Quick Pickled Red Cabbage, is really purple (in colour) cabbage.
Fun Facts About Red Cabbage
It might be purple, but it turns red in the pickling brine. As I explained in a previous post, purple cabbage is a PH indicator. It turns red in acidic conditions as with the vinegar in this recipe. And it stays purple in neutral and green or yellow in alkaline. Which I think is amazingly cool. Cause I’m a nerd that way. So now I’m calling it Red Cabbage, (instead of Purple Cabbage). It’s the coolest thing, check it out here on ThoughtCo.
So Much Cabbage For Pickling
After making Purple Cabbage Soup last week, I still (still!) had a lot of cabbage to deal with. Another whole head, to be exact. This cabbage needed to make itself useful. We are big fans of Kim-chi, Sauerkraut, and pickled cabbage of any kind. So I decided to do a quick pickle with half of the remaining head. A couple of jars take up a lot less space in the fridge than a giant head of cabbage. Quick pickled red cabbage is very simple, and it’s a great addition to so many things. We love it for topping burgers, or tacos, and in wraps and sandwiches. and it’s a great side for anything spicy, and anything Asian.
Quick Pickling Cabbage
Quick pickles are so easy to do, and they’re perfect for small batches. It’s fun to play with this recipe to get different flavours. You can change the vinegar for rice vinegar and add some soy sauce, and ginger slices for a specifically Asian twist. And the caraway can be changed for black mustard, fennel, or sesame.
I still have half a head of cabbage, though. So I gotta get back to the back to the drawing board. Red cabbage is one of the healthiest veggies out there. It’s also really versatile. If like me, you have half of a head to use still, try Fennel Cabbage Slaw, Slow Cooker Red Cabbage & Apples, or that Purple Soup that I mentioned earlier.
Quick Pickled Red Cabbage
Ingredients
- 1/2 large head purple or red cabbage shredded or thinly sliced
- 2 cup apple cider vinegar
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup water
- 3 tsp salt
- 2 tbsp caraway seeds
Instructions
- Put shredded cabbage into a large bowl.
- Put remaining ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a boil.
- Stir until sugar dissolves. Pour over cabbage, stir, and cover.
- Allow the cabbage to stand for about an hour.
- Transfer the cabbage into 2 1-pint jars along with the liquid, attach lids, and refrigerate.
- Will keep in the fridge for about two weeks.
Notes
Nutrition
Would it be just as good if you replaced the sugar with another kind of sweetener? My husband is diabetic. If not Splenda, maybe honey or minced dates?
Hi Mary Kay, I personally haven’t tried to make these without sugar. Because this is kept in the fridge, it wouldn’t hurt to give it a try though. I would love to hear how it turns out!
What a fantastic condiment to have on hand for summer! I can see it topping so many different dishes, especially the burgers and tacos you mention. Thanks for the handy recipe.
Thanks Margaret! This really is a fantastic condiment that compliments almost anything. We love it and hope you do, too!
a serving size of 2 g.? 2 grams is about 1/2 teaspoon. Did you mean 2 ounces?
Jackie Runyan
Hi Jackie, Thank you for contacting me about this. My nutrition calculator has a problem with things that are condiments. I have just changed the serving size to be 1 side serving of 6 servings. Although it was intended to be 2 tbsp, because that’s what you would normally put on a burger or taco, etc. I’m sorry if this caused any confusion, and I really appreciate your helpful feedback, thanks again!
Okay, this seems too easy! The cabbage is so beautiful, I need to make some to make some pretty summer sandwiches. Thanks for the recipe!
Hi Brittany! Yes, it is so easy 🙂
The color is just awesome in this cabbage! I may use this in an upcoming recipe for which I need pickled cabbage!!
Thanks, Markus, glad I could help 🙂
I think there is room in the fridge for one more condiment! If not I will make room for this. Thanks for sharing!
It’s amazing how we can always make room for more, isn’t it? 🙂
Thanks, Dina! Enjoy! i make tacos often, too, and this recipe was inspired by tacos! I love them ♥
Colleen, great recipe, thank you for sharing. It will go great with tacos (I make them often) and great with a lot of the vegetarian foods that we eat. Love the colour too and interesting to read the explanation of the colour changes.