It only takes 3 Minutes in the Instant Pot to make a huge pot of perfectly cooked and tender Kale! You can also use this technique for Collards or Chard!
Having cooked greens tucked into the fridge is a must for me when the weather is cooler. I love salad but honestly, I have a hard time choosing salad as frequently when it’s cold out. I just want warm foods that I can eat from a bowl.
I’ve been experimenting with cooked greens in my Instant Pot ever since I got it last year and I finally nailed the quick, easy and tasty formula that will allow us to stay stocked in greens all Fall and Winter!
The Instant Pot manual and many recipe sites will tell you that you should never cook anything without at least one cup of water and for the most part that is true. But, and the big BUT is – that when it comes cooking greens, too much water ruins the taste and texture.
Since Kale, Collards and Chard are naturally very high in water content, as long as you keep the vent “sealed”, you can add minimal liquid to the IP and still wind up with perfectly cooked greens every single time!
My recipe below is very basic and more about the technique. If you have extra time, play around with adding sliced garlic, ginger, shallot, onions, or even some chopped bacon. It all works and is great but for me, I like to keep this simple so that I can come home from the grocery store and get the greens into the pot in minutes without any extra work!
I can’t wait to hear how this works for you and if, in turn, it ups your consumption of cooked greens!
Did you make this recipe? Please give it a star rating below!
It only takes 3 Minutes in the Instant Pot to make a huge pot of perfectly cooked and tender Kale! You can also use this technique for Collards or Chard!
- 2 large heads kale or collards or chard, ribs removed and chopped into bite sized pieces
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 1/3 cup water
- squeeze lemon juice
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Clean kale and remove leaves from stems. Cut leaves into bite sized pieces and place into the Instant Pot along with olive oil, salt, red pepper and water.
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Lock lid and make sure the knob is set to "SEALED" Set to "Manual" for 3 Minutes.
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You can use manual release or slow pressure release - either works just fine! Squeeze lemon juice, stir and adjust salt and red pepper flakes if necessary.
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Store in a covered glass container in the fridge and Enjoy!
Did you make this recipe? Tag @EverydayMaven on Instagram with the hashtag #EveryDayMaven and please give a star rating below.
Phyllis says
January 3, 2019 at 11:59 amHow do you adjust for frozen greens?
EverydayMaven says
January 14, 2019 at 10:47 amGreat question Phyllis! I haven’t tried frozen but I think the cook time will be similar since frozen greens are usually chopped into small pieces.
Amy says
December 26, 2018 at 10:45 amQuick question. If one chooses npr over qr, won’t the kale continue cooking, possibly becoming overcooked?
EverydayMaven says
January 2, 2019 at 11:05 amHi Amy – Yes! Some people like their greens more cooked than others though. Personally, I do a QR for this recipe.
Lisa says
July 18, 2018 at 6:15 amThis recipe turned out great, I sautéed diced onions and garlic in some bacon fat in my IP then added the kale with 1/3 cup water. cooked on manual for three minutes QR. Then I splashed on some balsamic vinegar. Yumm!
EverydayMaven says
August 8, 2018 at 8:32 amYES! That sounds fantastic 🙂
Linda says
June 27, 2018 at 8:19 pmI did this tonight and it turned out perfect. I loved it. Will do again.
EverydayMaven says
August 8, 2018 at 7:20 amPerfect!! Thanks for letting me know 🙂
Tamieka says
April 7, 2018 at 6:21 pmPerfect
3 min low or high manual pressure?
EverydayMaven says
April 25, 2018 at 1:23 pmHigh Pressure!
Sue Hart says
March 2, 2018 at 5:27 pmI don’t know what QR means as Helene posted. Can I cook spinach for less time, maybe one minute. Love my new instant pot. Just made Cauliflower mash. 6 min, perfect! Thank you
Helene says
March 6, 2018 at 12:57 pmQR means quick release. No waiting. Immediatelynrelease the valve when time is up.
I would cook spinach or baby greens for 0 zero minutes. The heat of bringing to pressure cooks them.
EverydayMaven says
March 6, 2018 at 2:08 pmHi Sue!
QR means “Quick Release”
Mr.Tim says
June 18, 2017 at 6:22 pmSo great. I love how the Kale is still crunchy. I sauteéd Onion and Garlic first and used Smoked Serrano Chili Flakes. I mixed it with Whole Wheat Gnocchi and topped it with Parmesan. Perfect meal.
EverydayMaven says
June 20, 2017 at 1:35 pmSounds like a perfect dish!
Hélène says
May 14, 2017 at 12:55 pmI do baby greens and tender greens like, spinach, beet and dandelion greens, for zero min on Manual, QR. I use 1/2c water for 1lb greens. Hearty greens, like collards, turnip and mustard greens, need 2/3c-3/4c water and cook for 5-6min, QR. Kale I only cook for 5 min.
I often combine greens, incl tender with hearty after theyre cooked. We put them in smoothies often, so no seasoning. I put a dish in the fridge when Im making up several lbs at once. We take them out to add to things n season then. The rest I portion n freeze. I often have them for brkfst. Like 5 days a week :0
Love, love, love having greens ready to go!
EverydayMaven says
May 25, 2017 at 8:41 pmSuch great tips!
BRenda says
June 25, 2017 at 7:49 pmI do a lot of precooking and freezing when prepping for trips in our RV. For smoothies, I simply put the greens in my blender with a little liquid or juice, then freeze. I never bother to cook those.
J-Wo says
February 25, 2017 at 12:07 pmHow should I modify if I only have 1 head of kale available?
Tracey Meinen says
January 2, 2019 at 8:48 pmI curious too!
Peter says
January 10, 2017 at 11:41 amÌ have found that my instant pot cooks a pot roast perfectly. And when I cook a stew I always cook it with the steamer on. The meat just falls apart as you eat it.
Shari says
January 1, 2017 at 12:44 amThis is a great idea. I prefer chard (especially red) over kale. The nice thing about chard is you can eat the rib/stems and just chop it up along with the leaves, so it actually takes less time than kale or collards as you don’t have to trim out the ribs!
When we made this tonight, we used only 1 Tbl of bacon fat instead of olive oil and added dehyrdrated garlic and onion as well. Also, didn’t have lemon juice so added lemon zest to the pot. Topped with chopped bacon and pomegranates when we plated it. Delish!
Prep time for this recipe compared to one serving is not that much different, so instead of one serving we get 4 in just a bit more prep time.
Thanks for this recipe!
EverydayMaven says
January 4, 2017 at 10:56 amSounds amazing Shari!
Belinda says
October 10, 2016 at 12:22 pmI just ordered the IP you recommended! Please post more IP recipes!
EverydayMaven says
October 12, 2016 at 12:19 pmI will! I use it all the time 🙂
Belinda says
October 9, 2016 at 12:18 pmThanks!
Ann says
October 8, 2016 at 9:48 pmI just ordered an Instant Pot and should have it by Friday. I am excited to try this and other recipes using my new toy!!
EverydayMaven says
October 10, 2016 at 9:47 amAnn – you are going to LOVE having an IP!!
pthere says
October 8, 2016 at 5:27 pmThree minute greens not bad. I cook chard in a pot with three tbls of water plus 2 tbls of olive oil or if you are into butter use that instead.
In away it’s like stirfrying them. Cut the chard stems into 1/2 inch pieces across the stems and slice up the green part
put a tight fitting lid on the pot so as your steaming the chard as well. You will find that it cooks in know time at all. So don’t walk away.
Belinda says
October 8, 2016 at 6:22 amWhich Instant Pot do you have? I would love to try this!
EverydayMaven says
October 8, 2016 at 3:26 pmI have this Instant Pot!