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Crockpot Collard Greens

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Have you ever made collard greens in the slow cooker? If not you are missing out! This recipe for Crockpot collard greens is easy, delicious, and simple to make.

The great thing about making collard greens in the slow cooker is that you can enjoy them more often! When it’s this easy to make collard greens you won’t have to save them for holidays and special occasions.

Crockpot collard greens are simple to make but so delicious. The flavors come together so nicely thanks to the slow cooker and eventually they’re mouthwateringly tasty.

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Pin showing the finished crockpot collard greens ready to eat with title in the top left.

What are collard greens?

Collards are actually a variety of cabbage! They’re a staple in southern cooking and have been for many years. They’re typically dark green leaves with tough stems.

The stems are removed before they’re cooked and eaten. The flavor is somewhere between cabbage and Swiss chard or kale.

Featured image showing the finished crockpot collard greens ready to eat in a bowl.

Collard greens are packed full of all kinds of vitamins and minerals. Vitamin A, C, and K are prominent as well as Calcium, Iron, and Magnesium. Some other great things you can find in collards are thiamin, pantothenic acid, choline, and niacin!

What do I need to make Crockpot collard greens?

To make these Crockpot collard greens you’ll need a few bunches of collard greens, mustard greens, a smoked turkey leg or a ham hock, bacon, chicken broth, apple cider vinegar, brown sugar, soy sauce, crushed red pepper flakes, and some peppercorns.

This is a relatively standard bunch of ingredients and flavors for making collard greens. You can always use smoked turkey or ham just cut into cubes to add to the recipe if you can’t find legs or hocks but they really do add a lot of flavor to the dish so it’s best to use smoked ham hocks or turkey legs if you can find them in your local grocery store!

Crockpot collard greens ready to serve.

How to prepare slow cooker collard greens:

I’ll show you how to prepare the greens before cooking as well so you if this is your first time making collard greens you won’t be confused! The entire recipe is really simple and it only takes a few minutes to get everything ready and into the Crockpot. Once it’s cooking there’s nothing left for you to do!

Wash greens well, remove ribs and stems from collards (discard them). Tear or cut the greens into smaller pieces. 

Collard greens being prepared.

Add all ingredients to the slow cooker and stir them up.

Crockpot covered and cooking.

Cook on low 8-10 hours or until tender, or on high for 4-6.

A look at the crockpot full of cooked collard greens.

If you used a cut up turkey leg or ham hock, your greens are ready now.

If you used a ham hock or full turkey leg, remove it and shred the meat, and add the meat back to the greens and stir.

here we see the meat added back to the collard greens.

Serve with broth from the slow cooker.

A bowl full of finished greens in from of the Crockpot.

Kitchen essentials for Crockpot cooking: 

These links are great for shopping the best Crockpots and accessories for making soup in your slow cooker.

I use a liner whenever I’m making anything that might get stuck on. It makes cleanup a breeze and keeps everything easy to remove! You’ll need a good metal serving spoon to get this recipe served up pretty and easily.

A look at the finished Crockpot collard greens ready to serve.

When it comes to Crockpots I have MANY…it’s an obsession of mine, I’m not too proud to admit. I like to have options when it comes to sizes. A nice 6 quart is useful for all kinds of recipes. You can also use a 4 quart for many recipes and these Little Dipper crockpots are perfect for dessert, fondue, and more!

Crockpot collard greens in a bowl ready to serve.

Looking for more delicious slow cooker recipes?

Making recipes in the slow cooker is smart! You can keep the house cool, no need to use the oven or the stove. You can save time and energy by letting the Crockpot do the hard work for meal time. Another great reason to use the slow cooker is to meal prep!

You can prepare meals in advance with the slow cooker to help, Crockpot meal prep is simple and easy! Try out some of these delicious meals for your next meal plan.

My family loves Super Easy Nacho Chicken And Rice, Slow Cooker Chicken Taco Soup Recipe, Crock Pot Honey Garlic Chicken Wings, Slow Cooker Beef Stew, Asian Crockpot Shredded Chicken, and Crockpot Meat Loaf Recipe.

You can also try out these other tasty side dish recipes like Crockpot Baked Beans, Crock Pot Cowboy Beans, Slow Cooker Loaded Potatoes, Crockpot Cheesy Potatoes, Crockpot Rice Recipe, Crockpot Green Bean Casserole or Crockpot Corn Casserole!

A serving of collard greens ready to eat.

Printable Crockpot Collard Greens Recipe:

Featured image showing the finished crockpot collard greens ready to eat in a bowl.

Crockpot Collard Greens

Yield: 8 Servings
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 4 hours
Total Time: 4 hours 15 minutes

Have you ever made collard greens in the slow cooker? If not you are missing out! This recipe for Crockpot collard greens is easy, delicious, and simple to make.

Ingredients

  • 2 large bunches collard greens
  • 2 bunches mustard greens
  • 1 smoked turkey leg (cut into pieces), or ham hock
  • Optional: 1 package bacon, cooked and chopped into pieces
  • 3 cups chicken broth
  • 2 T. apple cider vinegar
  • 2 t. Brown sugar
  • Dash of soy sauce
  • 1 t. Crushed red pepper flakes
  • ½ t. peppercorns

Instructions

  1. Wash greens well, remove ribs and stems from collards (discard them). Tear or cut the greens into smaller pieces.
  2. Add all ingredients to the slow cooker and stir them up.
  3. Cook on low 8-10 hours or until tender, or on high for 4-6.
  4. If you used a cut up turkey leg, your greens are ready now.
  5. If you used a ham hock, remove it and shred the meat, and add it back to the greens and stir.
  6. Serve with broth from the slow cooker.
Nutrition Information
Yield 8 Serving Size 1
Amount Per Serving Calories 60Total Fat 2gSaturated Fat 1gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 1gCholesterol 13mgSodium 476mgCarbohydrates 5gFiber 2gSugar 2gProtein 5g

These recipes are calculated as a courtesy. They are not intended as medical advice or guaranteed accurate. Please do your own calculations if necessary.

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