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–+ servings
Overhead view of a white bowl of Instant Pot collard greens with bacon on a neutral tabletop.

Southern Instant Pot Collard Greens

Rich, delicious, and full of flavor. These Southern-style collard greens are inspired by the authentic collard greens recipes of the South, with one key difference... the cook time!
Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: 45 minutes
Total: 1 hour
Yield:6 servings

Equipment

  • Instant Pot or similar pressure cooker
  • rubber or silicone spatula

Ingredients

  • 5 slices bacon uncooked, sliced into ½-inch-long pieces
  • 1 medium onion chopped
  • 3 cloves garlic minced
  • 1 pound fresh collard greens rinsed, cut into 2-inch pieces
  • 2 cups chicken broth or vegetable broth, low-sodium preferred
  • 1 teaspoon salt more or less to taste
  • 1 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper more or less to taste
  • 1 pinch red pepper flakes plus more to taste
  • 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
  • hot sauce to taste

Instructions

  • Set Instant Pot to Sauté mode on high. Once Instant Pot has preheated, add sliced bacon and chopped onion to pot. Cook, stirring occasionally, until bacon begins to crisp and onion has softened, approximately 12 minutes.
    Overhead view of sauteed bacon and onions in an Instant Pot insert with a silicone spatula with a wooden handle.
  • Add garlic cloves to sautéed bacon and onions. Stir well and cook just until garlic is fragrant, approximately 30 to 60 seconds.
  • Add collard greens and chicken broth to Instant Pot. Continue in Sauté mode while stirring and scraping up any browned pieces of bacon or onion that may be stuck to bottom of Instant Pot. Cook just until greens begin to wilt, approximately 2 minutes.
    Overhead view of collard greens, bacon, onions, garlic, and chicken broth in Instant Pot.
  • Add salt, pepper, apple cider vinegar, and hot sauce to Instant Pot. Stir to incorporate, then cancel Sauté mode and cover pressure cooker with lid.
  • Lock lid on Instant Pot and set valve to Sealing position. Set Instant Pot to Manual High Pressure with 12-minute cook time. Instant Pot will come to pressure (5 to 10 minutes) and then 12-minute cook time will begin.
  • When 12-minute cook time is up, carefully Quick Release pressure. Once steam has fully escaped, carefully remove lid from Instant Pot and set aside. Divide greens into portions and serve warm with additional hot sauce if desired.

Notes

  • Whether you're using bagged collard greens or not, I recommend you soak the greens in cold water for at least 10 minutes, then rinse them well to wash off any excess dirt. Blot them dry with a paper towel and then chop them into 2-inch pieces.
  • Make it Paleo/Whole30: Use compliant bacon and hot sauce.

Nutrition

Serving Size: 1serving | Calories: 116cal | Protein: 5g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 0.02g | Cholesterol: 14mg | Sodium: 814mg | Potassium: 250mg | Total Carbs: 7g | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 1g | Net Carbs: 4g | Vitamin A: 3810IU | Vitamin C: 29mg | Calcium: 188mg | Iron: 1mg
Recipe By:Cheryl Malik