The best cabbage recipes turn one cheap head of cabbage into a full week of proper meals: roasted steaks, stuffed rolls, casseroles, soups, crisp hash browns and Japanese pancakes. Here are 18 vegetarian and vegan cabbage recipes, mostly from my own kitchen, plus a few favourites from other food blogs to cover the dishes I haven’t posted yet. They’re grouped from high-heat roasting to slow oven bakes, so you can pick by how much time you have. Green, white, red and Savoy cabbage all work here.
How to Choose and Cook Cabbage Well
Choose a cabbage that feels heavy for its size, with tight, glossy leaves and no soft or browning spots at the base. Green and white heads are the all-rounders for baking and stewing, red cabbage keeps its shape and colour for slaws and rolls, and Savoy has thin, flexible leaves that wrap easily. Cook it fast and hot to keep it sweet: roast thick wedges at 220C, sear shreds in a wide dry pan, or add it to soup in the last ten minutes. Long, slow boiling is what makes cabbage grey and sulphurous.
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Roasted Cabbage Steaks and Wedges
High heat is what turns cabbage sweet and frizzled at the edges, and these are the recipes that prove it.
How to Cook Cabbage + The Best Cabbage Recipe
Thick cabbage rounds roasted at high heat turn sweet and buttery in the middle and deeply caramelised at the ruffled edges. This is the recipe that proves cabbage was never the problem, only the boiling, and it doubles as a lesson in basic cabbage technique. Tip: cut the rounds no thinner than two centimetres so they stay intact on the tray and can be flipped halfway without falling apart.
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Cabbage Steaks with Tahini Sauce
Thick cabbage slabs roast until the outer leaves frizzle and darken, then get a generous drizzle of nutty tahini sauce. The contrast of sweet caramelised cabbage against cool, savoury sesame makes the plate feel far more special than the short ingredient list suggests. Tip: brush both cut sides with oil before roasting so the steaks colour evenly instead of drying out at the thin edges.
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Garlicky Roasted Cabbage Steaks
Garlic and a hot oven are all this needs: the centre of each slab turns sweet and tender while the outer leaves crisp into something close to a savoury chip. Serve it beside a roast dinner, or pile it over grains with a fried egg for a cheap supper. Tip: slide a wide spatula fully under each steak when turning, since softened slices break apart if you pull them with tongs.
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Roasted Red Cabbage Steaks with Red Pepper Tahini
Red cabbage roasts into deep purple slabs with crackling edges, served under a smoky red pepper tahini that doubles as a dip for everything else in the fridge. It looks like a restaurant plate and costs almost nothing to put together. Tip: blend the sauce while the cabbage roasts, and keep any leftovers, since it thickens in the fridge and loosens again with a spoonful of water.
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Cosy Cabbage Bakes and Casseroles
These oven dishes are where cabbage stops being a side vegetable and becomes dinner.
Cabbage Casserole with Rice
Shredded cabbage and rice bake together until the top turns golden and the whole kitchen smells like a Sunday lunch. It is the kind of one-dish dinner that costs very little and still feels generous, especially with a spoonful of tomato sauce stirred through the layers. Tip: let the casserole rest for about 10 minutes after baking so the rice absorbs the last of the liquid and the portions hold together when you serve them.
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Cheesy Cabbage Casserole (Easy Vegetarian, Low Carb)
Melted cheese over tender cabbage is the fastest way to win over anyone who claims not to like cabbage. The vegetable stays slightly firm underneath a bubbling, golden crust, so every forkful has both bite and creaminess without any pasta or potato. Tip: pat the cabbage dry after blanching, because the water it releases will thin the cheese sauce and stop the top from browning properly.
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Vegan Cabbage Lasagna
Here cabbage leaves stand in for pasta sheets, layered with a rich tomato filling until everything melts into one comforting slab. It comes out lighter than a classic lasagna but every bit as satisfying, and it reheats beautifully for lunch the next day. Tip: blanch the leaves for two minutes and shave down the thick central rib with a knife so they lie flat and the finished lasagna cuts into neat squares.
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Simple Cabbage Filo Pie
Crackly filo shatters over a savoury cabbage filling that has been cooked down slowly until it turns sweet and almost jammy. It works as a light dinner alongside a salad, as picnic food, or cut into small squares for a party table. Tip: cook the filling until no liquid is left in the pan, otherwise the bottom sheets of filo will steam instead of crisping and the base turns soggy.
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Cabbage Rolls and Stuffed Classics
Rolling cabbage leaves around a savoury filling is the oldest trick in the book, and still the most impressive.
Vegan Cabbage Rolls with Mushroom Stuffing (Romanian Sarmale)
Pickled cabbage leaves wrap around a savoury rice and mushroom filling, then simmer low and slow until every roll is meltingly tender. This is the plant-based version of Romanian sarmale, deeply savoury and traditionally served with polenta and a spoon of something sour. Tip: make them a day ahead, since the flavour deepens overnight and reheated rolls hold their shape far better than freshly cooked ones.
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Vegan Stuffed Red Cabbage Rolls (Dolmas) Recipe
Red cabbage leaves give these dolmas a striking purple edge and a slightly sweeter, peppery bite than green cabbage. The herbed rice filling stays fluffy while the rolls braise, so the whole plate tastes bright rather than heavy. Tip: add a good squeeze of lemon to the braising liquid, which keeps the red colour vivid instead of letting it turn a dull blue-grey in the pot.
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Cabbage Soups and Stews
Cabbage gives a pot of soup body and sweetness for the price of almost nothing.
Smoky Cabbage Stew
Smoked paprika does the heavy lifting here, giving humble cabbage the depth you would normally expect from a long-simmered meat dish. Served with crusty bread it is a complete meal, and it tastes even better on the second day once the flavours settle. Tip: brown the cabbage in the dry pan before adding any liquid, because those caramelised edges are what carry the smoky flavour through the whole pot.
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Potato Cabbage Soup
Potatoes make this soup creamy without a drop of cream, while the cabbage keeps it fresh and gently sweet. It is the bowl you want on a cold evening, ready in about half an hour from a handful of everyday vegetables you probably already have. Tip: add the cabbage in the last ten minutes of simmering so it keeps a little texture instead of dissolving completely into the broth.
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Skillet Dinners, Pancakes and Slaws
For the nights when you have half a cabbage, one pan and about twenty-five minutes.
Low Carb Cabbage Hash Browns
Shredded cabbage fries into golden patties that eat almost exactly like potato hash browns, with a fraction of the starch. They are brilliant for a lazy breakfast with a fried egg on top, or as a crisp side for anything saucy. Tip: salt the shredded cabbage, leave it for ten minutes, then squeeze out the moisture with a clean towel so the patties bind and fry properly crisp.
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Spicy Cabbage Stir Fry with Tofu
Green and red cabbage hit a hot pan with tofu and a chilli-spiked sauce, staying crisp-tender rather than going limp. It is a genuine twenty minute dinner and a smart way to clear half a cabbage along with whatever else is rolling around the vegetable drawer. Tip: cook it in two batches over high heat, because a crowded pan steams the cabbage instead of searing it.
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Vegan Okonomiyaki Japanese Cabbage Pancakes
Finely shredded cabbage and carrot are bound into a savoury Japanese pancake, crisp at the surface and soft in the middle, then finished with sauce and a drizzle of creamy topping. It is probably the most fun you can have with half a cabbage. Tip: press the batter into an even, fairly thin round in the pan so the centre cooks through before the outside browns too far.
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Vegan Okonomiyaki with Smoked Tofu
This version leans smoky, with tofu folded through a cabbage-packed batter for extra bite and protein. The cabbage almost melts inside the pancake while the surface goes deeply golden, so every wedge is soft and crisp at the same time. Tip: shred the cabbage as finely as you can, since thick ribbons stop the pancake holding together when you come to flip it.
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Root Vegetables Coleslaw (with Beetroot, Carrot & Celeriac)
Raw beetroot, carrot and celeriac are shredded into a crunchy, jewel-toned slaw that keeps its bite for days in the fridge. It brings exactly the fresh, tangy contrast you want next to a heavy cabbage bake or a plate of rolls. Tip: fold in a handful of finely shredded white cabbage for classic coleslaw texture, and dress it half an hour ahead so the roots soften slightly.
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Breakfast Kale Salad
Kale, the curly cousin of cabbage, gets a savoury breakfast treatment here so a bowl of greens actually feels like a meal. It is quick, filling and an easy way to get the same brassica crunch first thing in the morning. Tip: massage the torn leaves with a little oil and salt for a minute before dressing, which softens them and takes the bitter edge off.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is the healthiest way to cook cabbage? Quick methods keep the most flavour and texture: roasting, sautéing and short steaming all cook cabbage in 10 to 25 minutes with very little added fat. Long boiling is what makes cabbage soft, grey and sulphurous, so keep boiled cabbage to soups where the cooking liquid stays in the bowl.
How do you cook cabbage so it doesn’t smell? The smell comes from overcooking. Cook cabbage fast and uncovered, or roast it at high heat instead of simmering it for a long time. A splash of lemon juice or vinegar in the pan also helps, and leaving the lid off lets the sulphur compounds escape rather than build up in the pot.
Can you freeze cooked cabbage dishes? Yes. Cabbage rolls, stews and soups freeze very well for up to three months and often taste better after resting. Creamy or cheesy cabbage casseroles are the exception: the sauce can separate on thawing, so reheat them gently and stir once or twice. Crisp dishes such as hash browns and pancakes are best eaten fresh.
What is the difference between green, red and Savoy cabbage? Green and white cabbage are firm, mild and the best general choice for baking and stewing. Red cabbage is denser and slightly peppery, keeps its shape well and needs a little acid to stay purple rather than blue. Savoy has crinkled, tender leaves that are easiest to roll and cook fastest of the three.
How do you make cabbage steaks that don’t fall apart? Keep the core in. Slice the head through the root end so a piece of core holds each slab together, cut the steaks at least two centimetres thick, and brush both sides with oil before roasting. Turn them with a wide spatula slid fully underneath, not with tongs, which tend to pull the leaves loose.
What can I make with half a head of leftover cabbage? Half a cabbage is exactly right for hash browns, okonomiyaki pancakes, a quick stir fry or a small casserole for two. It is also enough for a pot of potato and cabbage soup, or a filo pie filling. Shred it finely, salt it briefly, and it will cook down far faster than you expect.
