How to Make Delicious, Healthy Stinging Nettle Crisps

Nettles are one of the most abundant wild foods found here in the UK, as demonstrated perfectly by the photo below. Imagine being stuck in the middle of that!

To avoid being stung, I do recommend you wear gloves when collecting stinging nettles, alternatively simply snip with a pair of scissors straight into your collection container, to avoid having to handle them at all.

I have talked before about the substantial nutritional benefits of stinging nettles in some of our other nettle recipes. They have a wonderful taste which is showcased in both this Stinging Nettle Cordial recipe and our original Stinging Nettle, Apple and Pear Fruit Leather.

Stinging Nettle Cordial

The Stinging Nettle plant is super nutritious. Here I show you how to make delicious Stinging Nettle Cordial, one of my favourite nettle recipes.

Stinging Nettle, Apple and Pear Fruit Leather.

This is our own original recipe for nettle fruit leather. The nettles pair perfectly with the apple and pear and the kids absolutely love this healthy snack

Homemade Vegetable chips are another brilliant alternative to shop bought snacks. They are cheap, easy to make, and super good for you.

This nettle crisp recipe can be easily adapted to use with other wild and homegrown greens. Wild garlic chips, in particular, make a tasty snack.

What you need to make Stinging Nettle Crisps:

• A bowl full of young nettle leaves
• 2 tablespoons oil of your choice
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• Freshly ground pepper
• 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast

How to make Nettle Crisps

Wash and dry the nettles, stripping the leaves from any stem.

Combine all the seasoning ingredients in a large bowl. Toss in your leaves, so they get a good coating.

Place the nettles on a baking sheet in a single layer. Note the leaves will still sting at this stage so take care and DON’T be tempted to try one yet! (Cooking the leaves will denature the sting).

Bake in a low oven at around 130C until they crisp up. How long the nettle crisps take will depend on how much moisture is in the leaves.

The nettle crisps shown below took about 25 minutes, and I turned them over once during that time.

Pop the nettle chips in a bowl and tuck in. Nutritional yeast is a new ingredient for us but is widely available in health food stores. It has a nutty, almost cheesy flavour and is full of essential vitamins, so it is an excellent addition to your diet.

Nettle crisps are not only packed with nutrients, they also taste amazing. Crisps made from wild greens are best eaten on the day they are made as they tend to lose their crunch over time.

For more foraging inspiration, check out our other wild food recipes. We’ve shared some of our favourites below.