Pot Likker Soup Recipe (2024)

Pot Likker Soup makes a delicious and filling meal. Made of pot likker (or pot liquor), the cooking liquid from collards or turnip greens, along with other vegetables and ham. This soup is Southern comfort all the way!

Pot Likker Soup Recipe (1)

Okay, the name of this recipe may have thrown you off just a touch, but please stay with me.

This Pot Likker Soup Recipe is really, really one you should give a try. It makes a great soup recipe to throw together on the stove with any leftovers from your New Year’s Day meal of baked ham, turnip, mustard or collard greens, and just a few more additions to the soup pot.

And just to tell you, we love Pot Likker Soup so much that we don’t even wait for New Year’s to enjoy it.

Pot Likker Soup Recipe

If you’ve never heard the term pot likker before, it is the liquid left over after you’ve cooked collard, turnip or mustard greens. Sometimes it is spelled as pot liquor soup, potlikker, or – the way I spell it – pot likker. Pot Likker is packed with iron and vitamins C and K and is one of the most revered liquids in Southern cooking around my house.

Pot Likker Soup Recipe (2)

I probably get my affiinity for a big pot of greens with pot likker from my Grandmother who would have had a fit at the thought of pouring out the liquid from cooking her greens.

Since she cooked greens regularly, the left over liquid would become a meal in and of itself.

Sometimes, it was as simple as warming a piping hot bowl of pot likker on the stove and making a fresh skillet of corn bread to go along with it for a simple and warm lunch during the cool winter months.

Pot Likker Soup Recipe (3)

Now, I add a few more ingredients turning that simple broth from the greens into a hearty soup.

My Pot Likker Soup recipe included below gives you instructions for cooking the collard, mustard, or turnip greens along with leftover ham.

If you don’t have a leftover ham, you can always substitute slices of salt pork or thick-sliced bacon.

Also, if you happen to have leftover collard, mustard, or turnip greens, you’ll reduce the cooking time to about 15 minutes total.

You’ll want to add more water to any pot likker that you have from your leftover greens to make it equal about 6 cups total.

You can play with the broths to find the flavor profile you prefer, you may prefer to use 1/2 chicken broth and 1/2 vegetable broth, either will work well.

Here’s my Pot Likker Soup recipe.

Pot Likker Soup Recipe (4)

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Pot Likker Soup Recipe

Robyn Stone

4.91 from 11 votes

Pot Likker Soup makes a delicious, hearty soup using the broth of collard, mustard, or turnip greens and additional vegetables.

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 45 minutes minutes

Total Time: 55 minutes minutes

Servings: 8

Ingredients

  • 5 slices baked ham, chopped (about 1-1/2 pounds)
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 medium onion, diced
  • 3 medium carrots, chopped
  • 2 clove garlic, minced
  • 2 cups chicken stock or broth
  • 2 cups collard greens, mustard, or turnip greens, washed with hard stems removed
  • 8 cups water
  • pinch red pepper flakes, optional

Instructions

  • Add chopped ham to a Dutch oven over medium heat. Heat for about 2-3 minutes and then add olive oil, onion and carrots. Saute until becomes tender, about 2 more minutes. Then add in garlic and cook for 1 more minute. Pour in chicken broth and cook until has reduced by about ½.

  • Add greens and water. Boil over medium heat for about 45 minutes until greens are extremely tender.

Nutrition

Calories: 79kcal | Carbohydrates: 4g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 10mg | Sodium: 453mg | Potassium: 209mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 4275IU | Vitamin C: 9.9mg | Calcium: 44mg | Iron: 0.4mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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Enjoy!
Robyn xo

Pot Likker Soup Recipe (5)

From the Add a Pinch recipe archives. Originally published 2012.

Categorized as:All Recipes, By Special Diets, Cooking, Dinner Recipes, Egg-Free Recipes, Holiday and Occasion Recipes, Lunch, New Year Recipes, One Dish Meal Recipes, Pork Recipes, Recipes, , Soup and Stew Recipes, Southern Favorites

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About Robyn

Robyn Stone is a cookbook author, wife, mom, and passionate home cook. Her tested and trusted recipes give readers the confidence to cook recipes the whole family will love. Robyn has been featured on Food Network, People, Southern Living, and more.

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Pot Likker Soup Recipe (2024)

FAQs

How to use pot likker? ›

Just like with chicken or beef stock, potlikker layers flavors and can be used as a base for everything from soups to gravies to dressings. Or you can simply eat it alone, dipping cornbread into the rich, savory elixir.

What is the secret to soup? ›

7 Tips for Successful Soup Making
  • Use a Sturdy Pot. It is worth investing in a heavy pot with a thick bottom to use for making soup. ...
  • Sauté the Aromatics. ...
  • Start with Good Broth. ...
  • Cut Vegetables to the Right Size. ...
  • Stagger the Addition of Vegetables. ...
  • Keep Liquid at a Simmer. ...
  • Season Just Before Serving.
Oct 9, 2022

What does pot likker mean? ›

Pot liquor, sometimes spelled potlikker or pot likker, is the liquid that is left behind after boiling greens (collard greens, mustard greens, turnip greens) or beans. It is sometimes seasoned with salt and pepper, smoked pork or smoked turkey.

What are the nutrients in pot liquor? ›

At first glance, this heavily-seasoned, sometimes bitter by-product of boiled greens (or green beans) may seem inedible. But, like the leafy greens that give this broth its dark green color, pot liquor is rich in Vitamin C, Vitamin K, Vitamin A and iron.

Can you drink collard green water? ›

Don't toss that broth! Potlikker — the liquid left behind after boiling collards — is loaded with vitamins and minerals. Plus, it's delicious.

Is collard greens broth good for you? ›

From kale to collards to turnips, we've learned to embrace their nutrient-packed bitterness. So here's a tip: When you're cooking up a big pot of greens, don't toss out what may be the most nutritious part — the brothy water that's left in the pot. Lots of the beneficial nutrients cook out of the greens.

What gives soup the best flavor? ›

Foods that have a great deal of acidity, like lemon juice, vinegar, white wine, and tomato puree, can help liven up the flavor of bland-tasting bone and other broths. "The acidity of these ingredients works to complement and enhance the broth's flavors, not mask it.

What is the most important ingredient in soup? ›

For clear, brothy soups, stock is your most important ingredient. If you want to make a good soup, you need to use an excellently flavored stock — otherwise, the entire pot could be tasteless.

What not to do when making soup? ›

The 7 Biggest Mistakes You Make Cooking Soup
  1. Boiling instead of simmering. You want a small bubble or two to rise to the surface of the liquid every few seconds. ...
  2. Not using enough salt. ...
  3. Ignoring water. ...
  4. Overcooking the vegetables. ...
  5. Adding tomatoes at the beginning. ...
  6. Neglecting to garnish. ...
  7. Not trying a pressure cooker.
Nov 19, 2014

What does likker mean in english? ›

lik•ker (lik′ər), n. [Eye Dialect.] liquor.

What is the history of Potlicker? ›

It was a staple food eaten by enslaved people in the South, often eaten along with baked or fried cornbread either dipped or crumbled into the potlikker. By the early 1850s, potlikker was a mainstay in Southern diets.

What is the name of collard green broth? ›

Pot Liquor, also known as Pot Likker and Potlikker, is the tasty broth left behind from a pot of cooked greens (usually collard, turnip or mustard greens) and meat.

What is the most nutritious liquor? ›

If what you're looking for is the lowest-calorie, lowest-sugar alcohol, you'll want to stick with clear liquors, registered dietitian Alex Aldeborgh says. This includes vodka, gin, rum, tequila, soju and sake, among others, which will generally have less calories and less sugar.

What nutrients do you lose when you drink alcohol? ›

Management of Nutritional Deficiencies

Many drinkers who consume more than 30 percent of their total calories as alcohol ingest less than the recommended daily amounts of carbohydrates; proteins; fats; vitamins A, C, and B (especially thiamine); and minerals, such as calcium and iron.

How much alcohol is in pot liquor moonshine? ›

A column still, or a spiral still, can achieve a vapor alcohol content of 95% ABV. Moonshine is usually distilled to 40% ABV, and seldom above 66% based on 48 samples. For example, conventional pot stills commonly produce 40% ABV, and top out between 60% and 80% ABV after multiple distillations.

How do you use a vape pot? ›

Take a very small amount of your cannabis concentrate and place it into the chamber or oven using a dabber or dab tool. Take a hit by inhaling from the mouthpiece. Start with a very small inhale the first time. If you're not sure how much to take, wait ten minutes before you take another draw.

How do you use pot extract? ›

It is best to start small until you know how you will be affected. Then, using your torch, you'll heat your nail or bucket until it just starts to glow red. Allow it to cool for a few seconds, then carefully dab your extract on the hot surface while inhaling from the dab rig's mouthpiece.

How do you use a pot shot? ›

Rather than tossing that large, awkward, expensive and fragile pack, put some sand in a Pot Shot, tie a rope to it, and toss it past the interesting obstacle ahead. In many cases, it takes 2 Pot Shots to get out of a pothole; in some cases it can take 3 or more… the most we have heard about is 5, so far.

How do you use a pot strainer? ›

We're not actually meant to put the strainer in the kitchen sink before pouring. What we should really be doing is taking the strainer, placing it directly into the pot and then pouring the water out into the sink. Less waste and less chance of burning ourselves!

References

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