How to make southern soul food collard greens with bacon!
We all have that one dish that is pretty much our signature dish. It just so happens that collard greens happens to be one of mine. My southern soul food style collard greens are simply the best. I truly mean it. EVERYONE that has tasted this collard green recipe LOVES it!
Southern collard greens can be made several ways. You can make your collard greens with bacon ( like I will be doing), smoked turkey wings, ham hocks, or even smoked pork neck bones.
I add 1 large jalapeno to my pot. If you are not a fan of hot peppers, you can omit the jalapeno.
Also be sure to check out these recipes as well!
- Southern Cornbread
- Southern Fried Cabbage
- Traditional Southern Fried Chicken
The Best Soul Food Style Collard Greens
This classic southern soul-food style recipe for collard greens is an instant crowd-pleaser! Add different proteins, like ham or bacon, to give these delicious greens a savory flavor.
Ingredients
- 4 lbs collard greens cleaned and cut
- 1 lb bacon ends chopped
- 1 large onion diced
- 6 cups chicken broth
- 2 cups water
- 1 tsp seasoning salt
- 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
- 1 tsp minced garlic
- 1 large jalapeno pepper sliced
- 2-3 tbsp of white distilled vinegar
Instructions
- Place the bacon ends in a pot, and place the pot over medium heat.
- Brown the bacon then add in the diced onions, and cook until the onions start to sweat.
- Add in the minced garlic,then cook for 1 minutes.
- Pour in the chicken broth, and turn the heat up to high and let boil for 20 minutes.
- Pour in the 2 cups of water, and turn the heat down to medium.
- Start adding in the collard greens into the pot.
- Once all of the greens are in the pot, sprinkle in the seasoning salt and ground black pepper.
- Add in the sliced jalapeno, and the vinegar and stir the ingredients.
- Cover the pot, and let simmer for 1 hour and 10 minutes over medium heat. Be sure to peak in and stir periodically.
- Enjoy!
Video
I made greens for the first time using this recipe. OMG! they were so good. I’ve had greens before, but only at restaurants and they were NASTY. These had so much flavor. Thanks for the post.
I find that the restaurant make there greens sweet or way to dry for my liking. LOL
Thank you so much for sharing your passion and knowledge of southern cooking. You bring back so many memories and I can even swear I smell the food when watching your videos! Keep making your viewers hungry!
Thanks for the kind words Nelson!
How to cook the meat If I use smoke Turkey?
Same way 🙂
I made your collard greens tonight for dinner along with your fried chicken. OMG these collard greens really are the best! The chicken was amazing too. I can’t wait to try more of your recipes. Thank you so much for sharing!
Thanks for giving it a try! XOXO
Rosie can I do this with the clean and cut greens in the bag or do they have to be fresh collards?
You sure can hunny!
Hi Rosie!! These greens look so tasty and I can’t wait to try them! I usually cook my greens with smoked turkey legs because a few of my family members don’t eat pork. However, I’m a HUGE fan of bacon (YUMMY)!!! My question is did you just cut the ends off of your bacon? Would it make a big difference if I just cut up the whole slice of bacon?
I hope you enjoy them as much as I do!
Can I just use the whole bacon slice or must it be bacon ends?
Hey rosie, is it ok to use garlic powder and onion powder with this recipe?
Sure, that should be fine.
I fixed this for my hubby and now I fix them every week. He just cant get enough! I am a very busy mom so I wilt mine a little bit in a pot of water then place them in the crock pot on low for 3 hours or so and then on warm after they cook enough. I also add the bacon 30 min. before I serve them so it is crisp. I just LOVE this recipe. Thx so much for sharing!
Thanks for giving the recipe a try!
Hi rose
I was wondering about the bacon you used what kind of bacon, the fat back bacon or just regular bacon
sliced please please contact me back i was going to cook them for diner tomorrow please and thanks so much cause they looked so good
Hi Tomika,
I used bacon ends. “Bacon ends” tend to have more fat than regular bacon. Bacon ends can be found near the other bacon at your local grocery store. It may be labeled as ” bacon ends & pieces” .
Hi Rosie, I just found your website and I’m impressed so far. Question??? For mustard and turnip greens (already cut and cleaned in a bag) can I follow the same recipe as collard greens?
Yes, you can use the same recipe 😀
Hi Rosie. I just luv all your recipes. You are truly a southern cook! Can I hire you to cook for us? Lol. I am going to try this collard greens recipe, it looks so good! Tried many my husband don’t like the way i cook them. So I am going to try your way. Pray for me!
How did it come out?
My second time making Collards, and I can whole heartedly say they came out AMAZING!
Can’t wait to try this recipe for Thanksgiving.
They are amazing! I have another collard greens recipe coming before Thanksgiving, so stay tuned 😀
Hey there, I was just wondering what serving size this recipe is. 🙂
It should feed about 8 people
Hi – What’s the serving size for this recipe?? I have about 30 people coming over for thanksgiving so i want to make sure i have enough 🙂
Thanks!
Two lbs of greens probably feed 4-5 people. You have a lot of cooking to do missy! LOL
Hi Rosie, is it possible for you to give the measurements of the ingredients for 30 people. i will be the joke of the dinner if i mess up (joking out of love tho)
You’ll probably have to make this x 4
I no longer see the recipe for the best collard greens recipe and would like to have it please.
It’s now there. Sorry about that!
I made these last night with your pinto beans and both were delicious! I’ve made collards several times before but they were never this good. Thanks for sharing!
Glad that you liked the recipe! XOXO
I’m trying this today. I’ve always wanted to learn how to country cook and finding you on YouTube was like finding my long lost big sister who was gonna teach me her trade secrets! I’m a nervous cook typically and you make it seem so easy, I appreciate you!!
Aweeee. Hi Stephanie! I’m glad that you found me Let me know if you have any questions! XOXO
These greens are full of flavor and super easy to make. I think I boiled the chicken broth too long or had the stove on too high because a lot of the broth boiled away… There still wasn’t enough juice even after I added the 2 cups of water. Even after that little hiccup the greens were still delicious. Thank you so much!
Best collard greens I’ve eaten, do you have a cook book? I will be trying more of recipes.
Thanks! No cookbook is available at this time.
Really want to try but never made before how do I clean and cut the greens will it be on the package somewhere lol I no but just want it done right
You’d clean the greens like you would clean all your other veggies. With a little bit of vinegar and lots of water. You can buy the already cleaned greens at the store, but still rinse them before you cook them.
Soooo good! Thank you for this recipe! I’m cooking my Christmas dinner from your website and this is my first dish and they’re Sooo perfect! :). Thank you!
These are the best, I subsituded basalmic vinegar
This is definatly the best collard greens recipe, I substituted basalmic vinegar. Thanks for the great recipe.
Thanks Craig!
This was too funny not to pass on to you. I was going to save your good recipe to Pinterest. You know how it tries to choose your category or file that you usually store this type of recipe in? I was expecting Veggies, Side Dishes or maybe even Pressure Cooking. You know what Pinterest’s first choice was? HOUSEPLANTS! LOL,
Oh my stars!!! LMAOOOO. What the heck? LOL. Hilarious!!!!
I tried your recipe today and it was amazing! My husband said they were “on point”! Thanks for sharing!
Hi Evelyn! Thank YOU for trying my recipe!
You are by far the best cook EVER! I sooooooo enjoy your recipes. My family enjoys them even more. I’ve tried the layered spaghetti, fried cabbage, sherpherd’s pie and the collard greens. I never thought I could cook greens like my mom until I tried your recipe. They were delicious! Now I’m just waiting on a cookbook, cooking show, restaurant, or something because you are just that good. Keep up the good work and keep those recipes coming. You got me back into cooking more……. Thank you!
Thanks so much Pat!
What brand of chicken broth do you use? Can I substitute the chicken broth for chicken bouillon?
I use several brands. Usually whatever is on sale. If using bouillon, be sure that you know how much liquid to add as well.
Made your greens yesterday. The broth tasted and smelled amazing. I will be cooking these for my mom soon. Thanks!
Glad that you liked the recipe!
Hi! I have tried to make greens like my bf mother who passed a year ago. Only one resturaunt in town makes them like her but even the family size order is too small for him. He said she used jalapeno pepper and bacon as well but I cant figure out what makes the sweetness?
Any help would be appreciated!
Some people add a few tablespoons of sugar to their greens to add sweetness. You can try adding a little sugar. Try adding 1 tbsp at a time until you reach your preference.
Hi Rosie,
What would be a non-pork substitute for the bacon? Thank you,
Ashley
Smoked turkey, but it would have to be prepared differently.
Thank you, did you have the directions posted elsewhere or able to share them on how to prepare?
I don’t have the recipe posted at the moment. Sorry.
It looks pretty simple can I also add cabbage to this to make the recipe stretch #beginner
Hi Briana! You can try that! 🙂
Hi, I’m going to make these tonight. I was wondering if the greens weigh 4 pounds before you clean them or after you’ve cut the rib out and clean them. I’m assuming it’s before you clean them…
Hi Robin! The weight is before cooking 🙂
Hello! Can I replace the jalapeno peppers with red pepper flakes? If so, how much?My family and I don’t really like spicy food but we can handle a little “kick”.
Hi there. Try 1/2 tsp 😉
Hi Rosie , can I sub the minced garlic and chopped onion for garlic powder and onion powder? If so, what would you suggest the measurements be?
Hi Shondra! Absolutely. You can add 2 tsp of each 🙂
Yes thank you very much for getting back to me so quickly it’s appreciated.
No problem!
Hi Rosie, my husband loves mixed greens which consist of mustards,turnips(without the bottoms),and spinach. I would like to make these greens for him for Thanksgiving, do you by any chance have a recipe for this dish. Need help!!! Becky
Hi Becky! I sure do! Check out my mixed greens and turnips recipe 🙂
Hi Rosie! How many days in advance can I purchase collard greens from the store? I don’t want to get stuck in he craziness on Thanksgiving eve! Lol
Buy it at most three days in advance
Ok, thank you!
Hi Rosie, I am new to this blog, and I hate to cook. This is my attempt to change that. I so want to try the Mac and cheese recipe and this collard green recipe as well. I just wanted to say how beautiful you are in your profile picture. . I trusted you immediately. I will let you know how the actual cooking turns out. Thank you for sharing your love for cooking with me.
Sara
Hi Sara! Thanks so much for the kind words!
So delicious! They came out perfect
Finally I found a recipe that sounds like the one I lost many years ago. I’d like to prepare my collard greens using a ham hock. How would I do that using your recipe?? Any help would be appreciated. Thank you!
Hi Rosalie I have a collard greens & ham hock recipe here.
I’m making these greens as we speak and the smells coming from my Kitchen! I cannot wait!!!!!!!
Rosie! I have made these a handful of times now. Your recipe is always my go to! My husband and I LOVE these. We’ve also introduced a lot of people up here in the PNW to these, and they are all shocked at how yummy these are. Collards aren’t common here, but in our home, we make sure they are thanks for this wonderful recipe! Very flavorful!
Thanks for trying my recipe!
I am excited to come across your recipe. I have recently changed to a keto lifestyle and have been looking to find healthy recipes that fit into a low carb diet. I am going to try this out tonight as a side to smoked salmon I have no doubt it will be great!
Excellent recipe! We just planted our collards for the fall. Can’t wait to use some fresh greens with this recipe. I just found you on YouTube. I just ate and now I’m HUNGRY!!!! God Bless.
Glad that you found me! XOXO
Hello! Thank You for your step-by-step recipes. I am eager to try them out for the 1st time. I want to start off trying your Southern collard green recipe. However, my daughter does not eat pork and I would like to substitute bacon with a smoked Turkey wing. Would the steps in this recipe still apply ?
Yes, you can use smoked turkey 🙂
Hi Rosie! The collard greens recipe sounds amazing. Will the same steps apply if i use smoke turkey wings?
The best, hands down! So simple too. Thank you!
Hi Rosie! If I’m only making 2lbs of greens, would I cut the measurements for the ingredients in half? Thanks!
You need to cut the recipe in half.
I really wanted to make this ,I bought everything for it but for some reason I can’t find my collard greens so my question is can I replace the collard greens with broccoli
Absolutely not.
I made your greens for Christmas Eve dinner today and for tomorrow Christmas day! They taste, smell and look so amazing and I can’t wait to see my families faces when they eat them today!!! Yum!!! Thank you SO MUCH FOR SHARING!!!
I made collards tonight for the first time ever. I thought they were delicious!! Thanks so much for sharing your recipe!
I just have to let you that I’ve have made your greens recipe at least four time’s and I love love love it, keep up the great work and keep the recipes coming
I hate to admit this because I’ve been told I’m a good cook, but your collards are a hundred times better than mine! The way the smoky bacon flavor goes all through the greens! The way the sweetness of the onion lets you know the onion was there, even though it’s all cooked away to nothing! Oh, bless me, these are so good! This is my new recipe, but I will give you the credit. Thank you so much for sharing your recipes, and your sweet self, with us.
Best greens recipe ever. Of course, greens should be seasoned to taste but this is the best guidelines I have ever seen and tasted!! Thank you
I’m sure these are best freshly made. But if that’s not possible, are they good reheated the next day? Thanks!
Absolutely! You can freeze them as well 🙂
First time making greens here as well and everyone loved these. Thanks so much for such good recipes. I’ve made your fried chicken too. Also my first homemade fried chicken, and it also was loved by all. (There are 8 of us.)
Perfect greens! Great flavor. and not too salty! Reminds me of when I lived in SC!
Thank YOU!
I just found you! I have searched for a long time to find recipes that closely mimic the food I grew up on. My Mom passed in 2011 and I have struggled to get my Holiday recipes as close to my Mom’s as possible. She never measured anything but always told me to taste my food to figure it out lol! While my family thinks I nail it every time, I’ve always struggled, nervous that I didn’t add something or too much of something! Nevermind my nieces are always calling me to ask how much of this or that or whats your recipe for…! Now I can tell them something other than a little bit of this and a Lil bit of that!
I really think we’re related! Thank You sweetie, you are truly blessed with a gift.
Glad that you found me!
They stole the show!!! Over the BBQ and all the other food, yay!!! Now that is what everyone always requests from me, thanks for sharing, they really are the best!!!
Absolutely delicious!!! I found this in Pinterest, thank you for sharing your recipe! I’m finding that many southern staples I didn’t like when I was introduced to them as a child was actually because of how it was prepared. This recipe was very easy to follow and tastes amazing.
Question…have you tried freezing them? I have several bags of garden fresh collards and I’m hopeful that I can freeze them (cooked or uncooked) and still enjoy the same taste.
Hi Laneka! I have froze them, and they were just as good!
Rosie’s I love all your recipes thy are so good!!
Thank the heavens I found your recipe again! The first
time I made collard greens I used this recipe and they came out amazing. I couldn’t for the life of me find where I pinned it and used a different recipe the next time. It was fine but not YOUR recipe. 10 min and counting and the pot of collard greens is ready to eat. My mouth is watering, the house smells amazing and I thank you.
Glad that you found me again! I hope you subscribed to my mailing list 🙂
ROSIE GIRL I JUST LOVE YOUR RECIPES. DEFINITELY FOOD FOR THE SOUL. MY BETTER HALF AND HIS FRIENDS AND THEIR WIVES ARE FROM THR DEEP SOUTH. LET ME TELL YOU GIRL, THEY JUST CLUTCH THEIR PEARLS WHEN I SERVE THEM YOUR FOOD. YOU ARE THE BEST! SO SWEET AND FULL OF THE LORDS JOY! LOVE YOU SISTAH, YOU HAVE MY HEART AND STOMACH! LOL DONNA
Thanks so much Donna!!
I made this last night and it was AMAZING! It was my first time making collard greens and my partner’s first time trying it.. He absolutely loved them which says a lot because he can be picky about his vegetables! Thank you so much for sharing this amazing recipe!
So… GOOD!!! Love these! I did use the whole bacon since I did not have bacon ends/pieces! My friend that says no I don’t eat collard greens LOVED THEM!! They had such a great flavor. It is just me and my husband now for the most part so next time I might half the recipe. I made these in my dutch oven. They were perfect!!!!!
Are the greens really spicy with the addition of the jalapeno? I like trying recipes as written before I put my spin on things because sometimes things are perfect the way they are. I digress. I’m asking because I don’t like really spicy food. A hint of spice that goes away after leaving a blanket of warmth on your tongue is okay, but extreme heat is a no go for me.
Hi there. No they aren’t really spicy :-). In my opinion anyway.
Nothing like a mess of greens and fried pork chops. The jalapeno is in there but not over powering.
The Best Collard greens . Thank you for sharing your recipe with us. Can I freeze my leftovers, juice and all in airtight containers?
These really are the best greens!! I couldn’t find a bag of greens so I ended up having to buy them with the stems and everything. Made it more of a special experience so it worked out! This recipe was absolutely amazing. Will save it for the future. Everyone else, use this recipe!
Hi Rosie, thank you for sharing this recipe! I love collard greens and am usually grudgingly sharing…
The recipe I’ve always used was really simple, collards, bacon, onion, seasonings and vinegar. I’ve never added broth to it.
I am going to try your recipe minus the jalapeno, I’ll add a little bit of red chili flakes instead. I imagine the broth will really add flavor. Looking forward to trying it!