Vegan Collard Greens

These delicious vegan collard greens are simple enough for a weeknight meal but have enough flavor to serve to guests or as a holiday dish. You can whip up this tasty side dish in less than 30 minutes.

Using just a few ingredients, these warm savory greens are easy to cook, versatile and flavorful. They’re ready in less than 30 minutes and add flavor to any dinner table.

What to serve with collard greens? I love my Vegan Mashed Sweet Potatoes, Vegan Sweet Potato Casserole, and Butternut Squash Soup.

How to Prepare the Collard Greens

Before we start cooking, the collard greens need to be trimmed. You may choose to keep the thick central ribs intact or remove them, based on personal preference. For this recipe, I remove them.

Once you’ve removed the stems, stack the leaves on top of each other. Using a sharp knife, cut thin strips across the leaves, creating long ribbons. Once you’re done, give it a few horizontal chops to create shorter ribbons.

Now the collard greens are ready to be cooked!

Ingredients You’ll Need

In this recipe, we’ll cook the collard greens with garlic, onion, and tomatoes to create a savory, tasty side dish.

Here’s everything you’ll need:

• A large bunch of collards
• Avocado oil: I prefer cooking with avocado oil but any oil or butter can be used.
• Garlic: I prefer fresh garlic but you can also use garlic powder.
• Onions: both yellow and red onion taste great with collards
• Tomatoes: canned or fresh tomatoes can be used. I usually use diced cherry tomatoes.
• Apple cider vinegar: if you don’t have apple cider vinegar, lemon juice also works to give it tanginess and more flavor
• Paprika: I use sweet paprika in this recipe but you can use smoked paprika for a Southern flavor.
• Sea salt and black pepper: to taste

This recipe can easily be doubled, however, I recommend cooking in batches as the collards will fill up the pan until they are cooked down.

Pro-Tip: Use a large, heavy-bottomed skillet to cook collard greens.

How to Make Vegan Collard Greens

1. Prepare the collard greens: Prepare the collard greens by removing thick central ribs, stacking up the leaves, and slicing into thin strips.

2. Cook garlic and onion: Heat a large, heavy-bottomed skillet over medium-low heat. Add the garlic and onion and cook until the onions become translucent and fragrant, about 8-10 minutes.

3. Add cherry tomatoes: Stir in the cherry tomatoes and increase heat to medium. Cook until soft, about 3 minutes.

4. Add remaining ingredients: Add the chopped collard greens, salt, pepper, paprika, vinegar, and stir until the greens are coated with the mixture.

Pro-Tip: If using fresh tomatoes, you may need to add a tablespoon or two of veggie broth or water to make sure there’s enough liquid to cook the collards in.

5. Cook and Serve: Reduce the heat to low, and cook until the greens are wilted and dark green, about 15-20 minutes, stirring frequently. Turn off heat. Adjust seasoning, if needed, and stir.

How to Store Cooked Collard Greens

To Store in the Fridge: Cool down completely before storing in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.

To Warm Up: When ready to serve, warm up on a pan. Add a tablespoon of water to add moisture, if needed. Alternatively, use the microwave to warm up.

Serving Suggestions

These vegan collard greens have a fresh and tangy flavor, which makes them perfect for pairing with any main course. A few of my favorite options are:

• Serve with soup, such as cauliflower soup or butternut squash soup.
• Serve over jasmine rice, brown rice, or Basmati rice
• In a Buddha bowl, such as a Vegan Power Bowl
• Quinoa: cooked on the stovetop or Instant Pot
• Pairs well with sweet potato casserole or mashed sweet potatoes

More Easy Side Dish Recipes

• Mashed Sweet Potatoes
• Vegan Sweet Potato Casserole
• Homemade Cranberry Sauce
• Italian Potato Salad
• Roasted Radishes
• Garlic Roasted Cauliflower

If you tried this Vegan Collard Greens recipe or any other recipe, don’t forget to rate the recipe and let me know what you think. You can also follow me on Pinterest, Instagram, and Facebook for more delicious recipes!

Vegan Collard Greens

5 from 7 votes

Print Pin Rate

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 25 minutes

Servings: 2 servings

Calories: 143kcal

Author: Sapana Chandra

These delicious vegan collard greens are simple enough for a weeknight meal but have enough flavor to serve to guests or as a Thanksgiving side dish. Quick and easy to make, they come together in less than 30 minutes.

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon avocado oil
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 yellow onion, diced
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1 bunch collard greens
• 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt, to taste
• 1/8 teaspoon black pepper, to taste

Instructions

• Prepare the collard greens by removing thick central ribs, stacking up the leaves, and slicing into thin strips. 
• Heat a large, heavy-bottomed skillet over medium-low heat. Add the garlic and onion and cook until the onions become translucent and fragrant, about 8-10 minutes.
• Stir in the tomatoes and increase heat to medium. Cook until soft, about 3 minutes.
• Add the chopped collard greens, salt, pepper, paprika, vinegar, and stir until the greens are coated with the mixture. Reduce the heat to low, and cook until the greens are wilted and dark green, about 15-20 minutes, stirring frequently. Add a few tablespoons of water, if needed, throughout the cooking process (*see note). 
• Turn off heat and serve.

Notes

*If the collard greens start to stick to the pan, you can ‘deglaze’ the pan with a bit of water (I recommend 1 tablespoon of water at a time, as needed) to prevent sticking.

Nutrition

Calories: 143kcal, Carbohydrates: 17g, Protein: 5g, Fat: 8g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Sodium: 613mg, Potassium: 531mg, Fiber: 6g, Sugar: 6g, Vitamin A: 5401IU, Vitamin C: 50mg, Calcium: 276mg, Iron: 2mg

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: American

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