Stop Serving Chewy, Boring Kale—Here's How to Make It Crisp, Tender, and Party-Worthy in Under 20 Minutes

Why It Works

Massaging the kale with salt, lemon zest, and oil tenderizes the leaves before roasting, helping break down the vegetable’s tough fibers while seasoning the greens evenly.
Roasting at high heat and stirring halfway through creates a mix of textures, producing kale that’s both crunchy and tender in every bite.

“Roasted kale” is not a phrase that immediately sets hearts racing. Even in the age of kale everything—smoothies, salads, chips—it’s hard to imagine anyone sprinting to the oven shouting, “I can’t wait to roast some kale tonight!” But that’s why I’m here. Because once you understand what’s actually happening to kale in a hot oven, you’ll appreciate its potential to be one of the best weeknight (and holiday) sides in your rotation.

The hype of kale’s 2010s “It Girl” era may have faded, but it’s comfortably settled into the category of “permanent produce aisle resident.” It’s not a trend anymore; it’s a vegetable we consistently want to cook with for its earthy, minerally, and faintly bitter flavor, which pairs well with a range of sauces and toppings.

And for a vegetable that once defined health-food punishment, kale has a surprising range. Raw, it’s tenacious and hearty, capable of holding its own under a pile of lemon dressing and Parm in a salad. Give it a quick sauté, and it turns tender and silky. Leave it in the oven long enough, and it transforms into shatteringly crisp, featherweight chips.

Roasting it captures the best of all those versions at once. In just 10 minutes in a hot oven, the leaves turn a deep emerald green and develop an incredible mixture of textures, with crispy, browned edges and tender, wilted pockets throughout. It’s the rare vegetable that offers crunch, chew, and softness all on a single sheet pan.

Serious Eats / Qi Ai

While simple roasted kale with nothing more than some flaky salt is delicious, in this recipe, I complement the vegetable with bold, nutty flavors and a little crunch. A lemony tahini drizzle adds richness without weighing it down, while toasted sesame seeds, cracked coriander, and nigella seeds give the kale a layered, aromatic edge. The mixture is bright, earthy, citrusy, and faintly bitter, mirroring kale’s complexity instead of trying to hide it.

When you roast it right, you get something that’s rustic yet refined, quick enough for Tuesday but interesting enough for Thanksgiving.

Choosing the Right Kale for Roasting

There are two common supermarket varieties of kale: Tuscan (also known as dinosaur or lacinato) and curly. Tuscan kale has earned its fan club for its smooth, tender leaves. It’s great for salads, but curly kale is the better choice for roasting. Curly kale’s frilly, fibrous edges are not just decorative; they also serve a functional purpose. When roasted, they crisp and brown into ruffled, toasty bits that will make you pick at the pan before dinner hits the table. Curly kale’s leaves also hold their shape better, keeping some volume and texture instead of collapsing into a dark green puddle.

Prep Tips for the Best Roasted Kale

After rinsing and stripping the leaves from their tough stems, I tear the kale into rough 1½- to 2-inch pieces—small enough to wilt into bite-size pieces but large enough to stay distinct after roasting. You can pat the kale dry with clean kitchen towels or, even better, use a salad spinner to make the job faster and easier. Leaving just a few beads of water clinging to the leaves actually helps them soften a bit before crisping, giving you that ideal mix of tender and crunchy in every batch.

Then comes the most important step: the deep-tissue massage. It’s a cross between seasoning and stress relief. A drizzle of oil, a sprinkle of salt, lemon zest, and minced garlic are added to the bowl with the pieces of kale, and then you work them in with your hands for about a minute. The salt and acid help break down the leaves’ fibers, softening them before they are exposed to heat, while every crease gets well seasoned.

After I’ve massaged the kale, I like to add some sliced shallots. Then I spread it all out on a rimmed baking sheet (don’t crowd it), and roast at a high temperature until the kale begins to steam and the edges start to crisp. Stir once midway to redistribute the pieces so nothing burns before the rest gets tender. The top layer becomes light and lacy, while the bottom layer becomes silky and creamy, borderline-braised.

Serious Eats / Qi Ai

Flavor With Flair

Kale doesn’t need rescuing, but it needs good company to be delicious. Here, it receives a double hit of crunch and flavor from toasted sesame seeds, cracked coriander, and nigella seeds, accompanied by a drizzle of creamy tahini brightened with lemon. We’re not masking the kale’s flavor with these additions; simply amplifying it.

But this is just one direction. The core technique in this recipe (roasting kale until its edges are crisp and its centers tender) is endlessly adaptable. You can pair it with almost any bold flavor you like. Try swapping the tahini sauce for a drizzle of pomegranate molasses vinaigrette and a scattering toasted pecans, or opt for an umami-rich version with crispy shallots and a miso dressing. Once you’ve nailed the method, the seasoning possibilities are wide open.

Serving Notes

A pound and a half of raw kale looks like a mountain when you start, but once roasted, it condenses into a serving platter that easily satisfies six people. That makes it a quietly brilliant option for holiday dinners, where you need something green that won’t get bulldozed by mashed potatoes or stuffing. So go ahead, be the person who brings roasted kale to dinner. Nobody will think it’s exciting—until they taste it.