When you eat a plant-based diet, you may miss crunchy, salty snacks, which can be hard to come by with this style of eating. Kale chips may be just the snack to satisfy your cravings. And, not only are they vegan, but they’re also raw, easy to make, and packed full of health-boosting antioxidants. They are delicious and super nutritious — even if you do not stick to a plant-based diet.

Below are two recipes that you can try. I use a dehydrator for totally raw kale chips, which take a few hours to finish. You can use the oven to speed things up (though they won’t be raw).

Cashew Crispy Kale Chips

• Prep time: 10 minutes
• Cook time: 4 to 8 hours
• Servings: 4

Equipment

• Food Processor
• Dehydrator Sheets

Ingredients

• 4 bunches fresh organic kale (curly leaf kale works best)
• ½ cup raw organic cashews (not soaked)
• ¼ cup distilled water 
• ¼ medium organic red bell pepper, chopped
• 1 teaspoon ripe red jalapeno pepper (remove seed and membrane)
• Dash of cayenne pepper 

Directions

1. First, wash the kale. You can soak the kale in your sink to remove any chemical residue, adding a little organic veggie wash or a couple of drops of castile soap. Rinse, and shake the excess water off.
2. On a cutting board, slice the leafy portions of the kale off the central stem, keeping the leaf portions in big chunks — otherwise, you will end up with tiny crumbs instead of kale chips!
3. Grind the cashews in a food processor. Add the remaining ingredients and blend until creamy.
4. Place kale in large bowl, pour the cashew sauce over it and massage with your hands. This will soften the kale and spread the sauce evenly around the leaves.
5. Divide the kale pieces evenly over the dehydrator sheets and dehydrate until crisp. This takes 4 to 8 hours, more if the weather is humid.
6. After they’re done, let them cool before storing in an airtight container.

The chips on the bottom tray will finish first, so you can remove them when they're done, and move the other trays down.

Note: If you choose to use the oven, spread kale chips out on baking sheets lined with parchment paper. Bake at 225 degrees Fahrenheit for 15 minutes and then turn the kale, cooking for an additional 5 to 0 minutes. If baked, they aren’t considered a raw snack.

Herbalicious Kale Chips

• Prep time: 5 minutes
• Cook time: 2 to 4 hours
• Servings: 4

Equipment

• Dehydrator Tray

Ingredients

• 4 bunches fresh organic kale (curly leaf kale works best)
• ½ teaspoon sea salt
• 1 tablespoon cold-pressed olive oil 
• 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
• 1 tablespoon Bragg’s organic sprinkle herbs & seasoning

Directions

1. Cut the kale off the stem as in the previous recipe. Put the kale pieces in a bowl.
2. Add the olive oil, Bragg's seasoning, nutritional yeast, and salt, massaging with your fingers so the oil and herbs cover the kale.
3. Put the pieces of kale on the dehydrator trays and turn on the dehydrator. These take around 2 to 4 hours.
4. After they're done, transfer into an airtight glass jar or a zippered bag.

This recipe dehydrates a little bit faster than the first one because it has less moisture than the cashew sauce. Also, the Bragg's and nutritional yeast have a taste that's similar to Parmesan cheese, but different. It’s delicious!

Note: If you choose to use the oven, spread kale chips out on baking sheets lined with parchment paper. Bake at 225 degrees Fahrenheit for 15 minutes and then turn the kale, cooking for an additional 5 to 10 minutes. If baked, they aren’t considered a raw snack.