Slow Cooker Red Cabbage

Slow cooker red cabbage is an easy-to-make, delicious, classic German side dish that goes well with many main dishes. Just dump the ingredients in your slow cooker and let them cook. 

This sweet and sour, comforting slow cooker red cabbage recipe is the super-easy, hands-free version of the traditional German Red Cabbage cooked on the stovetop. It uses more or less the same ingredients but less liquid. Try our Slow Cooker White Cabbage, too. 

Whether you're having a roast dinner, sausages, or chicken, this crock pot red cabbage makes the perfect side dish. Try it with our Balsamic Roast Beef, German Goulash, Air Fryer Bone-In Pork Chops, or Brats in the Oven. 

Recipe ingredients and substitutions

• Red cabbage: One firm, fresh, and crisp-looking head of red cabbage. They usually weigh more than 2 lbs/ 1 kg. Use the leftovers to make this beautiful and delicious Red Cabbage Soup or Purple Cabbage and Carrot Slaw.
• Liquids: Red wine wine and apple cider vinegar.
  • You can replace the wine with apple juice or vegetable broth. If the juice is very sweet, only use 1 tablespoon of brown sugar for the cabbage. 
  • You can substitute the apple cider vinegar for any other type of vinegar you have in your pantry. 
• Spices: Fine sea salt or kosher salt and ground black pepper, juniper berries, whole cloves, and bay leaves. You can add a tiny sprinkle of caraway seeds or a small star anise if you like.
  • Next, try the Crispy Pork Hocks. You will need the same spices for the recipe, and you can serve them with slow-cooked red cabbage or purple cabbage salad.
• Sugar: I use brown sugar most of the time. However, white sugar is also fine.
  • You can also use maple syrup instead. 
• Butter: It is optional, but as always, butter makes anything better. Add one or two tablespoons or leave it out altogether. 
• Other ingredients: One crisp and rather tart apple (for instance, a Pink Lady, Jonagold, or Granny Smith apple) and one medium onion (white, yellow, or red onion). 

How do you cook red cabbage in a slow cooker?

Step #1: Remove the cabbage’s outer leaves and quarter it. Then, remove and discard the tough stem. 

Step #2: Thickly slice the quarters, then cut the slices in half. Use a large sharp knife.

Step #3: Slice the purple cabbage pieces thinly. 

Step #4: Peel and chop the apples and the onion.

Step #5: Combine all the ingredients except the butter in the slow cooker. Dot the cabbage with small butter pieces.

Step #6: Slow cook the red cabbage on HIGH for 4 hours or until tender, giving it a good stir halfway through. Check; it should be tender but not mushy. 

Try more of our German slow cooker recipes like the Slow Cooked Pork Hocks or the Slow Cooker Pork and Sauerkraut. 

Good to know!

Recipe FAQ

Recipe

Slow Cooker Red Cabbage

The slow cooker red cabbage recipe is a traditional German side dish that pairs perfectly with any meal! Just dump the ingredients in your slow cooker and let it do the work.

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Course: German Sides, Side Dish

Cuisine: German

Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 4 hours hours

Servings: 6 servings

Calories: 116kcal

Author: Adina

Equipment

• ▢
  Slow cooker or crock pot

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Ingredients 

• ▢ 2 lbs red cabbage 1 kg
• ▢ 1 apple
• ▢ 1 onion
• ▢ ⅓ cup red wine 75 ml, Note 1
• ▢ 2 tablespoons brown sugar Note 2
• ▢ 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar Note 3
• ▢ 5 juniper berries
• ▢ 3 whole cloves Note 4
• ▢ 3 bay leaves
• ▢ 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
• ▢ ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
• ▢ 1-2 tablespoons butter optional but nice

Instructions

• Shred the red cabbage: Remove the outer leaves and discard them. Quarter the cabbage, remove the tough stem, and then thinly slice the quarters. Place the shredded cabbage in the slow cooker.

  2 lbs red cabbage / 1 kg
• Peel and finely chop the apple and the onion. Add them to the slow cooker.

  1 apple + 1 onion
• Add ingredients: Wine, vinegar, sugar, and all the spices. Stir well to combine. Dot the red cabbage with small butter pieces.

  ⅓ cup red wine / 75 ml + 2 tablespoons brown sugar + 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar + 5 juniper berries + 3 whole cloves + 3 bay leaves + 1 teaspoon fine sea salt + ½ teaspoon ground black pepper + 1-2 tablespoons butter
• Slow-cook the red cabbage on HIGH for 4 hours or until tender, stirring halfway through. If it is not tender enough, stir it again, cover it, and give it another 30 minutes to 1 hour, checking again after 30 minutes. The red cabbage should be tender but not mushy.

Notes

1. Red wine: If you don’t want to use alcohol, replace the wine with the same amount of apple juice or vegetable broth. If the juice is very sweet, only use 1 tablespoon of brown sugar for the cabbage.
2. Sugar: You can use white sugar or maple syrup instead.
3. Vinegar: Use any other type of vinegar you have in your pantry instead of apple cider vinegar - for instance, white or red wine vinegar or balsamic.
4. Spices: Remove them when eating. The bay leaves are easy to find and remove, and you might enjoy the flavor of juniper berries. But be careful with the cloves—they're unpleasant to bite into; try to avoid them.

Nutrition

Serving: 1portion from 6 | Calories: 116kcal | Carbohydrates: 22g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 2g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 5mg | Sodium: 453mg | Potassium: 457mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 14g | Vitamin A: 1768IU | Vitamin C: 89mg | Calcium: 81mg | Iron: 1mg

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