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    Home » Canning and Preserving

    How to Freeze Collard Greens

    LAST UPDATED: October 10, 2022 PUBLISHED: October 3, 2022 By Pam Greer 5 Comments As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    It is so easy to freeze fresh collard greens and be able to have them whenever you want!

    A few simple steps and you can have frozen collard greens to add to soups, pastas or use as a side dish!

    Collard greens on a wooden cutting board.

    You might be wondering why you would want to freeze collard greens, why not just cook up a big pot of them right now?

    There are plenty of reasons for freezing collard greens. In this instance, I got a bunch of collard greens in my CSA two weeks in a row. Rather than have collards again, I decided to freeze them so that I could use them through the winter to add to soups or beans.

    Maybe your store is having a big sale on collards. Here in the south, they go on sale around New Year's so that everyone can make Hoppin John. When they are on sale, I buy several bunches and freeze them.

    I love to add them to soups and pastas.

    Collard greens are so good for you - check out these 7 Health Benefits of Collard Greens!

    Step by step instructions for freezing collard greens.

    Collage photos of collards with stems stripped off and greens in a sink.

    Begin by starting a big pot of water to boil. It should be big enough to hold the collard greens.

    Remove the stems from the collards. Don't get rid of those! Use them in this easy and tasty Quick Pickled Collard Stems! I just pull the stems off, some people use a knife and cut them off.

    Place the collard greens in a sink of cool water to wash off the dirt.

    Photo collage showing collard greens chopped and then added to boiling water.

    Remove the collards from the sink and coarsely chop them into pieces. I like to do slightly larger than bite sized.

    Drop the collards into the boiling water, tongs are great for this. Blanch the collards by boiling for 3 minutes.

    While they are boiling, prepare an ice water bath. Fill a large bowl with water and ice. I like to use my salad spinner because I can easily drain off the water.

    Photo collage showing ice water bath empty and then with collards in it.

    Use tongs or a big slotted spider to remove the collard greens from the boiling water and immediately drop them in the ice water bath.

    Let them chill for about 3 minutes to stop the cooking.

    Photo collage showing collards spun dry in spinner and then shaped into small balls on a baking sheet.

    Use the salad spinner to remove as much of the excess moisture as you can.

    Then, grabbing handfuls of it (I usually make about a tennis ball sized ball,) standing over a sink, squeeze out as much of the moisture as you can. Really squeeze tightly.

    Place the collard green balls on a baking sheet. Place in the freezer and flash freeze for at least 2 hours.

    Frozen collard greens in a freezer bag.

    When frozen, remove the collards from the baking sheet and put them in a zip loc or vacuum sealed bag. They will keep for 12 months in the freezer.

    These frozen collard greens are the perfect side to add to a soup or a pasta recipe. Finely chop and sauté them and use them to top beans. So many uses! I love having these in my freezer!

    You can also use the same instructions for freezing kale, turnip greens, mustard greens, any sturdy greens! You can also use the technique for tender greens like spinach, just boil them for 2 minutes.

    More freezer techniques for you!

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    You're not going to know which you love more - how easy it is to make this freezer jam or how delicious it tastes - like fresh picked strawberries! 
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    Recipe.

    **As an Amazon affiliate I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Collard greens in freezer bag.
    Print Pin Save Saved!
    5 from 41 votes

    Freezing Collard Greens

    Enjoy collard greens year round with these easy steps for freezing.
    Course Side Dish
    Cuisine American
    Prep Time 10 minutes minutes
    Cook Time 3 minutes minutes
    Chilling time. 3 minutes minutes
    Total Time 16 minutes minutes
    Servings 8
    Calories 8kcal

    Ingredients

    • 1 bunch collard greens

    Instructions

    • Start a large pot of water to boil. It should be big enough to hold all of your greens.
    • Strip off the stems from the collards and wash the leaves in a sink of cool water.
    • Coarsely chop the collards.
    • Blanch the collard greens by putting them in the boiling water for 3 minutes.
    • White the collards are blanching, fill a large bowl (I use a salad spinner) with ice and water. Plunge the collards in the ice bath to stop the cooking. Leave them in for 3 minutes.
    • Remove excess moisture with the salad spinner or draining them really well.
    • Using your hands, grab about a tennis ball size handful of the greens and compress them into a ball. Squeeze as hard as you can, over a sink, to remove as much of the liquid as possible. There will be a lot!
    • Place the balls on a baking sheet and flash freeze for at least 2 hours.
    • Place the balls in a freezer bag, label and use within a year.

    Notes

    Don't throw away the stems, you can use them to make Quick Pickled Collard Stems!
    You can also use the same instructions for freezing kale, turnip greens, mustard greens, any sturdy greens! You can also use the technique for tender greens like spinach, just boil them for 2 minutes.
     

    Equipment

    Food Saver
    Food Saver
    Tongs
    Tongs
    Salad Spinner
    Salad Spinner

    Nutrition

    Calories: 8kcal | Carbohydrates: 1g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 0.1g | Saturated Fat: 0.01g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.05g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.01g | Sodium: 4mg | Potassium: 51mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 0.1g | Vitamin A: 1192IU | Vitamin C: 8mg | Calcium: 55mg | Iron: 0.1mg

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Melody says

      January 24, 2024 at 8:36 pm

      5 stars
      I appreciate you helping me to learn to blanch anything for the first time ever, lol. Last year I grew them and ate them after harvest. This year I can do both, eat them and freeze some. I need to plant a whole bunch more because 8 cups of cut up Collards only made me 2 balls of frozen greens. Ummm, how many balls to make a good pot of Collards?

      Reply
      • Pam Greer says

        January 28, 2024 at 10:34 am

        I know I was surprised at how little I had, but I've been tossing the balls of collards into all of my soups for added greens!

        Reply
    2. Bobbie says

      November 24, 2022 at 10:05 am

      5 stars
      Thanks for sharing,I have an abundance of greens for Thanksgiving, this article was very helpful with the idea of freezing them. Fabulous!

      Reply
    3. Ann says

      October 09, 2022 at 3:10 pm

      5 stars
      Great informative post! I buy fresh collard greens, but feel I need to make them quickly. I will try freezing some next time.

      Reply
    4. Jamie says

      October 06, 2022 at 9:08 am

      5 stars
      Awesome! This is such a great way to stock and store these collards for use in our other recipe add-ons. Thanks for sharing this with us! Loved it!

      Reply
    5 from 41 votes (37 ratings without comment)

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    Pam Greer from Sidewalk Shoes

    Hi, I'm Pam. I'm the person who plans whole vacations around where to eat and drink. Beautiful scenery is optional.

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