Braised Red Cabbage

Oval dish with red braised cabbage, raisins and spices.

5 from 4 votes

My Braised Red Cabbage recipe is perfect for making ahead! Gently spiced and with subtle sweet & sour notes, it’s an easy side dish for Christmas & beyond! (Vegan & Gluten-Free)

Course Side Dish

Cuisine British

Keyword braised red cabbage, Christmas cabbage, spiced red cabbage

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 1 10

Total Time 1 15

Servings servings

Calories 109kcal

Author Jo Allison

Equipment

Ingredients

800 g red cabbage thinly sliced/shredded
1 red onion peeled and thinly sliced
25 g unsalted (vegan) butter I use Flora Plant Butter
1 tablespoon rapeseed/olive oil
50 g raisins or sultanas
2 tablespoon demerara or brown sugar
4 tablespoon apple cider vinegar see notes
1 cinnamon stick
10 allspice berries
2 star anise
5 cloves
2 tablespoon redcurrant jelly
100 ml water

Metric - US Customary

Instructions

Put raisins/sultanas in a bowl and cover them with boiling water. Set aside.
Cut red cabbage into quarters and remove the core. Using sharp knife or mandolin slicer thinly slice or shred it.
Peel, half and thinly slice red onion.
Heat up butter and oil in a large casserole dish, add sliced onions and fry then until they start to soften 5-8min.
Add sliced red cabbage and give it a good stir.
Add all of the remaining ingredients (sugar, vinegar, spices, redcurrant jelly, water, salt & pepper) with the exception of raisins and mix well.
Cover and let it simmer over low heat for an hour stirring occasionally. Add a splash of water if you see your mixture is getting dry although you shouldn’t have to.
After one hour add soaked raisins/sultanas with the liquid, mix them in and simmer for another 5-10 minutes.
***PRO TIP***
After one hour red cabbage will be tender but not too soft or mushy. If you prefer it softer simply, simmer it for longer, even 1.5-2hrs.
Make sure to add your raisins towards the end of cooking.

Notes

Nutritional information is approximate, per serving and should be treated as a guideline only.
Apple cider vinegar can be substituted with red wine vinegar or balsamic vinegar if you prefer.
My braised red cabbage doesn't include an apple which is found in many traditional recipes. Feel free to add it if you want to.
Cooked cabbage will keep in the fridge for up to 3 days or in the freezer for up to 2 months.
To defrost simply thaw it in the fridge overnight or if in a hurry pop it in the pan to reheat on the hob or in the microwave.

Nutrition