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Southern Instant Pot Collard Greens is a southern-style side dish that can be prepared much faster by using a pressure cooker that is electric. These Southern greens are full of flavor due to bacon and ham. You’ll need to pour the cooking liquid all over the food!
Instant Pot Collard Greens is an old-fashioned slow-cooked Southern side dish that is made quick and simple using the pressure cooker!
It’s not my style to reveal secrets from you, but I’ve actually been using my Instant Pot some time in the background of my blog. I’m not an ‘early adopter’ and it took me a few several months of reading Instant Pot recipe after Instant Pot recipe on social media before I got up the courage into the kitchen.
After reading the user’s manual as well as the workflow chart (not very useful) and watching a couple of YouTube setup tutorials (much more useful! ) I put my finger on the trigger and tried pressure cooking for the very first time.
Succ-ess. Remember why I was so nervous? While it was evident that it wasn’t a complete surprise I was still amazed by the speed at which a large chuck roast was shreddable to perfection. It took just one hour to cook! My slow cooker isn’t moving, but the exact chuck roast I cook for the recipe below slow cooker recipe to shred beef requires about eight hours of high temperature inside my slow cooker. Hello, time saver Instant Pot.
It’s a good idea to save time when you don’t start cooking dinner in the morning and you need to have dinner that evening.
With this in mind, I was compelled to explore ways to adapt the other recipes with a longer cooking time beginning with these Southern Instant Pot collard greens.
It’s likely that I’m taking advantage of the fact that Southern greens are appearing on the menus of restaurants all across Nashville in addition to Asheville (another city we frequent often). I definitely didn’t have them when I was living in the north or west. However, they’re my most-loved food to serve with BBQ, hot chicken as well as any other traditional Southern food.
The tender collard and turnip greens are cooked with a small amount of meat, often bacon or country Ham (more on country ham in the future) In a delicious flavorful cooking liquid. This cooking liquid is referred to as “pot liquor,” which sounds scary, but it’s actually a blend of broth or water as well as apple cider vinegar, brown sugar, and other spices.
I’m willing to bet that even those who hate leafy green vegetables in your life won’t be able to resist the Southern Instant Pot collard greens.
This recipe was taken from this recipe from the Southern greens and a side meal from The Loveless Cafe, which were possibly the first Southern greens I’ve ever had. It was my delight when I went to their website with the intention of finding out if they used collard or turnip-like greens after clicking on their image the recipe’s full version was shown.
I made a few adjustments I made, including making use of an Instant Pot in just five mins of cooking, instead of cooking on the stove for hours. I also used a lot less liquid and cooked with collards greens instead of the turnip-colored greens. Both are equally effective, but collard greens are much easier to find at the supermarket (at the very least, in my experience).
Southern Instant Collard greens from the Pot Notes on the recipe
- What is the country, Ham? Believe me, I needed to look it up since I didn’t know. It’s a ham with salt that I discovered uncooked and then cut into small pieces and then vacuum sealed. When it was removed from the package I chopped it up roughly as I did with bacon that was not cooked. The chopped country ham ought to have a similar thickness to bacon and I cooked them both together using the saute feature.
- I bought my country ham from the grocery store I usually shop at however, it could be because I’m located in the country ham region. If you’re unable to find it, then double bacon and leave out the country Ham.
- The Southern Instant Pot collard greens recipe was developed and tested using an Instant Pot that holds a 6 quart Instant Pot ( affiliate link).
- Make sure you make sure to deglaze the pan using some broth after sautéing the bacon/onion/country ham mixture as described in the following recipe. The bits stuck to the bottom of the pan will be able to rise up out of the pan quite easily. This will help prevent any “burn” message that you may have seen in the news that shows when the food that is near the base of the pan is overcooked or too hot.
Southern Instant Pot Collard Greens
- 2 tsp olive oil
- 2 slices of uncooked bacon cut into pieces
- 4 oz country ham, cut in half and chopped
- One small chopped onion
- 3/4 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
- 1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1/2 1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
- 16 oz collard greens that have been roughly chopped
- Rinse the collard greens thoroughly. Take off the thick stem at the center and chop them roughly into bite-sized pieces.
- Pour olive oil into your Instant Pot. Click the “Saute” button “ Saute” button and leave the lid open.
- Once the oil is hot it is time to add the bacon chopped and Country Ham. Cook for about 4 minutes before adding onions chopped. Then, stir it around frequently (there might be some stuck at the base of the saucepan).
- After your bacon as well as country ham have been cooked and the onions have been browned, cook the dish with around 1/3 cup of chicken broth (the amount isn’t required to be exact). Utilizing a wooden spoon scrape off the bits sticking out of the pot, then stir.
- Add the chopped collard greens into the Instant Pot, and mix them well. Click the ” Keep Warm/Cancel” button to stop this Saute function. It is important to leave sufficient space in the Instant Pot prior to cooking under pressure and I decided to stop for a couple of minutes in order to allow for the collared greens to decrease in size prior to proceeding. Once you’ve packed everything in, aim for your Instant Pot to be around two-thirds full.
- Close and lock the lid. Check that the valve for pressure release has been set for “sealing”.
- Click”Manual” or press the ” Manual” button. After that, using the down button reduces the cooking time to 5 minutes.
- Its Instant Pot will take a couple of minutes to pressurize, at which point you might hear a whirring sound as it gets close. After that “5” seconds will show on the screen, which will keep counting down until it’s completed.
- Now you can either allow you to allow the Instant Pot natural release pressure or a quick release. Pick the method you’re comfortable with. The natural pressure release in this recipe took around twenty minutes according to me. I didn’t find the spinach to be overcooked or mushy in any way.
- After the pressure has been released Remove the lid, and mix everything to mix it all up. Serve warm.
To speed up the process it is possible to use bags of collard greens.
Southern Instant Pot Collard Greens Recipe FAQs
How do you get the bitterness out of collard greens?
The next step to take place to get rid of any bitterness from the dish is to add the salt to taste and add one spoonful of lemon juice. Mix thoroughly and then taste the greens. If they’re still bitter, add a tablespoon of lemon juice and salt. Stir then taste and repeat until you’re done.
Does vinegar tenderize collard greens?
Does vinegar soften collard greens? the vinegar can help in reducing the tenderness of collard greens. Add 1/8 cup vinegar to each bowl of spinach. Then, I make around 1/4 cup of broth and then place the ham hock, along with the entire hot peppers on the top.
Can you overcook collard greens?
Mix it up several times during making it. I like my collard’s greens very tender but not too mushy. It’s extremely difficult to overcook collards, however. Make sure to check them at 45 minutes, and give them an opportunity to taste them and check for firmness.
How should collard greens taste?
What is the taste of Collard Greens taste like? Raw collards are bitter however, they’re not as bitter as kale. Heating can soften the taste slightly and create a slight earthiness. It is possible to purchase collard greens throughout the year, however, they’re best eaten during cooler seasons.
Can you eat uncooked collard greens?
Don’t forget kale collards are a must among your salads, slaws, and salads. If you’re already enjoying their cooked form be aware that collards can be consumed raw and taste delicious.
