Instant Pot collard greens are a Southern-inspired side dish made much quicker in an electric pressure cooker. These Southern greens have a ton of flavor from bacon and ham, and you'll want to drizzle the cooking liquid on everything!
Now I don't like to keep secrets from you, but I've been playing with an Instant Pot for awhile now behind the blog scenes. I'm not an 'early adopter' by nature, so it took months of seeing Instant Pot recipe after Instant Pot recipe on social media before I worked up the courage to dive on in myself.
After studying the user manual and the work process flow chart (not super helpful) and watching a few YouTube set-up tutorials (much more helpful!), I crossed my fingers and pressure cooked for the first time ever.
Succ-ess. Remind me again what I was nervous about? Though it obviously didn't come as a surprise, I was still wowed at how quickly a big chuck roast became perfectly shreddable. Just an hour of cooking time! While my slow cooker is definitely not going anywhere, the same chuck roast I use in this slow cooker shredded beef takes eight-ish hours on high heat in the slow cooker. Hello, time saver Instant Pot.
Saving the day when you forget to start cooking dinner at breakfast and still want to eat dinner that night. 🙂
With this idea in mind, I wanted to see about adapting other longer cooking favorites, starting with this Southern Instant Pot collard greens.
Now I'm probably taking advantage of how prevalent Southern greens are on the menu at restaurants all over Nashville and Asheville (another city we visit frequently). I certainly didn't eat them when I lived up north or out west. But they're my favorite side dish to order alongside hot chicken, BBQ, or any other Southern-inspired dish.
Tender collard or turnip greens are cooked with a bit of meat, sometimes bacon and/or country ham (more on country ham later), in an AMAZING savory cooking liquid. This cooking liquid is called 'pot liquor', which sounds intimidating but is actually a combination of water/broth, apple cider vinegar, brown sugar, and spices.
I'm willing to bet that even the leafy green vegetable haters in your life wouldn't be able to pass up these Southern Instant Pot collard greens.
This recipe is adapted from the Southern greens side dish at The Loveless Cafe, which were probably the first Southern greens I'd ever eaten. It was to my surprise when I went on their website in the hopes of learning if they use collard or turnip greens that, upon clicking their picture, the full recipe appeared.
I made a few changes, notably using the Instant Pot for five minutes of cooking time instead of simmering on the stovetop for hours. I also used much less liquid, and went with collard greens instead of turnip greens. Either would work, however collard greens are easier to find in the grocery store (at least in my experience).
Southern Instant Pot collard greens recipe notes:
- What's country ham? Believe me, I had to Google because I had no clue. It's a salt-cured ham that I found uncooked, cut into small slices, and vacuum-sealed. Once removed from the package, I roughly chopped it as I did with the uncooked bacon slices. The chopped country ham should be relatively similar in thickness to the bacon, so I cooked them together on the saute function.
- I got my country ham at my usual grocery store, though that may be because I live in country ham territory. If you can't find it, double the bacon and omit the country ham.
- You can use turnip greens if you prefer, or even kale (
though I haven't tested it with kaleupdate: it works great with kale).
And a few Instant Pot notes...
- This Southern Instant Pot collard greens recipe was made and tested with the 6-quart Instant Pot (affiliate link).
- Be sure to deglaze the pan with a bit of the broth after sautéing the bacon/country ham/onion mixture, as written in the recipe below. The stuck on bits will come up from the bottom of the pot very easily. This helps to prevent the "burn" message you might have read about, which displays when the food at the bottom of the pot is too hot/overcooked.
Southern Instant Pot Collard Greens
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoon olive oil
- 2 slices uncooked bacon chopped
- 4 oz country ham sliced and chopped
- 1 small onion chopped
- ¾ cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
- ⅓ cup apple cider vinegar
- 2 tablespoon brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 16 oz collard greens roughly chopped
Instructions
- Rinse collard greens very well. Remove the thick center stem and roughly chop them into large bite-sized pieces.
- Add olive oil to the Instant Pot. Press the "Saute" button, leaving the lid off.
- Once the oil has heated, add the chopped bacon and country ham. Saute for 4-5 minutes, and then add the chopped onion. Stir everything around periodically (there still may be sticking to the bottom of the pot).
- Once the bacon and country ham has cooked and the onion has become golden, deglaze the pot with about one-third cup of the chicken broth (amount doesn't need to be precise). Using a wooden spoon, scrape up the stuck-on bits from the bottom of the pot and stir.
- Add the rest of the chicken broth, apple cider vinegar, brown sugar, and crushed red pepper flakes and stir to combine.
- Add the chopped collard greens to the Instant Pot and pack them in well. Press the "Keep Warm/Cancel" button to shut off the Saute function. You want to allow for adequate space in the Instant Pot before cooking with pressure, so I paused for a minute or two at this point to allow for some of the collard greens to reduce in size before proceeding. Packed in, aim for the Instant Pot to be about two-thirds full.
- Close and lock lid. Ensure the pressure release valve is set to "sealing".
- Press the "Manual" button. Then using the down button, reduce the cooking time to 5 minutes.
- The Instant Pot will take a few minutes to pressurize, during which you may hear a little hissing noise once it's almost there. Then "5" minutes will appear on the display, which will count down until it's done.
- At this point you can allow the Instant Pot to naturally pressure release, or do the quick release. Do whichever one you're comfortable with. Natural pressure release for this recipe took about 20 minutes for me, and I didn't find the greens to be mushy or overdone at all.
- Once the pressure is released, carefully remove the lid and stir everything up. Serve while warm.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is provided as an estimate. As it can vary due to many factors (brands used, quantities, etc.), we cannot guarantee its accuracy.
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Jennifer P says
Love this recipe! Unlike the previous reviewer, I don't really know the first thing about collard greens. All I know is that when I moved to NC from CT, I had never put collard greens in my mouth, but I fell in love the first time my neighbor Omie served them! This recipe is a keeper. The seasoning is ON POINT for me (I like the vinegar) and I have been making them for the last several months. I literally crave them! Thank you for sharing this recipe. 🙂
Stan says
As is my habit with making a recipe the first time I made this one last night "as written". Big mistake...huge! Short of refrigerator pickles, I can't imagine ANY recipe needing 1/3c of vinegar. Blech! A tablespoon...maybe two if you REALLY like Eastern Carolina-style coleslaw and BBQ sauce. But 1/3c? No. No way. Never again!
Don't get me wrong. I've been growing collards and cooking up greens since the '70s, so I'm no newbie to either. And I grew the Vates collards that went into last night's greens, so I know a thing or two what I'm talking about.
What I AM new at is the Instant Pot. I traditionally cook greens in a soup pot or Dutch oven, depending on how ambitious I'm feeling and how many family and friends will be joining us for supper. So I followed the recipe in spite of my reservations about the vinegar.
My criticisms aside, this recipe has promise, but I recommend several small changes. First, use 1 tbsp vinegar, 2 if you're from the SE coast or feeling adventuresome. You want to taste the greens and bacon, not the vinegar. Second, at the end do a quick pressure release. The 20-minute natural release left the greens too soft for my taste. I like my pasta al dente, and my greens, too. Third, dice two Roma tomatoes and add them to the sautéing onion to add umami. Finally, thoroughly mix the cut greens with the oil, onions, and tomatoes until every piece of greens has the sheen of oil on it. It will take a solid minute or more if you start with the full pound of trimmed and cut greens. Then proceed with the recipe as written. Bon Appétit!
Alyssa says
Hi Stan, I respect that everyone has different tastes! Thank you for giving them a shot and for your thorough review and recommendations. I'm glad you were able to try something new (the Instant Pot) with a very familiar subject.
Allan F. Powell says
Nothing in the recipe said to mix the meat/onions/seasoning when putting in the greens? When should I do the mixing?
Alyssa says
Hi Allan, you don't need to mix the greens into everything else before cooking (though you could if you prefer). They'll reduce significantly once they're pressure cooked and a big stir before serving is all you need.
Donna says
Countdown is on and it’s smelling fine in my Sprinter Van!
Alyssa says
I hope you enjoy, Donna! 🙂
Triscelyn L McDonald says
I did not grow up eating greens but I had them at restaurants as an adult. I was not sure about the cleaning and cutting part so I never cooked them myself. This recipe changed my life. My greens game is on point now second to none. Thank you for making it so easy and simply delicious!
Alyssa says
That makes me so happy to hear, Triscelyn! You're very welcome. I'm so glad you love them!
Triscelyn L McDonald says
This was one of the best meals I ever cooked.I made mac & cheese and air fryer breaded pork chops. My 6'4" 16 year-old was so excited to eat it. He took the leftovers for lunch. I cannot imagine a better recipe. Thanks for sharing it.
KatieM says
This is such a great recipe! I make collard greens infrequently enough that I hadn't had a chance to try your recipe until last night. In fact, I make them so infrequently that I inadvertently used someone else's recipe multiple times (that I didn't enjoy, but kept stumbling across it when I did a search, so ended up having unsatisfying collard greens three times in a row). I finally remembered I didn't like that other recipe so tracked yours down when I did a search including bacon. Honest to goodness the best greens I've ever had and so easy to make! The biggest pain in the whole recipe is washing the collard greens, and that's saying something! Next time I'll double the amount of greens I throw in because we ate them up too quickly and I was looking forward to leftovers. 🙂
Alyssa says
I'm happy you found your way here, Katie! Thanks for letting me know how it went - so glad your family loves it!
Jill Callahan says
I’ve made these three times now. After the first time, I skipped the brown sugar completely. It was just too sweet for me and my boys. Making them again tomorrow but using some smoked pork chops and ham hocks. They are so easy and so fast but taste like they’ve been cooking all day. Love them!
Alyssa says
So glad you could make them your own, Jill! Thanks for letting me know your experience. 🙂
Andrea Johnson says
I made this recipe last year for New Year’s… And had it saved in my phone to use again this year… Ended up killing my phone so I had to find it again, and I was in a panic because I couldn’t find it at first…. I just doubled the recipe last year and used extra bacon because I didn’t have the ham so this year I made sure to get the ham… I’m so excited to try it… Dinner is in two hours, so they are on warm…
Alyssa says
I hope you enjoyed - so glad you liked it!
Ashley says
Absolutely the best greens and so quick. My whole family loves it!!!
Alyssa says
I'm so happy to hear that!
David Smart says
I use smoke turkey leg and red pepper flakes
So good.
Alyssa says
That sounds delicious!
Juliana says
I used sausage in my pot and went to 8 minutes cause I had double collards
Husband loves it
Alyssa says
Yum! So glad to hear it's a hit. 🙂
Mama M says
Can I substitute smoked turkey wings for the ham and bacon?
Alyssa says
While I haven't had the opportunity to try out this recipe with smoked turkey wings myself, several readers have commented that they have and they enjoyed it. Please be careful to remove all bone pieces.
Charles says
I am hooked on Instant Pot cooking and this is one of my favorite recipes to make for friends and family. I get tons of compliments. Now, I am the official family designee for collards at family dinners. I substituted diced ham for the hammocks. You can find the diced ham near the prepackaged deli meat. This recipe is a 'shonuff" crowd pleaser.
Alyssa says
This makes me so happy to hear! I'm really glad these greens are a hit with you and your family and friends, Charles. Great tip about the ham. Thanks for letting me know how it went!
Cristy Q. says
If I use 2 bags of greens, do I double the time?
Alyssa says
You should be just fine with keeping the time the same.
Bebe says
Made these today with the greens I had on hand (chard, cabbage, baby kale/spinach blend). This will be my new go to for greens. Excellent recipe!! I had no ham so just used the bacon, added some orange bell pepper and 1/2 a tamed Serrano pepper to the onion. Also used seasoned rice vinegar as that’s what I had, so omitted the sugar. Fresh, light, tender but not mushy greens. 103’ here today so IP is the way to go!
Alyssa says
I'm so happy you're a fan, Bebe! 🙂 Those modifications sound delicious to use what you had on hand. And I definitely agree with how great the IP is in this hot weather!