These Raw No-Bake Habanero Kale Chips are an easy and healthy dehydrator recipe made with only 6 clean, real food ingredients. They're a spicy plant-based snack that's a perfect replacement for store-bought chips and they can be prepared in under 10 minutes!{ Plant-Based | Raw | Vegan | Gluten-Free | Dairy-Free | Soy-Free | Oil-Free | No-Bake | Paleo-Friendly | Medical Medium }
De-stem the kale, break into small bite-size pieces, then set aside.
Prepare the habanero sauce:
De-stem the habanero peppers, add all ingredients for the habanero mixture into a Vitamix and blend until smooth and creamy.
Taste and adjust the seasonings to your preference.
Assembly:
Add the kale to a large mixing bowl, pour in the habanero mixture, then stir/toss until all pieces of kale are covered and coated.
Spread the kale pieces out on a mesh tray of your dehydrator.
Dehydrate at 110 degrees for approximately 10-12 hours, or until the kale pieces are dry and crispy.
Store in an air-tight BPA-free container until ready to serve because the kale will get soft and lose its crispiness if left out at room temperature.
Notes
Kale: You will need to "de-stem" the kale, or pull the leaves off the thick stem in the middle. The stem doesn't dehydrate well and it distracts from the texture of the chips. My favorite variety of kale to use for this recipe is "curly" kale, but "smooth" kale or Lacinato would also work well.Cashews: I used "raw" cashews to make the sauce. It' an optional step, but you could soak the cashews before using them which will make them soft and the mixture extra creamy and smooth. Also, soaking them would be required if you were using a food processor to make the sauce instead of a Vitamix.
Soak the cashews in a bowl filled with filtered/purified water for about 30 minutes
Drain and rinse them before adding to your Vitamix or food processor
Lemon Juice: Freshly squeezed lemon juice will give the best flavor and nutrients since it hasn't been pasteurized but you could also use store-bought organic lemon juice.Habanero Peppers: These are extremely hot, so handle them with caution, using gloves or immediately washing your hands thoroughly. Start with (1) habanero pepper and add an extra one if you want your chips extra spicy.Himalayan Pink Salt: This is my salt of preference, however, it can always be substituted with sea salt.Shrinkage: You will start off with (12) cups of kale pieces which should fill 1-2 trays on your dehydrator. After the kale has dehydrated, it will shrink significantly, leaving you with approximately (3) cups of chips.Serving Size: This recipe will make approximately (3) cups of dehydrated kale chips. Nutritional information is for 1/2 cup which is (1) serving.