You can make this savory vegan collard greens recipe in half the time in your Instant Pot, or make these nutritious greens the traditional way on your stove top.
Collard greens, more often called just “collards”, are a Southern staple. They’re traditionally made with salt pork or ham hock, but that won’t stop this vegetarian soul from enjoying her flavorful greens the vegetarian way!
You may be thinking something like “Quick cooked collard greens?! But collards take time” or maybe “Vegan collard greens? But collards are made with pork!”
But hang on. We’ll get to that.
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Collard greens, but…vegan?
One of the dishes I find myself missing most often at restaurants is collard greens; they’re so good, but so not vegetarian!
So, I figured it was time to make collards with a vegetarian twist, giving the leafy green its chance to shine minus the meat.
The flavor in these greens comes from a few simple ingredients that when combined with collards create a slightly sweet, perfectly savory broth:
- Apple cider vinegar
- Soy sauce
- Vegetable broth (homemade or canned)
- A smidge of brown sugar
- Red pepper flakes
- Black pepper
Don’t forget about the diced onion and minced garlic sauteed in olive oil until aromatic. Mmm flavor!
How to make vegan collards in your pressure cooker
Making collards in an electric pressure cooker cuts the cooking time by half and you end up with the same soft, wilted texture as stove top collards.
First, you’ll want to set your Instant Pot to “saute” and “normal” heat and saute diced onion in oil for 3-4 minutes, until translucent. Add minced garlic and crushed red pepper and cook for another minute.
Add in the liquids and collard greens, roughly cut into 2-3 inch pieces and their hard stems removed. Set to high pressure for 25 minutes; once the time is up, manually release the pressure.
Careful! There will be a bit of liquid spray from the valve.
If you find the collards aren’t as tender as you wish, just place the lid back on and set the timer for 5 more minutes.
Collards are nutrient packed!
Collards are members of the cabbage family, but they’re also closely related to kale. Collard greens are rich with vitamins A and K, and are also a source of iron, folate, and calcium.
Because these vitamins and minerals can seep out of the greens during their long cooking process, you’ll want to enjoy your collards with the liquid they’re cooked in, also known as potlikker.
Potlikker (also called pot liquor) is the broth, or liquid, that results from the cooked down greens. It’s vitamin-rich and wonderfully delicious, taking on the flavor of every ingredient in the pot.
There’s a wealth of history behind collard greens in the American south; I urge you to dig into it if you’re interested in food and southern history. This article highlights a more recent event in history, but entire books have been written on the subject of collard greens as well.
Collards are the perfect side dish for any comforting meal. Pair with Instant Pot Black Eyed Peas, breaded tofu, and a slice of jalapeno pimento cornbread and you’ve got yourself some healthy vegetarian comfort food!
Looking for more vegan Southern comfort food?
- Sweet Potato Biscuits with Cashew Mushroom Gravy
- Vegan Tofu Pot Pie with Mixed Veggies
- Crispy Baked Tofu Nuggets
- Vegan Macaroni and Cheese
- Savory Vegan Mushroom Gravy
All of my Instant Pot recipes are made in a 6 qt DUO60 Instant Pot. Check out more of my Instant Pot recipes.
Savory Vegan Collard Greens
Ingredients
- 1 pound collard greens
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/2 large yellow onion, diced
- 3-4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 and 1/2 cups vegetable broth
- 1 tablespoon reduced sodium soy sauce or tamari sauce
- 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon brown sugar
- 1-2 teaspoons red pepper flakes (more if you like spicier food)
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
Instructions
Pressure Cooker Instructions
- Remove the hard stems the collard greens. Cut the leaves into 2-3 inch wide strips, about the size of lettuce leaves in a salad. Rinse the collards in water until clean.
- Press the "saute" function on your Instant Pot and set the heat to "normal" using the adjust key; add the oil. The Instant Pot will read "hot" when heated. Add the onion and saute for 3-4 minutes, until translucent. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and saute for 1 more minute.
- Add the collards to the Instant Pot, sauteing until wilted (about 1 minute).
- In a medium bowl, combine the apple cider vinegar, soy sauce, vegetable broth and brown sugar. Pour into the Instant Pot. Lock the lid in place and set the valve to “sealing”. Press the “pressure cook” key and adjust to “high pressure”. Set the timer to 25 minutes. It will take about 10 minutes to come to pressure.
- When the 25 minutes (see note) are up, manually release the steam valve. Careful, it will be hot and some water may sputter out. Once the steam is released and the valve floats down you can open your Instant Pot.
- Give the collards a stir. Taste for salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes. Serve with their broth and enjoy!
Stove Top Instructions
- Remove the hard stems the collard greens. Cut the leaves into 2-3 inch wide strips, about the size of lettuce leaves in a salad. Rinse the collards in water until clean.
- Heat the oil in a large pan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until translucent, about 3-4 minutes. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and saute 1 more minute.
- Add the collard greens and saute until slightly wilted, about 1 minute.
- In a medium bowl, mix together the remaining ingredients. Pour this liquid on the collards and bring to a simmer. Cover with a lid.
- Simmer until tender; add additional vegetable broth as needed. It will take 50 minutes to an hour for the collards to become tender. Serve collards with their broth and enjoy!
Rachel
I think this may have been my first time making collard greens. I was really worried that they were going to turn out awful, but they were great! I didn’t weigh my collards and just used two bunches. It seemed like a ton, but after cooking it didn’t look like very much! I left out the onions because my husband doesn’t like them. Thanks for the recipe! I will make it again sometime!
Cassidy Reeser, RDN, LD
That’s great to hear! They really do shrink down a lot after cooking, it’s always a surprise. Thanks for making the recipe!
A tiny instant pot user
Just as an FYI, I was worried about fitting a pound of collard greens into my mini duo instant pot, but I tried and after sauteing they fit perfectly! Anyone with a mini instant pot, this recipe works! No need to half it. Thank you!! 🙂
Cassidy Reeser, RDN, LD
I haven’t tried it in a mini instant pot so I’m glad to hear that it works! Thanks for letting us know.
Sharon B
Soul Food Sunday Night, dinner: I added this recipe to my menu. It was incredible! (I used 1 date, instead of brown sugar.) My 3 year old loved it, too. When I was putting the leftovers away, I didn’t have room for all of the broth, so I drank it. I wanted to savor every last drop!
Tip: From experience with cooking tough greens in the Instapot, I only needed to pressure cook the collard greens for 10 min. (I usually only need to do 4 min, for when I’m cooking Kale.)
Cassidy Reeser, RDN, LD
Sounds like it was a great Sunday night dinner. Sometimes drinking the broth is the best part! Thanks for the tips.
Kaycee
Wasn’t a fan :(. Had strange sourness
Cassidy Reeser, RDN, LD
I’m sorry to hear it was sour, maybe that that was from the apple cider vinegar? Thanks for trying the recipe!
Christina
Delicious! I replaced the brown sugar with one Large finally chopped date.
And of course added a few shakes of hot sauce on top.
Cassidy Reeser, RDN, LD
That date sounds like a great substitution! Thanks for making.
Emily
This was my first time making collard greens; they were incredible!! I didn’t change a thing.
Cassidy Reeser, RDN, LD
Awesome! So glad you enjoyed and thanks for commenting.
Jill Bond
Absolutely loved this recipe! Plan to make it often, not just New Year’s Day!
Cassidy Reeser, RDN, LD
Thanks, Jill! It’s definitely great year round.
Valerie
I forgot to rate them. Definitely 5 stars!
Valerie
Just made these for New Years Day. Ridiculously yummy. I had no idea that collards could be so good. Much better than any I had eaten before I became vegan. Can’t wait to make them again!
Cassidy Reeser, RDN, LD
So glad to hear. Happy New Year!
Ben
I actually made this with chard, including stalks, since collard greens aren’t available in my location but I wanted to try them. Otherwise recipe was followed to the letter and was very good. I didn’t really realize how much I was enjoying it until it was all gone, and that’s not an experience I usually have eating green leafy vegetables.
Cassidy Reeser, RDN, LD
That’s great to hear! I’ll have to try this out with chard.
Kerry Robertson
My entire family loved these. I used the Instant Pot and when initially cooked I opened and added 2 Cups of frozen cut Okra and Pressure Cooked on high for 5 more minutes. My dad put his over rice, I had mine with vegetarian beans and smokey mushrooms. So good!
Cassidy Reeser, RDN, LD
Thanks for sharing! That sounds like a great meal. I’ll have to try adding okra next time I make this.
Elliott Rose
Just made these and it was amazing! Thank you so much, this will now be added to my “keep” pile of vegan instant pot recipes.
Cassidy Reeser
So glad you enjoyed them!