These Southern-style collard greens simmer low and slow in the crockpot with smoky bacon, onions, and a splash of vinegar—no babysitting required. Just set it, forget it, and let your house smell like Grandma's been cooking all day.
Table of Contents
🧾 Ingredients
- Budget-friendly, nutrient-packed, and ridiculously tasty.
- Zero standing over the stove—because life is too short for that.
- Use pre-washed greens for extra laziness points.
- Tastes like a Sunday supper but works for a random Tuesday.
If you want even more smoky flavor cook ham hocks or smoked turkey wings with your greens - and that applies to all kinds of greens from mustard kale.
Vegetarian? Swap the bacon grease for butter or olive oil and use veggie broth instead of chicken stock.
🔪 Step-by-step guide: How to make collard greens in the slow cooker
Tear clean collard greens and place in the
Mix the crushed red pepper, chicken stock, reserved bacon drippings, and vinegar.
Add the onions and garlic and pour the chicken stock mixture over the top.
Cook on low for 10 hours. Add bacon just before serving.
📖 Recipe
Southern Collard Greens with Bacon
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- 2 pounds collard greens, cleaned, remove center stems, cut leaves into chunks
- 6 ounces onion, about 1 cup chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 teaspoon crushed red peppers, more to taste
- 2 tablespoons bacon drippings
- 4 cups chicken stock
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 pound bacon, cooked and reserve the drippings
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
To Clean:
- It's easiest if you can find pre-washed greens but if you can't then follow the instructions below to clean all the grit out of them.
- Fill the sink or a dishpan with barely warm water. I prefer to use a dishpan.
- Push the collard greens under the water and move them around.
- Wash the greens, scrubbing between your hands.
- Let the water out of the sink or pour it out of the dishpan.
- Rinse under running water.
- Repeat this process until there is no sign of sand or grit in the sink.
To cook:
- Fry the bacon until it is crisp. Remove from the pan, reserving 2 tablespoons of drippings, and crumble it.
- Put in a ziploc bag or storage container, seal or cover, and refrigerate.
- Spray the slow cooker with no-stick cooking spray.
- Remove the leaves from the thick center stalks of the collards.
- Cut or tear into large pieces. 2 to 3 inches is about right.
- Add to the slow cooker.
- Add the chopped onion and minced garlic.
- Pour the chicken stock into a large mixing bowl and add the crushed red pepper, reserved bacon drippings, and vinegar.
- Whisk to mix and pour the mixture over the greens in the slow cooker.
- Cook on low for 10 hours or until greens are tender.
- Add salt and black pepper to taste.
- Give the bacon a few seconds in the microwave just to warm it up.
- Serve collard greens with crumbled bacon on top.
Notes
-
- Pot liquor is the liquid that cooks the collard greens, and it provides a ton of flavor. You can taste test it before starting the crock pot—season it well because it will season your greens!
- Fresh greens from a farmer's market taste great but don't skip the cleaning steps. The leaves tend to hold onto a lot of sand and grit.
- Buy pre-diced onion and a bag of washed-and-cut greens from the produce section to reduce prep time.
- An easy way to remove stems from greens is to hold a leaf by the end of the stem with one hand and slide your other hand down the stem, tearing away the leaf as you go.
Nutrition Facts
Nutrition information is estimated as a courtesy. If using for medical purposes, please verify information using your own nutritional calculator. Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
This recipe has been tested several times. If you choose to use other ingredients, or change the technique in some way, the results may not be the same.
🧊 Can you freeze collard greens?
If you must freeze them, here’s how to do it right:
- Blanch them first. Toss those greens into boiling water for about 2 minutes, then dunk them in an ice bath. This keeps them from turning into an unrecognizable pile of green goo later.
- Drain ‘em well. Nobody likes watery greens. Shake ‘em, pat ‘em dry, do a little dance—whatever it takes.
- Pack them up. Use airtight freezer bags, squeeze out as much air as possible (pretend it’s a stress ball), and freeze.
They’ll keep for about 6 to 8 months, but fair warning—they won’t have the same fresh, tender texture when thawed. If you’re using them in soups, stews, or something where texture doesn’t matter as much, you’re golden. Otherwise, fresh is always best.
Marye's Tip o' the day
If you’re new to collards, just know this—pot likker (the broth left in the pot) isn’t just good. It’s liquid gold. Don’t throw it out unless you want to make your ancestors cry. Use it as you would any stock. Cook veggies, add to sauces, etc.
🤫 Marye's secret for zhuzhing it up
Lemon juice. That’s it. Just a squeeze before serving. Not only does it perk up the flavor, but it also helps your body absorb the iron in the greens. Science and deliciousness in one easy step.
zhuzh: verb. To make something more interesting or attractive
📚 More Southern comfort: related recipes you'll love
- With fatty bacon and sauteed onions, Southern Fried Cabbage is a super easy recipe that's always crisp, flavorful, and satisfying!
- Steakhouse Creamed Spinach is a delicious way to get the family to eat more greens—plus, it only takes twenty minutes to make!
- These slow-cooked, "smothered" Southern Green Beans are made with smoky bacon—plus, the recipe gives the option to add potatoes, too!
🍽️ No waste: creative ways to repurpose leftovers
- Stir them into soups and stews—especially black-eyed pea soup!
- Use pot likker as broth for rice, beans, or cornbread dressing. Seriously, don’t waste it.
- Toss them in a frittata for a Southern-style breakfast twist.
- Stuff them in a wrap with shredded chicken and cheese for an easy lunch.
Growing up, my parents always had a garden, and in the spring, we’d have collards, turnip greens, beet greens—pretty much anything green that wasn’t nailed down. And you know what? No matter how hard I try, my greens never taste exactly like my mom’s. But these? These come real close.
And when you make them? Southern home cooks everywhere will either tip their hat in respect or side-eye you with suspicion. Either way, take it as a compliment.
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Tonya says
This is one of my FAVORITE recipes! When I was a small child, I lived with my grandparents.. we grew all off the greens! I remember my grandmother would put them in a pillow case and run them through THREE rinse cycles on the washing machine to get rid of all the grit! I just purchase the pre washed, pre chopped bags now❤️ allows me to get it cooking that much faster! Do not forget the cornbread and the pepper sauce! One of my most favorite childhood dishes ❤️❤️❤️