Easy Spiced Slow Cooked Red Cabbage Recipe

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This easy slow cooked red cabbage recipe is an AMAZING side for Christmas dinner or a roast dinner any time of year! I'll show you how to cook it the easy way using apple sauce, ready-made mincemeat, and mulled wine for citrus and spices.

I'll also show you how to make it in the slow cooker as well as a lidded casserole dish on a hob or multi-fuel stove top.

ladle full of Christmas slow cooked red cabbage spooned from a cast iron dish cooked on a multi fuel stove

Interesting fact! This easy recipe was loosely inspired by Michelin star chef, Heston Blumenthal and Cassie Best's BBC recipe. I developed it while spending Christmas 2022 on our 57ft narrowboat. Its tiny kitchen means no space for a million ingredients, and I hope you love what we thought resulted in an excellent recipe!

Have you tried braised German red cabbage with apple, (also known as Rotkohl Mit Apfel?) If not, then now's the time to fall in love with its flavour and vibrant colour to brighten the Winter months!

This particular sweet and sour red cabbage dish reminds me of the delicious flavours you get in an apple chutney. And it has a gorgeous pop of colour from purple cabbage, making it SO vibrant on the plate!

Denby cast iron dish slow cooking with red cabbage inside on a Morso multi fuel narrowboat stove

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Why You'll Love This Recipe
🛒 Ingredient Notes
📋 Instructions
Other Cooking Methods
👩‍🍳 Substitutions
⚖️ Variations
🔪 Equipment
❄️ Storage
💡Pro Tips
🍽️ Serving Suggestions
❓ FAQ
➕ Related Recipes
🍽️Pairing
📖 Recipe
💬 Comments

Why You'll Love This Recipe

Great side dish or a main course condiment
Perfect with a platter of cheese, crackers, or pate
More nutritious than green cabbage with more vitamin C and K.
Delicious side dish served hot or cold with cold cuts in sandwiches, etc

🛒 Ingredient Notes

Please see the printable recipe card with exact ingredient quantities, daily value and preparation instructions at the bottom of this post.

labelled ingredients for Christmas Slow cooker red cabbage

Red cabbage - you'll need a large head of cabbage, approx 1kg unprepared weight or 2.2lb, and shredded into small pieces. I recommend removing any tough outer leaves and discard the very tough core, unless you chop that section ultra-thin! OR, if you only have some leftover red cabbage, then you could swap ½ the amount for ½kg (1lb) of brussels sprouts.-

Soft light brown sugar - to help caramelise and preserve the cabbage. Or, you could use caster sugar as Heston does. However, next time, I'm going to test omitting this as see whether it is needed while using store-bought mincemeat which is already sweet!

Butter - it really makes the cabbage taste delicious and softens all of the veg, but alternatively, you could use vegan butter or olive oil.

Red onion - or pink shallots for a delicate sweet flavour. You'll find white onions (yellow onion) are sharper and add extra heat.

Apple sauce - for extra flavour and sweetness, but if you prefer large chunks of apple, I recommend a tart apple like 2x Granny Smith. However, Heston uses 2x Braeburn large apples, which I suspect as they also hold their shape while cooking!

Mulled wine - it adds extra holiday season flavours and spices without the need to use a cinnamon stick, ground cloves, nutmeg, and lemon juice. If you want to make this alcohol-free, or you're not making it for a special occasion, then alternatively you could swap the wine for apple juice or red grape juice.

Ready-made mincemeat - if you're struggling to find traditional mincemeat in the grocery store, try looking for None Such Mincemeat in Walmart. But nothing beats making your own using brandy, dried mixed fruit mix, lemon juice, and citrus spices in my easy slow cooker mincemeat recipe, which yields a LOT more for your money! You'll only need ½ a jar (200g/7oz/1 cup) - OR, swap for 1 cup of dried sultanas or raisins at a push.

Apple cider vinegar - I particularly love the acidity that apple cider vinegar brings to make it a perfect side dish, which creates a sweet and sour flavour like pickled red cabbage. But it also lowers the PH of the cabbage to prevent it from turning blue or brown.
Sherry vinegar - this adds a more sweet and sour flavor to the pot, but also enriches the color. Alternatively, you can swap like for like with red wine vinegar or balsamic vinegar.
Ground black pepper and 1 teaspoon salt - I used natural sea salt or any other but kosher salt to help balance the sweetness.

Optional Extras:

Bay leaves - adding 1 to the pot would add a warming, soothing flavour, which some say is almost minty, although I'm not sure I agree!
Cranberry sauce - you could also give it an extra special taste with a tablespoon
Caraway seeds - add seeds from one pod directly to the butter and sugar to release the flavours

📋 Instructions

Are you ready to make one of the most Christmassy side dishes you'll ever make?!

butter and light brown soft sugar in a cast iron dish before slowly melting on a stove

1. First, add the butter and sugar into the cooking pot of your choice (see below) and gently heat until the sugar has dissolved and has started to bubble.

red wine vinegar being added to the butter and sugar in a dutch oven

2. Stir in all of the wet ingredients, including the mincemeat and apple sauce, and stir well.

shredded red cabbage and sliced shallots with mincemeat and mulled wine before covering and gently slow cooking on a stove

3. Now add the cabbage and whichever kind of onions you chose, and stir well.

person stirring fruity slow cooker red cabbage

4. Then cover it with a lid and choose one of the following cooking times:

high heat = 3-4 hours
low heat = 6-8 hours

Other Cooking Methods

Slow cooker - If you're out for a long time, this slow cooker red cabbage can be ready for when you return. Start by adding the butter and sugar and leave it to melt while you prep the cabbage. Add the rest of the ingredients, add a sheet of tin foil on top before adding the lid on to ensure no moisture escapes, then cook on low for 3-4 hours or high for 6-8 hours.
Dutch oven - for cast iron lidded dishes like a Le Creuset or Denby, first start letting the butter and sugar start to bubble, then once you've added everything else, line the lid with tin foil, then pop the lid on and cook on a stovetop or hob over low heat for 2 hours. Stir occasionally, but if you need to add more moisture, then add 1 cup of hot water and continue. If you're cooking on a slow burning multi-fuel stove, then cook for 3-4 hours, but note you'll likely need to cook shorter if cooking with coal and wood.
Pressure cooker - I recommend first adding the butter and sugar and cooking until it starts to bubble, then add the remaining ingredients to the pot, secure the lid, and cook for 8-10 minutes. The same goes for multi-cookers like Instant pot or Tefal Cook4Me, etc, which is particularly useful if you don't want a long cooking time!

👩‍🍳 Substitutions

Depending on your dietary needs, here are a few simple swaps you can make:

Red cabbage - swap for a white onion instead
Mincemeat - use mixed dried fruit or chopped apricots, etc
Mulled wine - swap for dry apple cider or red wine
Butter - use plant based butter, or non for low fat if preferred
Brown sugar - you could swap for sugar free brown sugar sweetener

⚖️ Variations

Spicy - add some chili flakes for extra heat
Deluxe - add caraway seeds with the butter and sugar and cook for 2-3 minutes before continuing
Kid friendly - omit any wine and use 1 cup water instead

🔪 Equipment

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Trusty slow cooker (or a food processor to reduce prep time)
Casserole dish
Sharp knife (or a food processor to reduce prep time)
Chopping board
Salt and pepper grinder
Measuring spoons
Measuring jug
Weighing scales
Measuring cups
Spatula
Tin foil (optional)
Note, you don't need a larger slow cooker - I used a small cast iron dish if using a regular-size red cabbage.

❄️ Storage

Fridge: if storing in the fridge, then I recommend using an airtight container and refrigerating for up to 1 week.

Freezer: if you want to store a large amount ahead, then zipped freezer bags are great as they don't take up much space and can store for up to 3 months.

Reheating (if you wish): I just pop it back on the boat's stove with the lid on and bring it up to a piping-hot temperature for a few minutes while stirring from time to time. Or, you could heat it up for a couple of minutes in the microwave, stirring halfway. Although it is equally delicious served cold like a cranberry sauce.

💡Pro Tips

DON'T SKIP the vinegar, as it is used to preserve the bright purple color of the cabbage!
It's best to eat freshly cooked as the purple colour is still bold (watch the video compared to my reheated photos). But don't panic when it turns into a rich purple/maroon over the next few days. It's still good to eat - if not, better!
Avoid boiling the butter and sugar as we don't want a thick toffee sauce - just a gentle simmer until the sugar has completely dissolved. You can test this by running a spatula along the bottom and if it feels grainy, it's not quite there.
If you're concerned your slow cooker or casserole dish may run out of water, line the lid with tin foil first to trap as much moisture in there as possible.
To reduce moisture in the pot at the end of cooking time, just continue cooking with the lid off, but a little bit is fine as it will thicken while cooling.

slow cooker red cabbage chutney being spooned onto cheese and crackers

🍽️ Serving Suggestions

We ate ours on Christmas Day alongside a mix of slow cooker roast beef and shredded pork chops. It's the perfect festive side dish!

For Boxing Day, we ate red cabbage leftovers with slices of pork pie, salami slices, duck pate, and cheese with crackers.

It also teamed beautifully with baked camembert for some extra fruity tang.

spiced red cabbage on crackers with pate

You can also find a LOT more slow cooker recipes here!

❓ FAQ

Can I use green cabbage?

Using a white cabbage, savoy, spring greens or other green cabbages will work, but they run the risk of looking mirky. In this case, I would also swap red wine for white wine.

Could I make a low-fat version?

Yes, of course! But for best results, butter really does add flavour. Alternatively, you could spray with Butter Frylight at the end, and even stir in one or two Butterbuds which are lower in calories.

Can I make this Keto friendly?

For special diets like low carb, then you'll need to omit anything sugary, such as mulled wine, dried fruit and soft brown sugar. Alternatively, try replacing wine with water and natural sweetener, keep the vinegars and cook with ½ a cup of almond flakes.

Looking for other recipes like this? Try these: