Pickled Cabbage

This Pickled Cabbage recipe is quick and easy to make, and awesome to have at the ready all the time. Fresh, tangy, and subtly sweet, it's excellent in tacos, sandwiches, and alongside almost any protein.

You know when you bite into a taco or sandwich and it's extra special somehow? Like there's a secret ingredient bringing a fantastic punch of flavor?

It might just be pickled cabbage!

What is Pickled Cabbage?

Vinegar, water, seasonings, and sometimes other ingredients like onion and garlic are mixed with chopped cabbage and left to marinate. The marinating time can vary from an hour to a few days or more.

The texture and flavor changes, and if it's red cabbage, the color, too. Pickled red cabbage and pickled green cabbage are both great - in this recipe I combined the two.

How is this different from sauerkraut?

Pickled cabbage involves pickling the cabbage, while sauerkraut is cabbage that is fermented.

Pickling is soaking foods in an acidic liquid to attain a sour flavor. On the other hand, fermenting involves a chemical reaction between the natural sugar in foods and naturally present bacteria. Fermented foods will last longer than those that are pickled.

Ingredient Notes

• red cabbage and green cabbage - The most common cabbage is probably Cannonball, the green, very round cabbage. You can use any variety of cabbage including Napa, Savoy and Bok Choy. Textures will vary with each type.
• red onion - I love the sweetness of red onions. You can substitute with shallots or yellow onions if you'd like.
• garlic - The garlic is part of what gives this recipe its delicious kick.
• vinegar - I use sherry vinegar in this recipe. I love the flavor! You can use white vinegar, or other vinegars too — red wine vinegar and apple cider vinegar are the most commonly used for pickled cabbage recipes.
• pickling spices - It's the pickling spices that give pickled cabbage its warm, tangy flavor. The mixtures can vary, but it usually includes whole mustard seeds, coriander, peppercorns, bay leaves, cumin seeds, cloves, and allspice. They infuse the brine the cabbage marinates in.
• granulated sugar - The sugar in this recipe balances the tanginess of the vinegar, creating a smoother flavor. And the cabbage will not be noticeably sweet. Substution: Brown sugar.
• kosher salt - If you use table salt, use half the amount.

How to Make Pickled Cabbage?

- Combine the vinegar, water, sugar, salt in a small sauce pot. Add the pickling spices to a small cheesecloth bag and add it to the pot. Place the pot over low-medium heat. Warm it just long enough to dissolve the sugar and salt. Turn off the heat and let it sit for at least 30 minutes.

Recipe Tip: I prefer to use a cheesecloth bag for the spices. I remove the bag before pouring the liquid over the cabbage. The spices are sometimes added directly to the liquid and left there. You can do this either way - I prefer not finding bits of crunchy spices in the cabbage when I'm eating. Your call, though.

- In a very large bowl (likely your largest), toss the cabbage, onion, and garlic together.

- Pack two (1 quart) Mason jars with as much of the cabbage mixture as you can. Use the back of a spoon to press it down on top to be sure you've filled it as much as possible - you will fit in any cabbage that's left later.

- Remove the spice bag from the pickling liquid, and pour half of the liquid into each jar. (It should be warm or room temperature, not hot!) It won't cover the cabbage completely, but the cabbage will soften and within an hour or so, and then it will be submerged.

- After about an hour, gently push the cabbage down further into the jar and add any remaining cabbage that will fit. Put the lids on and refrigerate.

- Refrigerate the cabbage filled jars for at least three hours, and ideally overnight. (Though it's delicious after a couple of hours, for the best flavor and texture, the more marinating time, the better it will be.)

Left: The cabbage mixture has just been added to the jar. Right: The cabbage after 1 hour of marinating.

Recipe Tip: I like using jars, but feel free to use any (approximately 2-quart) container that can be tightly sealed.

Variation

• Spicy version. Add either a teaspoon or two of chili paste, or a sliced jalapeño or serrano pepper. Do not discard the seeds if you want it extra hot.

Uses for Pickled Cabbage

Pickled cabbage adds vibrant color, a great crunch, and a powerful punch of tangy, subtly sweet flavor to everything it's added to.

• Mostly used as a condiment, a small serving as a side dish with meat or fish is excellent too. It's lovely with Coffee Balsamic Grilled Flank Steak, Spiced Pulled Pork and quick Mexican Salmon.
• I almost always make pickled cabbage for tacos. I serve it with Spicy Potato Tacos and Blackened Fish Tacos.
• Add it to sandwiches, wraps or burgers.
• Toss a handful into salads of all sorts. It'll liven them right up, and double as a salad dressing!

How long will it keep?

• In a tightly sealed container, pickled cabbage will last 3 weeks in the refrigerator. (I would not recommend freezing it.)

This image is after 3 hours of marinating time. I'm not sure why we call it "red" cabbage because it's really more purple. When it's pickled, the purple color turns into a deep, bright and beautiful magenta. The green cabbage takes on some of that magenta, and becomes less green.

More Must-Try Delicious Pickled Recipes

However you serve the pickled cabbage, I hope you love it as much as my family and I do.