These Instant Pot collard greens are perfect for your summertime BBQ feast! They are easy to make, packed with flavor, and taste as they simmer for hours, but only take 20 minutes of cooking time in the Instant Pot!

When I first moved to North Carolina, I had no clue how to make collard greens. But I sure as heck knew how to eat them! They are so delicious!

Then, I finally decided it was time to stop giving my money away to BBQ places for these greens and learn how to make them myself!

The good news is that they are super simple to make, and the part that takes the most time is cleaning the greens. Luckily, you can clean them days in advance, so you’re not trying to do it all in one day.

I like my greens, tangy and smokey with just a hint of sweetness. This is the perfect flavoring for hearty collard greens.

I also decided to speed up the cooking time. When you make greens on the stovetop, it takes a few hours for them to soften. But it shortens the cooking time exponentially when you do it in the Instant Pot.

That means you can get all that slow-cooked flavor in under an hour – how great is that?!

Ingredients Needed

• cleaned collard greens
• diced thick sliced bacon
• smoked ham hock
• apple cider vinegar
• brown sugar
• crushed red pepper flakes
• garlic
• kosher salt
• black pepper

How to make instant pot collard greens

Making these greens is simple, but you should follow a few steps for a perfect outcome. The first one is – properly cleaning the greens. This is important because greens are grown in sandy soil, typically containing a lot of grit and sand between their leaves.

You also need to remove the middle stem of the leaf as it’s tough and will take a long time to break down. You can leave tiny, thin stems, but larger stems (off large leaves) must be removed. I think it results in a more delicious product.

However, some people don’t like to remove the stem. It will soften as it cooks in the Instant Pot, but I do not enjoy the stringy texture. The choice is really up to you.

Cleaning collard greens

1. Separate the leaves: Remove the collard green leaves from the stems by tearing them away or cutting along the sides of the stems.
2. Fill a large bowl or clean sink with cool water: Use enough water to fully submerge the collard greens.
3. Soak the leaves: Place the collard green leaves in the water and gently agitate them to help loosen any dirt or debris. Let them soak for a few minutes.
4. Rinse thoroughly: Lift the collard greens out of the water and rinse them under cool, running water. Rinse each leaf individually to ensure all dirt and sand are washed away.
5. Inspect for pests: While rinsing, inspect both sides of each leaf for any pests or eggs. If you find any, remove them manually.
6. Repeat if necessary: If the leaves still seem dirty, repeat the soaking and rinsing process until the water runs clear and the leaves look clean. I wash my greens 2-3 times in fresh water to ensure they are fully cleaned.
7. Dry or spin the leaves: After rinsing, shake off excess water from each leaf or use a salad spinner to remove excess moisture.
8. Store or cook immediately: If you want to store your greens to cook within the next few days, gently wrap the bundle of washed greens in a paper towel, place it in a large gallon-sized zip-top baggie, and store it in the refrigerator.

Cooking collard greens

When you’re ready to cook your greens, gather your ingredients (found in the recipe card) and be prepared to be wowed how easy this recipe is to make!

1. Get out your Instant Pot, turn on the saute function, and add the bacon.
2. Once the bacon has started releasing its fat and getting slightly browned, add the onion. Continue sauteing for a few minutes or until the onion looks translucent. Add in the garlic, stir to combine, and cook for 30 seconds.
3. Deglaze the pan with the chicken stock and stir in the apple cider vinegar, brown sugar, and crushed red pepper flakes.
4. Turn off the saute button and add the collard greens and ham hock.
5. Place the Instant Pot lid, lock it, and ensure the steam nozzle is in the “seal” position.
6. Cook on manual, high heat, for 5 minutes. Once the IP beeps after it has cooked, let it naturally release for 15 minutes, then manually release any remaining steam.
7. Remove the lid from the Instant Pot, remove the ham hock, cut off any meat, add back to the greens, and gently stir to combine.
8. Taste, and season with kosher salt or black pepper if desired.

Adaptations and Substitutions

I love this written as is but here are a few options for changing things up.

1. In place of collard greens, you can use turnip greens or yellow cabbage collards.
2. I’m using brown sugar here, but granulated sugar will also work. I happen to prefer the slight molasses flavor of brown sugar.
3. White vinegar can be used if you don’t have apple cider vinegar.
4. Use ham stock in place of chicken stock.
5. Diced smoked ham can be used in place of a smoked ham hock.
6. Make it vegetarian using vegetable stock and a little liquid smoke.

Recipe FAQ’s

Instant Pot FAQ’s