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Slow Cooker Collard Greens are easy to make and so delicious! This is a classic Southern food that is most often served with cornbread. Crock pot collard greens are a traditional New Years Day meal!
Slow Cooker Collard Greens
Collards, or collard greens, are most often eaten in the American South, as that is where they seem to grow best. Cooked low and slow, these tasty greens, flavored by most often by pork, are delicious, tender, and so classically Southern!
Collard greens are considered a “non-heading” cabbage, and a cousin to the popular kale. The Greeks grew collards in their gardens over 2,000 years ago! They were eventually brought to America.
You can eat collard greens raw (in salads or smoothies, etc.), blanched, fried, boiled, etc. They are pretty hard to overcook, as long as there is enough liquid in the pot with them.
Add some pork or turkey, preferably smoked, for amazing flavor. If your greens end up a little bitter, a teaspoon of sugar and a little salt should take that away.
Slow cooker collard greens takes advantage of this green’s ability to be cooked for a long period of time. Check on them a couple of times to make sure there is enough liquid in the crock, and go about your business.
If you can, serve your collard greens with some cornbread to sop up the “pot likker” which is a term for the liquid in the pot from cooking the greens. Yum!
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If you make this crock pot collard greens recipe, please leave a comment and a star rating below. I’d like to know how you liked it!
Slow Cooker Collard Greens
Ingredients
- 2 Meaty Smoked Ham Hocks, or smoked turkey wings, legs, necks
- 1 lg Onion, chopped
- 4 cloves Garlic, minced
- 1 lb Collard Greens, cleaned & chopped
- 1 teasppoon Seasoned Salt
- ½ teasppoon Red Pepper Flakes, optional
- 5-6 cups Chicken Broth, low sodium
- 1-2 Tablespoon Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV)
- 1 teasppoon Sugar*
Garnish
- Hot Sauce
Instructions
- Add the ham hocks, onion, garlic, collards, seasoned salt, red pepper flakes, and broth to a 6 qt or larger slow cooker.
- Cook on Low for 8-10 hours, or High for 5-6 hours, stirring once halfway through, and again an hour before serving.
- Remove the ham hock (or other meat) and remove the meat from the bone. Then add the meat back in to the slow cooker. Stir.
- Add the ACV and sugar. Stir, then taste and adjust salt or other seasoning.
- Serve with some hot sauce, and corn bread or biscuits to sop up the pot likker (liquor).
Notes
- You can also use Bacon, or a leftover meaty ham bone.
- Be sure to remove the rib in the center of each leaf as those are tough and too fibrous.
- *The greens can sometimes be a little bitter. Sugar helps with this, as does a little salt and/or lemon juice.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Great recipe!
Do I have to use viniger
No you don’t. It gives a tang and helps soften, but you can leave it out.
This is my 3rd time making this recipe and I can’t wait until there done 😋. I have been trying other recipes, and they did not even come close to yours. I have shared them with some of my friends and they couldn’t believe that I was able to make them. I like to think that I am a good cook, but this added to my list of things I can do. I did use a smoked ham hock and used some sugar, all added to the flavor. Thank you.
Delicious! I used a ham bone from our ham we had for dinner that still had some meat on it.