Southern Collard Greens

Slow-simmered with smoky bacon, sweet onion, and plenty of garlic, these Southern collard greens are the real deal. The long braise leaves the greens silky and tender and builds a rich pot likker underneath. It’s a classic side that belongs on just about any Southern supper table!

Southerners love their greens, from turnip and mustard greens to kale, cabbage, and collards. Every home cook has her own version, and this one stays true to the classic: tough leaves braised low and slow in a smoky pot likker until they melt.

Loved these greens! So flavorful! I only did half the recipe for my little family and used leftover ham, and it was perfect.

– Cassie

Before You Get Started

Collards are forgiving, but three things decide how the pot turns out:

1. Simmer low and uncovered. Gentle heat is what turns tough leaves silky and mellows the bitterness. A hard boil just makes them stringy.
2. Wash the greens really well. Grit hides down in the leaves. Swish them in a sink of cold water, lift them out, and repeat until the water runs clear.
3. Add vinegar and a pinch of sugar. Acid and a little sweetness round off any bitter edge. Stir them in with the broth so they cook into the greens.

How to Make Southern Collard Greens

The prep here is simple, and then the stovetop does the rest!

Step 1: Render the Bacon

Cook the chopped bacon in a large stockpot or Dutch oven over medium heat for 10 to 12 minutes, until it’s crisp and the fat has rendered out. 

Move the bacon to a paper towel lined plate with a slotted spoon and leave every bit of the drippings in the pot. That fat is the base of the whole dish, so don’t pour it off.

⇢ Swap in another smoked meat: A smoked ham hock, a leftover ham bone, smoked turkey wings, smoked sausage, or smoked pork neck bones all work. If you use one that doesn’t render much fat, add a tablespoon of oil before the onion goes in.

Step 2: Soften the Onion and Garlic

Add the diced onion to the drippings and cook for 7 to 8 minutes, until it’s translucent and starting to go golden at the edges. 

Stir in the garlic and cook one more minute, just until you can smell it. Garlic burns fast in hot fat, so keep it moving.

Step 3: Add the Greens and Broth

Pour in the chicken broth, then add the collard greens, vinegar, sugar, salt, and pepper. Stir in about half of the cooked bacon and hold the rest back for the top. Scrape up the browned bits from the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon, because that’s where a lot of the flavor is hiding.

The pot will look overloaded at first. The greens cook down to a fraction of their volume in the first few minutes, so give them a stir, add them gradually, and they’ll fit.

⇢ Use vegetable broth for meatless greens: Skip the bacon, start the onion in a tablespoon of oil, and add half a teaspoon of smoked paprika with the broth to make up for the missing smoke.

Step 4: Simmer Until Tender

Bring the liquid to a boil, then drop the heat to low and simmer uncovered for about 90 minutes, stirring now and then. Leaving the lid off lets the liquid reduce and concentrate instead of staying thin and watery.

Cook time is really a matter of taste: About an hour gives you greens with a little structure left. A full two hours breaks them down into that soft, silky texture a lot of folks grew up on. Start tasting at the one hour mark and pull them when they’re right for you.

Step 5: Taste and Finish

Taste the greens and the liquid separately before you serve. Greens soak up salt as they cook, so what tasted right at the start often needs another pinch now. Add more salt and pepper, or another splash of vinegar if they taste flat. 

Top with the reserved crispy bacon and finish with crushed red pepper flakes or a few shakes of hot sauce.

⇢ Don’t pour out the pot likker. That dark broth in the bottom of the pot is the best part. Ladle some into each bowl with the greens, sop it up with cornbread, or save it to cook beans or rice in later.

⇢ A few easy swaps: Brown sugar works in place of white. A squeeze of lemon can stand in for the vinegar. A sprig of thyme or a pinch of smoked paprika in the broth adds another layer of flavor.

What Goes With Collard Greens

Collards are built for sopping, so something bready alongside is a must! A skillet of Southern cornbread is classic, and Aunt Bee’s 3-Ingredient Biscuit Recipe is just as good when you want something quick. Either one gives you a way to get every last drop of that pot likker!

From there, they fit almost any Southern plate:

Collards also show up on New Year’s Day as a good luck food, and they’re right at home next to a pot of Hoppin’ John.

Storage

To Store: Keep leftover collards in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 4 to 5 days. They actually taste better on day two, so this is a good dish to make ahead. Cook them 1 to 2 days early and just warm them through before serving.

To Freeze: Freeze the greens along with the pot likker in an airtight container for up to 3 months. The liquid keeps them from drying out.

To Reheat: Thaw overnight in the refrigerator, then warm gently on the stovetop over low heat. Single servings reheat in the microwave in 30 to 60 seconds.

Frequently Asked Questions

What takes the bitterness out of collard greens?

Time and balance. A long, gentle simmer does most of the work, since the bitter compounds mellow as the leaves break down. From there, salt, acid, and a small amount of sugar round out what’s left. That’s why this recipe includes both apple cider vinegar and a teaspoon and a half of sugar. 

If your greens still taste sharp at the end, add another splash of vinegar and a pinch more salt rather than more sugar.

Why are my collard greens still tough?

They almost always just need more time. Collards are a dense, fibrous green, and 90 minutes is a starting point, not a finish line. Older leaves and thicker stems can take closer to two hours. 

Turning up the heat won’t speed it along, and a hard boil tends to make them stringy instead of tender. Keep the simmer gentle, check every 15 minutes, and add a splash more broth if the liquid drops too low.

My collard greens taste flat. What should I add?

Start with salt, since greens absorb a lot of it during a long simmer and often need a second seasoning at the end. If salt alone doesn’t do it, add vinegar. Acid is what makes the whole pot taste brighter and more finished. Smoked meat is the third lever, so if you went light on the bacon, the flavor has less to build on. A dash of smoked paprika can help make up the difference.

Can you use smoked turkey instead of bacon?

Yes, and it’s a popular swap. Smoked turkey wings, necks, or drumsticks give you the same smoky depth with less fat. Since turkey won’t render enough fat to cook the onion in, add a tablespoon of oil to the pot first. Drop the turkey in with the broth and let it simmer with the greens the whole time, then pull the meat off the bone and stir it back in before serving.

Made a half batch of this to go with your black eyed peas for New Year’s dinner. Loved how simple this is, especially since I used the already prepped collards. Flavor is spot on…

– Norma

More Southern Sides

• Sweet and Spicy Collard Greens with Bacon
• Southern Corn Sticks
• Southern Squash Casserole
• Southern Succotash
• Appalachian Beans and Greens