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It might sound humble, but boiled cabbage is absolutely delicious! Swirl it with butter and salt for an easy and healthy side dish.

Boiled Cabbage
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Boiled cabbage might sound humble, but here’s the thing: it can be absolutely delicious. A friend of ours mentioned this to us in passing once: “I added butter and salt to boiled cabbage, and I couldn’t stop eating it!”

Of course we had to test that for ourselves—and we agree! Boiling makes perfectly tender cabbage, and a little salt and butter makes this cruciferous vegetable taste surprisingly irresistible. Here’s how to boil cabbage so it tastes delightful.

The type of cabbage to use

The best type of cabbage to make boiled cabbage? A large head of green cabbage. While this method works with red cabbage too, we prefer it with the sweeter flavor of the green variety. Save other types of cabbage like Savoy and Napa cabbage for eating raw in salads (like this cabbage salad).

The best way to shred cabbage

Ever had trouble cutting even pieces of this vegetable? If you don’t know the right method, you can end up with lots of mess and uneven pieces. Here’s the trick we use for cutting a head of cabbage:

  1. Slice off the root: Remove any outer layers of the cabbage that seem tough or are not fresh, and discard them. With a large chef’s knife, slice off the root of the cabbage.
  2. Quarter it: Slice the cabbage in half through the stem. Then cut it into quarters.
  3. Slice out the root: Remove the root of the cabbage by cutting it out with two diagonal slices.
  4. Slice crosswise: Thinly slice the cabbage in the short direction, using a circular motion with the knife.
Boiled Cabbage

How to boil cabbage: overview

How long does it take to boil cabbage? It depends on if the cabbage is in wedges or shredded. Either way, you’ll want to make sure you don’t overcook cabbage: it becomes limp with an unpleasant aroma.

  • Shredded cabbage takes 12 to 15 minutes to boil, when dropped into a large pot of salted boiling water.
  • Test whether the cabbage is cooked by tasting a bite of one of the leaves (after blowing on it, of course!). Be careful not to overcook. If it tastes very tender, it’s done!
  • Drain and season. Drain the cabbage in a strainer, then add butter or olive oil, salt and pepper.

Tips for seasoning boiled cabbage

Boiled cabbage tastes great with the simplest of seasonings: just butter and salt! But if you like, you can get a little fancier. But we’d recommend going simple with it: it doesn’t need fancy herbs or add-ins! Here’s what we’d recommend:

  • Salted butter or olive oil
  • Chopped chives
  • Finely chopped parsley
  • Red pepper flakes
  • Lemon juice

One final note: make sure to salt to taste. Every cabbage has a slightly different size, so you’ll need varying levels of salt. Make sure to salt it until the flavor pops: but not so much that it tastes salty.

Ways to serve it

Boiled cabbage can complete nearly any meal! It’s a healthy vegetable that is low in calories and high in vitamins and fiber (source). Here are a few ideas for adding it to meals:

Dietary notes

This boiled cabbage recipe is vegetarian and gluten-free. For vegan, plant-based or dairy-free, use olive oil.

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Perfect Boiled Cabbage

Boiled Cabbage
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5 from 9 reviews

It might sound humble, but boiled cabbage is absolutely delicious! Swirl it with butter and salt for an easy and healthy side dish.

  • Author: Sonja Overhiser
  • Prep Time: 10 minutes
  • Cook Time: 12 minutes
  • Total Time: 22 minutes
  • Yield: 4 1x
  • Category: Side dish
  • Method: Boiled
  • Cuisine: American
  • Diet: Vegan

Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 large head green cabbage
  • Kosher salt
  • 2 tablespoons salted butter (or olive oil)
  • Fresh ground pepper

Instructions

  1. Bring large pot of water to boil with 1 tablespoon kosher salt.
  2. Remove any tough or brown leaves from the outer portion of the cabbage. Shred the cabbage.
  3. Boil the cabbage for 12 to 15 minutes, until it is very tender (ours is generally done around 12 minutes). Drain the cabbage into a strainer.
  4. Place the cabbage in a large bowl with the butter, fresh ground pepper, and kosher salt (around ¾ teaspoon for a large head of cabbage). Adjust the salt to taste: salt until the flavor pops!

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More cabbage recipes

Love cabbage? This cruciferous vegetable has our hearts. Here are a few more great ways to use it:

About the authors

Sonja & Alex

Hi! We’re Sonja and Alex Overhiser, authors of the acclaimed cookbooks A Couple Cooks and Pretty Simple Cooking—and a real life couple who cooks together. We founded the A Couple Cooks website in 2010 to share seasonal recipes and the joy of home cooking. Now, we’ve got over 3,000 well-tested recipes, including Mediterranean diet, vegan, vegetarian, pescatarian, smoothies, cocktails, and more!

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25 Comments

  1. Anonymous says:

    what is the boil temp?

    1. Cookie says:

      That will very much depend on your height above mean sea level

  2. Lesetja John Mogashoa says:

    Very Easy recipe and it tastes very Lekker 💯🎯






  3. Anonymous says:

    How do you cut or shred the fresh cabbage?

  4. Heather says:

    Made this tonight. The seasonings made it great!

  5. Davina Powell says:

    My mum always boiled her cabbage with a chicken stock cube dissolved in the water… delicious! But she was old school Welsh, so 🤷🏽‍♀️ Although, 50 years later and I still do the same 😆 Just about to cook a lamb dinner so was looking for some new ideas, but lamb is fatty enough, so, back to ‘old school’ it is! Love your site and thanks for all your inspirations 🙏🏾✌🏾❣️






    1. Alex Overhiser says:

      Thank you!

    2. Gerin says:

      Literally tried this recipe today, therefore no prior opinions on the flavor without the chix buillion. BUT…it was so very delicious and easy to make!






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