I’m not a huge fan of kale—wait, let me rephrase—I’m not a huge fan of the way kale tastes, but I am a huge fan of how nutritious it is. That’s why I decided to turn my pile of fresh kale from the garden into homemade kale powder.

Health Benefits of Kale Powder

Kale was on the radar for a while as the best superfood due to its nutritional value. I’m not much into superfoods though.

People tend to see superfoods as foods that will fix all their health issues if eaten in large quantities.

My take on it is that all real foods (especially vegetables) are superfoods and we need a wide variety of them to get the most benefit. 

That being said, kale is one food that I always grow in the garden since it’s so nutritious. Kale contains vitamins A, K, C, B6, manganese, calcium, copper, potassium, and magnesium.

Kale also contains all 9 essential amino acids. Amino acids are what the body uses to make proteins, so kale is considered a complete protein food!

Kale also has more omega 3 fatty acids than omega 6 fatty acids. This is unusual, especially for vegetables. Our bodies need a good balance of omega 6 and omega 3 fatty acids to stay in balance.

Many foods that Americans eat are much higher in omega 6’s than omega 3’s according to a 2002 pubmed article. So kale is a great vegetable to include in the diet to keep these fatty acids in balance (and support the body’s overall health). 

How to Make Kale Powder

Dehydrated kale powder is a simple way to preserve extra kale (or other greens) from the garden. 

Ingredients and supplies:

• Fresh kale (I used both green and purple)
• Food dehydrator or oven
• Blender  (mortar and pestle would probably work)

Instructions:

1. Remove the hard center rib. And wash and dry kale leaves. Chop or tear the leaves into about 2-inch pieces.
2. Place the leaves on a dehydrator tray (I used 4 of them) or, if you’re using an oven, a cookie sheet.
3. Dry on 125 degrees F for 3-7 hours, depending on your house, the weather, etc. If you are using an oven put it on the lowest temperature and keep an eye on it.
4. When the kale is nice and dry stick it into a blender to make kale powder (a mortar and pestle or similar should work too).

I started with about 8 cups of fresh kale and ended up with about a cup of kale powder. So a little goes a long way!

Homemade Kale Powder

Prep Time:

5 minutes

Additional Time:

7 hours

3 seconds

Total Time:

7 hours

5 minutes

3 seconds

Ingredients

• 8 cups fresh kale (I used both green and purple)

Instructions

1. Remove the hard center rib. And wash and dry kale leaves. Chop or tear the leaves into about 2-inch pieces.
2. Place the leaves on a dehydrator tray (I used 4 of them) or, if you’re using an oven, a cookie sheet.
3. Dry on 125 degrees F for 3-7 hours, depending on your house, the weather, etc. If you are using an oven put it on the lowest temperature and keep an eye on it.
4. When the kale is nice and dry stick it into a blender to make kale powder (a mortar and pestle or similar should work too).

Why Dehydrate Kale?

Kale, like other greens, are best fresh, however, you can blanch and freeze them if you want. I’m not a fan of slimy frozen greens, so I prefer to dehydrate extra greens.

What’s really great about this preservation method is that once it’s dehydrated, it’s shelf-stable and doesn’t have the strong flavor fresh kale has.

You can add kale powder to almost anything. Here are some ideas:

• Add a tablespoon to your morning smoothie
• Sprinkle some over your favorite meal (the way you would use parsley)
• Add a few pinches to an omelet
• Include kale powder in lasagna or other casseroles

Be creative! Kale powder is a great addition to any dish that you want to add some nutrition too.

How to Store Dehydrated Kale Powder

Dehydrated food is typically shelf stable as long as you are sure it’s completely dry. I like to keep mine in a mason jar. If you want, you can add a silica packet to the jar be sure there is no moisture.

Have you ever tried kale powder? What do you think?