How to cook kale in 3 minutes using your Instant Pot! It comes out perfectly steamed every time. Use pre-chopped and bagged kale to make this super easy, no chopped required! Best served on the side or in hearty grain bowls.
What kind of kale should I use?
You can use any kind of kale, from curly to lacinato, but I recommend getting the bags of pre-packaged and chopped kale to make this SO easy!
The really awesome thing about cooking it in the Instant Pot is that you don’t have to worry so much about the stems that are often in those bags. Maybe it’s just me, but I don’t generally like them and try to remove them as much as possible. I definitely don’t want stems in my kale salads, they are too hard to chew! But in the Instant Pot, they are no bother. They get soft enough to easily eat, without making the leafy part overcooked. It’s like kale magic!
I always get this bag of lacinato kale (also called dinosaur kale) at Trader Joe’s:
How should I eat cooked kale?
- With baked beans and cornbread.
- On the side of (or mixed in) Vegan Alfredo.
- With Baked Ziti or other pasta dishes
- In any sort of hearty bowl with a grain, a bean and a yummy sauce.
- Plain, sprinkled with a little salt or balsamic vinegar
This cooked kale is a great meal prep dish, it will keep in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. I often meal prep this alongside some brown rice, black beans and cashew cream.
If you make this recipe, let me know how it goes! Rate it, leave a comment and tag a photo @noracooksvegan on Instagram. Enjoy!
How to Cook Kale in 3 Minutes (Instant Pot)
Ingredients
- 10 ounce bag chopped kale (or 1 large bunch kale, washed and chopped)
- 1 cup water
Instructions
- Pour the water into the inner cooking pot of the Instant Pot.
- Add the chopped kale. Don't worry if there are some stems, the Instant Pot will make them edible and not too chewy.
- Place the lid on, set the valve to seal and cook on high, manual pressure for 3 minutes.
- Once it beeps, you can either do a quick pressure release or let it naturally release (usually this takes about 10 minutes).
- Serve in hearty rice and bean bowls, or on the side of any meal. Sprinkle with salt or balsamic vinegar. It's also particularly good with cashew cream.
Hi,
I have another suggestion: Stir fry the cale with a few cloves of chopped garlic in some olive oil, plus a pinch of smoked paprika and eventually boiled potatoes (cut in smallish pieces).
It’s a very common way of cooking veggies in Spain.
Excellent and super easy way to make kale! I use my instant pot almost daily and never thought to make kale this way. We’re literally eating it right now and it turned out delicious! I’m also making a huge pot of vegetable soup on the stove and added the cooking water from the kale. Thank you for sharing your amazing recipes with us.
Hi Tammy! Thanks so much for sharing your great review and comments! I am always amazed at how delicious kale cooked in the instant pot turns out. I’m glad you love it as well!
So simple. Used baby kale for 2 minutes and was perfect. The IP retains so many more nutrients.
Thank you for sharing your review!
Best way ever to make kale. I’ve made it twice this way! Thank you!!
Thank you, Carol, for using my recipe! I’m glad you enjoy it!
Oh. My. Word. So yummy! I used a couple of tablespoons of the broth left over from the chicken I made first, then added a little less than a cup of water, some salt, pepper, a quick dash of cinnamon and about a tablespoon of garlic infused olive oil. Turned out great! I will be cooking y kale mostly in the Instant Pot from now on.
Hi Vanessa. Thank you!
Tried your recipe, first sautéd bacon olive oil garlic and lemon juice.
Then added the kale with half water half vinegar. Turned out in the words of our guests ‘fabulous’ Now I’m going to try chicken strips as an addition .
Thanks so much.
. How long to cook the lot in the instapot?
Love the simplicity of this recipe, the suggestions for its use in meals and great photos (it was the freshness of the photo that brought me to your recipe). I appreciate the straightforward delivery of your site and that it isn’t too precious and wordy.
My only mistake was getting too involved in texting while cooking and left the kale to naturally release for 30 minutes versus the recommended 10. Still very tasty and not too worse for the extra time. Will try the recipe again and keep a better eye on the timing.
Maybe I missed it, and I would like links embedded in the recipes to cashew cream and the like.
Thank you!
Sounds great thank you
Hello there, thanks for the recipe. I haven’t cooked this yet but I wanted to know first, does this recipe use a steamer basket to steam the kale? Or does the kale go straight into the inner pot with the water?
You don’t have to use a steamer basket, but if you want to, you can. I made it for years without one, now occasionally I will use it. Thanks!
Have you tried making broccoli rabe in the instant pot this way?
I haven’t but it would probably work. I think I’d cook it for more like 1 minute though, and perhaps use a steaming basket as well.
Sauteed onion and garlic in olive oil first, removed from pot. Added water and kale and pc’d. Allowed release for 5 mins then quick released. When kale was done mixed with onion/garlic and balsamic vinegar. Delicious! The kale was cooked perfectly
Sounds yummy!!
I just need to know how long to “cook” the 10 oz. bag of kale and how much water to put in the bottom of the inner pot. This was very helpful for that, thank you. I might as well tell you my favorite way to eat it once steamed (so tender in IP) is to saute’chopped onions and mushrooms, a few cloves of minced garlic in a pan on the stove. When sauted, I put in a 10 oz. can of Ro Tel Hot Diced tomatoes with Habaneros (they have mild too) and cook out some of the liquid while waiting for kale to finish. After the kale is finished, I stir this in the kale for a spicey delicious side dish.
Hello! Thanks for the recipe. However my kale turned out really soggy following the recipe. Thanks for any suggestions. Neil
This kale is very tender, not chewy so it’s very easy to eat. Maybe you would prefer sauteing it on the stovetop instead to have a firmer texture? Or you could try only cooking it for 2 minutes.
The first time using my instant pot.
It doesn’t say what setting is it – steam, pressure cook, etc.?
Also, under serving the serving is ….one serving.
knowing how much is serving it would be helpful, greens always cook down so much.
Thanks for posting this!
Sure! There are 6 servings total, but of course that depends on how much you eat. But that is what the nutritional calculation is based on (1/6th of the dish). In the recipe I specify “high, manual pressure”. This is a pressure cooker recipe, so you are pressure cooking it using an Instant Pot. Hope that helps! You may want to read the manual to get familiar with your new Instant Pot as well, I found that helpful when I first got mine!
they came out perfect!
Best greens I’ve ever made.
I’m going to make some today for Christmas Eve dinner.
(Sadly, I’m too lazy to ever read the manual, which a big part of the problem)
Thanks for the recipe
Turned out great! The second time I made it, I sautéed some onions and garlic before hand, southern style.
Best greens I ever made
Sounds wonderful, thank you!
I’m so glad!
Perfect timing. Many recipes call for a little longer, and more time resting. I do 3 minutes has suggested, and 10 minute release. Thank you.
I just tried steaming kale in my new Instant pot for 2 minutes. I used the steam setting with almost 2 cups water. I used organic curly kale, a dew big leaves coarsely chopped. For some reason the steamer valve let out some steam even after the button popped up for the cooking to begin. Did I do something wrong? A little scary, but the kale turned out great!
I’m glad the kale turned out great! That sounds normal; my Instant Pot sometimes lets out a little steam during cooking as well.
Add a swirl of Trader Joes balsamic glaze to it after its cooked. Delicious!
I was so impressed with this recipe. I have an 8 qt instant pot and bought a large 2 lb bag of kale. Put 2 cups water and 1lb of the kale and cooked as recommended. I let the pressure off quickly and drained off the bit off excess water and put in a large vegetable bowl and added the cashew butter ( I was not sure what cashew cream was) and I had the butter so I used it! It was delicious. My husband who normally does not like kale said it was good. I immediately cooked the other pound and had a big bowl of cooked kale to be used as side dishes and under eggs for breakfast. Thanks for the recipe. I am new to instant pot.
I’m so glad you enjoyed the kale, Connie! I make it often as a side dish. The cashew butter sounds great! Cashew cream is a blend of raw cashews, water, salt and sometimes some other flavorings like garlic powder. It turns into a heavy type cream in a high powered blender and goes great with this kale.
I had never tried “dinosaur” kale before, and always used the curly kind from Trader Joes instead. Now that I’ve tasted this one, I’m not going back! I also could never stand the stems before, but the instant pot makes them soft and I don’t even notice them!
Thank you Nora! This has helped me with my new Instant Pot. This is one equipment I am still trying to get used to. Your instructions help.
I’m so glad Joyce! I love eating kale this way, so delicious and easy.
Wow, this really is a great recipe! I normally cook kale on the stove top and I could never get it quite right – always too tough for my tastes. This was perfect!
I feel the same way! I’m so glad you enjoyed it.
it is really the simplest way of making Kale with that instant pot❤
It is so simple. I do this all the time! 🙂
This has become my favorite way to prepare kale.
I have a steamer basket. Does the kale need to be in the water then? I plan to make this tomorrow and I normally use the steamer basket for such things.
I haven’t made it with a steamer basket, but I’m sure it would work just fine. The kale would not need to be in the water, it’s really just being steamed.
It seems obvious to some but not others. To say:”pour water into the bottom of your instant pot”. Does not clarify that water should be poured into the inner pot and not just into the pot without the liner pot.
Oh, thank you for the input! I changed the wording in the recipe to make that more clear.