Name: Black Folks Collard Greens Recipe
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 180 min
Total time: 195 min
Ingredients: 2 pounds collard greens (3 bundles); 1 turkey leg (pre-cooked/smoked (this ingredient is optional)); 1 cup yellow onion (diced); 2 cups tomatoes (diced); 4 cups chicken stock (use vegetable stock to make vegan and vegetarian-friendly); 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar; 3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce; 2 tablespoons honey; 1 tablespoon hot sauce (or sriracha sauce); 2 cloves garlic (minced); ½ teaspoon Old Bay seasoning (or Cajun or Creole seasoning); 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes; 1 tablespoon salt; 1 teaspoon black pepper

This post may contain affiliate partner links. View our privacy statement HERE.

Jump to Recipe

Collard greens are both nutritious and delicious, especially when prepared with a traditional Black folks’ recipe, seasoned to perfection! They’ve long been a staple in soul food and Southern cuisine, representing more than just a side dish at family gatherings.

Black Folks Soul Food Collard Greens Recipe

A Black folks’ collard greens recipe symbolizes the remarkable resilience of African American cooking, blending traditions from African ancestors with the available resources in the South.

Collard greens the Black way

A Black people’s collard greens recipe is a cultural staple of traditional soul food cooking. Typically, these greens are cooked with meat, vinegar, salt, and pepper. The result is a delicious dish featuring rich green leaves that are so tasty they might make you exclaim the famous soul food phrase, “Makes you wanna slap yo mama!” (But please don’t actually do that!)

Ingredients

Grandmas often say, “A pinch of this and a dash of that!” Making authentic soul food collards is simple once you know the right seasonings and the proper amounts to use.

To prepare this dish the traditional way, as in Black households, you’ll need a few bundles of collards, an onion, chicken stock, garlic, hot sauce, salt, and pepper. These are some of the main pantry ingredients that will help you create this flavorful dish.

What does baking soda do to collard greens?

Some cooks add a pinch of baking soda when preparing collard greens to preserve the chlorophyll, which gives green vegetables, particularly those in the cabbage family, their vibrant green color. However, baking soda is not essential for cooking collards, and I have never seen any Black home cooks use it.

How to make collard greens

Seasoning is pivotal in transforming these healthy greens into a savory side dish! A medley of spices, including garlic, onions, and a hint of smoked meat (typically ham hocks or smoked turkey for a healthier option), infuses the collard greens with flavors that reflect rich African American cooking traditions. The slow and deliberate simmering process allows the collard greens to absorb these rich, complex flavors.

For quicker yet still flavorful collard greens in just 15 minutes, check out my Instant Pot collard greens recipe HERE!

Prep the greens – Before you get started, make sure you thoroughly clean and cut the collards.
In a large stockpot, bring the liquid to a simmer with the onion, red pepper flakes, and chicken stock.
Then, add the collard greens and the remaining ingredients and cook. Optionally, add an already seasoned and cooked turkey leg to the pot for enhanced smoky and meaty flavor.

🎙Listen to my conversation about this recipe on The Soul Food Pod episode: Soul Food Southern Collard Greens Recipe

How to know when collard greens are done

How to avoid bitter greens

Every bite of my collard greens recipe reflects the rich flavors and heartiness that pay tribute to our ancestors’ ingenuity and strength. This recipe features a carefully curated selection of soulful ingredients, including apple cider vinegar and chicken stock, which help to braise the greens and tenderize them as they simmer in a flavorful liquid known as pot likker.

Thanks to this traditional African American preparation, these greens are transformed, eliminating any bitterness that might have been present in their coarse state.

How to know when collard greens are done

Collard greens should be cooked on the stovetop for 2 to 3 hours. Slowly simmering the greens makes them tender. It’squite difficult to overcook collard greens, as they don’t become mushy even with longer cooking times. You can easily tell they are done when they are tender.