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This easy Vegan Collard Greens recipe is a meatless twist on a Southern classic – packed with smoky rich flavors and vibrant nutrient-packed greens. It is the perfect healthy side dish for heartier mains or simply enjoy with a slice of warm and tender vegan cornbread for a lighter meal.
If you’re looking for more collard green recipes, you will also love my West African Peanut-Free Stew, Vegan Green Gumbo, and Collard Green Miso Soup.
Quick Look: Vegan Collard Greens
- 🔪 Prep Time: 10 minutes
- 🔥 Cook Time: 30 minutes
- 🍽 Total Time: 40 minutes
- 👨👩👧👧 Serving: 4 servings
- 🌱 Calories: 156 per serving
- 🫘 Protein: 9 grams per serving
- 🍠 Dietary breakdown: Vegan and vegetarian, with a gluten-free and soy-free option.
- 😋 Flavor Profile: Earthy, smoky, and rich with a tender yet toothsome texture.
- ✅ Difficulty: Beginner-friendly vegan soul food, guided by step-by-step photos.
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Praise for these Vegan Collard Greens
As a southerner it was essential for me to learn how to cook collard greens without meat, and without sacrificing flavor. This flavor-packed collard greens vegan recipe is rich, savory, and deeply satisfying. Fresh collard greens are slow-simmered with garlic, juicy tomatoes, tamari, and smoked paprika for a soulful dish that replicates the essence of Grandmama’s classic greens. Don’t just make these for New Year’s Day luck; enjoy them year round whenever you’re craving the rich and smoky flavor of slow-cooked greens.
For more leafy green recipes, try my za’atar roasted cabbage, collard miso soup, or kale kimchi salad.
Key Ingredients
Collard Greens: Choose collard greens that have crisp, vibrant green leaves and firm, sturdy stems.
Garlic: Use fresh garlic cloves for the best flavor or use store-bought pre-minced garlic for quicker preparation.
Tomatoes: Choose the ripest tomatoes for the juiciest flavor or use a can of diced tomatoes if you can’t find fresh ones in season.
Tamari: The rich umami taste adds a robust flavor and is a great gluten-free option. Or use normal soy sauce if you prefer.
Paprika: Smoked paprika gives these meatless collard greens a rich, savory, and smoky flavor, no pork required!
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
How to Make Vegan Collard Greens
- Prepare collard greens. Thoroughly rinse the greens in cold water, pat them dry with a clean dishcloth or paper towel, then thinly chop them.
- Sauté garlic & tomatoes. Warm the oil in a heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat on the stovetop. Add the garlic and sauté until it is soft and fragrant, for about 3 minutes. Then add the diced tomatoes and cook until softened, for about 3 minutes.
- Add greens. Add the chopped collard greens and a sprinkle of sea salt and stir well until all of the ingredients are combined.
- Simmer. Reduce the heat to low and cover the greens with a lid. Cook until tender, for about 30 minutes, or longer depending on your texture preference.
- Add remaining seasonings. Turn off the flame then stir the soy sauce and smoked paprika into the vegan collards until well combined. Adjust the seasonings to suit your taste as needed. Serve!
Jenné’s Recipe Tips
- Thoroughly wash the greens. Be sure to remove all dirt and debris between the leaves by soaking them in cold water to lift any grime, then rinsing them under cold running water and patting them dry before cooking. My Nana always washed hers by making a bath for them the (clean) kitchen sink 😉
- Add a broth. If you want your collard greens vegetarian recipe to have a “pot gravy” or broth, add ¼-½ cup of water or vegetable broth and an additional tablespoon of tamari for a richer flavor and texture.
- Adjust the texture. Enjoy soul food collard greens with no meat at varying textures. Cook the greens longer if you want them softer and more tender or cook them less if you want more of an al dente texture.
- Double the recipe. Make a big batch of collard greens without meat to enjoy throughout the week in a variety of ways – as a side, served over fluffy brown rice, Instant Pot quinoa, with Vegan & Gluten-Free Cornbread, or added to your favorite meals.
- Optional: Remove the stems. Whether or not you want to remove the stems of the collard greens depends on personal preference and the texture you desire. The stems can be tough and fibrous towards the bottom of the leaves; remove them if you prefer a more tender end result.
Serving Suggestions
Enjoy this vegetarian collard greens recipe as a flavorful side dish with your favorite main courses for lunch or dinner, or add them to your favorite recipes from bowls to soups for extra nutrition and flavor. Below are some of my favorite recipes to serve with this dish.
- Southern Vegan Black Eyed Peas
- Vegan Macaroni and Cheese
- New Orleans Style Vegan Red Beans & Rice
- Chipotle Oyster Mushroom Sliders
- Vegan Cornmeal Buttermilk Biscuits
And if you’re looking for even more, check out my roundup of the best vegan soul food recipes!
Storage Directions
- Refrigeration: Allow collard greens to cool to room temperature before transferring them to an airtight container and storing them in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
- Freezing: Store cooled, cooked greens in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months.
- Reheating: Reheat greens in the microwave or a skillet on the stovetop until warmed through. If frozen, thaw in the refrigerator overnight before reheating.
Vegan Collard Greens FAQs
Yes, you can make this collard greens recipe vegan style in an instant pot instead of on the stovetop. First, use the sauté setting to cook the onion in the oil. Then add the remaining ingredients and cook for 5 minutes at high pressure. Allow the pressure to release naturally for 5-10 minutes, quick-release the rest of the pressure, then serve!
If you love your Instant Pot, check out my roundup of vegan Instant Pot recipes.
The secret to tender collard greens is mostly in the prep. Remove the tough stems before chopping the greens. Thinly slice the collards into uniform pieces. I prefer to chop the greens into thin ribbons (also called chiffonade). Beyond preparation, it is essential to cook collard greens over medium heat for at least 30 minutes. Cover the greens as they cook to trap moisture and make pot liquor, the tasty gravy at the bottom of the pot. Add more water or homemade vegetable broth for even more of this gravy and softer greens. And lastly, don’t forget to add a pinch of salt right after the greens go into the pot. This helps them tenderize.
Collard greens are traditionally seasoned with onions and garlic, and smoked meat. However, you can replicate the rich and smoky flavor with smoked paprika and soy sauce. The best tasting greens also have just the right touch of acidity to balance the earthiness of the greens. My family always used a splash of vinegar. I use tomatoes to add acid but also sweetness and umami (savoriness).
I highly recommend using fresh greens for the best flavor, but you can use frozen collard greens in a pinch. Keep in mind that frozen greens will likely release more water while cooking so you may need to adjust the cooking time and seasonings accordingly.
Yes! This collard greens recipe is vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, and nut-free. It is not soy-free from the tamari, but you can swap it for coconut liquid aminos if needed.
More Vegan Recipes For New Year’s Day
Side Dishes
Black-Eyed Pea Fritters
Soups & Stews
Green Gumbo (Vegan Gumbo Z’Herbes)
Side Dishes
Vegan Gluten-Free Cornbread
If you tried this Vegan Collard Greens recipe or any other recipe on my blog, please leave a star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below. Thanks for visiting!
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Vegan Collard Greens
Video
Equipment
- Cast Iron Skillet or Large Pot
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons oil, olive oil, avocado, or another neutral oil
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 juicy ripe tomatoes, diced or 1 cup of canned diced tomatoes
- 2 lb collard greens, leaves very thinly sliced; remove the stems if desired
- sea salt
- 2 tablespoons tamari, or soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika , + more to taste
Instructions
- Heat the oil over medium heat in a large heavy-bottomed pot, like a cast iron pot or Dutch oven.
- Add the minced garlic and sauté on medium-low for 1-2 minutes or until it is golden.
- Stir in the tomatoes and cook until soft, stirring occasionally, for about 3 minutes.
- Add the chopped collard greens and a sprinkle of sea salt and stir well. Reduce the heat to low and cover the greens. Cook until tender, about 30 minutes, or longer depending on your preference.
- Turn off the flame. Stir in the soy sauce and smoked paprika, seasoning with additional to taste as needed.
- If you liked this recipe, please take a moment to rate it. Thank you!
Notes
- Thoroughly wash the greens. Be sure to remove all dirt and debris between the leaves by soaking them in cold water to lift any grime, then rinsing them under cold running water and patting them dry before cooking.
- Add a broth. If you want your collard greens vegetarian recipe to have a “pot gravy” or broth, add ¼-½ cup of water or homemade vegetable broth and an additional tablespoon of tamari for a richer flavor and texture.
- Adjust the texture. Enjoy soul food collard greens with no meat at varying textures. Cook the greens longer if you want them softer and more tender or cook them less if you want more of an al dente texture.
- Optional: remove the stems. Whether or not you want to remove the stems of the collard greens depends on personal preference and the texture you desire. The stems can be tough and fibrous towards the bottom of the leaves; remove them if you prefer more tender greens.
- Serve with Vegan Black-Eyed Peas and Vegan Cornbread. Or with Black-Eyed Pea Fritters.
- Refrigeration: Allow collard greens to cool to room temperature before transferring them to an airtight container and storing them in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
- Freezing: Store cooled, cooked greens in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months.
- Reheating: Reheat greens in the microwave or a skillet on the stovetop until warmed through. If frozen, thaw in the refrigerator overnight before reheating.
I can’t wait to make these tender greens for New Year’s Day! A year never passes without me making these for all of the important holidays 🙂
As many others have mentioned, I made these for Thanksgiving this year and wrestled with whether or not I should write a review, but decided yes reviews are for total honesty, not *just* praise. The basis for this recipe is good, the greens had great texture, I love the incorporation of umami tamari, and the tomatoes offered a nice visual pop of color (food is multisensory IMO!!) however they turned out a bit tangy or “bright” and I could not seem to temper their acidity. I think 2 things could’ve added to this: first, the garlic I used was from a jar and that garlic contains citric acid. This is obviously not a reflection on the recipe, but worth noting for anyone who might use jarred garlic! Fresh likely yields a better flavor. The second is that tomatoes are acidic and could’ve added to that brightness as well. I’d like to make it again sans tomato and add some onion to see how it turns out. All in all though, I liked it and will be making a variation of it again. Thank you for making and sharing this recipe!
Hi Meg. Thanks for sharing your feedback. I find that the tomatoes not only add more umami, but their acidity helps to balance all of the flavors. Many soul food cooks from older generations use vinegar to achieve the same result (which is what my family has always done). Try making this recipe without tomatoes next time, or use half of what I call for. You will need to add a few splashes of water if you aren’t using tomato, start with 1/4 cup and add more as needed.
Thank you SO much for sharing this delicious recipe!! I’ve been vegetarian for about three years and struggled with finding a way to still enjoy the soul food that I previously loved. Your collard greens recipe is so full of flavor that you can’t even tell it wasn’t made with meat. It received a double thumbs up from my meat loving friend who also said it was so flavorful that he didn’t miss the meat. Again, thank you!!
Thank you for sharing!!
These were the first collards that I made without meat! They are so simple and so good that I don’t miss the old version
So glad to hear that!
Love this collard green recipe. It is very versatile for any greens. Collards, Turnips, Mustards or Kale. We have did them all. Instant pot friendly as well. None vegans love don’t know the different until we tell them.
Fabulous! I think I’ll do a mix of greens this holiday because I’m growing a bunch now. Thank you for sharing!
I made these, paired with your oyster mushroom Fried Chicken & Waffles recipe, for dinner last night. My husband usually enjoys my cooking, and last night was no exception. It’s his birthday month, and he just said, “THIS is my birthday dinner.” Definitely a winner!!!
Delicious!! Made it several times always a hit with vegans and non vegans.
Forgot to add, I didn’t use tomatoes because I’m avoiding night shade vegetables. Greens were still delish.
Yay!! Thanks for sharing 🙂
I’ve made these vegan collard greens at least 5 times now and each time its come out great! I love the way my kitchen smells after making this. Thanks, Jenné for this easy and delicious recipe!
Hi Jamie! Thanks for letting me know and for leaving a rating. I am so glad you love this recipe!
easy to make and delicious
Hi Carrie! I am so glad you enjoyed 🙂
delicious! recipe needed no adjustments.
So glad you enjoyed, Jules!! Thanks for rating and commenting 🙂