Vegan Mustard Greens

This quick, easy, light and healthy vegan mustard greens recipe is a must-try. Enjoy it with Air Fry Tofu or Roasted Cabbage Steaks as a main course or serve it as a side dish at dinnertime.

So you’ve decided to go vegan? Awesome!

But you might face a common problem sooner or later.

The trouble with vegan food is that it’s easy to get bored of the same old, same old. Vegan alternatives to traditional dishes can also be boring sometimes. Therefore, I always try to share different simple yet tasty plant-based recipes with you. One such example of this is vegan mustard greens.

Vegan Mustard Greens: My First Experience

A last Sunday, I didn’t have anything I usually eat for lunch. I didn’t have lettuce, spinach, cabbage, or anything else fresh, green, and good for a salad.  And I had no desire to rush out and buy them because that would turn a relaxing Sunday into a stressful shopping day. When I looked in the fridge to see what greens I had, I found only mustard greens.

MUSTARD GREENS😏. My previous opinion was that I did not like them. I was deceived into thinking that these greens were more bitter than collard greens and turnips just because they were called “mustard” (which, to be honest, I only recently began to enjoy). 

But when I tried them, I noticed that they taste pepperier than other greens and they don’t have the cabbage-like flavor of collards. I’ve also noticed that they take less time to prepare than collard greens, making them ideal for a lazy summer Sunday lunch for two.

They became quickly turned into a complete, light supper by adding red bell pepper, some onion, and Creole seasoning.

As always, scroll down for the detailed recipe, but I request you don’t skip reading the important information included in the blurb.

What Are Mustard Greens?

The Brassica Family deserves three cheers! Ahem.

Anyhow, the leaves of mustard greens are large, richly green, frilly, and covered in long veins. The leaves are upheld by thick, coarse, and extremely fibrous stems that are not edible. The smaller leaves of mustard greens are considerably more soft than the larger ones and can be eaten raw, however, the larger leaves need to be cooked. Otherwise, they would be too difficult to digest! Believe me.

Mustard greens have a satisfyingly crisp texture and a strong, peppery flavor with notes of horseradish and black pepper.

Are Mustard Greens Healthy?

Mustard greens, like any other hearty, leafy dark green, are extremely healthy due to their belonging to the Brassica family. Therefore, when and when you can, try to incorporate them into your diet. This is a good practice. 

One cup has more than 500% of the vitamin K you need every day for healthy blood and bones. In addition to being a good source of calcium and manganese, mustard greens are also a fantastic source of vitamins A, C, and folate. They even include protein and calcium!

Ingredients Used:

• Mustard greens: Select plump, crisp mustard greens with a bright green color. Avert yellow, fibrous, thick, pitted, or flabby greens. Young and tender harvesting yields the tastiest mustard greens.
• Extra-virgin olive oil: I used olive oil. Why? Because it is healthy. However, you can use your favorite or available one.
• Onion: The flavor of onion is slightly sweet but savory. You can use white, yellow, or red onions in this recipe, however, I like yellow onions.
• Garlic cloves: Use fresh for greater flavor.
• Red bell pepper: Red bell pepper for orange color and vitamins.
• Tomato: Tomatoes give color to the dish. They also bring in a tangy taste to the dish.
• Creole seasoning:
• Smoked paprika: The flavor of paprika is sweet and spicy. It’s a great way to add some smokiness and heat to your dishes.
• Vegan bouillon cubes: Bouillon cubes contain significantly more sodium, which enhances the flavor due to the addition of traces of MSG. If you don’t have bouillon cubes, you may use either one cup of fresh stock OR one cup of canned broth in place of each cube. Here is my homemade Vegetable Broth Recipe.
• Water
• Salt: A pinch of salt brightens everything up. Salts such as Himalayan pink Himalayan salt, sea salt, and table salt can all be used in this dish if desired. Whatever you’ve got on hand. Season with salt to your liking.

How To Make Vegan Mustard Greens?

1. Heat oil in a large saucepan on medium-high. Add onion and cook until soft, about 3 minutes.
2. Stir in bell pepper and garlic and cook for a minute. Add tomatoes, creole seasoning, smoked paprika, bouillon cubes, and salt, and cook stirring for a minute.
3. Stir in mustard greens until wilted.
4. Add liquid, cover the saucepan, and reduce to simmer for 20 minutes or until the mustard green is tender.

What To Serve With These Vegan Mustard Greens

Want some ideas for extremely delicious plates or side dish partners for these wholesome southern greens? I’ve got you covered. I’ll list a few of my all-time favorite vegetarian recipes that would go perfectly with these mustard greens.

• Rice
• Curry Chataigne (Breadnut)
• Jerk Tofu
• Veg Kofta Curry
• Lacto-Fermented Jamaican Pickle
• Vegan Potato Salad
• Vegan Cornbread

In an airtight container, leftovers can be kept in the fridge for two to three days.

Vegan Mustard Greens Recipe Notes

1. The recipe calls for mustard greens, but other dark greens such as collards, kale, and radish leaves can be used with equal success.
2. To make the recipe, you can either use fresh or frozen greens.
3. Use coconut oil for an authentic flavor.

Frequently Asked Questions

What Do Mustard Greens Taste Like?

Mustard greens belong to a class of vegetables known as “bitter greens,” but as they simmer, the bitterness subsides and the flavor becomes nearly luxurious. Even though salted pork is typically used to flavor hearty greens like mustard greens, collards, and kale, you can still make a pot of greens with a deep, smokey, and rich flavor by cooking them without meat. The bitterness of the greens is reduced further by the use of other ingredients, and the resulting vegetable is so buttery, rich, and tender that you’ll want to eat it by the forkful.

What Makes Mustard Greens Taste Better?

If your greens are bitter, consider adding a little sugar to balance the flavor (particularly well for stir-fried gai choy or Southern braised mustard greens). Alternately, try adding a bit more salt: Bitterness is balanced by salt, and our experience of bitterness is also diminished.

I Can’t Find Mustard Greens. Can I Make This With Other Greens?

Yes. This recipe can be made using spinach or any other green that cooks quickly in place of the mustard, which is delicious and gives a unique flavor.

Depending on who is cooking, other greens may be included in the recipe. You can add Bhatua greens, also called pigweed, to your mustard green. Pigweed grows wild in the United States, but you should only pick it if you know what you are doing. You can also add radish greens. Most Indians eat daikon radishes, but you can also use the leaves of small pink, purple, or white radishes because they taste similar to daikon leaves and have a strong taste.

How Long Will The Mustard Green Last In The Fridge?

I advise you to utilize it within two to three days. Any leftovers can also be frozen for up to a month. To serve frozen food, take it out of the freezer, let it thaw, and then reheat it on the stove or in the microwave.

Can This Vegan Mustard Green Recipe Be Scaled?

Yes! You are free to either double or triple the recipe as necessary as long as the quantities remain the same.

Different Types of Mustard Greens

There are many varieties of mustard greens. Some of these are the following:

• Curly mustard: This mustard, frequently known as American mustard, has incredibly frilly leaves. Southern soul food relies heavily on curly mustard, which also comes to be the most widely available variety of mustard in the United States.
• Gai Choy: It is sometimes referred to as head mustard, Chinese mustard, or Indian mustard. It is bitter and has a big bulb.
• Leaf mustard: Leaf mustard is a smaller kind of gai choy. Other names for it include “mustard cabbage,” “little gai choy,” and “bamboo mustard.”
• Korean red mustard: The leaves of the mustard plant are a rich purple-red color.
• Japanese giant red mustard: This giant mustard, commonly referred to as “Japanese mustard,” has reddish-purple savoy leaves with a strong, peppery flavor.

Give this Vegan Mustard Greens recipe a try. It’s incredibly delicious and super easy. I hope you like it. And as always, I would love to hear from you. So if you tried this recipe or any other from my website, please let me know how it turned out in the comments below!

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