Easy Honey Cider Collard Greens

These easy honey cider collard greens are a little sweet and a lot savory. Made with apple cider vinegar, honey, and garlic, these collards are perfect for New Year’s Day and all year!

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This honey cider collard greens recipe was originally published in 2013 updated on December 26, 2018 with new photos!

These honey cider collard greens are my favorite way to add a flavorful spin on the traditional southern recipe. They are perfect for the holidays.

Growing up in the Carolinas, I always knew what would be on the dinner table come New Year’s Day. Without fail, my Grandma would make collard greens, Hoppin’ John (field peas and rice), cornbread, and meat (usually ham).

With a handful of other superstitions, this traditional Southern meal was eaten for luck and good fortune in the New Year. In fact, eating greens on New Year’s Day is a common tradition around the world with cabbage, kale, and chard leading the bunch.

For health, wealth or taste alone, starting the year with greens and peas is a delicious way to good health and fortune in the New Year. At a young age, I learned that the greens symbolized money or economic fortune, and the peas were for luck. I’ve since grown to appreciate the wealth of nutrients in these foods. Collard greens are chock full of fiber, calcium, folate and vitamin A, which gives them a cancer-fighting quality. Like other dark leafy greens, collard greens are also a great source of lutein which supports eye health.

Choosing the best collard greens

In my opinion, the best flavor comes from young collard greens that you clean, cut and cook yourself. If the thought of preparing a big bunch of fresh collard greens is overwhelming, try the pre-washed and cut ones. (Use the bagged greens as soon as you can. I find that they tend to dry out quickly.) You can also experiment with turnip greens which are much easier to manage, but still nutritious and full of flavor.

Over the years, I’ve learned to create my own New Year’s Day meals minus the traditional salt pork and ham hocks used for seasoning. I use a drizzle of olive oil to tenderize the greens, and red pepper flakes or hot sauce for a little bit of spicy heat. My great-grandmother pickled hot peppers that we would enjoy on greens all winter long. Though I don’t have her recipe, I mimic that tangy flavor at the table with a healthy dash of apple cider vinegar.

Tips for Success

Choose a flavorful broth
I used a reduced sodium chicken broth for this recipe. Remember that your broth will add saltiness and flavor. Add salt to taste after the greens are done. Better yet, if you have ham broth, use that!

Note your “bunch” of collard greens
For this recipe, I used a small bunch of collard greens. When cleaned and cut, it was about 8 cups raw. If you have a huge bunch of greens, you’ll need more broth and more oil. Adjust as needed.

Cook the bacon until crisp
Cook the bacon slowly to avoid burning it. You can absolutely use the rendered bacon fat instead of olive oil. You can also use fatback in place of the bacon. I do think the bacon adds more smoky flavor though.

Cut the greens into about the same size (uniformly). Get my how to cut collard greens guide for the details. This ensures even cooking. I cut my greens really small. It’s a family thing. Not everyone does this. But it’s the way we do it and it helps the greens cook faster.

Here’s my favorite way to eat traditional greens at the moment.  Make them vegetarian by skipping the bacon or swapping in tempeh for some extra flavor. I swapped the bacon fat in the original recipe with a healthier oil and use cooked bacon to add a little smoky flavor.

Enjoy these collard greens with my Vegan Black-Eyed Peas!

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Here’s the original photo 🙂