Southern Style Pressure Cooker Collard Greens Recipe (2024)

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These Southern Style Pressure Cooker Collard Greens are flavorful, tender, and cooked in half the time than the stove top method. Now you can enjoy collard greens any day of the week!

Southern Style Pressure Cooker Collard Greens Recipe (1)

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If you live in the South, then you know all about the amazing way collard greens are cooked down here. For me, southern style collard greens are like a dream come true. In fact, it’s a must item I have to have on my Thanksgiving plate. I avoided making it at home for the longest time because of how long the process was of making the greens.

First, it took so much time to do the soaking and washing. Then, it took hours of cooking it on the stove to make sure they were tender. Then, there’s the smell…that good ol’ stinky collard greens smell. Yea, these were the reasons why I avoided cooking collards at home for the longest.

Southern Style Pressure Cooker Collard Greens Recipe (2)

But the Instant Pot Electric Pressure Cooker came to the rescue and now I can make collards in less than an hour! I’m sharing my one pot collard green recipe that can be made with little to no effort while you prepare the rest of your dinner. Lookout Thanksgiving, my collards are going to be the easiest thing you make.

Why you should eat more Collard Greens

Collard greens are full of many essential vitamins and they’ve been noted as one of the vegetables that can aid in the prevention of cancer. You can read more about all the great health benefits ofhere.

Also, collard greens are delicious when prepared right and are a great way to introduce kids to vegetables. My 10 year old loves these southern style collard greens so I make them quite often.

Fresh or bagged Collards, which to use?

I’ve made this recipe with both fresh collard greens (the ones that require all that soaking and washing) and the collard greens you find in a bag in the store. Guess what the difference was? Absolutely nothing…except the price and convenience. The bag was about 2 dollars more than what I spend on the fresh collards but it was so much more convenient. No longer will I take hours and hours to wash my collard greens.

If you want to use fresh collards, you can read more about cleaning themhere.Or you can be like me and BUY THE BAG.

Southern Style Pressure Cooker Collard Greens Recipe (3)

What makes these pressure cooker Collard Greens so Flavorful?

That good ol’ turkey leg. I like to add a fully cooked smoked turkey leg to the Instant Pot Pressure Cooker. You can find these in any grocery store. It brings so much flavor to the collards. I don’t even add salt when I prepare this recipe. It’s just not needed.

How long to cook collard greens in the Pressure Cooker

I prepared this recipe in my 6qt Instant Pot electricpressure cooker. The pressure cook time for this recipe as written is 35 minutes. That is the perfect amount of time to allow the turkey leg meat to fall off the bone and to have the collards soften without turning to mush. If preparing this recipe without the turkey leg, adjust the pressure cook time to 25 minutes.

Cooking collard greens in your pressure cooker is so easy it should be done more often.

You can also make delicious collard greens in the Slow Cooker.


Looking for more Side Dishes? Try these out:

  • Instant Pot Cabbage
  • Instant Pot Green Beans and Potatoes
  • Instant Pot Corn on the Cob (Cheddar and Sour Cream Flavored)
  • Instant Pot White Cheddar Pasta
  • Corn Soufflé
  • Creamy Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes
  • Southern Candied Sweet Potatoes
  • Black-eyed Peas
  • Vegan collard greens

Southern Style Pressure Cooker Collard Greens Recipe (4)

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4.84 from 56 votes

These Southern Style Pressure Cooker Collard Greens are flavorful, tender, and cooked in half the time than the stove top method. Now you can enjoy collard greens any day of the week!

Course Side Dish

Cuisine American

Keyword pressure cooker collard greens

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time 35 minutes minutes

Total Time 40 minutes minutes

Servings 6 people

Calories 203kcal

Author Tanya

Ingredients

  • 1 smoked turkey leg fully cooked
  • 1 cup onion chopped
  • 3 cloves garlic minced
  • 1 ½ cups chicken broth
  • 1 lb bag collard greens
  • ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • 1 Tablespoon Apple Cider Vinegar

Instructions

  • Add smoked turkey leg, onion, garlic cloves, red pepper flakes, chicken broth into Pressure Cooker. Then add collard greens on top, pushing down so that the greens are not sticking out the pressure cooker.

  • Place lid on pressure cooker, making sure the valve is set to “Sealing.”

  • Pressure cook on high pressure for 35 minutes.

  • Once time is up, do a quick release by switching the valve to “Venting.”

  • Open lid and remove turkey leg from pressure cooker. Use forks to shred the meat off the bone, returning the meat to the pressure cooker.

  • Add Apple cider vinegar to the collards and stir.

  • Enjoy 🙂

Video

Notes

Notes on Southern Style Pressure Cooker Collard Greens

  • To make this dish vegetarian, use vegetable broth and adjust the pressure cook time to 25 minutes.
  • This recipe was prepared in a 6qt Instant Pot. Please adjust accordingly for 3qt and 8qt models.

Suggested Tools for Southern Style Pressure Cooker Collard Greens

Instant Pot Electric Pressure Cooker

Nutrition

Calories: 203kcal | Carbohydrates: 7g | Protein: 25g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 80mg | Sodium: 314mg | Potassium: 561mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 3819IU | Vitamin C: 33mg | Calcium: 207mg | Iron: 2mg

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Step by Step Photos of Southern Style Pressure Cooker Collard Greens

Southern Style Pressure Cooker Collard Greens Recipe (5)
Southern Style Pressure Cooker Collard Greens Recipe (6)
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Southern Style Pressure Cooker Collard Greens Recipe (9)
Southern Style Pressure Cooker Collard Greens Recipe (10)
Southern Style Pressure Cooker Collard Greens Recipe (2024)

FAQs

How long do you pressure can collard greens? ›

Process jars in a weighted gauge pressure canner at 10 pounds pressure at altitudes of 0 to 1,000 ft (or at 15 pounds pressure at altitudes above 1,000 ft). Process pints for 70 minutes and quarts for 90 minutes.

What takes the bitterness out of collards? ›

The foods that help reduce bitterness are:
  • Salt while cooking and/or while eating (like on bitter salad greens)
  • Sweet or Spicy.
  • Sour or Acids like lemon or vinegar.
  • Long cooking like braising (think southern collard greens that are cooked for hours)
  • Blanch first.
Jul 7, 2021

Why do you put vinegar in collard greens? ›

This might seem like an unusual addition if you're new to making collard greens, but the vinegar adds a welcome tangy note that brightens the dish and balances out the salty, savory flavors. A tablespoon of sugar also helps balance out the greens' potential bitterness.

What do you soak collard greens in before cooking? ›

Here's how to properly wash collard greens.
  1. Fill your sink with water, and then add 1/2 cup distilled white vinegar and 3 tablespoons salt. ( ...
  2. Swish this around, and then submerged your greens in the water. ...
  3. Let the greens soak for 20-30 minutes, giving them a good scrub midway.
Aug 1, 2021

What happens if you pressure cook too long? ›

Unfortunately, once you overcook a piece of meat in the pressure cooker, there's no going back. You'll be left with a pile of dry, crunchy, tasteless fibers and no amount of additional pressure cooking is going to put that moisture back into the meat. Earlier, I explained how ingredient size affects the cooking time.

How long does it take greens to get tender? ›

Stir in vegetable oil, bacon bits, sugar, garlic, salt, and pepper; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until greens are tender, 45 minutes to 1 hour.

Why put baking soda in collard greens? ›

In the case of collard greens, baking soda's utility is threefold, serving as a flavor enhancer, a tenderizer, and a color protector. Baking soda is an alkali salt possessing the tenderizing and flavor-enhancing properties of regular salt.

Can you overcook collard greens? ›

It is important to not overcook collard greens or kale, as they tend to give off a sulfur smell and taste bitter. Cut the leaves into one-half inch strips and steam for 5 minutes on the stove. Collard greens make a great addition to eggs and bean soup or can be served alone as a steamed vegetable with a dressing.

What is the best meat to put in collard greens? ›

The most authentic collard greens, in my opinion, are made with smoked ham hocks or bacon. But, as time has passed, society has gotten more health conscious. So, many families began using alternatives such as smoked turkey necks, wings, and tails.

Why do Southerners eat collard greens? ›

Black-eyed peas and collard greens are often a go-to dish during New Year's celebrations because they're said to bring luck and prosperity.

What to do if I put too much vinegar in my greens? ›

One method is to add a small amount of sugar or honey to counteract the acidity. You can also add more of the other ingredients in the recipe to dilute the vinegar flavor. Another option is to add a pinch of baking soda, which will neutralize the acid.

Can you put too much water in collard greens? ›

Make sure you let the water drain out of you collard greens as much as possible. Too much water in your pot will ruin your greens.

Why does collard greens take so long to cook? ›

Long cooking time.

Slowly cooking collard greens not only softens the tough leaves, it also tames the leaves' bitter flavor.

What is the best way to preserve collard greens? ›

The preferred method of preserving hearty greens is freezing because it provides a higher quality product than canning or drying. Heartier greens such as spinach, mustard greens, beet tops, collards, kale, and Swiss chard can be frozen. As a low acid food, greens can only be pressure canned.

How do you doctor up canned collard greens? ›

A little bit of table or seasoned salt, some pepper, a pinch of sugar, a drop of vinegar, and something spicy like cayenne or red pepper flakes will help level up the flavor of your canned greens.

How many days does it take for collard greens to mature? ›

Collards should be ready for harvest 60 to 80 days after direct seeding, depending on the cultivar. Microgreens will be ready to harvest 10 to 15 days after seeding. Entire plants may be cut when half-grown or full-grown.

Can collard greens be overcooked? ›

It is important to not overcook collard greens or kale, as they tend to give off a sulfur smell and taste bitter. Cut the leaves into one-half inch strips and steam for 5 minutes on the stove. Collard greens make a great addition to eggs and bean soup or can be served alone as a steamed vegetable with a dressing.

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