This red cabbage soup is flavorful, beautiful, and creamy, ideal for warming up on chilly days. It's a delightful and easy recipe for red cabbage, perfect for a weeknight dinner or serving guests.
Our easy red cabbage soup is a delicious and hearty soup made from red cabbage and potatoes. Ready in about one hour, it's a quick and satisfying option for a weeknight dinner or a great starter idea for your Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner.
Packed with nutritious ingredients, rich and creamy, this pretty purple soup is a delightful addition to your soup repertoire, offering a burst of color and taste.
Try more delicious soups with cabbage: Savoy Cabbage Soup, Beef and Bean Soup, or Spanish Vegetable Soup. Or make a Rib and Cabbage Casserole; it's the perfect recipe for these cold days.
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Why will you love this vibrant soup?
Easy: It's quick and easy to prepare, perfect for busy weeknights. You can also make a big batch and freeze it or serve it a few days in a row.
Packs in the veggies: Loaded with various vegetables, it's a nutritious and tasty way to eat your vegetables.
Suits all diets: This purple cabbage soup is satisfying and healthy, and you can easily make it vegan.
Prevents food waste: If you often have leftover cabbage, this soup helps you make the most of it.
Recipe ingredients
- Red cabbage: For this recipe, you will need a small head or half a regular head of red cabbage, about 1.7 lbs/ 750 g. Should you have a large one, check out Chicken and Red Cabbage, Purple Cabbage and Carrot Slaw, German Red Cabbage, or Crock Pot Red Cabbage.
- Spices: Cloves, juniper berries, and bay leaves. I also use a small amount of cinnamon, a tiny pinch, and some balsamic vinegar to adjust the taste of the red cabbage soup.
- Apple: A typical ingredient to combine with red cabbage.
- Potatoes: They add creaminess to the cabbage soup, allowing you to use less cream.
- Dairy: Heavy cream (or single cream for a lighter version).
- To make a vegan red cabbage soup, replace the dairy with a vegan alternative, like soy cream or any other kind of vegan cream. Coconut milk or coconut cream is also delicious, but it changes the taste slightly.
- Other ingredients: Onion, olive oil, vegetable broth or chicken stock, balsamic vinegar, fine sea salt and ground black pepper. You can replace the balsamic with apple cider vinegar or red wine vinegar (start with a bit less and add more to taste).
- Toppings: They are optional but very nice. You will need half a very crisp red apple, very thinly sliced, some chopped pistachios, and some chopped parsley.
Variations
Make it spicier: Add some red pepper or red chili flakes or a small pinch of cayenne pepper.
Alternative toppings: The bread croutons from the Green Tomato Soup Recipe or the potato croutons from the Pumpkin and Potato Soup Recipe.
Add protein: Cooked chicken breast, crumbled bacon, feta, fried tofu cubes, crispy chickpeas, or a poached egg.
How to make creamy red cabbage soup
Step 1: Chop red cabbage.
Step 2: Chop potatoes.
Step 3: Sautรฉ onion in a large pot on medium heat until translucent; add red cabbage and potatoes.
Step 4: Add spices and stock. Simmer for about 20 minutes.
Step 5: Add apple and simmer for 10-15 minutes. Blend. Add cream and balsamic, and adjust the taste.
Step 5: Garnish with sliced apples, chopped pistachios, and parsley.
Expert Tips
Blending
- Itโs preferable to blend soups and other hot liquids using an immersion blender (Amazon affiliate link). When using a food processor, you must proceed carefully to avoid the risk of the blenderโs lid exploding.
- After allowing the soup to cool slightly, blend it in batches. Place a thick, folded towel on the machine and hold it steady. Gradually increase the speed. Repeat with additional batches.
Alternative cooking methods
- Slow Cooker: Combine all ingredients in the slow cooker, stir, and set it on low for 8 hours (or high for 4 hours) until the veggies are tender.
- Instant Pot: Begin by sautรฉing the onion, then the cabbage and potatoes for a few minutes using the instant pot's sautรฉ function. Then, add all other ingredients, stir, lock the lid, and set it to high pressure for 10 minutes. Allow natural release for about 15 minutes.
Recipe FAQs
Choose one with a deep red color, with firm and unblemished leaves, a head of cabbage that feels heavy and tight when you gently squeeze it. Check for a fresh, clean stem end. Avoid selecting the cabbage with the outer layers removed; that means it has been lying around for quite a while, and a shop worker was instructed to remove the leaves to make it look fresh again.
Start by removing any damaged or tough outer leaves. Cut the red cabbage in half through the core. Remove the core and quarter the cabbage. Cut each wedge lengthwise into finger-thick strips, then crosswise into small squares.
After making your red cabbage soup, let it cool to room temperature. Then, transfer it to an airtight container and refrigerate it. It can be stored in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
Freeze the soup in a freezer-safe container for 4-6 months. Defrost in the refrigerator.ย
Reheat on the stovetopย over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally until it's warmed through.ย
Reheat in the microwave:ย Use a microwave-safe bowl, cover it to prevent splatters, and heat in 1-2 minute intervals, stirring in between until it reaches your desired temperature.
How to serve?
To serve red cabbage soup as a starter, use smaller serving bowls or cups. Garnish with any of the suggested toppings, with a dollop of sour cream or a sprinkle of fresh herbs, for an elegant touch.
To serve as a main meal, use larger soup bowls. Accompany with crusty bread or a side salad to make it more filling. Optionally, add protein like cooked sausage, chicken, or tofu for a heartier main course.
More side dish ideas
Recipe
Red Cabbage Soup
Equipment
- Large soup pot or Dutch oven
- Immersion blender Note 1
- Food processor optional Note 2
Ingredients
Red cabbage soup:
- 1.7 lbs red cabbage 750 g, about ยฝ medium red cabbage
- 7 oz potatoes 200 g, 1 medium to large potato
- 1 medium onion
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 3 cloves
- 6 juniper berries
- 3 bay leaves
- 6 ยผ cups chicken or vegetable stock, 1.5 liter
- 1 medium apple
- ยฝ cup heavy cream 125 ml, Note 3
- 1 tiny pinch of cinnamon
- 2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
- fine sea salt and black pepper
Garnish (optional):
- 1-2 tablespoons parsley chopped
- ยฝ apple thinly sliced
- 2 tablespoons pistachios chopped
Instructions
- Prepare vegetables: Chop the cabbage (you can use a food processor). Chop the potatoes. Chop the onion, but keep it separated from the rest.1.7 lbs red cabbage / 750 g + 7 oz potatoes / 200 g + 1 medium onion
- Sautรฉ vegetables: Heat the oil and cook the onion until translucent. Add the potatoes and the red cabbage to the pot. Cook, stirring often, for about 5 minutes.1 tablespoon olive oil + potatoes + cabbage
- Simmer: Add the cloves, juniper berries, bay leaves and stock. Bring to a boil, turn down the heat, and simmer for about 20 minutes. Add the finely chopped apple and simmer for 10-15 more minutes or until everything is soft.3 cloves + 6 juniper berries + 3 bay leaves + 6 ยผ cups chicken / 1.5 liter + 1 medium apple
- Blend: Remove the bay leaves and blend the soup until smooth. Add the cream, salt, and pepper to taste and a tiny pinch of cinnamon. Add about 2 teaspoons of balsamic vinegar. Stir well, and adjust the taste again with salt, pepper, and maybe a little more balsamic vinegar.ยฝ cup heavy cream + 1 tiny pinch of cinnamon + 2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar + fine sea salt and black pepper
- Garnish the soup with thinly cut apple slices, chopped pistachios, and some parsley (optional).1-2 tablespoons parsley + ยฝ apple + 2 tablespoons pistachios
Notes
- Blending the soup: Itโs preferable to use an immersion blender when blending soups and other hot liquids. When using a food processor, you must proceed carefully to avoid the risk of the blenderโs lid exploding. After allowing the soup to cool slightly, blend it in batches. Place a thick, folded towel on the machine and hold it steady. Gradually increase the speed. Repeat with additional batches.
- Food processor: You can use it to chop the cabbage quickly. You can also use it to blend the red cabbage soup, but then make sure to follow the safety measures written above.
- Vegan or dairy-free alternative: Replace heavy cream with a vegan option such as soy or oat cream or any other kind of vegan cream. Coconut cream is also delicious, but it changes the flavor slightly.
Joan says
Sounds wonderful! Can you specify what type of potato is best for this recipe?
Adina says
Hi Joan. All-purpose potatoes are great.