Instant Pot Collard Greens (with Bacon). Tender greens and smoky bacon, ready in 30 minutes, thanks to pressure cooking.
I don't have the time for low and slow on a busy weeknight. That's where my Instant Pot comes in. Collard greens are best cooked until they almost fall apart, which is perfect for pressure cooking.

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Jump to:
- What's So Special About Collard Greens?
- Ingredients
- Instant Pot Collard Greens- Step-by-Step Instructions
- Substitutions
- Picking the Best Greens - Fresh, Bagged, or Canned?
- How Long Does it Take to Cook Collard Greens in a Pressure Cooker?
- Storing Leftovers
- Sides
- Instant Pot Collard Greens with Bacon
- What do you think?
- Related Posts
- 💬 Comments
What's So Special About Collard Greens?
Collard greens are a classic Southern side dish, perfect for everything from pulled pork to fried catfish. Southern greens are cooked until they fall apart and flavored with a hint of smoked pork. Simmered low and slow while the barbecue is smoking, and served with black-eyed peas, they're the perfect lazy side dish. (They're also a great side dish right next to Pressure Cooker Mac and Cheese.)
Ingredients
- ¼ pound bacon, cut into 1-inch pieces
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
- 1 pound collard greens, cleaned and stems trimmed
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ½ cup chicken broth (or water)
- ½ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
See the recipe card for details
Instant Pot Collard Greens- Step-by-Step Instructions
Brown the bacon
Spread the bacon out in the bottom of an Instant Pot or other pressure cooker and then set the pot to Saute mode - High. Cook the bacon, occasionally stirring, until it is browned and crispy, about 5 minutes. Sprinkle in the red pepper flakes.
Pack in the collards
Stir a big handful of the collards into the bacon, coating them with the bacon grease, and keep stirring until they wilt slightly. Continue stirring and packing in the rest of the collards, a big handful at a time, until they are all in the pot. Sprinkle the collards with the salt, then pour the chicken broth over the top of everything. (Don't worry about the max fill line because the collards will wilt quickly. You need to pack them in just enough to close the lid.)
Pressure cook the collards for 20 minutes with a Quick Release
Lock the lid and cook on high pressure for 20 minutes in an Instant Pot or other electric pressure cooker, or for 16 minutes in a stovetop pressure cooker.. Quick release the pressure once the cooking time is done. Remove the lid carefully - the steam is hot enough to scald.
Season and serve
Pour the collards and cooking liquid into a serving dish, sprinkle with fresh ground black pepper, and serve. Enjoy!
Substitutions
Collard substitutions: Don't have collard greens? You can make this recipe with turnip greens or mustard greens. (Or, see my Instant Pot Turnip Greens with Ham for a turnip green version of the recipe.)
Ham Hock: Do you have an extra ham hock? Use it instead of the bacon. Add a tablespoon of vegetable oil to the Instant Pot to wilt the collards, then add the ham hock. For extra pork flavor, shred the ham hock, discard all the skin, fat, and gristle, and stir the meat into the collards before serving.
Other smoked meat: If you don't have bacon or a ham hock, you can use salt pork or country ham. Or, if you want turkey with your greens, use smoked turkey wings, smoked turkey neck, or a smoked turkey leg.
Cut the heat: I like the little kick of spice that red pepper flakes add to the collards, but feel free to leave them out if you don't want any heat.
Vegetarian or vegan: Skip the bacon, use water or vegetable broth, and heat a couple of tablespoons of olive oil or vegetable oil in the instant pot to help wilt the collards.
Apple cider vinegar: Some people like a bit of vinegar in their greens, so if you want to, stir in a teaspoon or two of apple cider vinegar with the black pepper just before serving.
Picking the Best Greens - Fresh, Bagged, or Canned?
Of course, fresh collards are best for this recipe. (Especially if I can get them from my farmers' market.) That said, I take the easy way out and use pre-cut collard greens. Sure, locally grown, fresh collard greens taste better, but the convenience of bagged collards are hard to ignore. And, since cooking collards means overcooking collards, I'm OK with not using the freshest greens available.
Don't buy canned collard greens for this recipe. Those are already cooked, and pressure cooking canned collards will turn them to mush. Canned collard greens just need to be reheated.
How Long Does it Take to Cook Collard Greens in a Pressure Cooker?
I pressure cook my collards for 20 minutes on high pressure, with a quick release, which leaves them fall-apart tender and the pot with a nice amount of pot liquor from the greens.
Storing Leftovers
Leftover collards store well. I put them in 2-cup containers with a lot of the pot liquid and refrigerate them for a couple of days or freeze them for a couple of months. Then I have a quick side dish I can pull out of the freezer and reheat in the microwave.
Sides
I serve my collard greens with some hot sauce to sprinkle on a the table. This instant pot collard greens recipe is the ideal side dish for pulled pork. (Both real-deal pulled pork from the smoker, or Instant Pot Pulled Pork go great with collards.) I also love serving them with Southern rice dishes, like Red Beans and Rice or Dirty Rice.
PrintInstant Pot Collard Greens with Bacon
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 6-8 1x
Description
Pressure Cooker Collard Greens with Bacon recipe. Tender greens and smoky bacon, cooked in 30 minutes in the pressure cooker.
Ingredients
- ¼ pound bacon, cut into 1-inch pieces
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
- 1 pound collard greens, cleaned and stems trimmed
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ½ cup water
- ½ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
Instructions
- Brown the bacon, then pack in the collards: Spread the bacon out in the bottom of an Instant Pot or other pressure cooker and set the pot to Saute mode - High. (Or use medium-high heat in a stovetop PC.) Cook the bacon, stirring occasionally, until it is browned and crispy, about 5 minutes. Sprinkle in the red pepper flakes.
- Pack in the collards: Stir a big handful of the collards into the bacon, coating with the bacon grease, and keep stirring until they wilt slightly. Continue stirring and packing in the rest of the collards, a big handful at a time, until they are all in the pot. Sprinkle the collards with the salt, then pour the water over the top of everything. (Don’t worry about the max fill line, because the collards will wilt quickly. You need to pack them in just enough that you can close the lid.)
- Pressure cook the collards for 20 minutes with a Quick Release: Lock the lid on the pressure cooker and cook at high pressure for 20 minutes. (Use Manual, Pressure Cook, or Pressure Cook - Custom mode in an Instant pot, set to high pressure for 20 minutes.) Quick release the pressure. Remove the lid carefully - the steam is hot enough to scald.
- Season and serve: Pour the collards and pot liquid into a serving dish, sprinkle with fresh ground black pepper, and serve.
Equipment
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Side Dish
- Method: Pressure Cooker
- Cuisine: American
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Beth Sowell says
I sauteed an onion, loads of garlic and some crushed red pepper with mine. I also used broth instead of water. Super tasty!
Lori Ciaralli says
So good. Thanks for posting.
Linda Norris says
Thank you for this recipe. I cooked it for New Years Day. They were good. Being born and raised in the South I cook them often. I cook them this way on too of the stove. The ONLY difference is I add 1 tbsp of syrup, honey, or sugar. Whatever i have on hand. That takes the bitter twang from the collards. I was hesitant to cook in the IP without the recipe. I had no idea about the time. Thank you again!linda
Mary E Spangler says
I just made this for the first time. It is so delicious. And best of all it was easy to make. I will definently use this recipe again.
VICKI says
I am fairly new to using the Instant Pot. I have the Lux 6 qt. Have been looking for a collard recipe & yours looks really good. My question is the Instant pot manual says you must use a min of 18 ozs fluid to pressure cook, but your recipe calls for 1/2 cup of water. So I am concerned about the amount of liquid I should use. Any suggestions?
Mike Vrobel says
The collards wilt and add their own liquid; 1/2 cup of water is enough to get the process started.
Vanns4 says
I am a newbie using the instant pot.I have the 6qt LUX model.I will be cooking collards,black eye peas,fat back,fried cornbread and fried pork chops for New Years day.Thats what all true southerners cook on New Year's day.Also a little FYI all true southerners add a little sugar to collards.I add about 3 tablespoons of sugar in the collards when cooking them.Also we make collard sandwiches,if you have never heard or tried them you need to,it will be the best sandwich you have ever had lol.What you do is take two pieces of thin fried cornbread,place the collards on one piece of the cornbread,break a few pieces of fatback up and place on top of the collards,then put a couple tablespoons of hot pepper vinegar on the collards,then add the other piece of cornbread and mash it down and enjoy.Thats one of my favorite sandwiches ever.Happy New Year
Mike in Austin says
Mike,
I ALWAYS look here first for recipes. Made this last night with collards picked up at the farmers market using bacon I cured and smoked myself using a pork belly I picked a couple of weeks ago at the same farmer's market. Best bacon I have ever made and this recipe really respects the ingredients while getting the dish on the table in no time.
Thanks again,
Mike in Austin
ginger says
Absolutely delicious!
Daniela says
I have only once cooked collards before, but we didn’t care for them, so I’ve usually thrown a leaf in smoothies here and there. This year’s fall garden bounty, however, seems to be mostly kale and collards... Tried your IP kale recipe (which was good), so I figured, I’ll brave the collards again. Am so glad I did! Now if only the collards would hurry up and produce another pot full already! Thanks for a great recipe!
Marilyn Lee says
Never tried collards in my life and I'm a senior citizen! This recipe is delicious in my Instant Pot. Thanks for my introduction to collard greens!
Mike Vrobel says
You're welcome!