Instant Pot Kale

What is Kale?

Kale, aka leaf cabbage, is a green, leafy, cruciferous vegetable.

It belongs to the same family as broccoli, brussels sprouts, cabbage, collard greens, and cauliflower.

It’s one of the healthiest food! Kale is rich in fiber, antioxidants, vitamins, minerals, and a wide range of other nutrients.

Types of Kale: Curly Kale (most common), Dinosaur Kale, Red Russian Kale, Redbor Kale.

Colors: The colors can vary depending on the type of kale. It ranges from bright green, dark green, blue-green, to purple or reddish.

Taste: The flavors can differ depending on the type of kale. Generally, kale tastes bitter-sweet and earthy.

Texture: Generally, the leaves are delicate, and they’re either smooth or curly. For some people, the stems or stalks can be too tough and fibrous to eat. If you like, you can remove them before cooking.

Ways to Cook Kale: You can boil, blanch, braise, saute, steam, stir-fry kale. You can use kale in soups, casseroles, salads, or smoothies. You can also eat kale raw, or make kale chips in the oven or air fryer!

Step-by-Step Guide: Instant Pot Kale

Here are the ingredients for cooking Kale in Instant Pot:

*Note: Bacon or smoked sausage work equally well for this kale recipe. If you’re using bacon, you don’t need to add olive for the sauteeing step.

Tools for Instant Pot Kale

• Instant Pot Pressure Cooker
• Wooden Spoon
• Pyrex Measuring Cups
• Kitchen Tongs

Prepare Ingredients

First, cut kale into thirds. If you like, remove the stems.

Bacon: If you’re using bacon, cut them into bite-size pieces.

Saute Sausages or Bacon in Instant Pot

Press “Saute” button to “Sauté More” function to heat up Instant Pot. It’ll switch to “ON” on the screen.

Wait until it says “HOT” on the screen (takes roughly 8 minutes). Make sure Instant Pot is as hot as it can be to induce a Maillard reaction.

*If you’re using Sausage: Add 1 tbsp (15ml) olive oil in the Instant Pot’s inner pot. Make sure you cover the whole bottom of the inner pot with oil.

*If you’re using Bacon: You don’t need the olive oil.

Now, add ~1lb sliced sausages in Instant Pot, then saute for 4 minutes.

Saute Onions & Spices in Instant Pot

Now, add onion slices in Instant Pot, then saute for 2 to 3 minutes. 

Add in minced garlic, then saute for 30 seconds.

Deglaze Instant Pot

Pour ¾ cup (188ml) unsalted chicken stock in Instant Pot, then deglaze by scrubbing all the flavorful brown bits off the bottom of the pot (as shown in below photo).

Pressure Cook Kale

Now, add 1lb kale in Instant Pot.

With Venting Knob in Venting Position, close the lid, then turn Venting Knob to Sealing Position.

• Kale with a bit of Chew: Pressure Cook at High Pressure for 2 minutes, then immediately Quick Release 
• Tender Kale: Pressure Cook at High Pressure for 4 minutes, then immediately Quick Release

*Quick Release = Carefully turn the Venting Knob to Venting Position to release all the pressure.

When Floating Valve drops, open the lid carefully.

Season and Serve Kale

Turn off the heat (press “Cancel” button), then give everything a quick mix.

Finally, taste the kale and add more salt if necessary.

*Note: The amount of salt you need to add to properly season the dish highly depends on the sausage or bacon you use. For reference, we added a small pinch of salt to properly season our kale.

What to Serve with Kale?

This kale and sausage is a great vegetable side dish that pairs well with many main dishes. Here are some tasty ideas for you:

• Instant Pot Pot Roast
• Instant Pot Chicken Breast
• Instant Pot Pork Tenderloin
• Instant Pot Roasted Potatoes
• Instant Pot Whole Chicken

Enjoy your tasty Kale!