Enjoy this traditional German Red Cabbage (or Rotkohl) recipe made in a non-traditional way. Make this delightfully sweet and sour side vegetarian dish right in your Instant Pot.
Why This German Red Cabbage Recipe Is Bound To Be The Easiest Out There
If you've had German Red Cabbage before, you're sure to find yourself craving its delectably sweet, sour and distinct flavor from time to time.
It's a true hallmark of German Cuisine, and it's the perfect side dish for a german bratwurst or Sauerbraten. I decided to enlist the help of my ever-dependable Instant Pot.
I have seen traditional recipes that ask you to cook this recipe for 60-90 minutes on the stovetop. I'll be honest I've tried it that way, and I don't love the cabbage cooked down that much.
In this Instant Pot Cabbage recipe, I decided to hit a happy medium between mushy and crunchy cabbage.
The main reason I am using a pressure cooker for this, is not only because I don't want to spend an hour waiting for cabbage to cook, but also because this is an easy dump and cook vegetarian recipe.
There's no need to pre-melt the butter or sautee the cabbage and apples with this recipe.
Just dump the ingredients into the Instant Pot, pressure cook on high pressure for 3 minutes, and you'll be enjoying some flavorful Instant pot German Red Cabbage before you know it.
If this isn't the easiest German red cabbage recipe you've ever made, make sure to let me know what your secret is, because it's plain ridiculous how simple this is!
This is a great Instant Pot vegetarian dish as is, but if you would like to make this vegan, just substitute either something like Earth Balance for the butter, or use oil instead.
How To Make German Red Cabbage
- Place cabbage, apples, melted butter or oil, cider vinegar, salt, sugar, pepper, cloves, and bay leaves into the Instant Pot and stir.
- Close the lid. Press PRESSURE COOK and cook on HIGH PRESSURE for 3 minutes. Release all pressure immediately.
- Taste and add a little more cider vinegar if needed for tang. Remove bay leaves and serve.
Tips And Tricks For Making The Best German Red Cabbage
- Do not allow this to release pressure naturally. As soon as the 3 minutes are up, open the valve from sealing to venting. Otherwise you will overcook the cabbage.
- To make this vegan, use 2 tablespoons of oil in place of the butter.
- If you like your Rotkohl or German Red Cabbage recipe tangier, simply add a little more cider vinegar to the dish after it's finished cooking.
- Make sure you remove the bay leaves before serving the dish. Biting into a bay leaf is zero fun. Ask me how I know.
- You could use green cabbage in a pinch but I think the red cabbage is a little sweeter and is just more traditional.
- Any kind of tart or semi-tart apple will work for this.
- This recipe can be frozen but I don't recommend it. It works well as leftovers for the next day though. I think it actually tastes better the next day.
- The majority of the sugar/carbs in this recipe come from the apples. To reduce carbs, you could substitute Splenda or Truvia and reduce the number of apples used in the recipe.
Looking For More Great German Dishes? Check These Recipes Out!
- Here’s an easy German Rouladen recipe, but with a twist. Use your air fryer to get a crispy flank steak roll, with all of the flavors of a classic rouladen, but not the hours-long braise times.
- This Sauerkraut Soup has all the tang and flavor of sauerkraut, and it pairs so well with the cannellini beans and sausage that you’d think they were meant to go together the whole time.
- Make this Instant Pot Sauerbraten and you will never want to make it the traditional way ever again! It’s simple, tender, and absolutely delicious in a fraction of the time and effort of the traditional method of cooking.
Don't forget to check out my other Best-selling Instant Pot Cookbooks!
Indian Instant Pot, Keto Instant Pot, Instant Pot Fast and Easy, Healthy Instant Pot & Vegetarian Instant Pot.
So the next time you get that craving for some red cabbage, or a great Instant Pot Vegetarian side dish, make my Instant Pot German Red Cabbage recipe! Make sure to share this recipe with your friends on Pinterest and Facebook so they can enjoy it as well!
Equipment
Ingredients
- 6 cups Red Cabbage, chopped
- 3 Granny Smith Apples, small, sliced 1 inch thick
- 2 tablespoons melted butter, or oil
- 1/3 cup Apple Cider Vinegar
- 2-3 tablespoons Sugar Or Other Sweetener Equivalent
- 1 teaspoon Kosher Salt
- 1/2 teaspoon Ground Black Pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon Ground Cloves
- 2 bay leaves
Instructions
- Place cabbage, apples, melted butter or oil, cider vinegar, salt, sugar, pepper, cloves, and bay leaves into the Instant Pot and stir.
- Close the lid. Press PRESSURE COOK and cook on HIGH PRESSURE for 3 minutes. Release all pressure immediately.
- Taste and add a little more cider vinegar if needed for tang. Remove bay leaves and serve.
For Stovetop
- In a 10-inch frying pan, melt the butter or oil. Add in salt, sugar, pepper, cloves, and bay leaves .
- Toss apple slices in this mixture.
- Add cabbage and stir.
- Add in cider vinegar and 1/4 cup of water and cover with a lid.
- Cook for 30-40 minutes on a low flame until the cabbage is cooked through. Some people prefer this cooked for 60 minutes so you may want to cook it longer if you like your cabbage super soft.
- Do not allow this to release pressure naturally. As soon as the 3 minutes are up, open the valve from sealing to venting, otherwise you will overcook the cabbage.
- To make this vegan, use 2 tablespoons of oil in place of the butter.
- If you like your Rotkohl or German Red Cabbage recipe tangier, simply add a little more cider vinegar to the dish after it's finished cooking.
- Make sure you remove the bay leaves before serving the dish. Biting into a bay leaf is zero fun. Ask me how I know.
- You could use green cabbage in a pinch but I think the red cabbage is a little sweeter and is just more traditional.
- Any kind of tart or semi-tart apple will work for this.
- This recipe can be frozen but I don't recommend it. It works well as leftovers for the next day though. I think it actually tastes better the next day.
- The majority of the sugar/carbs in this recipe come from the apples. To reduce carbs, you could substitute Splenda or Truvia and reduce the number of apples used in the recipe.
- If you omit the sugar and apples completely, your total carbs are about 10 gms per serving, with 3 gms of fiber for a total of 7 net carbs per serving .
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Nutrition
Post originally published on December 28, 2019, at 8:00 AM.
JE
This is absolutely delicious. Never had cabbage like this before. I had no idea what to expect. It's so good! I used Jazz apples and margarine instead of butter. Worked beautifully. Definitely adding this recipe to my regular rotation. Wow! Thank you!
Vivienne
Happy holidays from Germany! I was frantically searching the Internet for an IP recipe for red cabbage. And you delivered! Thank you so much! I added some cranberry preserves and a squirt of orange balsamico and my husband fell in love with this recipe. No more hours of stewing, 3 mins under pressure is all it takes. This is our new traditional recipe for future Christmases. Thank you!
Jade
Very easy and delicious. I used Earth Balance to make it vegan.
Eva
Thank you for this easy and delicious recipe! I am German and I love it!! I take half the salt, take 2 Gala apples instead of 3 Granny, 8-10 drops of Stevia, 3 tbsp of apple cider vinegar. Tastes also great at cooking time of 5 minutes. I adjust the ingredients according to my intuition as I have gut issues! Thank you again!!
Victoria
Really good!
Greta
When it calls for cider vinegar would I be able to use red wine vinegar?
URVASHI PITRE
Yes you can
Greta
Thanks for information. Also if I want to make as a one pot meal what else would you suggest that I put in as it cooks? Have instant pot 6 quart
Lee
Easy and tasty! I sliced the red cabbage about 3/4 inch thick, same with the apples.
If you’re avoiding oil, salt, etc., just leave them out!
Next time I’ll try it with a bit of caraway seed.
URVASHI PITRE
So good to hear! Thanks for leaving a comment to encourage others to try it