Slow Cooker Southern Collard Greens

A plate of slow cooker collard greens with a fork in the dish.

5 from 1 vote

Slow Cooker Southern Collard Greens

This easy and delicious Slow Cooker Collard Greens recipe is a simple way to make the classic southern side dish. The crock pot infuses so much flavor into the collard greens with ham hocks and spices.

Prep Time15

Cook Time10

Shredding Time10

Total Time10 25

Servings:

Calories: 121kcal

Author: Karin and Ken

Ingredients

cooking spray or vegetable oil spray
2 cups sweet onion chopped
5 garlic cloves finely minced
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 pounds collard greens stemmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
4 cups chicken broth
1 12 oz smoked ham hock rinsed
3 Tablespoons cider vinegar plus extra for seasoning

Instructions

Lightly spray the inside of the slow cooker with cooking spray,
In a microwave-safe bowl combine onion, minced garlic, vegetable oil, 1 teaspoon of salt, and red pepper flakes. Microwave, stirring occasionally, until the onion is soft, around 5 minutes. Transfer to slow cooker.
Add collard greens and chicken broth and stir until blended. Place ham hock in the middle of the greens.
Cover and cook until the collard greens are tender, either on low for 9 to 10 hours or on high for 6 to 7 hours.
Once collard greens are cooked, transfer ham hock to a cutting board. Allow to cool somewhat and use two forks to shred it into bite-size pieces. Remove any fat, skin, and bones.
Stir the shredded ham and cider vinegar into the collard greens and season with salt, pepper, and additional cider vinegar to taste.

Notes

Use a liner. If you don’t have cooking spray, use a crockpot liner for super easy cleanup.

Remove the stems. Don’t skip removing the stems when preparing the collard greens. They are tough to chew.

Reserve the liquid. Save the liquid that the slow cooker leaves behind. It is super tasty and can be used in other dishes.

Make it ahead: Since this collard greens recipe in the slow cooker takes several hours, you can set it up the night before and let it cook overnight so they are ready to eat the next day.

Nutrition