diff --git a/intake_esm/core.py b/intake_esm/core.py
index 85a40880..3b994716 100644
--- a/intake_esm/core.py
+++ b/intake_esm/core.py
@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@
 import pandas as pd
 import pydantic
 import xarray as xr
+import xcollection as xc
 from fastprogress.fastprogress import progress_bar
 from intake.catalog import Catalog
 
@@ -247,6 +248,7 @@ def __dir__(self) -> typing.List[str]:
         rv = [
             'df',
             'to_dataset_dict',
+            'to_collection',
             'to_dask',
             'keys',
             'serialize',
@@ -573,6 +575,88 @@ def to_dataset_dict(
         self.datasets = self._create_derived_variables(datasets, skip_on_error)
         return self.datasets
 
+    @pydantic.validate_arguments
+    def to_collection(
+        self,
+        xarray_open_kwargs: typing.Dict[str, typing.Any] = None,
+        xarray_combine_by_coords_kwargs: typing.Dict[str, typing.Any] = None,
+        preprocess: typing.Callable = None,
+        storage_options: typing.Dict[pydantic.StrictStr, typing.Any] = None,
+        progressbar: pydantic.StrictBool = None,
+        aggregate: pydantic.StrictBool = None,
+        skip_on_error: pydantic.StrictBool = False,
+        **kwargs,
+    ) -> xc.Collection:
+        """
+        Load catalog entries into a Collection of xarray datasets.
+
+        Parameters
+        ----------
+        xarray_open_kwargs : dict
+            Keyword arguments to pass to :py:func:`~xarray.open_dataset` function
+        xarray_combine_by_coords_kwargs: : dict
+            Keyword arguments to pass to :py:func:`~xarray.combine_by_coords` function.
+        preprocess : callable, optional
+            If provided, call this function on each dataset prior to aggregation.
+        storage_options : dict, optional
+            Parameters passed to the backend file-system such as Google Cloud Storage,
+            Amazon Web Service S3.
+        progressbar : bool
+            If True, will print a progress bar to standard error (stderr)
+            when loading assets into :py:class:`~xarray.Dataset`.
+        aggregate : bool, optional
+            If False, no aggregation will be done.
+        skip_on_error : bool, optional
+            If True, skip datasets that cannot be loaded and/or variables we are unable to derive.
+
+        Returns
+        -------
+        dsets : Collection
+           A Collection of xarray :py:class:`~xarray.Dataset`.
+
+        Examples
+        --------
+        >>> import intake
+        >>> col = intake.open_esm_datastore("glade-cmip6.json")
+        >>> cat = col.search(
+        ...     source_id=["BCC-CSM2-MR", "CNRM-CM6-1", "CNRM-ESM2-1"],
+        ...     experiment_id=["historical", "ssp585"],
+        ...     variable_id="pr",
+        ...     table_id="Amon",
+        ...     grid_label="gn",
+        ... )
+        >>> dsets = cat.to_collection()
+        >>> dsets.keys()
+        dict_keys(['CMIP.BCC.BCC-CSM2-MR.historical.Amon.gn', 'ScenarioMIP.BCC.BCC-CSM2-MR.ssp585.Amon.gn'])
+        >>> dsets["CMIP.BCC.BCC-CSM2-MR.historical.Amon.gn"]
+        <xarray.Dataset>
+        Dimensions:    (bnds: 2, lat: 160, lon: 320, member_id: 3, time: 1980)
+        Coordinates:
+        * lon        (lon) float64 0.0 1.125 2.25 3.375 ... 355.5 356.6 357.8 358.9
+        * lat        (lat) float64 -89.14 -88.03 -86.91 -85.79 ... 86.91 88.03 89.14
+        * time       (time) object 1850-01-16 12:00:00 ... 2014-12-16 12:00:00
+        * member_id  (member_id) <U8 'r1i1p1f1' 'r2i1p1f1' 'r3i1p1f1'
+        Dimensions without coordinates: bnds
+        Data variables:
+            lat_bnds   (lat, bnds) float64 dask.array<chunksize=(160, 2), meta=np.ndarray>
+            lon_bnds   (lon, bnds) float64 dask.array<chunksize=(320, 2), meta=np.ndarray>
+            time_bnds  (time, bnds) object dask.array<chunksize=(1980, 2), meta=np.ndarray>
+            pr         (member_id, time, lat, lon) float32 dask.array<chunksize=(1, 600, 160, 320), meta=np.ndarray>
+        """
+
+        self.datasets = self.to_dataset_dict(
+            xarray_open_kwargs=xarray_open_kwargs,
+            xarray_combine_by_coords_kwargs=xarray_combine_by_coords_kwargs,
+            preprocess=preprocess,
+            storage_options=storage_options,
+            progressbar=progressbar,
+            aggregate=aggregate,
+            skip_on_error=skip_on_error,
+            **kwargs,
+        )
+        self.datasets = xc.Collection(self.datasets)
+        return self.datasets
+
     def to_dask(self, **kwargs) -> xr.Dataset:
         """
         Convert result to dataset.
diff --git a/requirements.txt b/requirements.txt
index 39868d6f..630f89e1 100644
--- a/requirements.txt
+++ b/requirements.txt
@@ -7,3 +7,4 @@ requests>=2.24.0
 xarray>=0.19,!=0.20.0,!=0.20.1
 zarr>=2.5
 pydantic>=1.8.2
+xcollection
diff --git a/tests/test_core.py b/tests/test_core.py
index 1e7d7319..8fb2fdac 100644
--- a/tests/test_core.py
+++ b/tests/test_core.py
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@
 import pydantic
 import pytest
 import xarray as xr
+import xcollection as xc
 
 import intake_esm
 
@@ -241,6 +242,39 @@ def test_to_dataset_dict(path, query, xarray_open_kwargs):
     assert ds.time.encoding
 
 
+@pytest.mark.parametrize(
+    'path, query, xarray_open_kwargs',
+    [
+        (
+            zarr_col_pangeo_cmip6,
+            dict(
+                variable_id=['pr'],
+                experiment_id='ssp370',
+                activity_id='AerChemMIP',
+                source_id='BCC-ESM1',
+                table_id='Amon',
+                grid_label='gn',
+            ),
+            {'consolidated': True, 'backend_kwargs': {'storage_options': {'token': 'anon'}}},
+        ),
+        (
+            cdf_col_sample_cmip6,
+            dict(source_id=['CNRM-ESM2-1', 'CNRM-CM6-1', 'BCC-ESM1'], variable_id=['tasmax']),
+            {'chunks': {'time': 1}},
+        ),
+    ],
+)
+def test_to_collection(path, query, xarray_open_kwargs):
+    cat = intake.open_esm_datastore(path)
+    cat_sub = cat.search(**query)
+    coll = cat_sub.to_collection(xarray_open_kwargs=xarray_open_kwargs)
+    _, ds = coll.popitem()
+    assert 'member_id' in ds.dims
+    assert len(ds.__dask_keys__()) > 0
+    assert ds.time.encoding
+    assert isinstance(coll, xc.Collection)
+
+
 @pytest.mark.parametrize(
     'path, query, xarray_open_kwargs',
     [