Kale Chips with Vegan Bacon Dressing
Updated May. 09th, 2024
Who doesn’t love chips! And unless you’ve been hiding under a rock lately, we’re sure you’ve heard of this healthy alternative. But just because you’re eating crispy kale chips doesn’t mean they can’t resemble your favourite store-bought brand. These vegan bacon bit and chive chips are so flavourful and delicious you’ll forget your sinful snack is actually good for you. In fact, only one cup of kale provides 5 grams of fiber and while it also has several vitamins and nutrients it can even aid in digestion- bonus!
- Gluten Free
- Dairy Free
- Corn Free
- Sugar Free
- Vegetarian
Ingredients:
| vegan bacon bits: | ||
|---|---|---|
| 175g firm tofu, cut into 1 inch cubes | 1 tablespoon braggs soya sauce | 1 tablespoon sunflower oil |
| 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast | 1/2 teaspoon hickory liquid smoke |
| kale chips: | ||
|---|---|---|
| 1/2 cup water | 1 bunch chives | 6 tablespoon lemon juice |
| 3/4 cup white sesame seeds | 1 teaspoon herbamare | batch of veggie bacon |
| 1/4 cup raw cashews | 2 tablespoon apple cider vinegar | 2 large bunches of kale, washed and stems removed |
Directions
Vegan Bacon Bits: in a large bowl, whisk together all ingredients except your tofu. Once combined, add your tofu and toss to coat. Cover the bowl and allow the tofu to absorb the flavouring for 4-6 hours, or overnight. When they’re ready, place tofu on a baking sheet and place in the oven a 375F for 30-40 minutes – until crunchy. Allow them to cool, and then roughly chop into small pieces, or place in a food processor if you want them to get even smaller! Set aside.
Dressing: Combine all ingredients into a food processor, except your kale and your bacon bits. Process until the texture is smooth and creamy. Set aside.
Chips: After you’ve washed, dried and removed the stems of your kale, use your hands to tear into bite-sized pieces. This is when you want to bring all of your items together. Using a large bowl, place your kale, bacon bits and dressing and toss to coat. Evenly spread on a baking sheet and bake chips at 350F for 25-30 minutes. For best results, check on the chips regularly to ensure they don’t burn!
Make It This Way
Swap out sunflower oil for any type you prefer, coconut oil will give you a healthful dose of medium-chain fatty acids!
Try lightly toasting the sesame seeds first before using them in your marinate – it will add a slight nutty taste.
Try This
Use these bacon bit in a variety of recipes – they make great salad toppers!
I love kale chips but find them so expensive so finding a reliable recipe is a great way to cut down costs and still enjoy this delicious snack and it is much healthier now too if you make it at home! I love how this also includes a recipe for vegan bacon dressing - I personally do not like bacon very much so this is the perfect alternative for me! I also love chives so I was happy to see that they were included in the recipe for the dressing! Such a great and healthy idea, thank you so much for sharing this!
Hello,
We're glad you enjoyed this recipe! It's a great alternative to chips and dip that's loaded with dairy. Kale chips provide the crunch we often crave and this vegan dip, you can't even tell the difference! Thanks for sharing how much you enjoyed it!
Stay healthy & well!
Thanks for this recipe that's really three recipes in one. I didn't realize it would be so easy to make vegan bacon bits from tofu. I don't have liquid smoke, but this recipe should work well still without it. I'll add some miso for umami flavour. I might make a double batch of the vegan bacon bits and dressing so I can use it for other recipes as well as it seems like they would both be very versatile for a vegan menu.
Hello Wendy,
Yes, the liquid smoke just helps to give it that smokey flavour of bacon, you can also try a smoked paprika for the same effect. Very great to make in a batch to have on hand, would be excellent for a vegan caesar salad too!
Enjoy!
I've heard of kale chips before and never was a fan of bacon to begin with but something about this recipe still spoke to me, and strongly-herbamare! I never heard of this ingredient before and was excited to learn it is a specialty natural sea salt harvested from the Camargue region and combined combined with a blend of 12 organic, freshly harvested, and aromatic herbs & vegetables: yum!!! I love salt blends, specifically those made with unrefined salt (I have a small collection of salts + salt blends & am always looking to try something new as well). This salt sounds like quite the experience so I will have to try it! <3
Hello Rachel,
Indeed, kale chips are a nutritious, guilt-free snack option and making your own means endless flavouring possibilities. We hope you like this smoky flavour.