Want my secret to taking a recipe to the next level? Quick-pickled red cabbage. An easy-to-make ingredient that can add so much flavor, color, texture and nutrition to a dish without spending hours in the kitchen. All you need is 5 ingredients, 10 minutes of prep time and you have a flavor hack that will add a little crunch and a lot of tang to your plate. 

Quick pickled red cabbage in a glass jar with a pink plate beside it

Have you ever made a recipe and felt like it’s just missing something? I’ve been there a million times. Heck, it’s one of the reasons why my fridge and pantry are packed with all kinds of flavor hacks like spices, sauces, and condiments. These ingredients aren’t necessarily the star of the recipe but they have the ability to take something from blah to OMG! 

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When I first heard about quick pickling, I was a little intimidated. But after I made my first batch, I realized that I could make tangy delicious pickles from scratch in 30 minutes flat. I also learned that you can pickle almost anything! 

Over the years, I’ve pickled the more traditional veggies like this cabbage, shredded carrots, cucumber and red onion but I’ve also tried more adventurous options like making quick pickled avocado and sweet and tangy pickled mangoes. 

This quick pickled shredded cabbage recipe has been in my flavor boosting arsenal for over a decade. The foodie in me loves that it adds some tang and crunch to a recipe while the dietitian in me loves that it’s a great way to get some more veggies on your plate without sacrificing flavor or overall satisfaction. I’ll add these to almost anything – tacos, bowls, or salads for an extra dose of flavor and nutrition. 

Ingredients for quick pickled red cabbage, including shredded red cabbage, sugar, salt, vinegar, and water

What You Need To Make This Delicious Flavor Hack

Red cabbage: I use red or purple cabbage for this recipe and shred it up using my food processor with the slicing disc attachment on it. 

I love how the cabbage retains some of its natural crunchiness but becomes more tender due to the pickling process while also soaking up the flavor of the pickling solution

Tip: Cabbage is one of those veggies that seems to multiply in size as you cut it up. If you don’t think you’ll use a full head of cabbage, you can ask your grocer to cut it in half for you. This is a great way to reduce food waste! 

White vinegar: I am all about that tang when I make quick pickled anything. And this recipe is no different. I love the flavor that white vinegar adds to the slightly sweet red cabbage. It’s a neutral flavored vinegar that has a high acidity (aka that tang factor). 

If you prefer a more subtle flavor, I recommend trying this recipe with white wine vinegar or rice vinegar or a combo of all three. 

Warm or boiling water: This is one of those recipes where the temp of the water actually matters. Not only does the warm water dissolve the sugar and salt quicker than cold water, it also helps soften the cabbage slightly before pickling, helping with the absorption of the pickling solution. This can lead to a more tender and evenly pickled cabbage. Just ensure the water is hot enough for the salt and sugar to fully dissolve.

Salt and sugar: The salt and sugar add the overall flavor of the pickling solution. The salt helps enhance the flavor of the cabbage while sugar adds a touch of sweetness that balances out the acidity from the vinegar.

Step by Step Guide to Making Pickled Cabbage Quick!

Shredded red cabbage in a food processor

Slice the cabbage using a food processor with the slicer attachment or thinly slice using a sharpened chef’s knife.

Quick pickled red cabbage in a glass jar

Place the cabbage, water, vinegar, salt and sugar in a mason jar, with a minimum volume or 2 cups / 500ml.

Quick pickled red cabbage in a glass jar

Screw the lid on and shake gently to combine ingredients and dissolve the salt and sugar.

Quick pickled shredded carrots, red cabbage, avocados, and red onion in glass jars

Remove the lid and allow to cool at room temperature, then screw the lid back on and store in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.

Nutritional Benefits (Nutrition by Addition)

Using flavor hacks like pickled cabbage is a great way to practice nutrition by addition – the concept of looking at what you can add to your plate. This intuitive eating principle can seem counterintuitive at first. Why? Well, diet culture has spent decades telling us what foods we need to cut out of our lives. 

Learning how to reframe this takes time and practice and is something I work on intensively with my clients in my Make Food Feel Good Program. But once you master it, it can lead to a life of food freedom. One where you don’t feel guilty after eating or have intense cravings that control your food decisions. Rather you choose food based on what would feel good, taste good, and be satisfying. 

So how exactly does pickled cabbage fit into all of this? First of all, pickled cabbage is beautiful. It adds a pop of color that can add to the overall appeal of a dish and, if you’re anything like me, we tend to eat with our eyes first. 

Second, it’s packed with flavor – adding a tanginess that pairs well with creamy sauces (like my lime crema) as well as spicy dishes. It also has a crunchy yet tender texture that works well with a variety of dishes (more on how to use them here). Last but not least, cabbage is packed full of nutrients like Vitamin C, K, folate and fiber. These all do different things to help my body function and help me feel energized throughout the day. Let’s dive in!

Vitamin C: 1 cup of red cabbage is approximately 55% of your daily requirement (DV) of vitamin C. Vitamin C helps support our immune health and can help improve our absorption of iron. It’s also an antioxidant which can help protect our body from free radicals and disease. 

Vitamin K: That same cup of red cabbage has almost 30% of your DV of vitamin K. Vitamin K helps with blood clotting and bone health. 

Fiber: Red cabbage is also rich in fiber. Fiber helps promote gut health. It helps us feel full for longer while also keeping our blood sugars (and mood) stable.

How to Use Pickled Cabbage

I love making a big batch of pickled cabbage and keeping it in the fridge to use over the next two weeks. Here are a few of my favorite ways to enjoy these tangy nuggets of goodness:

Tacos: I love how the tangy and slightly sweet flavor of pickled cabbage always adds a refreshing twist to taco recipes. It pairs well with any protein – from prawn tacos to bean tacos to meat tacos. Here are a few of my faves to add them to:

Bowls: I love bowl meals. They’re so easy to go through together and are a great way to use up leftover ingredients! Mix these recipes up by swapping out the shredded slaw for pickled cabbage. Trust me you won’t regret it!

Salads: Pickled veggies go great in salads! They add a little extra tang that I just love. Try them in one of these recipes:

If you make this quick-pickled red cabbage, it would make my day if you would leave a comment and/or star rating below— I love hearing your feedback! And don’t forget to snap a pic and tag me on Instagram @lindsaypleskot.rd so I can see your versions! It makes me so happy to see these recipes come to life in your kitchens! Xo

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Quick pickled red cabbage in a glass jar with a pink plate beside it

How To Make Quick-Pickled Red Cabbage (Step by Step)

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Description

Want my secret to taking a recipe to the next level? Quick-pickled red cabbage. An easy-to- make ingredient that can add so much flavor, color, texture and nutrition to a dish without spending hours in the kitchen. All you need is 5 ingredients, 10 minutes of prep time and you have a flavor hack that will add a little crunch and a lot of tang to your plate.


Ingredients

Scale

1 cup of shredded red cabbage (I used a food processor to shred mine)

2/3 cup (175 ml) hot or boiling water

2/3 cup (175 ml) white vinegar

2 tsp salt

2 tsp sugar


Instructions

  1. Place the shredded cabbage, water, vinegar, salt and sugar in a mason jar, with a minimum volume or 2 cups / 500ml. Screw the lid on and shake gently to combine ingredients and dissolve the salt and sugar.

  2. Remove the lid and allow to cool at room temperature, then screw the lid back on and store in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.