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Easy Instant Pot Collard Greens Recipe (Vegan and Paleo)

This Instant Pot Collard Greens recipe is a healthy take on a classic Southern side dish. It is an easy way to create tender, flavorful collards in under 30 minutes without using meat or processed sugar.

Large white bowl of Instant Pot Collard Greens on a dark wooden background.

I’m no stranger to the wonders of collard greens.

Having both grown and eaten collards for some time now, they have really become a staple in my diet. 

And there’s a lot love about these hearty delicious greens. 

They are loaded with nutrients like vitamin K and fiber, which means they leave you feeling full and satisfied.

A young collard green plant growing in the ground.

While traditional Southern collard greens are prepared by simmering them for hours on the stovetop with a piece of smoked meat like a ham hock or piece of salt pork, an Instant Pot or pressure cooker makes cooking collards so much more convenient.

It reduces their cooking time from several hours to under 30 minutes. 

So instead of reserving collards for a special occasion like New Year’s Day, they can now be great option for a weekday side dish.

And in this healthy collard greens recipe, there’s no meat products needed to create greens that have incredible flavor.

A few common ingredients and some simple spices are all you’ll need to prepare collards that are sure to please any vegan, vegetarian, (or even meat-eater) in your family.

Ingredients and Equipment

  • Collard greens – you’ll need a pound and a half of fresh collard greens, usually about one large bunch of collards. We’ll be using both the leaves and stems (which are perfectly edible) to help reduce food waste.
  • Vadalia onion – aka sweet onion. I love the subtle sweet flavor it adds, but you can also substitute with yellow onion.
  • Garlic – three minced fresh garlic cloves or you substitute with garlic powder if your in a pinch.
  • Smoked paprika – this will be adding some wonderful smoky flavor
  • Red pepper flakes – adds some great spice to the collards. Feel free to adjust the amount to your personal taste.
  • Apple cider vinegar – brings some nice tang and helps balance out all the flavors.
  • Maple syrup – it adds a touch of sweetness that perfectly compliments the spice from the red pepper flakes. Feel free to omit it completely to make this recipe Whole30 compliant, or use another sweetener of choice.
  • Extra virgin olive oil
  • Sea salt or kosher salt
  • Black pepper

For equipment you’ll just need a sharp knife, cutting board, and Instant Pot or other electric pressure cooker.

Image of fresh collard greens on a cutting board.

How to Make Vegan Instant Pot Collard Greens

Start by rinsing the collards well. If the greens are extremely dirty, it’s best to dunk them in a large bowl of cold water.

Drain the greens, but don’t worry about drying them extremely well. Having a little moisture on the greens will actually aid in the cooking process.

Separate the stems from the collard leaves. Give the stems a good dice, and slice the leaves into thin ribbons.

Image of sliced collard green leaves and chopped stems on a cutting board with a knife.

Turn the Instant Pot on “Saute” setting and add two tablespoons of olive oil to the bottom of the pot. 

Once the oil is shimmering, add the diced sweet onion and the collard green stems to the pot. 

Cook until the onion is translucent and tender, about 7-8 minutes.

Sautéing onions and collard green stems in Instant Pot

Stir in the minced garlic, smoked paprika, and red pepper flakes into the pot and cook for about a minute until everything is fragrant.

Press “Cancel” to turn the Instant Pot off, then stir in 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar, 1/4 cup water, 1 tablespoon maple syrup, and a large pinch of salt. 

Stuff in the collard green leaves and lock the lid.

Sliced collard greens leaves in an Instant Pot

Set the Instant Pot on high pressure for twenty minutes and let it do its thing.

Close up of a timer displaying 20 minutes.

After the timer goes off turn the pressure lock to quick release pressure, then carefully open the lid.

Give the greens a stir and season them with a little more salt and black pepper to taste.

Cooked collard greens in  an instant pot.

Helpful Tips and Recipe Variations

  • Use vegetable broth instead of water for some extra added flavor.
  • Add a dash of hot sauce before serving for more of a spicy kick.
  • Try this recipe with other greens like turnip greens or mustard greens. You may need to reduce the cooking time based on the heartiness of the greens.

Serving Suggestions

These collard greens can be served in a variety of ways.

A few suggestions are:

  • They make a perfect side dish for pretty much any protein
  • Stir them into rice, quinoa, or other cooked grain.
  • Top with a poached egg for an easy breakfast.

Storage

Store any leftover collard greens in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Re-heat them in a small pot on the stovetop over medium-low heat until warm.

More Greens Recipes

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5 from 6 votes

Easy Instant Pot Collard Greens (Vegan and Paleo)

This Instant Pot Collard Greens recipe is a healthy take on a classic Southern side dish. It is an easy way to create tender, flavorful collards in under 30 minutes without using meat or processed sugar.
Course Side Dish
Cuisine American
Keyword collard greens, Instant Pot, Vegan
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes
Servings 6
Calories 110kcal

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 pounds collard greens
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 sweet onion diced
  • 3 cloves garlic minced
  • 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
  • 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 1 tablespoon maple syrup (omit for Whole30)
  • 1 teaspoon sea salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Instructions

  • Separate the stems from the collard green leaves. Dice the stems, and cut the leaves into thick ribbons.
  • Turn the Instant Pot on “Saute” and heat the olive oil until shimmering. Add the onion and diced collard green stems and saute until tender, about 7-8 minutes. 
  • Add the garlic, smoked paprika, and red pepper flakes and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
  • Turn the Instant Pot off, and stir in the apple cider vinegar, water, maple syrup salt, and black pepper. Stuff in the collard green leaves.
  • Lock the lid, and set the Instant Pot to high pressure for 20 minutes.
  • When the timer goes off, quick release the pressure and carefully open the lid. Season the greens with more salt and pepper to taste.
Tried this recipe?Mention @sophisticatedcaveman or tag #sophisticatedcaveman on Instagram!

Nutrition

Calories: 110kcal | Carbohydrates: 13g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Sodium: 416mg | Potassium: 340mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 5906IU | Vitamin C: 43mg | Calcium: 283mg | Iron: 1mg

Equipment

  • Pressure Cooker

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Recipe Rating




Nicole

Thursday 24th of November 2022

These are my fave collard greens! Ppl can’t believe they don’t have meat

The Sophisticated Caveman

Friday 9th of December 2022

Yay!! Thanks for the comment!

ItsMe

Saturday 15th of October 2022

All I can say is WoW its a simple recipe but so flavorful, I didn’t want the heavy watered down mushy greens

The Sophisticated Caveman

Tuesday 18th of October 2022

Thank you!! I'm not a fan of mushy greens either!

Dan

Sunday 31st of July 2022

Thanks so much for the recipe. Added 1/2 tsp Stubbs Mesquite liquid smoke, that's all. Taste and texture were perfect. Everyone loved it. Now I need to look over your other recipes. Found this one and your site while looking for an instant pot vegan collards recipe. Cheers!

The Sophisticated Caveman

Thursday 4th of August 2022

Thanks, Dan! Great to hear the recipe was a hit!

Emmie

Saturday 7th of May 2022

This recipe is my absolute "go-to" recipe for greens. I'm vegan but missed that smoky taste that meat adds until I stumbled upon this chef's gem. Thank you, Sophisticated Caveman.

The Sophisticated Caveman

Monday 9th of May 2022

Thank you, Emmie!!

Kim

Thursday 30th of December 2021

This is the BEST recipe for collard greens!! Other recipes add way too much liquid. I use 1 tablespoon of brown sugar instead of maple syrup.