An easy slow cooker red cabbage recipe, perfect for Christmas dinner or served as a delicious veggie side dish.
Cooked slowly in a crockpot to save space in the oven and hob, the red cabbage is flavoured with apples, onion, and mixed spice and goes brilliantly with turkey or gammon!
This will probably be the easiest Christmas side dish you will ever make! Just dump the ingredients in your slow cooker, cook on low for 6 hours, and out comes perfectly cooked red cabbage!
You can make it ahead and freeze, cook the day before and reheat in the microwave, or just pop it in the slow cooker on the day!
👩🍳 Looking for another easy vegetable side dish? Try my easy cheesy leeks recipe!
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✔️ Why should you try it?
- Easy to make in the slow cooker.
- Delicious Christmas vegetable side dish.
- Goes well with turkey or gammon.
- Freezer friendly.
🥘 Ingredients
- Red Cabbage - 1 medium red cabbage, shredded.
- Apples - I like to use Bramley apples for their tart flavour but Granny Smiths would also work. The apples need to be peeled and chopped.
- Onions - 2 thinly sliced white onions, or substitute with red onions if you prefer.
- Dark Brown Sugar - you can replace it with light brown sugar or caster sugar.
- Cider Vinegar - if you can't get hold of cider vinegar use white or red wine vinegar instead. The vinegar helps to keep the pH of the cabbage acidic, thus ensuring its vibrant colour through the long cooking time.
- Mixed Spice - or use ground cinnamon.
- Salt and Pepper - seasoning.
🥄 Equipment
Which slow cooker? I use a Morphy Richards Sear and Stew 6.5 litre slow cooker, which means I can brown and slow cook in the same pot as the slow cooker pot is safe to use on the hob! The 6.5 litre capacity serves 6-8 main portions, so it’s ideal for families and those that like batch cooking. There is also a 3.5 litre version for smaller households!
🔪 Instructions
One: Place all of the ingredients in your slow cooker basin, switch on to low, and cook for 6 hours.
🍴 Serving suggestions
The slow cooker red cabbage is delicious served as part of Christmas dinner with turkey, gammon, slow cooker roast beef, polenta roast potatoes, honey roasted root vegetables, creamed cabbage, sausage meat stuffing, roasted Brussels sprouts, carrot and swede mash, devils on horseback, and bread sauce.
It also makes a tasty side dish for sausage casserole, slow cooker lamb breast, and pork chops.
📖 Variations
- Add 100g of dried cranberries to the red cabbage for a delicious sweet taste.
- Add the juice of 1 orange or lemon.
- Grate in a small amount of fresh nutmeg.
- Add a splash of port for an extra rich flavour.
- Swap the cider vinegar for balsamic vinegar instead.
🥡 Storage
The red cabbage can be made up to 3 months ahead and frozen. Defrost fully before reheating in the microwave. It's a great make-ahead recipe for Christmas, but is equally easy to make on the day too!
❓ FAQs
Yes! Red cabbage freezes really well. Defrost fully at room temperature before reheating in the microwave.
Red cabbage is a good source of vitamin K and provides small amounts of calcium, magnesium, and zinc. It's also high in fiber, which helps keep your digestive system healthy.
😋Related recipes
More delicious slow cooker recipes to try!
Recipe
Easy Slow Cooker Red Cabbage
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 Red Cabbage shredded
- 2 Bramley Apples peeled and chopped
- 2 Onions peeled and thinly sliced
- 3 tablespoon Dark Brown Sugar
- 60 ml Cider Vinegar
- ½ teaspoon Mixed Spice
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- ¼ teaspoon Black Pepper
Instructions
- Place all of the ingredients in your slow cooker basin.
- Give everything a good stir with a wooden spoon.
- Cook on low for 6 hours. You can also cook it on high for 4-5 hours if you prefer.
Notes
- Add 100g of dried cranberries to the red cabbage for a delicious sweet taste.
- Add the juice of 1 orange and swap the cider vinegar for white wine vinegar.
- Grate in a small amount of fresh nutmeg.
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Lima Ekram
Was looking for a colorful side dish with my roast chicken tonight - this is it! Cant wait to try it!
Stephanie
I love using the slow cooker! This was delicious and so easy to make with the slow cooker.
Janat Brockwell
Did it go must or did it stay firm
Dannii
This is how we make our red cabbage too and it is a must every christmas. So much easier than cooking it on the hob.
Beth
As a German I love red cabbage but have never made it myself. That will change from this moment forward. I will always make it in the slow cooker. So easy and flavorful! Thanks!
Elaine Malpas
Can I use eating apples
Beth Sachs
You can, but use a tart eating apple, not a sweet one.
Diane
Very good. We love red cabbage.
Diane
Very good
Mary Rynearson
Could you please tell me what is in mixed spice!
Beth Sachs
Hi Mary. Mixed spice is a British spice blend and includes some or all of the following ground spices: cinnamon, coriander seed, caraway, nutmeg, ginger, cloves, allspice, and mace.