Skip to content
FriendsPantry
Collard greens

Vegetables · Leafy greens

Collard greens

Broad, flat, sturdy brassica leaves slow-cooked with smoked meat in the American South or shredded in Africa and Brazil.

Also called: collards, collard, berza

1 recipe with it

Photo: Evan-Amos, via Wikimedia Commons (public-domain)

What it is

Collard greens have large, smooth, paddle-shaped blue-green leaves with thick central ribs. They are tougher and milder than kale and mustard greens. Southern US cooks braise them long with pork; Brazilians shred them finely and sauté them (couve); in East Africa, sukuma wiki is often collards.

Brassica oleracea (Viridis group)

How it’s used

  • Braised with smoked turkey or ham hock
  • Finely shredded and sautéed (couve à mineira)
  • Sukuma wiki with tomato and onion
  • Used raw as wraps

Characteristics

Taste
Mild, earthy and cabbage-like.
Texture
Thick and chewy; silky when braised.
When cooked
Holds up to long cooking; remove thick ribs and roll leaves to slice into ribbons.
Sold as
fresh, frozen, canned
Cooking uses
Commonly cooked, Suitable for boiling

Storage

Refrigerated. Refrigerate in a bag; they keep longer than tender greens.

Diet, allergens and safety

No major allergens in typical versions.

  • Vegetarian
  • Vegan
  • Dairy-free
  • Egg-free
  • Gluten-free
  • Nut-free
  • Soy-free
  • Caffeine-free

Nutrition per 100 g

Energy
32 kcal
Protein
3.02 g
Carbohydrate
5.42 g
Fat
0.61 g
Fibre
4 g
Sugars
0.46 g

USDA FoodData Central: Collards, raw.

Substitutes

Optional — what works if you don’t have it, and how it changes the dish.

Related ingredients

Recipes with collard greens

More leafy greens