Flavorful vegan collard greens are easy to make in your Instant Pot or on the stove top. All you need is 10 minutes of active time and a handful of pantry staples for a big, delicious pot of greens!
Collard greens, more often called just "collards", are a Southern staple. They're traditionally made with salt pork or ham hock, but that doesn't mean you can't make them delicious without the meat!
Recipe features
- Can be made on the stove top or in the Instant Pot
- The perfect balance of savory, umami and sweet flavors
- Made with pantry staples
- Only requires 8-10 minutes of active time
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.
What you'll need
The flavor in these greens comes from a few simple ingredients that when combined with collards create a slightly sweet, perfectly savory broth.
- Collard greens: I recommend buying a bunch and slicing them yourself, but pre-sliced greens will work. This is because sometimes pre-cut greens are more bitter.
- Apple cider vinegar adds a necessary punch of acid. Regular vinegar works in a pinch.
- Soy sauce: This can be replaced with tamari to make the recipe gluten-free. Coconut aminos would also go well here, but they are a bit sweeter.
- Vegetable broth: Choose a flavorful broth if using store bought. You can choose reduced sodium for more control over saltiness of the dish.
- Brown sugar adds a hint of sweetness. This can be adjusted to taste.
Stove Top instructions
Collards on the stove top are a "fix it and forget it" kind of recipe.
- Start by heating oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook until translucent, about 3-4 minutes. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and sauté 1 more minute.
- Add the collard greens and sauté until slightly wilted, about 1 minute. It will look like a lot of greens but they will shrink down as they cook.
- Stir together the remaining ingredients in a medium bowl. Pour this liquid on the collards. Bring to a simmer over medium-low heat.
- Cover with a lid and 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!
Instant Pot instructions
All of my Instant Pot recipes are made in a 6 qt DUO60 Instant Pot.
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 "sauté" and "normal" heat.
Sauté diced onion in oil for 3-4 minutes, until translucent (image 1). Add minced garlic and crushed red pepper and cook for another minute (image 2).
Add in the liquids and collard greens (image 3). You can roughly cut the greens into 2-3 inch pieces or tear them. Remove the hard stems.
Set to high pressure for 25 minutes. Once the time is up do a quick pressure release. Careful! There will be a bit of liquid spray from the valve.
If you find the collards aren't as tender as you wish (image 4), just place the lid back on and set the timer for 5 more minutes.
Behind the greens
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.
Recipe FAQ and expert tips
Smoke flavor: You can add ¼ teaspoon of liquid smoke for a smokier flavor. I leave it out because I'm not a big fan of liquid smoke but it definitely does the trick. Smoked paprika is also a good addition.
Different greens: Try mixing in half a bunch of mustard greens for a spicy kick. You can also use this method with kale.
Greens go great with any "meat and three" style meal. My favorite way is with chicken fried tofu, vegan mac and cheese and a vegan buttermilk biscuit.
For best quality, keep refrigerated in a closed container for 3-4 days. Reheat with a splash of vegetable broth over medium-low heat until warmed through or reheat in the microwave in 1-2 minutes.
Stack the greens on top of each other and run a knife just outside the stem to remove the leaves. Stack the leaves on top of each other and slice into thin strips or larger 2-3 inch pieces (depends on preference but I like the bigger pieces). You can also roughly tear the greens. You can chop the stem and include it for extra texture.
Salt helps greens from getting too bitter which is why I add salt in addition to the soy sauce. Sometimes pre-cut greens are more bitter when they cook which is why I usually slice my own. Add extra acid and sweetness (vinegar and brown sugar) to fight any bitter flavors that may come through.
Looking for more vegan Southern comfort food?
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Savory Vegan Collard Greens
Ingredients
- 1 pound collard greens
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ large yellow onion, diced
- 3-4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 and ½ cups vegetable broth
- 1 tablespoon reduced sodium soy sauce or tamari sauce
- 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon brown sugar
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1-2 teaspoons red pepper flakes (more if you like spicier food)
- ¼ 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 "sauté" function on your Instant Pot and set the heat to "normal" using the adjust key. Once hot, add the oil. Add the onion and sauté for 3-4 minutes, until translucent. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and sauté for 1 more minute.
- Add the collards to the Instant Pot, sautéing until wilted, about 1 minute.
- In a medium bowl, combine the apple cider vinegar, soy sauce, vegetable broth, brown sugar and salt. 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 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 (see note #3). 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 a Dutch oven or stock pot over medium-high heat. Once hot, add the oil. Add the onion and cook until translucent, about 3-4 minutes. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and sauté 1 more minute, until aromatic.
- Add the collard greens and sauté 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 over medium/medium-low heat. 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!
Video
Notes
- Smoke flavor: You can add ¼ teaspoon of liquid smoke for a smokier flavor. I leave it out because I'm not a big fan of liquid smoke but it definitely does the trick. Smoked paprika is also a good addition.
- Storage and reheating: For best quality, keep refrigerated in a closed container for 3-4 days. Reheat with a splash of vegetable broth over medium-low heat until warmed through or reheat in the microwave in 1-2 minutes.
- For the Instant Pot method: If the greens don't reach your desired tenderness replace and seal the lid and cook for 5 more minutes on high pressure. Add more time as needed.
Joanne
LOVED this recipe. Thank you! Can't wait to try some of your others.
Cassidy Reeser
Thanks so much! So happy to hear you liked the recipe.
Ann
These turned out perfectly except I doubled the recipe and doubled the red pepper flakes - holy fires of HELL too hot! (and we like spicy)
Tabasco can always be added afterwards when eating. Even so, what a kick to start New Years with. And they are still delicious even though my lips were burning LOL I let the pressure reduce naturally while my cornbread was baking (25 minutes) and these were so tender and perfect. Great savory recipe!!!
Cassidy Reeser
Thanks for the review and happy new year!
Patty
This was delicious! My almost 5 year old devoured it and said "mm it's good!" My picky 12 year old ate it with no complaints, which is a win in my house. I added tomatoes out of habit, nixed the peppers because of the littles, and I didn't have veggie broth, so I added some veggie Better Than Bouillon to the water. I was so disappointed that I didn't buy more collard greens! 😭😁 I will definitely be adding this on my rotation.
Cassidy Reeser
That is awesome! Thanks so much for the review 🙂
Lauren
Satisfied my collard green cravings! I did not make any changes to the recipe, except I used turnip greens instead of collard greens.
Cassidy Reeser
Happy to hear that it also works with turnip greens, I bet that was delicious!