Southern Slow Cooker Collard Greens simmered until tender and savory, filling your home with the aroma of smoky ham. Just chop and pack in the slow cooker for a hands-off, classic Southern side.
Customize with a handful of chopped tomatoes, swap the bacon for smoked sausage, or stir in a pinch of red pepper flakes for a fiery kick and serve with our Cajun Cornbread and Country Style Boneless Pork Ribs.
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
Collard greens cooked in a crockpot are hearty and flavorful. They can be made ahead of time, and are a great way to add an green veggie to your family's menu. Forget the tough, bitter collard greens you might have experienced in the past.
This slow-cooked version transforms them into tender, melt-in-your-mouth goodness. The key lies in the low and slow cooking process, which allows the greens to soften gradually, releasing their natural sweetness and soaking up the rich flavors of the broth and ham hocks.
- Tender and flavorful: The slow cooking process transforms tough collard greens into melt-in-your-mouth goodness.
- Smoky and savory: The addition of ham hocks infuses the greens with a deep, rich flavor.
- Tangy and bright: A splash of vinegar adds a touch of acidity that cuts through the richness of the ham hocks.
- Easy and convenient: Simply throw all the ingredients in the slow cooker and let it do its work.
- Perfect for a crowd: This recipe is easily doubled or tripled to feed a large group.
- Down-home comfort food at its best: This dish is a true Southern classic, sure to warm your heart and soul.
Ingredients Overview
This collard greens recipe is super easy to make, and flexible. You can use any diced bacon, a package of diced ham, ham leftover from our Double Smoked Ham recipe, or even make them meatless!
- Collards - Fresh, but even frozen collards will work!
- Onion - Diced.
- Ham - Or, Diced bacon.
- Apple cider vinegar - Gives these slow cooker collard greens their 'zing'.
- Garlic - Fresh minced cloves, or garlic powder.
- Red pepper flakes - Optional, give collards a bit of extra flavor.
- Black Pepper - To taste.
- Salt - To taste.
Full ingredient amounts and preparation instructions are in the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Tips For Cleaning Collard Greens
Cleaning collard greens is much like cleaning romaine, kale, spinach, leeks, or Swiss chard. Grown in a loose, sandy soil, fresh bundles of collard greens will need to be rinsed in cold water to clear away any residual dirt and sand.
- Trim the stems and any discolored leaves off first.
- Rinse the collards in cold water in your sink, making sure any nooks or folds get rinsed also, so that any dirt or sand is rinsed away.
- To clear out some of the stem, fold each collard leaf in half lengthwise at the main stem vein. Use a sharp knife and trim the woody stem on an angle so when the collar leaf opens it has a V cut where stem used to be.
- Roll the collard leave up lengthwise and cut into 1 to 2" slices so you end up with strips of collard greens. Cut those into smaller portions also.
How To Cook Collards In A Crockpot
You will need several pounds of collard greens as they cook up to a lot less. Not quite like how much as spinach collapses, but a full Crockpot of fresh collard greens cook down to about a quarter of a pot cooked!
Prepare The Greens
- Thoroughly wash the collard greens, discarding any blemished leaf portions, and trimming the bottom of the stems.
- If desired, you can fold each leaf and cut the lower portion of the thick stem out. It's optional, as the stem does cook up tender also.
- Chop the collard greens up roughly by rolling and then cutting slices, then cut into 1 ½" to 2" pieces.
Saute Ham or Bacon
- Cut the ham, or bacon, into about ½" dice.
- Brown lightly in a skillet with the onion and the garlic.
Slow Cook Collard Greens
- Add the collards to the Crockpot (or a Dutch oven). Top them with the browned ham or bacon, and the onion, and garlic.
- Top the greens with the ham or bacon, it will help weigh them down in the pot. Set the slow cooker on high for 4 hours, or low for 8 hours.
PRO TIP: If you don't have a slow cooker, you can make this Slow Cooker Collard Greens recipe on the stovetop. Just simmer the collard greens, ham, onion, apple cider vinegar, salt, and pepper in a large pot for 2-3 hours, or until the collard greens are tender.
Seasoning Adjustments
Now is the time to adjust the seasonings for your collards in the Crockpot (or Dutch oven). The salt should be about right, but if too salty due to the ham, add a little water or vinegar to dilute the 'pot likker' (the slang term for the collard greens juices in the cooking pot).
- Depending on your taste, you may like your 'mess of greens' with a little more red pepper flakes, black pepper, or even with the apple cider vinegar (it's delicious!).
Serving Suggestions
Indulge in the rich, comforting flavors of Southern cuisine with this easy collard greens recipe. This classic dish features tender collard greens simmered in a flavorful broth with smoky ham hocks or chunks of ham, resulting in a hearty and satisfying meal.
Don't forget to set aside a little of the 'pot likker', or collard broth. It's often served with the collards and cornbread, where the pot likker is drizzled over crumbled cornbread for extra moisture and flavor.
Serve these slow cooked collard greens with a side of Cracker Barrel Style Cornbread Muffins, some Smoked Baked Beans, and Smoked Brisket Flat, for a great Southern mainstay meal.
More Delish Recipes
- Southern Sweet Potato Casserole
- Maple Glazed Ham
- Double Smoked Ham
- Mexican Spiced Hot Chocolate
- Cajun Cornbread
Substitutions and Variations
Here are a few really delicious variations or substitutions when making this collard greens Crockpot recipe.
- If you don't have ham or ham hocks on hand, you can also use bacon, or a beef polish, or kielbasa sausage. The sausage will add a similar savory smoked flavor to the collards and their pot liquor (country style is pot likker) also.
- Smoked turkey legs are another great option!
- You can also add other vegetables to the slow cooker, such as potatoes, or diced turnips.
Storage Options
- Store leftover collard greens in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
- You can also freeze collard greens for up to 2 months. To do this, place the collard greens in a freezer-safe bag or container and freeze.
- To reheat collard greens, you can do so on the stovetop or microwave.
Tips for Success
- This collard greens crockpot recipe Great way to use leftover ham. If you prefer less meat, just brown up some bacon with the onions instead.
- You CAN make these slow cooker collard greens meatless. If you need a bit of smoke flavor, use Liquid Smoke.
- If using the stovetop Dutch oven method, be sure check to make sure the collards don't simmer dry. Add a little extra water if needed.
Frequently Asked Questions
Vinegar helps to tenderize the collard greens. You only need about 1 tablespoon per lb of raw collard greens.
Yes, Freezing collard greens is easy. Wash thoroughly and cut off woody stems. Water blanch collards 3 minutes and all other greens 2 minutes. Cool, drain and package, leaving ½-inch headspace. Seal and freeze. You can add frozen collards in crock pot also.
There are carbs in collard greens, but a lot less than other vegetables. One cup of raw collards as 11.5 calories, 2 grams of Carbohydrates, and 1.4 grams of fiber. This means the net carbs are just .6 grams per cup.
The leaves of collard greens are larger, thicker, and paddle shaped, while mustard greens are thinner and ruffled. Mustard greens require less cooking time, and they cook up much more deflated, like spinach.
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Get The Recipe!
Collard Greens Greens in the Crockpot
Equipment
- Crockpot Smart Pot, 6 quart
- 6 qt Enameled Dutch Oven
Ingredients
- 8 oz ham or bacon, diced
- 1 medium onion diced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 3 lbs collards fresh
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- ¼ cup apple cider vinegar
- ½ teaspoon black pepper or to taste
- ½ teaspoon salt or to taste
Instructions
- Thoroughly wash the collards, discarding any blemished leaf portions, and trimming the bottom of the stems.
- If desired, you can fold each leaf and cut the lower portion of the thick stem (spine) out. It's optional, as the stem does cook up tender also.
- Chop the collard greens up roughly by rolling and then cutting slices, then cut into 1 ½" to 2" pieces.
- Cut the ham, or bacon, into about ½" dice. Brown lightly in a skillet with the onion and the garlic.8 oz ham, 1 medium onion, 2 cloves garlic
- Add the collards to the Crockpot (or a Dutch oven). Top them with the browned ham or bacon, and the onion, and garlic, black pepper, and optional red pepper flakes. If you like vinegar also, add it now.3 lbs collards, ¼ cup apple cider vinegar, ½ teaspoon black pepper, ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- Top the greens with the ham or bacon, it will help weigh them down in the pot. Set the slow cooker on high for 4 hours, or low for 8 hours.PRO TIP: If you don't have a slow cooker, you can make this Crockpot collard greens recipe on the stovetop. Just simmer the collard greens, ham, onion, apple cider vinegar, salt, and pepper in a large pot for 2-3 hours, or until the collard greens are tender.
- Depending on your taste, you may like your 'mess of greens' with a little more red pepper flakes, black pepper, or even with the apple cider vinegar (it's delicious!).½ teaspoon salt
Notes
- This collard greens crockpot recipe great way to use leftover ham. If you prefer less meat, just brown up some bacon with the onions instead.
- You CAN make these slow cooker collard greens meatless. If you need a bit of smoke flavor, use Liquid Smoke.
- If using the stovetop Dutch oven method, be sure check to make sure the collards don't simmer dry. Add a little extra water if needed.
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