Sticky Red Cabbage

Name: Sticky Red Cabbage
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 30 min
Ingredients: 800g red cabbage; 1 cooking apple; 3 tbsp caster sugar; 50ml red wine vinegar; 75g butter; 1/2 tsp nutmeg

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This Sticky Red Cabbage is the perfect braised cabbage recipe to make this Christmas! Ready in just 30 minutes it takes a lot less time than most red cabbage recipes to make - but is still sweet, tangy, vibrant and tender, perfect for serving with your festive turkey or goose!

Close up of a bowl of braised red cabbage.

Red cabbage is one of those dishes you can never find the perfect recipe for. Either they take too long, use almost an entire bottle of vinegar, or just come out tasting too sharp without that perfect balance of sharpness and sweetness.

If you've experienced all of those problems, this Sticky Red Cabbage recipe is for you! Ready in just 30 minutes it's perfect for your festive table - alongside some of our other delicious side dish recipes we've included at the bottom of this post.

Why you will love this braised red cabbage recipe:

It's ready in just 30 minutes.
It can be easily made vegan with a simple swap.
This Sticky Red Cabbage can be make ahead to help you get ahead with the festive meal.
Leftovers re-heat really well and taste great in a leftovers sandwich!

Ingredients:

Red cabbage

Cooking apple - something crisp and sharp works well here.

Caster sugar - this dissolves better but if you live somewhere where it is not widely available, granulated sugar will do.

Red Wine Vinegar

Butter - salted or unsalted will work in this recipe, and plant-based will work if you want to make this cabbage vegan. We've been a fan of SMUG since we worked with them earlier in the year!

Nutmeg - freshly grated is freshest, but pre-ground will also work well.

Full recipe can be found in the printable recipe card at the bottom of the post, just scroll down!

Directions:

Here's a step by step guide for what you need to do, but you can find the full recipe below for detailed instructions.

White casserole pot filled with shredded red cabbage and diced apple.

ONE: Quarter the red cabbage, remove the heart and slice thinly ideally with a mandolin. Peel and dice the apple.

TWO: Add both to a saucepan with half the butter, the nutmeg and a splash of water and sauté gently for around 10 minutes stirring frequently.

Cooked red cabbage being stirred with a wooden spoon in a white casserole dish.

THREE: Add the sugar and vinegar, season well and simmer for a further 5-10 minutes.

FOUR: Stir through the remaining butter.

Cooking Tips:

Get ahead - you can easily make this up to 5 days ahead of the big day and gently warm it through before serving with an extra bit of butter stirred through at the end.

Choose how you want to cut your cabbage - you might want to cook it for a little longer to make sure the cabbage is nice and tender, but you can make a more substantial sticky red cabbage dish by cutting the cabbage into rough chunks to cook down instead of slicing it thinly.

Wooden serving bowl of cooked red cabbage.

Frequently Asked Questions

What else can I serve this cabbage with aside from the holiday meal?

Sticky red cabbage does really well with fat roasted sausages, roast duck, or game like pheasant, pigeon or venison.

Can I use a different type of vinegar in this recipe?

We know lots of recipes use balsamic or apple cider vinegar but we love the freshness of red wine vinegar here and the recipe is balanced for it to make the perfect braised cabbage dish, so please don't switch it out!

Christmas sides all gathered in serving dishes including red cabbage, glazed carrots, sprouts with bacon, bread sauce, cheesy leeks, baked stuffing, pigs in blankets and roasted parsnips.

A few more side dish ideas for your festive table:

If you're looking for a few more easy yet delicious side dishes to add to your rotation this year, why not try out Easy Maple Butter Glazed Carrots, Bacon Balsamic Roasted Brussels Sprouts, Simple Cheesy Baked Leeks, Best Classic Bread Sauce Recipe, Easy Sticky Pigs in Blankets Recipe, our Old Fashioned Baked Sausage, Sage & Onion Stuffing Recipe, or our Easy Air Fryer Honey Glazed Parsnips!

Made this recipe and loved it?

I would love love LOVE if you could leave a review in the comments… I love hearing what you thought, any changes you made, the stories behind what made you try my recipes. Also, if you share a photo on Instagram, please tag me @desertislanddishes, it makes my day to see you making my creations!