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Crunchy and tart, pickled red cabbage is easy to make at home and delicious on top of all sorts of dishes, like tacos, burgers, veggie bowls, and more.

Side view of pickled red cabbage in a glass jar sitting on a wooden cutting board.

🥬 What Makes This Recipe So Good

This pickled red cabbage is super quick and easy to make. There’s barely any cooking involved, just bringing some liquid to boil then pouring it over the cabbage!
Red cabbage is a great source of fiber, vitamin C, vitamin K, and a host of antioxidants. Even the pigments that give it its signature color can be good for you by reducing inflammation and supporting heart health.
Pickled red cabbage is SUPER versatile. It’s typically a condiment or a side dish, and it fits into a wide variety of cuisines. Generally served with meat dishes like sausages, it’s also great with burgers, tacos, sandwiches, salads, or even as a slaw.

👩‍🍳 Chef’s Tips

Shredding cabbage is really easy to do. You just need a sharp knife or a mandolin slicer! If you’re new to prepping and shredding cabbage yourself, make sure you check out our blog post all about the cabbage-shredding process before you get started with your pickled red cabbage.
Make sure you give the brine plenty of time to cool COMPLETELY before you seal the jar. Since the lid makes the mason jars airtight, any heat would be trapped inside. That’ll keep the cabbage from pickling like it needs to.
Most of the flavor in pickled red cabbage is brought out by the vinegar. The longer you let the cabbage sit in the vinegar, the more flavorful the cabbage will be.
This is a quick fermentation technique, NOT a canning technique. That means the pickled cabbage must be refrigerated, not stored in the pantry. Don’t worry, though. It’ll keep for a good while in the fridge! Note: we haven’t tested canning this recipe for longterm storage.

Top down view of red cabbage in a mason jar, before and after pickling.

More Delicious Recipes You Have to Try

Recipe By: Cheryl Malik

Pickled Red Cabbage

Prep 15

Cook 5

Cool 30

Total 50

Crunchy, tart, and super easy to make right at home.

6 servings

Equipment

large mason jar with lid or several smaller mason jars with lids
Large wooden spoon or cocktail muddler
Large saucepan
funnel optional

Ingredients

▢ 1 pound red or purple cabbage approximately half of one medium head; cored, thinly sliced or shredded
▢ 2 cloves garlic pressed or minced
▢ 1 cup water
▢ 1 cup apple cider vinegar
▢ 1 tablespoon granulated sugar or granulated sweetener of choice
▢ 1 teaspoon salt

Instructions

Place cabbage and garlic in large mason jar (or divide evenly between smaller jars). Use wooden spoon handle or cocktail muddler to lightly pack ingredients down into jar. Set jar aside.
Heat saucepan over high heat. When pan is warm, add water, vinegar, sugar, and salt. Stir well to incorporate ingredients, then bring mixture to vigorous boil.
Once mixture begins to boil vigorously, immediately remove saucepan from heat and pour liquid into jar(s), covering cabbage completely. Leave minimum 1-inch of space between top of liquid and top edge of jar.
Set jar(s) aside and let liquid cool completely. Once liquid reaches room temperature, cover and seal jar(s) tightly. Place in refrigerator and use within 4 to 6 weeks.

Sweetener: If you’re avoiding sugar, agave and stevia work well in its place. You can also try allulose or monkfruit. Just be sure to adjust the quantity appropriately depending on the sweetener you use, otherwise your brine could be way too sweet.

Approximate Information for One Serving

Serving Size: 1servingCalories: 41calProtein: 1gFat: 0.1gSaturated Fat: 0.02gSodium: 412mgPotassium: 217mgTotal Carbs: 8gFiber: 2gSugar: 5gNet Carbs: 6gVitamin A: 844IUVitamin C: 43mgCalcium: 40mgIron: 1mg