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You are here: Home / Main meals / Easy Christmas red cabbage recipe

Easy Christmas red cabbage recipe

November 23, 2016 by Mandy Mazliah 27 Comments

A delicious traditional and easy Christmas red cabbage recipe. This classic festive side dish is suitable for vegetarians and vegans and is a must-have on every Christmas dinner table.

easy Christmas red cabbage recipe by Sneaky Veg

The colour of red cabbage is just incredible don’t you think? How could you see something so bright and vibrant and not be tempted to give it a try? Well – quite easily if you’re my kids apparently but that’s fine. Not everything I make has to be for them and ever since we started having a Christmas meal with our friends in London every December this vegan red cabbage recipe has been an essential part of our festive table.

It’s easier than you might think to cook red cabbage for a roast dinner. Our friend Russ, now more often called Uncle Wuss, has made this without fail every year since we started the tradition way back in the dark ages (circa 2004 I think).

easy Christmas red cabbage recipe by Sneaky Veg

This is my take on his recipe. It’s suitable for vegans and vegetarians and is the perfect accompaniment to any Christmas meal. If you’re planning a veggie or vegan Christmas this year why not try this with my parsnip, chestnut and sage wreath (vegan), these maple balsamic roasted carrots and parsnips, this mango and macadamia stuffing (veggie), a portion of roast Brussels sprouts and lots of roast potatoes of course?

easy Christmas red cabbage recipe by Sneaky Veg

How to make easy Christmas red cabbage:

Christmas red cabbage takes a while to cook but it’s really very easy to make. Simply cook the onion, add grated apple and spices then shred the cabbage and add it bit by bit before leaving it to cook down for an hour or so. Can be made in advance and reheated to save time on the big day.

easy Christmas red cabbage recipe by Sneaky Veg
5 from 6 votes
Print

Easy Christmas red cabbage recipe

A delicious traditional and easy Christmas red cabbage recipe. This classic festive side dish is suitable for vegetarians and vegans and is a must-have on every Christmas dinner table.

Course Side Dish
Cuisine British
Keyword christmas red cabbage
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 20 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 35 minutes
Servings 6
Author Mandy Mazliah

Ingredients

  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 red onion thinly sliced
  • 2 eating apples grated
  • 3 cloves
  • 3 star anise
  • 1/8 tsp grated nutmeg
  • 1 tbsp sherry vinegar or red wine vinegar
  • 800 g red cabbage shredded

Instructions

  1. Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy based pan with a lid. Add the sliced red onion, stir and reduce the heat to low. Cover and cook for 10 minutes or until the onion is soft. Stir occasionally.
  2. Add the grated apple, the spices and the vinegar. Stir, then add the red cabbage bit by bit, stirring as you go so that it's coated in the spices.
  3. Cover and cook on a low heat for an hour or until the cabbage is cooked through.
  4. Serve with a roast dinner.

If you like this you might like:

Healthier Christmas rocky road

Christmas banana bread

Nut free coconut snowballs

25 healthy Christmas treats for kids

Five vegetarian Christmas dinner ideas.

15 best vegan cookbooks (over on my vegan food blog cookveggielicious.com)

Roasted balsamic Brussels sprouts (over on my vegan food blog cookveggielicious.com)

Rosemary roast potatoes (over on my vegan food blog cookveggielicious.com)

See all my Christmas recipes.

 

Pin this easy Christmas red cabbage recipe for later:

easy Christmas red cabbage recipe by Sneaky Veg

Filed Under: Main meals Tagged With: Christmas, Vegan

Previous Post: « Parsnip, chestnut and sage vegan Christmas nut roast
Next Post: Greek-style baked beans »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. shaheen

    November 24, 2016 at 7:47 am

    I have been cooking with red cabbage recently, i like the simplicity of this and the spices in this def. sing Christmas carols.

    Reply
    • Mandy

      November 25, 2016 at 5:49 am

      Thanks Shaheen – this dish really says Christmas to me!

      Reply
  2. Sarah James

    November 24, 2016 at 1:42 pm

    Delicious Mandy. I love red cabbage and usually pickle some for Christmas but I really like the idea of serving it with Christmas dinner. x

    Reply
    • Mandy

      November 25, 2016 at 5:49 am

      Oh I bet it’s lovely pickled too!

      Reply
  3. Angeal / Only Crumbs Remain

    November 24, 2016 at 8:33 pm

    Gorgeous Mandy, I love red cabbage – it looks so much nicer than a plain white one, and with the spices it so perfect for this time of yearAngela x

    Reply
    • Mandy

      November 25, 2016 at 5:50 am

      Thanks Angela, I love the other cabbages too but this is the most Christmassy!

      Reply
  4. Kirsty Hijacked By Twins

    November 24, 2016 at 8:51 pm

    Yes please! I love red cabbage and you Christmas red cabbage sounds delicious. Thank you for sharing with #CookBlogShare x

    Reply
    • Mandy Mazliah

      November 25, 2016 at 5:53 am

      Thanks Kirsty!

      Reply
  5. Corina

    November 24, 2016 at 9:01 pm

    I fear my children might also turn their noses up at this but it’s such a lovely colour I hope it could tempt them. It’s one of those dishes I’ve been meaning to have a go at for a long time but never have. IT would be lovely with Christmas dinner.

    Reply
    • Mandy Mazliah

      November 25, 2016 at 5:52 am

      Hope you try it Corina!

      Reply
  6. Jenny Paulin

    November 25, 2016 at 9:31 am

    i have pinned this as i love red cabbage but have not tried it this way before. looks so good and i love the colour x

    Reply
    • Mandy Mazliah

      November 29, 2016 at 9:35 pm

      Hope you enjoy it Jenny x

      Reply
  7. CookStyle

    November 28, 2016 at 5:08 pm

    I love your recipe. The red cabbage has such a lovely colour, it’s so tempting.

    Reply
    • Mandy Mazliah

      November 29, 2016 at 9:35 pm

      Thanks Anca – it’s stunning isn’t it x

      Reply
  8. Lucy

    November 15, 2018 at 11:01 am


    I love the idea of using your red cabbage dish as part of a veggie Christmas dinner. It’s certaibly a festive favourite here too!

    Reply
    • Mandy Mazliah

      November 15, 2018 at 12:22 pm

      Thanks Lucy – it’s a must-have for me at Christmas!

      Reply
  9. Julia Frey

    November 16, 2018 at 5:33 pm


    I am with you! I love red cabbage for its incredible, vibrant colour but mostly for its health benefits! Lovely dish!

    Reply
    • Mandy Mazliah

      November 16, 2018 at 9:21 pm

      Thanks Julia – it’s got such a gorgeous colour and you just know how healthy it is when you see it x

      Reply
  10. Nickki

    November 19, 2018 at 11:18 am


    Red cabbage is one of my favourite vegetables- I could eat a ton of this! I couldn’t imagine Christmas dinner without it 🙂

    Reply
    • Mandy Mazliah

      November 20, 2018 at 3:01 pm

      Totally agree Nickki!

      Reply
  11. Sisley White

    November 19, 2018 at 1:30 pm


    It wouldn’t be Christmas in my family without red cabbage and apple. I’ve never made it before so this year is my year and I’ll be using your recipe. Can’t wait. The photos are making me so hungry!

    Reply
    • Mandy Mazliah

      November 20, 2018 at 2:59 pm

      Hope you love it Sisley! Let me know how it goes x

      Reply
  12. Aimee

    November 19, 2018 at 4:18 pm


    Pinned this for later! I love red cabbage, especially for Christmas dinner 🙂

    Reply
    • Mandy Mazliah

      November 20, 2018 at 2:59 pm

      Thanks Aimee – it’s just perfect for Christmas isn’t it

      Reply
  13. Cat | Curly's Cooking

    November 20, 2018 at 3:18 pm


    So colourful and Christmassy. My Dad would love this.

    Reply
    • Mandy Mazliah

      November 20, 2018 at 10:20 pm

      It’s such a traditional recipe isn’t it

      Reply

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