Instant Pot Kale (with garlic and lemon). Pressure cooking tenderizes kale and makes it a quick side dish, with garlic and lemon to brighten up the creamy greens.
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A few years ago, kale was everywhere. Kale chips, kale smoothies, kale salad… But kale's time as the "it vegetable" seems to have passed. We've moved on - Brussels sprouts seem like they're having their moment in the sun - and kale is now just another green vegetable.
I was into Kale before it was cool, thanks to my CSA. (That's right, I'm a vegetable hipster. I need a carefully groomed mustache now.) Back before Kale was hip, I'd get big bunches in my CSA box and wonder what to do with it. My best answer? Braised kale.
Ingredient Notes
- Olive oil: I use a cooking-grade extra virgin olive oil in this recipe. Expensive and fancy olive oils lose most of their special flavor when they are cooked. Or, you can substitute regular vegetable oil.
- Garlic substitutes: Minced green onions (scallions) are a great substitute for the garlic. Or, if you want to be fancy, substitute and thin-sliced or minced shallot for the garlic. I was asked about garlic powder; you can substitute a teaspoon of garlic powder for the fresh garlic. (I save garlic powder for soups, stews, and chilis where it has time to blend into the other ingredients.)
- Bagged kale: I love my CSA, and I love farmers markets. But…as you can see in the pictures, I will buy bags of pre-cut, pre-washed kale at my local grocery store when I need a quick weeknight side dish.
Instant Pot Kale, step by step pictures
Sauté the garlic for a minute
Pack the kale into the pot
Pressure cook for 5 minutes with a Quick Release
Stir in the lemon juice and pepper, and serve
Instant Pot Kale Recipe
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 4-6 1x
Description
Instant Pot Kale with Garlic and Lemon - kale from your pressure cooker, quick and easy.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 3 cloves garlic, slivered
- 1 pound kale, cleaned and stems trimmed
- ½ cup water
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt (or Diamond Crystal Kosher salt)
- Juice squeezed from ½ a lemon (about 2 tablespoons)
- ½ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
Instructions
- Lightly sauté the garlic, then add the kale: Pour the oil into the bottom of the pressure cooker pot, stir in the garlic, and set the pot over medium heat (stovetop PC) or sauté mode (electric PC). Heat the oil until you just smell the garlic - we want it to bubble around the edges, but not brown - about 2 minutes. Stir a big handful of the kale into the garlic and oil, then start packing in the rest of the kale. Don't worry about the max fill line on the cooker - it will wilt quickly - but you need to pack it in enough to close the lid. Sprinkle the kale with the salt, then pour the water over the top of everything.
- Pressure cook the kale for 5 minutes with a Quick Release: Lock the lid on the pressure cooker. Pressure cook at high pressure for 5 minutes in an Instant Pot, other electric pressure cooker, or stovetop pressure cooker. (Use Manual, Custom, or Pressure Cook-Custom mode with your Instant P0t). Quick release the pressure. Remove the lid carefully - the steam is hot enough to scald.
- Season and serve: Squeeze the lemon over the kale, then stir in the fresh ground pepper. Scoop the kale out of the pot with a slotted spoon or tongs, leaving as much liquid behind as possible. Serve.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 5 minutes
- Category: Pressure Cooker
- Cuisine: American
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Nutrition
- Serving Size: ½ cup of kale
- Calories: 60
- Sugar: 1.9 g
- Sodium: 133.2 mg
- Fat: 3.1 g
- Carbohydrates: 7.5 g
- Fiber: 2.8 g
- Protein: 3.3 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
What do you think?
Questions? Other ideas? Leave them in the comments section below.
Related Posts
If you're looking for other vegetable sides, try my Pressure Cooker Roasted Sweet Potato Puree or Pressure Cooker Beets with Blue Cheese.
If you want a fancier greens side dish, try my Instant Pot Turnip Greens with Ham, Instant Pot Cannellini Beans and Greens, or Oven Baked Kale Chips.
For a recipes that have kale in them, check out Instant Pot Turkey Sausage and Kale Soup, Instant Pot Colcannon, or Instant Pot Pork Stew with Sweet Potato and Beans.
For other recipes, check out my Instant Pot and Pressure Cooker Recipe Index
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Michelle says
First time I ever cooked kale and it was amazing. I usually only eat it raw in salads but this recipe definitely made a convert out of me!!
Ellen Lawler says
Very good and easy recipe for a vegetable I eat periodically only because everyone says it’s “good for you.”
Mike V says
Ha! Thank you.
Al says
I cooked two strips of bacon on medium sauté until crisp and removed it. Then I sautéed one medium onion in the bacon grease until it began to soften and then added the garlic and sautéed for another 2 minutes. Then I added the kale and cooked uncover until it was wilted enough to get the lid on. Then I added 1 cup of no salt chicken broth, with the 1/2 teaspoon of salt added, to the Kale mixture. I cooked on high pressure for 3 minutes and did a quick release. I chopped the bacon into little bits to sprinkle on individual servings of the finished kale. The kale turned out perfectly. It was bright green and al dente, not mushy and drab green. This was easy and very good. I used an 8 qt. Instant Pot. Thank you for the recipe.
Linda Marcella says
Great recipe. I cleaned up my garden today. The catapillars were making holes in all my brassica. I cut off all the damaged leaves of cabbage, brussels sprouts,, kale and collards. I cut out all the stems and sliced the leaves
up. Gave it all a bath and then into the instantpot. I did 6 min and couldn’t believe how perfect it came out. Perfectly cooked. I’ll have enough for a couple of meals with ham or smoked hot dogs as well as a couple freezer bags of it for another couple meals. I’ll probably sauté some garlic in olive oil and too the thawed greens in it with some salt, pepper and a sprinkle of nutmeg. I love room temp meals on a hot day plus I feel I got something out of it before the catapillars ate it all! On my way to get some b.t. now so I will have a fall crop. Simple and perfect recipe.
Lynn D says
Quick and easy.
Lynn says
Easy, quick and delicious!
Mike Vrobel says
Thanks!
Lynn_M says
My favorite kale recipe. I sometimes cook it with chicken or turkey broth instead of water. The braised kale also tastes good mixed with wild rice which has been cooked in the Instant Pot.
Saif Mostaghim says
Used standard 15 PSI pressure cooker. Came out really goo - edible for a change!
Ellen Lawler says
This was very good and so easy!
Mich says
Awesome and easy! This helped me use up my kale just before I thought it would get too old to use, thanks so much!
Maricruz Manning says
I just made this tonight and it was absolutely delicious and easy!!
Kay says
Very good, and couldn't be easier! Makes the kale perfectly tender.
Heather says
Making this tonight, can't wait! Also I am an Instant Pothead such as yourself:)
Brenda Moore says
Under instruction 2 you say to "bring it up to high pressure ". What setting is this - steam?
Mike V says
It depends on your pressure cooker. In an Instant Pot, this means use the "Manual" setting to tell it to cook at high pressure, and set the time for 5 minutes.
See here for details: https://www.dadcooksdinner.com/instant-pot-frequently-asked-questions/
Lynn says
This sounds good! Have you used this process with any other greens? Escarole or spinach? And what is the texture of the kale... Thanks....Lynn. PS. Didn't rate it as I didn't make it
Mike V says
The same technique would work with heavy greens, like collards, but escarole and spinach are too leafy - they'd cook down to nothing. The kale has the texture of braised greens - again, think collard greens.