especially this recipe with a wet cheese sauce that requires a long time to dehydrate properly. But in the end, you will be left with a super healthy yet tasty snack that is better than any store-bought kind of kale chips that cost a pretty penny!
Making your own dehydrated kale chips is a great way to meal prep snacks in advance to make healthy eating easy and enjoyable! Dehydrating kale in a dehydrator is a great way to preserve vitamins and vital enzymes damaged by high temperatures.
I used an Excalibur dehydrator to make these kale chips which is my favorite dehydrator and one of the best dehydrators on the market. It is easy to use and comes with reusable teflex liners that act as a baking sheet, so you don’t have to use parchment paper. The square trays are perfect for making all kinds of dehydrated foods, including raw vegan cheesy kale chips!
Tips for making dehydrated kale chips:
- Blend the cashews, garlic, carrot, lemon juice, nutritional yeast, sea salt, sriracha, and water using an immersion blender.
- Coat the washed and de-stemmed kale with the sauce, then place the kale on dehydrator trays in a single layer for optimal airflow.
- Load only a little kale on one sheet as they will dehydrate best in a single layer with spaces left in between.
- Set the timer and wait till these kale chips are perfectly crunchy!
I used curly kale for this dehydrated kale chips recipe, but any type of kale can be used. Just be sure to use fresh kale and remove the kale stems before dehydrating.
The carrot, nutritional yeast, and cashews with sriracha make the best cheesy dehydrated kale chips! You won’t even miss the real cheese. These vegan, paleo, whole 30, gluten-free, and dairy-free are the best dehydrated kale chips with nutritional yeast.
Ingredients for making dehydrated kale chips
- One large bunch of kale or two smaller bunches
- 1 cup cashews
- 1 clove garlic
- 1 cup diced carrot
- 3 tbsp lemon juice
- 6 tbsp nutritional yeast
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp sriracha
- 3/4 cup water
How to make dehydrated kale chips
Place all the ingredients except the kale into a high-speed blender, such as the Vitamix, to blend into a creamy sauce. Use this sauce to cover the kale once washed.
Wash and de-stem kale by ripping the leaves off the main stem into medium-sized leaf chunks and placing the kale into a large bowl.
Pour the nutritional yeast cashew sauce over the kale, then use your hands to mix the sauce evenly over the kale.
Line the dehydrator trays with clean tray liners or baking paper. Evenly distribute the raw kale chips onto the trays. You will need approx five Excalibur dehydrator trays. Place the kale on the trays in the dehydrator to dehydrate.
Set the dehydrator temperature to 55 degrees Celcius, then dehydrate for 12 hours or until the kale is completely dried, resulting in a crunchy kale chip.
Eat these dehydrated kale chips straight from the tray or package them into airtight zip-lock bags or a glass food storage container.
Air fryer kale chips
I have also used an air fryer to make these oil-free kale chips with the cashew cheese sauce, but they burn easily in an air fryer, so you have to watch them like a hawk and use the lowest setting where they will only take 5-10 minutes to cook. You must make them in batches as the air fryer basket only holds enough for one serving.
Cooking them on the lowest heat setting will allow the kale chips to perfectly crisp up without burning yet allows time for the cashew cheese sauce to dry out. When you use an air fryer, you will have a delicious snack that is nutrient dense in no time, but if you want a raw food product, it is best to use an Excalibur dehydrator.
Benefits of these kale chips with a nutritional yeast cheese sauce
According to cronometer these kale chips are an excellent source of B vitamins, including small amounts of B12 from the nutritional yeast that makes the most flavorful chip. This dehydrated kale chip recipe is also high in vitamins A, C, and K, calcium, copper, iron, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, potassium, sodium, and zinc.
They are an excellent source of plant protein and healthy fats for a delicious snack packed with essential vitamins and minerals for optimal health.
Cronometer is a fantastic app to track your macronutrient and micronutrent intake to help you reach your health goals and determine what nutrients may be lacking in your diet. If you know that you need more of a specific nutreint you can search to find whole foods high in that specifc nutrient.
I’m all about eating and creating healthy whole food recipes and love running my recipes through cronometer to find out how balanced a recipe is and the nutrients it contains!
The kale chips are an excellent vitamin C source, vital for immune health. Vitamin C also helps to prevent bleeding gums and is an antioxidant. Vitamin C is also heat sensitive. Dehydrating kale at low temperatures can help ensure this nutrient is intact.
Kale is also an excellent source of calcium, which is needed to make healthy bones. If you have a food intolerance to dairy, these dehydrated kale chips are a great way to get plant-based calcium into your diet.
Vitamin K is in kale in high amounts. Vitamin K1 is crucial for normal blood clotting.
Kale also contains folate, which is needed for the MTHFR gene to function optimally. The best diet for MTHFR included foods high in folate and vitamin B2.
This kale apple cranberry salad is another delicious recipe and a way to enjoy the superfood kale!
Try these vegan jerky sticks, dehydrated chocolate cookies, or sprouted buckwheat granola for more dehydrated recipes.
Dehydrated Kale Chips with Nutritional Yeast
Equipment
- dehydrator
- immersion blender
Ingredients
- 1 large bunch kale
- 1 cup cashews
- 1 clove garlic
- 1 cup diced carrot
- 3 tbsp lemon juice
- 6 tbsp nutritoinal yeast
- 1 tsp salt
- ¾ cup water
Instructions
- Wash and de-stem kale. Place in a large mixing bowl.
- Place cashews, garlic, carrot, lemon juice, nutritional yeast, salt, sriracha and water into a jug. Blend using an immersion blender.
- Evenly coat the kale with the blended sauce.
- Line 5 dehydrator trays with the dehydrator liners or baking paper. Spead the kale onto the trays.
- Dehydrate the kale chips for 12 hours @ 55° Celcius.
Leave a Reply