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This collard greens salad flips a soul food staple into something fresh, crisp, and deeply flavor-forward, pairing tender ribbons of collards with a warm homemade bacon vinaigrette that hits smoky, tangy, and savory notes all at once.
The technique of massaging the greens softens their bite while keeping that signature hearty texture intact, creating a salad that feels equally rooted in Southern tradition and modern comfort cooking. It’s the kind of dish that respects the cultural legacy of collard greens while proving they can shine just as hard raw as they do simmered low and slow.
For more traditional greens recipe, try this Southern collard greens with smoked turkey dish.
Get ready for a super easy collard greens recipe. Fresh collards are tossed in a delicious bacon vinaigrette for a quick lunch collard green salad.
This is my idea of a mixed greens salad! This is one of those times where you can enjoy a Southern collard greens style recipe but not have to cook collard greens.
For these collards there is no need for traditional long cooking. However, the vinaigrette provides the needed salty bacon flavor to replace those salty and meaty chunks of pork. This dish ain't a charade. It's absolutely the real deal.
If you dig this salad recipe, try a few dishes from this collection of collard greens recipes.
What You’ll Love About This Recipe
- Fresh but soulful – All the heart of a collard greens recipe, reimagined as a crisp, vibrant salad.
- Warm bacon vinaigrette magic – Smoky, tangy, slightly sweet dressing that soaks into every ribbon of greens.
- Quick and satisfying – No long braise, big flavor in under 20 minutes.
- Balanced flavor – Bitter greens mellowed by sweet honey, sharp vinegar, and savory bacon.
- Versatile side – Works with BBQ, roasted meats, seafood, or grain bowls.
Beats and Eats (music to pair with collard greens salad)
D’Angelo – “Charade”
Smooth, layered, thoughtful, just like this salad. The warm bacon vinaigrette hits while D’Angelo’s groove rolls slow and reflective. Bitterness, sweetness, smoke, and soul all moving in harmony. Toss the greens, drop the needle, and let the flavor speak low and true.
Key Vinaigrette Ingredients and Their Flavor Role
Bacon – Brings smoky depth, savory richness, and that unmistakable Southern backbone. The rendered fat forms the flavorful base of the vinaigrette.
Honey – Smooth, mellow sweetness that balances bitterness from the collards and acidity from the vinegar.
Red Wine Vinegar – Bright acidity that lifts the whole salad, cutting through bacon richness and waking up the greens.
How to make a collards salad (step by step)
Step 1: Make the vinaigrette
Tear the bread into smaller pieces then fry in a skillet making sure to brown each side. Remove the bread and fry the bacon pieces. Remove bacon from the skillet. Add minced shallots and garlic to the bacon grease and cook over medium heat 2-3 minutes. Stir in the red wine vinegar, honey, paprika, salt, and pepper and mix well. Set aside
Step 2: Make the salad
Cut the greens into strips and place in a large mixing bowl. Add the sliced red onions, apple slices, and cherry tomatoes. Add the vinaigrette to the bowl and toss. Add the bacon bits and bread pieces to the salad and serve.
Serving Suggestions
Serve the dressing at room temperature or slightly warm. This is a great side salad or pre-dinner salad that pairs with the likes of Cedar Plank Smoked Salmon w/ Hibiscus Rub, cajun style Blackened Pork Chops, or super crispy Jerk Fried Chicken.
Level up the flavor a bit by adding candied bacon. And pair with another soul food side like Southern green beans or Southern succotash.
This collard greens dish works great alongside hearty mains like braised turkey wings with gravy.
Cooking Tips
- Cut the collards chiffonade style. Thinner strips will absorb the flavors of the vinaigrette better
- Be mindful of how much dripping the bacon renders. You’ll need no more than a ¼ cup, for the serving unless you want to make more for later use.
- Don’t over-cook the bacon and blacken it, otherwise the burnt flavor will appear in the vinaigrette
- The vinegar is needed to cut through the fat. If your vinaigrette seems “greasy” add a bit more vinegar
- This recipe also works with mustard greens, but be prepared for a slight kick from the spicy greens.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What greens make a good substitute in this collard greens recipe?
Kale and spinach are the easiest substitutes. For more of a spicy kick, mustard greens work great as an alternative.
Is this salad bitter?
Collards have natural bitterness, but the honey and bacon vinaigrette balance it beautifully.
If you make this easy collard greens recipe or any other please come back and leave me a comment below with your feedback.
Definitely take a photo of the dish and be sure to tag #foodfidelity so that I can see them.
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Collard Greens Salad w/ Bacon Vinaigrette
Ingredients
- ½ French baguette torn into pieces
- 4 strips Bacon
- 1 medium Shallot thinly sliced
- ¼ cup Red Wine Vinegar
- 1 tablespoon Honey
- ½ tablespoon kosher salt
- ½ tablespoon black pepper
- ½ tablespoon Paprika
- 4 garlic cloves diced
- 1 bunch Collard Greens washed and cut into thin strips
- 1 Apple peeled, cored, and diced
- 1 cup Cherry tomatoes halved
- 1 med red onion sliced thinly
Method
- Heat skillet on medium. Add olive oil or butter and fry both sides of the pieces of bread browning the sides.
- Remove the bread and then fry the bacon pieces. Remove bacon from the skillet. Add shallots and garlic to the bacon grease and cook over medium heat 2-3 minutes.
- Stir in the red wine vinegar, honey, paprika, salt, and pepper and mix well. Set aside
- Add the greens to a large mixing bowl. Add the sliced red onions, apple slices, and cherry tomatoes. Add the vinaigrette to the bowl and toss. Add the bacon bits and bread pieces to the salad and serve.
Nutrition
Notes
- Cut the collards chiffonade style. Thinner strips will absorb the flavors of the vinaigrette better
- Be mindful of how much dripping the bacon renders. You’ll need no more than a ¼ cup, for the serving unless you want to make more for later use.
- Don’t over-cook the bacon and blacken it, otherwise the burnt flavor will appear in the vinaigrette
- The vinegar is needed to cut through the fat. If your vinaigrette seems “greasy” add a bit more vinegar
- Season to taste before serving
I only had white whine vinegar, so I used that and I don't eat pork, so I used turkey bacon with extra olive oil. It turned out amazing! I plan to add some extra veggies and maybe roasted potatoes next time. Thank you so much for the recipe!
Nice! Thanks for making the dish