This stovetop braised collard greens recipe is easy and flavorful, and complements any Southern entree. Using bacon is a great way to get that smoky pork flavor in your collard greens without the hassle of picking apart a ham hock. Learn how braising your collards guarantees both maximum flavor and maximum tenderness for these sometimes-tough or bitter greens.

Southern braised collard greens topped with bacon in a white bowl with a spoon.

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Like Charleston red rice, creamy grits, and fried okra, a classic Southern side dish you’ll find almost anywhere you go out to eat in Charleston is collard greens.

When I first had collard greens as a kid, I was not a fan — and that’s because the flavor profile can vary so much from recipe to recipe. These dark greens can easily be too bitter, too spicy, or too sweet. Now it’s one of my favorite Southern sides!

This recipe includes brown sugar to offset the bitter greens, plus apple cider vinegar and a little hot sauce, and you can adjust any of these to suit your personal taste buds!

Ingredients

Collard greens: You can buy these pre-washed and cut as a shortcut, or by the bunch. If buying by the bunch, be sure to wash the greens several times, as dirt can get caught in the leaves. You may want to remove any thick center stems, but this recipe also cooks long enough that even the stems become tender. Thinly slice these perpindicular to the stem so no one piece gets a ton of stem.
Thick cut bacon: Bacon — both the meat and the grease — gives the collards the classic smoky pork flavoring characteristic of Southern greens. I’ve used ham hocks in the past but bacon gives a great way to get the same flavor without having to shred the cooked meat off the bone at the end. I just snip the raw bacon into small pieces with kitchen scissors. Instead of draining off all the grease, save some in the pan to cook the onion in to maximize that flavor.
Yellow onion and garlic: Diced onion and minced garlic cook in bacon grease for a triple flavor punch!
Salt and pepper
Chicken broth: Broth forms the base of the pot-liquor (or potlikker), which is the liquid left behind after cooking a vegetable like green beans or leafy greens. Having a flavorful pot-liquor is key to good Southern collards.
Brown sugar, apple cider vinegar, and hot sauce: These flavors balance out the bitter greens. I use Frank’s Red Hot but you can use your favorite hot sauce. Tabasco and Cholula are other Southern favorites.

What is braising, and why do it?

Braising is a cooking technique that combines cooking with dry heat and moist heat for both maximum flavor with maximum tenderness. It’s especially helpful for tougher vegetables or cuts of meat.

Just sautéeing dark leafy greens is quick but can leave the greens tough and bitter. By just simmering them you can miss out on some of the extra flavor that comes from cooking with dry heat.

But by braising our collards, we get all the flavor from sautéeing the onions and greens in bacon grease, and all the melt-in-your-mouth tenderness that comes from a long simmer in our flavorful pot liquor. It’s a win-win method!

VIDEO: How to make braised collard greens

How to braise collard greens

Cook and set aside the bacon. This will crisp the bacon and render the grease that gives so much flavor to the onions and greens. (image 1)
Sautée the onions, garlic, and greens. Get the onions evenly softened, and then add the greens one handful at a time and cook them until they are wilted. Add salt and pepper. (images 2-3)
Add broth and seasonings. Some chicken broth or stock plus brown sugar, apple cider vinegar, and a bit of Frank’s red hot sauce adds just enough tang, sweetness, and spice to balance out the bitter greens. You can adjust these to your personal taste. (image 4)
Simmer for 30+ minutes. A nice long simmer tenderizes and flavors the greens. I add most of the bacon back in to simmer with the greens for extra flavor. It does soften up but it ends up more like small, flavorful pieces of pork, which is what I’m looking for in my collard greens.
Sprinkle with remaining bacon. That said, I still love a crispy piece of bacon. So I save a bit to crumble on top at the end too.
Serve with additional vinegar or hot sauce. This is standard at a Southern table so people can adjust the seasonings to their individual preferences.

Tips & Tricks

Adjust to taste. Be sure to try the greens mid-way through simmering and add more brown sugar, vinegar, or hot sauce to taste. Just like every collards recipe is different, every taster has different preferences!
Make more than you think. A pound of collards (like this recipe) makes enough to be a side dish for 4-6 people, but if you’re cooking this for a holiday meal you’ll want to double or triple the recipe. Like spinach, collard greens cook down a LOT.
Use a ham hock if you’d like. To get extra smoky pork flavor, add a ham hock when you add the broth and seasonings. At the end of the simmer, let the ham hock cool enough to touch and then pick off the shreds of pork to add back into your greens.

Cooked greens with bacon in a white bowl.

What to serve with collard greens

Serve collard greens along with any Southern entree. Here are a few of my favorites!

Slow cooker pulled pork with homemade Carolina Gold BBQ sauce
Grilled blackened salmon
Shrimp and grits with tomato gravy
Blackened grouper sandwich with Cajun remoulade

More Southern sides you’ll love

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