21 Best Cabbage Recipes

Have a hunk of cabbage you need to use up? Put it to work in these delicious cabbage recipes! They include simple sides, slaws, sandwiches, and more.

Best Cabbage Recipes

Choosing to make a cabbage recipe can feel like a commitment. You’re going to buy a whole entire cabbage in order to add a tiny bit of it to some tacos? What on earth are you going to do with the rest?!

My hope is that the cabbage recipes below offer an answer to that question. There are SO MANY ways to cook cabbage—this humble veggie is nothing if not versatile. It can complete a sandwich with a pop of color and crunch. It can transform into a crisp, refreshing slaw or a silky, sweet sauté. You can add it to soup or a bowl of noodles, a sushi roll, or a slider.

So please, don’t be afraid to cook cabbage recipes! I promise, you can always find a way to use up a full head, including the hunk that you will inevitably forget for a week at the back of your fridge (just me?). These cabbage recipes are here to help!

My Top 5 Cabbage Recipes

When it comes to cabbage recipes, these five are a great place to start! They include basic methods for how to cook cabbage as well as cabbage classics like coleslaw and cabbage soup.

Cabbage soup

Cabbage Soup

Want to polish off a whole head of cabbage in one go? This recipe is the way to do it! The silky cabbage leaves melt into a flavorful tomato broth alongside beans, veggies, and potatoes.

Cabbage Recipes

Sautéed Cabbage

This stir fried cabbage recipe is another easy way to use a large amount of cabbage. It’s simply seasoned with apple cider vinegar, garlic, salt, and pepper, but it’s still amazingly flavorful. The entire pan will be gone before you know it! Find the recipe below.

Coleslaw Recipe

Creamy Coleslaw

This coleslaw recipe is perfect for any BBQ or picnic! A creamy, tangy dressing coats a refreshing medley of red cabbage, green cabbage, carrot ribbons, and scallions.

Cabbage steaks

Cabbage Steaks

These roasted cabbage steaks are tender in the middle, with a ruffly ring of crisp, golden brown leaves around the edges. Squeeze them with lemon juice and serve them as a side dish, or top them with bulgur, pickled onions, tahini sauce, feta, and herbs for a complete meal!

Savory cabbage pancakes (okonomiyaki) on plates with chopsticks

Okonomiyaki

Okonomiyaki, or savory cabbage pancakes, are a popular Japanese street food. They’re traditionally made with seafood or pork, but I love this simple vegetarian twist. Readers love it too! It has 100+ 5-star reviews. Try it for an easy weeknight dinner!

Cabbage Salad Recipes

With its refreshing crunch, raw cabbage is a delicious addition to a variety of salads and slaws. Classic coleslaw is just the start!

Cabbage salad

Cabbage Salad

This colorful salad is one of my all-time favorite cabbage recipes! It’s super easy and SO flavorful, tossed in a nutty sesame dressing.

vinegar coleslaw recipe

Vinegar Coleslaw

Don’t love creamy coleslaw? This recipe is for you! It features a sweet and tangy apple cider vinegar dressing instead of a mayo-based one. This slaw gets better as it sits in the fridge. Make it ahead for your next picnic or cookout!

Broccoli slaw

Broccoli Slaw

Dried cranberries add sweet pops of flavor to this creamy slaw.

Healthy taco salad with shredded red cabbage

Healthy Taco Salad

All the flavors of a taco, but in salad form! Shredded red cabbage and chopped romaine create a crisp, fresh base, while vegan taco “meat,” black beans, and tortilla strips perfect the taco vibe. A zingy cilantro lime dressing ties it all together.

Vegan coleslaw - best cabbage recipes

Easy Vegan Coleslaw

Like classic coleslaw, but 100% plant-based. Great alongside any vegan hot dog or veggie burger!

Taco Recipes with Cabbage

If you ask me, no taco bar is complete without shredded cabbage. Colorful and crisp, it takes any taco over the top!

buffalo tacos with cabbage slaw

Buffalo Cauliflower Tacos

Turn your favorite game day snack into dinner! These epic veggie tacos are packed with crispy buffalo cauliflower, avocado, cilantro, and cabbage. Top them off with drizzles of creamy vegan ranch.

Spicy Mango, Black Bean and Avocado Tacos

Spicy Mango, Black Bean & Avocado Tacos

These no-cook tacos are a breeze to put together on a busy weeknight. I love how the crunchy cabbage plays off the tender black beans, juicy mango, and spicy mayo in the filling. Serve with a big squeeze of lime juice!

Cauliflower tacos with roasted cabbage

Roasted Cauliflower Tacos

These tacos feature roasted cabbage instead of raw, giving them caramelized depth of flavor. Afraid you’ll miss the crunch? Don’t worry about it. Fresh fixings like radishes and sliced serrano peppers take care of that!

Noodles and Rice Bowls

No matter what type of cabbage you have on hand—napa cabbage, savoy cabbage, red, or green—you can find a home for it in a bowl with noodles or rice.

Mango Ginger Rice Bowl with shredded green cabbage

Mango Ginger Rice Bowl

I love this recipe because it’s a) delicious and b) flexible. Use any kind of cabbage you like, and feel free to change up the other ingredients too. Sub in baked tofu for the black beans, or toss in whatever veggies you have on hand. Just don’t skip the pickled ginger. It adds such a fresh kick to this recipe!

Adzuki beans bowl with sesame cabbage slaw

Adzuki Bean Bowls

These energizing bowls are filled with a simple sesame slaw, brown rice, and nutty adzuki beans. Can’t find adzukis? Black beans work too!

Sesame Orange Noodle Bowl with red cabbage recipe

Sesame Noodle Bowl

These vibrant bowls are a delicious, easy dinner or make-ahead lunch. The sturdy cabbage, meaty mushrooms, and crisp snap peas hold up nicely under the tangy miso dressing.

Sandwiches

Is that sandwich missing something? Just like in a taco, a little cabbage will add color and crunch.

BBQ jackfruit sliders with cabbage slaw

BBQ Jackfruit Sandwich

Think of these sliders as a vegan riff on pulled chicken or pork. The jackfruit filling has the same moist, tender texture. It’s delicious with a crisp cabbage slaw on top!

Butternut Apple Cranberry Sandwich with pickled red cabbage

Butternut Apple Cranberry Sandwich

Filled with roasted squash, apples, dried cranberries, and cheddar cheese, this hearty sandwich is basically fall between bread! Lightly pickled cabbage gives it a pop of tangy flavor.

Tofu Sandwich

Tofu Sandwich

My cabbage salad adds a vegetable kick to this BBQ tofu sando. Don’t serve it without napkins nearby—this recipe is seriously saucy!

More Favorite Cabbage Recipes

You’ll find two more easy recipes with cabbage below—homemade veggie sushi and loaded sweet potato fries. I told you cabbage was versatile, didn’t I?

Veggie sushi rolls with red cabbage and shiitake mushrooms

Homemade Maki Sushi

This veggie sushi is anything but traditional, but it’s a blast to make (and eat!) at home. Roasted shiitake mushrooms add rich flavor to the filling, while red cabbage and cucumber supply refreshing crunch. Serve the rolls with my carrot ginger sauce for dipping.

Sweet Potato Chili Fries

Sweet Potato Chili Fries

This comforting recipe is just as good for game day as it is for busy weeknights! I top the hearty sweet potato wedges with a zesty cabbage slaw for bright, fresh flavor.

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Best Cabbage Recipes: Sautéed Cabbage

rate this recipe:
5 from 11 votes
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes
Serves 4 to 6
This simple sautéed cabbage is one of our favorite cabbage recipes! It's a delicious, quick, and easy veggie side dish.

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, for 30 seconds, or until fragrant but not browned.
  • Add the cabbage, salt, and several grinds of pepper, toss, and cook for 2 minutes, or until the cabbage starts to soften.
  • Add the vinegar, toss, and cook, tossing, until most of the liquid cooks off and the cabbage is tender and browned, about 6 minutes. Season to taste and serve.

6 comments

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Rate this recipe (after making it)




  1. Dee Kirk
    07.31.2023

    5 stars
    We liked it both before and after adding the vinegar.

    We added Thai red curry paste and served topped with chopped peanuts and cilantro. That took it to the next level!

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      08.01.2023

      I’m so glad you enjoyed it!

  2. Laurel Rose
    04.21.2023

    5 stars
    I added about a teaspoon of Thai chili paste at the end and just ate 1 small head of cabbage with no help! Lol!

    • Phoebe Moore (L&L Recipe Developer)
      04.27.2023

      Love that! So glad you enjoyed it.

  3. Sabrina from newkitchenlife.com
    03.20.2023

    thank you, a great resource, I don’t like boiled cabbage so all of these will help even sauteed cabbage beats boiled!

    • Phoebe Moore (L&L Recipe Developer)
      03.23.2023

      Ha, agreed!

A food blog with fresh, zesty recipes.
Photograph of Jeanine Donofrio and Jack Mathews in their kitchen

Hello, we're Jeanine and Jack.

We love to eat, travel, cook, and eat some more! We create & photograph vegetarian recipes from our home in Chicago, while our shiba pups eat the kale stems that fall on the kitchen floor.