Collard Greens in Dutch Oven

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Enjoy the delicious Southern flavors of our Collard Greens in Dutch Oven—a comforting blend of earthy greens, savory bacon, and sweet onion. With simple ingredients and straightforward instructions, this classic dish is the perfect side dish for a cozy family meal.

Collard Greens made in dutch oven in a white bowl with more collards in the background.

Embrace the simplicity of Southern comfort food with our easy-to-follow recipe for Collard Greens in Dutch Oven.

This classic side dish offers a delightful blend of flavors without the fuss. Using a Dutch oven adds a touch of tradition and nostalgia to the cooking process as opposed to those who may use a crockpot.

With just a handful of ingredients and simple steps, it's a comfort food recipe that's as approachable as it is delicious.

Ingredients

collards
bacon
sweet onion
salt, pepper
optional: red pepper flakes, white vinegar, or apple cider vinegar

See recipe card for quantities.

Tearing and Cleaning Collard Greens

2 bunches of collard greens that have been de-stemmed and are soaking in water in a white sink.

The easiest way we have found to cut collards is actually to tear them into pieces. This also leads to a more rustic feeling dish. If you prefer your collards to be more uniform, feel free to cut the leaves with a knife.

Hold a collard green stem in one hand and slide your other hand down the stem to tear off the leaves. Then, tear those into smaller pieces. The collard will shrink when cooking, so the pieces can be larger than bite-sized.

Wash the collards with cold water and then allow them to soak in a cold water sink while you are cooking the bacon and onions.

How to cook Collard Greens

Cut up bacon in a large dutch oven after cooking a little.

Uncooked Collard Greens in a dutch oven.

Preheat a dutch oven to medium low heat. Add bacon and cook for 8 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add chopped onions and salt and continue to cook for 5 minutes. Warning! Your house is going to start smelling amazing!
Rinse collards (do not dry!), and add them to your pot, but do not stir. Cover and let them cook. Don’t worry if you can’t fit them all, just leave the extras soaking. If you aren’t able to fit all the collards in the pot, check every 5 minutes or so and add the remaining collards as they cook down.

Half cooked Collard Greens in dutch oven with onions and bacon.

Fully cooked Collard Greens in dutch oven on a wooden background.

After the collards have been reduced by half (about an hour), stir the collards, bacon, and onion together. Add pepper, vinegar, and red pepper (if using) and stir again. Cover again and continue to cook for another hour, until the leaves are fully wilted.

Hint: This is not a dish you can rush! The best way to get delicious collards is to allow them to cook low and slow. This allows the flavors to meld together and ensures the collards achieve the perfect texture without becoming mushy or being too tough and stringy.

Substitutions

Different Greens - For a slightly different flavor and texture, try switching the collards with kale, Swiss chard, or mustard greens.
Bacon - Cooked ham hock is also delicious in this recipe. If you don't eat pork, you could try substituting turkey bacon. This would change the flavor some.
Meatless Collard Greens - You can leave out the bacon, but we really don't recommend it. The bacon and bacon fat add so much flavor and it really won't be the same recipe.
Onion - We don't recommend omitting the onion as it adds so much flavor. However, you can try substituting yellow, white, or red onions, but the flavor will be slightly different.
Spicy - Add extra red pepper flakes or even hot sauce.
Vinegar - White Vinegar or Apple Cider Vinegar will both work in this recipe.

Two white bowls of collard greens made in a dutch oven with bacon on a wooden table.

Equipment

To make southern Collard Greens, you'll need a large Dutch Oven.

Top tip: Taste as you go!

Feel free to taste the collards as they are wilting down and adjust the seasonings if necessary:

If you like saltier collards, add more salt.
Need more spice? Sprinkle in more red pepper flakes or even hot sauce.
Want a bit of tang? Splash a little more vinegar in.

This recipe is very forgiving with the seasonings!

Storage

Storage - Store collard greens in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Can you freeze cooked collard greens? - Yes, once cooled to room temperature, put in a freezer-safe container and freeze for up to 3 months.
Reheating - Reheat collard greens on the stove (or microwave). If you don't have a lot of the liquid in the pot, add some water to prevent burning. Keep a close eye on it.

Dutch Oven Collard Greens in a white bowl on a wooden table.

FAQ

Can you freeze Collard Greens?

Collard Greens freeze great! Once cooled to room temperature, put them in a freezer-safe container and freeze them for up to 3 months.

Why do you put vinegar in collard greens?

Vinegar is an optional ingredient and we have made them many times without vinegar, but it does add a slight tangy note to the collards that balance out the earthy and salty flavors.

Do you have to soak collard greens before cooking?

We highly recommend soaking your collard greens before cooking them. Collard leaves have a lot of grooves and dirt can sometimes get stuck in them and dry, making them harder to clean. Rinsing, soaking, and rinsing again, helps ensure you aren't biting into a dirt clump in your greens.

How to make your collard greens tender?

Cook them low and slow! Don't rush collards! They will either not be cooked enough and still be tough and stringy or they may overcook and become a pile of mush.

More Side Dishes:

These are some more of my favorite side dishes: