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There's something magical about the tender, flavorful texture of Slow Cooker Collard Greens. By letting them simmer away in the crockpot, we unlock their full earthy potential, accented by a dash of tangy vinegar and a sprinkle of crushed red pepper. This easy-to-follow recipe provides a delicious side dish, ensuring your weekend dinners are always a hit!

Overhead photo of a bowl of crockpot collard greens surrounded by corn muffins, crushed red pepper flakes and butter.

I'm a Southern girl, so collard greens aren't a sometimes food at my house. They're a Sunday thing, a holiday thing, a pot-on-all-afternoon thing.

My favorite way to make them is in my slow cooker. It's a hands off approach the delivers tender, never bittter greens without requiring me to babysit a pot. And around the holidays, I love that no stove-space is required.

Serve this with Air Fried Chicken Breast or Air Fried Chicken Legs and round out the meal with Cauliflower Mash, Gluten-Free Corn Muffins or Cast Iron Cornbread.

Let's Talk Ingredients

The ingredients for Slow Cooker Collard Greens measured out in prep bowls against a white background.

Bacon: Use your favorite type of bacon - turkey, pork, or beef. The higher fat will add more flavor, but if you are watching your fat intake, turkey bacon works fine. (Though to may need to add a little olive oil to cook the onion and garlic.) You can even use turkey wings, turkey legs, or ham if you like.
Broth: I like homemade broth (I use this Instant Pot Chicken Bone Broth recipe), but purchased broth works too. Vegetable broth is also a great option.
Collard Greens: If you are short on time, you can often find pre-shredded and washed collard greens.
Apple Cider Vinegar: Red wine vinegar could be used as a substitute.
Sweetener: It is a small amount that really brings out all of the other flavors in these crock pot collard greens. You can use whatever sweetener you like - honey, maple syrup, sugar, or brown sugar all work.

Buying & Storing Collard Greens

Firstly, make sure you pick collard bunches that have sturdy, vibrant leaves and stiff stems. Look for dark green colored leaves. (It's normal for the leaves to have light-colored veins and stems.)

Do not to wash them before storing. Wrap your collards in a paper towel and place them in an unsealed plastic bag. If stored properly, fresh collard greens can last in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.

Variations

Add a ham hock for even more flavor.
For an extra touch of sweetness in this crockpot collard greens recipe, increase the honey to 2 tablespoons.

Vegetarian Slow Cooker Collard Greens

Omit the bacon. Prepare the recipe as directed and add 1 tablespoon of smoked paprika and 1 teaspoon of liquid smoke.

Tools Needed to Make Crock Pot Greens

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Slow Cooker
Sharp Knife
Skillet (if your crockpot does not have a saute' function)

A Few Things I've Learned

How to prep collards: the stems are tough and stringy, so they've got to go. Fold each leaf in half along the stem, then run your knife right down the side to strip the leaf off. Stack the leaves, roll them like a cigar, and slice into ribbons. Bagged pre-chopped collards skip all this if you're short on time. (And, honestly, I don't see a big sacrifice in flavor.)
Can you overcook them? In a slow cooker, it's hard to. The gentle heat keeps them from going to mush or turning bitter the way they can on the stove.
This method isn't just for collards. Mustard greens, turnip greens, or a mix all work the same way in the slow cooker. If you are using something more tender, shorten the cook time by an hour.

How to Make Slow Cooker Collard Greens

First, start by gathering all of your ingredients.

Spray your slow cooker with cooking spray, and set to sauté. If your slow cooker doesn't have a saute function, use a skillet.

The bacon being cooked in a slow cooker for Slow Cooker Collard Greens.

The seasonings being added to slow cooker collard greens.

Cook the bacon for five minutes.

Add the onion and cook 8 more minutes.

Add garlic and cook 1 more minute.

Change the mode to slow cooker. Add chicken broth, collard greens, apple cider vinegar, Old Bay seasoning, celery seeds, honey, crushed red pepper flakes, black pepper, and sea salt.

Cook on low for 8 hours or high for 4 hours, until the greens are tender.

Storage, Freezing, and Reheating

You can keep cooked collards in the frigde for up to four days. I think they taste better than next day.

They freeze well too. Freeze them in their liquid so they don't dry out, up to three months. Reheat on the stove or in the microwave.

Close up overhead photo of a bowl of crockpot collard greens with bacon against a white background.

Print Recipe

5 from 7 votes

Southern Slow Cooker Collard Greens with Bacon

There's something magical about the tender, flavorful texture of Slow Cooker Collard Greens. By letting them simmer away in the crockpot, we unlock their full earthy potential, accented by a dash of tangy vinegar and a sprinkle of heat-inducing crushed red pepper. This easy-to-follow recipe provides a delectable side dish, ensuring your weekend dinners are always a hit!

Prep Time15

Cook Time4 14

Total Time4 29

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: American

Diet: Gluten Free

Keyword: spicy

Servings:

Calories: 151kcal

Author: Wendy Polisi

Ingredients

8 ounces turkey bacon or bacon of choice, chopped
1 onion chopped
1 teaspoon minced garlic
8 cups chicken broth
1 pound collard greens washed, trimmed and chopped
¼ cup apple cider vinegar
2 teaspoons Old Bay seasoning
1 teaspoon celery seeds
1 teaspoon honey or sweetener of choice
½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
½ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
½ teaspoon sea salt

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Spray your slow cooker with cooking spray and set to saute, Cook bacon for 5 minutes. Add onion and cook 8 more minutes. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute.
Alternatively, if your slow cooker does not have a saute function, use a skillet and follow the directions as written. Transfer to your slow cooker and proceed with the recipe.
Change to slow cooker. Add chicken broth, collard greens, apple cider vinegar, Old Bay seasoning, celery seeds, honey, crushed red pepper flakes, black pepper and sea salt.
Cook on low for 8 hours or high for 4 hours.

Nutrition

Filed Under:

Gluten Free Recipes Holiday Recipes Slow Cooker Recipes

Comments

5 from 7 votes (2 ratings without comment)

Slow Cooker Collard Greens (Southern-Style)

Let's Talk Ingredients

Buying & Storing Collard Greens