My collard green dip is hot and cheesy with layers of flavor, yet surprisingly simple to make! Your family, friends, and even complete strangers will devour this soulful southern hot appetizer as soon as you set it down on the table.
And if you enjoy this recipe, you'll love my praline baked brie, too!
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❤️ Why You'll Love this Recipe
Easy - No expert-level chef techniques or fancy kitchen appliances are needed for this simple collard green dip recipe. And the ingredients are simple and wholesome.
Just One Pot - All the flavor comes together in one pan--a cast iron skillet, to be exact. Serve out of the skillet, too, for the most stress-free cleanup!
👉🏾 I love making appetizers with a lil something extra to keep people coming back for more. Check out my fried green tomatoes with Louisiana remoulade sauce, dark chocolate s'mores dip, creamy black eyed pea dip, quick deviled eggs dip, and puff pastry bites with goat cheese and cherries!
What You'll Need for this Recipe
Collard Greens are the perfect green for this dip because they are fibrous, so they won't turn to mush when smothered in cheese, but they still get tender enough during the short cooking process. You can use pre-chopped greens, but I don't recommend using frozen here.
Mozzarella Cheese gets melted in and sprinkled over top for a golden brown, bubbly finish. I recommend shredding a block of cheese with a box grater or food processor instead of buying pre-shredded cheese. Those bags of shredded cheese at the grocery store contain an anti-caking ingredient that prevents the cheese from melting naturally.
Worcestershire Sauce adds savory, sweet tanginess that should not be skipped! If you don't have it, use an equal amount of soy sauce with one teaspoon of brown sugar mixed in.
Check out the recipe card below for full ingredients list, measurements, nutrition facts, and step-by-step instructions!
Substitutions & Variations
Dairy Free - Use plant-based milk, cream cheese, and mozz products to make this dip non-dairy.
Other Greens - Feel free to add in chopped kale, spinach, or artichoke to mix up the textures and tastes in this dip.
Protein - This recipe also works with sliced smoked sausage or shredded smoked turkey instead of bacon. And you can use turkey bacon or beef bacon, if you prefer. Alternatively, you can leave the meat out altogether to make it vegetarian, though I recommend adding a half-teaspoon of liquid smoke to mimic the flavor profile.
How to Make DIY Collard Green Dip
- Step One: Wash, de-stem, and chop the greens. Cut the bacon into one-inch pieces. Dice the onion and mince the garlic. (Photos 1-3)
Pro Tip #1
If you don't want to handle the raw bacon, cook it whole, then crumble the crispy slices in a few layers of paper towels to get bacon bits.
- Step Two: Cook the bacon until crispy, then remove from the pan and drain on paper towels. (Photo 4)
- Step Three: Add the onion, garlic, and spices to the pan to cook in the rendered fat from the bacon. (Photo 5)
- Step Four: Toss the greens in this mixture until coated then stir in cream cheese and half of the mozzarella cheese. (Photos 6 and 7)
Pro Tip #2
If you make this recipe with smoked sausage, just swap it in for the bacon, but if you use smoked turkey or another cooked meat, you'll need to cook the aromatics down in cooking oil and add the protein in step five.
- Step Five: Stir in the cooked bacon, milk, and Worcestershire sauce, then smooth the ingredients into a flat layer. (Photo 8)
- Step Six: Sprinkle remaining shredded cheese on top, then transfer to oven to bake until golden brown and bubbling. (Photos 9 and 10)
Quick How-to Video on YouTube
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, you can make this dish up to two days in advance, as long as you store it properly. However, it really tastes best on the same day you make it, so I don't recommend this. Instead, you can prep all the ingredients up to step five, then chill in the fridge until ready to bake.
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Keeps for up to four days.
How to Serve
Temperature and Pairings: Carefully serve collard green cheese dip piping hot, with crunchy dippers like carrot and celery sticks, pita chips, and pretzels.
Occasions: This is the best collard green dip recipe for Game Day at-home tailgating or serve it up at your next watch party.
And the greens and bacon make it so suitable for the African American New Year's tradition or Black American cookout menu! Nobody will turn it away!
More Favorite Greens Recipes
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
I hope you'll enjoy this collard green bacon dip soon and very soon. And sharing is caring, so be sure to pin this recipe for later and follow me over on Pinterest. Thanks for reading!
📖 Recipe
Hot Collard Green Dip
Equipment
- 1 knife
- 1 garlic press optional
Ingredients
- 1 bunch collard greens about six cups
- 12 ounces bacon
- ½ onion
- 6 cloves garlic
- 8 ounces cream cheese softened to room temperature
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper or hot sauce
- sea salt to taste
- black pepper to taste
- 3 cups mozzarella cheese shredded
- ½ cup milk
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- chopped parsley optional garnish
Instructions
- Prep the Ingredients: Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Rinse, dry, and de-stem the collard greens, then chop them into roughly two-inch pieces. Cut the bacon into one-inch pieces, dice the onion, crush or mince the garlic, and cut cream cheese into chunks.1 bunch collard greens, 12 ounces bacon, 6 cloves garlic, ½ onion, 8 ounces cream cheese
- Build the Flavor: Add bacon to skillet over medium heat and cook until crispy (about 15 minutes). Remove bacon then add onion, smoked paprika, crushed red pepper, sea salt, and black pepper to cook in the rendered fat.½ teaspoon smoked paprika, ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper, sea salt, black pepper
- Wilt the Greens: Once onion is turning translucent and fragrant (about 4 minutes), add garlic and cook for one minute more then add greens to pan. Carefully turn the greens to coat them in the fat and spices and cook slightly wilted (about 2 minutes). Reduce heat to low.
- Assemble the Dip: Stir in the cream cheese chunks and ½ of the mozzarella cheese until melted. Mix in the milk, worcestershire sauce, and bacon. Taste the mix and adjust seasoning as needed. Sprinkle remaining cheese over top.3 cups mozzarella cheese, ½ cup milk, 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- Bake the Dip: Transfer skillet to oven and bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown and bubbly on top. Garnish with parsley and serve hot with dippers of your choice.chopped parsley
Mo says
Im going to use smoked turkey. how much oil should i use to cook the aromatics down?
Jazzmine Woodard says
Hi, Mo! I would add about two tablespoons of cooking oil for the aromatics. Hope you enjoy!