Pressure Cooker Collard Greens Recipe (Southern-Style)

Name: Southern Style Pressure Cooker Collard Greens
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 35 min
Total time: 40 min
Ingredients: 1 smoked turkey leg (fully cooked); 1 cup onion (chopped); 3 cloves garlic (minced); 1 ½ cups chicken broth; 1 lb bag collard greens; ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes; 1 Tablespoon Apple Cider Vinegar

Published: Jul 23, 2024 by Tanya · This post may contain affiliate links · 121 Comments

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These Southern Style Pressure Cooker Collard Greens are flavorful, tender, and cooked in half the time than the stove top method. Now you can enjoy collard greens any day of the week!

collard greens in plate with bottom of instant pot in background

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If you live in the South, then you know all about the amazing way collard greens are cooked down here. For me, southern style collard greens are like a dream come true. In fact, it’s a must item I have to have on my Thanksgiving plate. I avoided making it at home for the longest time because of how long the process was of making the greens.

First, it took so much time to do the soaking and washing. Then, it took hours of cooking it on the stove to make sure they were tender. Then, there’s the smell...that good ol’ stinky collard greens smell. Yea, these were the reasons why I avoided cooking collards at home for the longest.

But the Instant Pot Electric Pressure Cooker came to the rescue and now I can make collards in less than an hour! I’m sharing my one pot collard green recipe that can be made with little to no effort while you prepare the rest of your dinner. Lookout Thanksgiving, my collards are going to be the easiest thing you make.

If you like these collard greens, try my slow cooker collard greens or my collard green soup.

Ingredients Needed

For the potlikker/ broth - smoked turkey leg, onion, garlic, chicken broth, red pepper flakes, and apple cider vinegar
Fresh Collard greens - chopped. I like buying pre-chopped bags, or you can buy and cut the fresh collards into 1-inch pieces.

How to make Pressure Cooker Collard Greens

Add smoked turkey leg, onion, garlic cloves, red pepper flakes, chicken broth into Pressure Cooker.

first four ingredients in the instant pot

Then add collard greens on top, pushing down so that the greens are not sticking out the pressure cooker.

Place lid on pressure cooker, making sure the valve is set to “Sealing.” Pressure cook on high pressure for 35 minutes.

Once time is up, do a quick release by switching the valve to “Venting.”

Open lid and remove turkey leg from pressure cooker. Use forks to shred the meat off the bone, returning the meat to the pressure cooker.

Add Apple cider vinegar to the collards and stir.

finished pressure cooker collard greens in instant pot

Make ahead and storage options

These greens are great for making ahead of time. Store the greens and the broth in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. They can also be frozen for 3-6 months.

Why you should eat more Collard Greens

Collard greens are full of many essential vitamins and have great health benefits. They are also delicious when prepared right and are a great way to introduce kids to vegetables. My 10-year-old loves these southern-style collard greens, so I often make them.

Fresh or bagged Collards, which to use?

I’ve made this recipe with fresh collards and the collard greens you find in a bag in the store. Guess what the difference was? Nothing...except the price and convenience. The bag was about 2 dollars more than I spent on the fresh collards, but it was much more convenient.

What makes these pressure cooker Collard Greens so Flavorful?

That good ol' turkey leg. I like to add a fully cooked smoked turkey leg to the Instant Pot Pressure Cooker. You can find these in any grocery store. It brings so much flavor to the collards. I don't even add salt when I prepare this recipe. It's just not needed.

How long to cook collard greens in the Pressure Cooker

I prepared this recipe in my 6qt Instant Pot electric pressure cooker. The pressure cook time for this recipe as written is 35 minutes. That is the perfect amount of time to allow the turkey leg meat to fall off the bone and to have the collards soften without turning to mush. If preparing this recipe without the turkey leg, adjust the pressure cook time to 25 minutes.

Cooking collard greens in your pressure cooker is so easy it should be done more often.

Looking for more Side Dishes? Try these out:

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4.85 from 58 votes

Southern Style Pressure Cooker Collard Greens

These Southern Style Pressure Cooker Collard Greens are flavorful, tender, and cooked in half the time than the stove top method. Now you can enjoy collard greens any day of the week!

Course Side Dish

Cuisine American

Keyword pressure cooker collard greens

Prep Time 5

Cook Time 35

Total Time 40

Servings people

Calories 203kcal

Author Tanya

Ingredients

1 smoked turkey leg fully cooked
1 cup onion chopped
3 cloves garlic minced
1 ½ cups chicken broth
1 lb bag collard greens
¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 Tablespoon Apple Cider Vinegar

Instructions

Add smoked turkey leg, onion, garlic cloves, red pepper flakes, chicken broth into Pressure Cooker. Then add collard greens on top, pushing down so that the greens are not sticking out the pressure cooker.
Place lid on pressure cooker, making sure the valve is set to “Sealing.”
Pressure cook on high pressure for 35 minutes.
Once time is up, do a quick release by switching the valve to “Venting.”
Open lid and remove turkey leg from pressure cooker. Use forks to shred the meat off the bone, returning the meat to the pressure cooker.
Add Apple cider vinegar to the collards and stir.
Enjoy 🙂

Video

Notes

To make this dish vegetarian, use vegetable broth and adjust the pressure cook time to 25 minutes.
This recipe was prepared in a 6qt Instant Pot. Please adjust accordingly for 3qt and 8qt models.

Nutrition

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This post was originally published on August 7, 2018. It has been updated with new helpful information and tips.