Kale is one of the few low histamine foods I've been eating since I first started a low histamine diet, but these crispy garlic kale chips bring the vegetable to a whole 'nother level. Instead of trying to mask the inherent bitterness of kale, it balances out and complements those strong flavors with a savory low histamine chips you won't be able to put down.
If you like crispy veggie side dishes, also try my air fryer butternut squash fries or crispy baked cauliflower.
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✔️ Why This Recipe is Great
Low Histamine Snack: While you could also serve these as a side dish, we loved storing them in an air-tight Tupperware in the fridge and munching on them the next day (store in the freezer and toast to reheat if you're early in your low histamine journey).
Kale & Oxalates: You can read more about oxalates here, but their levels in flat-leaf kale are considered medium-low, even when baked. So if you have histamine issues but no oxalate issues, then kale is a very healthy and nutritious low histamine vegetable to add to your diet— especially when you make it this way!
Powerful Antihistamine Ingredients: The complementary garlic and honey are both strongly natural antihistamine foods.
🧄 Ingredients
Flat-Leaf Kale: this type of kale has the lowest level of oxalates, so make sure yours is washed and de-spined, then very thoroughly dried, which will help with the crisping process.
Local Honey: possibly the best-kept secret on a low histamine diet, honey is a fantastic way to get a bit of sweetness into your diet without going overboard. Bonus points if it's local honey, which has been shown to blunt the effects of environmental allergies.
Raw Garlic: using raw garlic adds an umami element to the dish that really complements meats and root vegetables.
See recipe card for exact ingredients and quantities.
🥬 How to Make Honey Garlic Kale Chips (Step-by-Step)
Step 1) Preheat the oven to 300°F (150°C). Wash your kale and remove the bulky spines, as they won't cook up nearly as well, and then stack the leaf-halves up and— keeping them stacked together— and fold them in half, crumbling the leaves until they're all flexible, breaking apart the cell walls of the leaves (images 1-3). Then cut the stack of softened leaves apart; each leaf should end up cut about 10 times (fewer cuts will mean larger chips, and vice versa).
Step 2) Carefully dry your kale (don't try to dry it in the oven, or else it will fully wilt within a minute) and then arrange it in a single layer on one or two baking sheets, drizzle on the coconut oil (image 4), and bake for 5 minutes.
Step 3) Meanwhile, measure out the honey and mince the garlic (you can use ½ teaspoon garlic powder instead, if tolerated), and then stir the honey, minced garlic, and salt into a chunky paste.
Step 4) Take out your wilted kale and carefully brush on the honey mixture (image 5), then bake for 15-17 minutes more still in a single layer. Your chips are done when crispy and just starting to brown (image 6).
🍯 Variations
- Maple Garlic Kale Chips: Replace the honey with pure maple syrup for a slightly deeper, caramel-like sweetness while keeping the recipe vegan.
- Ginger Honey Kale Chips: Add ¼ teaspoon freshly grated ginger for a warm, slightly spicy flavor.
- Sesame Kale Chips: Sprinkle ½ teaspoon sesame seeds over the kale before baking for a subtle nutty crunch.
- Herbed Kale Chips: Add a pinch of dried thyme or rosemary to introduce a light herbal note.
- Extra-Garlic Version: Increase the garlic to 4–5 cloves for a stronger savory flavor.
- Citrus Zest Kale Chips: Finish the chips with a small pinch of fresh lemon zest after baking for a bright contrast to the sweetness.
♨️ Freezing and Reheating
Honestly, I don't mind freezing these, though they lose some of their crispiness depending on how you reheat them. They can keep in the fridge for up to 4 days, if tolerated, and they reheat well, so I purposefully use a whole bunch of kale at a time when I make this recipe, as it can easily be halved or doubled for varying crowd sizes.
And if you know you absolutely must freeze your kale chips, make sure you use fresh veggies in the first place, then make sure to reheat them in the air fryer for 3-5 minutes at the highest temperature (the time depends on the amount you're reheating).
👨🏻🍳 Expert Notes & Tips
What to Pair. Serve this side with something savory! I recommend having it with a baked root vegetable, like carrots or sweet potato, and a more plain protein, like chicken or pork.
How Much Salt. I recommend no more than ⅛ teaspoon for the whole batch, because the honey and the garlic will sort of enhance the salt flavor, but you may want more or less.
🍲 What to Eat With Honey Garlic Kale Chips
🙋 Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, but remove any thick stems and tear the leaves into large pieces so they cook evenly.
Sogginess usually happens if the pan is overcrowded or the kale wasn’t dried well enough before baking.
Yes, you can substitute maple syrup for a vegan option or omit the sweetener entirely for a more savory version.
Yes, you can return them to the oven for a few minutes at a low temperature to help restore some crispness.
Have you tried this recipe?
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📖 Recipe
Crispy Honey Garlic Kale Chips (Easy and Healthy)
Equipment
- oven
Ingredients
- 1 bunch of kale
- 2 teaspoons coconut oil
- 2 teaspoons honey
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- dash of salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 300°F (150°C). Wash your kale and remove the bulky spines, as they won't cook up nearly as well, and then stack the leaf-halves up and— keeping them stacked together— and fold them in half, crumbling them until they're flexible. Then cut the stack of softened leaves apart; each leaf should end up cut about 10 times (fewer cuts will mean larger chips, and vice versa).
- Carefully dry your kale and then arrange it in a single layer on one or two baking sheets, drizzle on the coconut oil, and bake for 5 minutes.
- Meanwhile, measure out the honey and mince the garlic (you can use ½ teaspoon garlic powder instead, if tolerated), and then stir the honey, minced garlic, and salt into a chunky paste.
- Take out your wilted kale and carefully brush on the honey mixture, then bake for 15-17 minutes more still in a single layer. Your chips are done when crispy and just starting to brown.
Notes
Nutrition
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Michelle says
The flavor is amazing!! I ate almost a whole bag of kale!
Max says
Awww thank you! I appreciate that - I'm so glad you like it!!