Quick Pickled Red Cabbage

Why We Love This Recipe

• Super simple: You only need 5 easy-to-find ingredients to pickle this red cabbage, and the recipe is quick and fool-proof. Just heat up your brine, pour over the pickles, wait a few hours and enjoy!
• Great side dish/condiment/topping: This pickled cabbage is perfect as a crunchy, zesty side dish, a topping on sandwiches and burgers, and really elevates tacos, burritos, soups, salads and so much more!
• Pickle anything: You can use the process outlined in this post to quickly pickle almost any vegetable, including onions, garlic, beets, asparagus, and more. (Check out this post for all of our favorite ways to flavor homemade quick pickles!)

Ingredients

Here's what you'll need to make this quick pickled red cabbage:

Ingredient Notes

• Cabbage: There are four main varieties of cabbage: red (aka purple), green, savoy, and napa. You could use this same quick pickling process on any one of these varieties. We like using red/purple cabbage because it has the sturdiest texture of any variety, resulting in a quick pickled topping that provides a great crunch.
• Vinegar: We chose apple cider vinegar for its flavor, but you can really use any type of vinegar you like or have on hand, including red wine vinegar, rice wine vinegar, or just classic white vinegar.
• Sugar and salt: You need a large pinch of each both for flavor as well as to tame the vinegar, so don't skip them!
• Brining spices: We wanted to keep this recipe as simple as possible, but you can jazz it up by adding popular brining and pickling spices such as whole peppercorns, red pepper flakes, dill seed, mustard seed, coriander seeds, allspice, or bay leaves.

Instructions

(1) Slice the cabbage in half.

(2) Remove the triangular core by cutting two slits on either side. Discard the core.

(3) Slice the halves lengthwise to create long shreds of the cabbage. Slice as thinly as possible – you don't want any huge pieces of cabbage.

(4) Combine vinegar, salt, sugar, and water in a small saucepan over medium heat and bring to a simmer, stirring until salt and sugar are dissolved.

(5) Place sliced cabbage into a clean jar, packing it in tightly with your hands or a spoon. Pour the brine over the cabbage, adding enough so that the cabbage is completely submerged.

Let cabbage and brine cool completely at room temperature (unsealed). You can seal in a jar and refrigerate for a few weeks or you can follow the traditional water bath canning process for long term storage.

Expert Tips and FAQs

• Sanitize your jars: For food safety reasons, it's always a good idea to make sure your jars are properly cleaned before using. The best method is to place the jars and lids in a large pot, cover with water and bring to a boil. Boil for 10 minutes, then use clean tongs to remove and place on a clean dish towel to air dry.
• Let the brine cool completely before adding a lid to the jar. Since the brine will be releasing steam, adding the lid prematurely will pressurize the contents of the jar and could cause the jar to crack. However, make sure the brine is still hot when you pour it over the cabbage to ensure the vegetables become properly pickled.
• Storage: If you're not canning it (we usually don't), you can seal with a lid (once cooled!) and store in your fridge for 2-3 weeks.
• Canning: For a quick primer on canning, you can check out our Easy Strawberry Rhubarb Jam (No Pectin) post, or check out this helpful resource. You can definitely can this recipe via water bath, and keep it stored for much longer.
• Use a mandoline: For perfectly even cabbage slices, use a mandoline instead of a knife. (Just be sure to use a safety hand guard!)
• Serving suggestions: Here are our favorite ways to use this quick pickled red cabbage:
  • As a topping for tacos, breakfast tacos, nachos or burrito bowls
  • In a sandwich or quesadilla
  • In a grain bowl or salad
  • Atop a bowl of chili or soup
  • On a charcuterie board...and so much more!

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