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Skip boiling! This guide shows you how to bring delicious, tangy crunch to your meals with extra-easy quick-pickled red cabbage. It’s a total back-pocket recipe that feels like a cheat code: zero cooking, just big color and bigger flavor.
Serve it on these cauliflower tacos or these tofu shawarma wraps, or make a pickled appetizer spread with more pickled veggies!
save this recipe!I’ve tested this recipe dozens of times. We’ve tried salting, simmering, shredding different ways…you name it. But the magic combo for fast flavor and vibrant crunch? A no-boil, vinegar-heavy brine and thinly shredded cabbage.
Toss it on chickpea tacos, layer it in veggie wraps, or pile it high on black bean burgers. It’s the kind of bold, briny crunch that makes your whole plate pop.
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Why You’ll Love This Pickled Red Cabbage Recipe
After testing this recipe more times than I can count, here’s why it’s earned a permanent spot in my fridge:
- Just a handful of pantry ingredients (and no special equipment required)
- Keeps for weeks in the fridge, so one batch goes a long way
- The color is stunning! That deep purple-pink is all from the cabbage reacting with the vinegar, no dye needed
Pickled Cabbage Recipe Ingredients
Jump to the recipe card for measurements and printable instructions!
- Red cabbage: We tested mandolin vs knife and found both worked, but a mandolin slicer gives those satisfyingly delicate ribbons.
- Apple cider vinegar: You can sub red wine vinegar, but you’ll lose a little sweetness.
- Seasonings: I use sugar, garlic, salt, and pepper, but feel free to throw in your favorite dried herbs or spices!
- Water
How to Use Pickled Red Cabbage
Pickled red cabbage is one of those condiments that quietly makes everything better. Here are some of the best ways to use it:
- On tacos. The acidity cuts right through the richness of taco fillings. Try it on mushroom carnitas tacos, air fryer eggplant tacos, or kimchi tacos.
- On burgers and sandwiches. It adds crunch and brightness that lettuce can’t match. Layer it onto veggie burgers, halloumi burgers, or vegan carrot hot dogs.
- On grain bowls and salads. A spoonful of pickled cabbage does what a dressing can’t. It adds acid, crunch, and color all at once.
- As a side. Serve it alongside anything rich or smoky as a palate cleanser. It’s especially good next to BBQ dishes like sticky BBQ chickpeas!
How to Store Pickled Cabbage
Store pickled red cabbage in a clean, airtight glass jar in the fridge. A standard mason jar works perfectly and keeps the brine from absorbing any off-flavors from plastic.
It keeps for up to 2 to 4 weeks refrigerated, and the flavor actually improves over the first few days as the cabbage continues to absorb the brine. Make sure the cabbage stays submerged — if it starts to poke above the liquid, press it back down or top off with a small amount of extra brine.
It does not need to be processed or canned. This is a quick pickle, meaning it lives in the fridge rather than on a shelf.
Easy Pickled Red Cabbage
Ingredients
- ¼ medium red cabbage
- ½ cup apple cider vinegar or red wine vinegar, 120 mL
- ½ cup water, 120 mL
- 1 Tbsp sugar
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 tsp salt
- ¼ tsp ground black pepper
Instructions
- Cut: Remove the core from the cabbage then shred with a mandolin slicer or knife.
- Assemble: Add cabbage to a large glass jar or bowl, along with all other ingredients. Seal jar and shake, or simply stir bowl and cover.
- Pickle: Set on the counter for at least 2 hours (up to 6), shaking/stirring occasionally. Store tightly sealed in the refrigerator for 2 to 3 weeks. Serve over salads, wraps, tacos, or burgers!
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information calculated by Sarah Bond, degreed nutritionist.
did you make this?Leave a comment below and tag @liveeatlearn on social media! I love seeing what you’ve made!Love Pickles?
Be sure to try our other pickling recipes! Similar to this pickled cabbage recipe, these are all quick pickle recipes (meaning they’re ready in just a few hours instead of a few weeks!)
Is the water supposed to be hot or room temperature??
Either! I do hot water if I want to enjoy this sooner and room temperature if you’re not going to enjoy it for a day or so.
Is the salt necessary? It adds a lot of sodium per serving(396 mg). I’m watching my sodium intake so this is important to me. Does eliminating the salt affect the pickling process and/or the taste?
For quick-pickled cabbage, the salt isn’t just for flavor—it helps draw out moisture, keeps the texture crisp, and balances the acidity of the brine. You can reduce it, but the cabbage may turn out softer and a bit less vibrant in flavor. I wouldn’t skip it completely, but cutting the salt in half still gives good results while lowering the sodium.
The liquid doesn’t come close to covering the cabbage. Is that ok? Or maybe my jar is too big. Its the bigger typical size.
You can mix a little more brine if needed so that the cabbage is more covered!
Could the sugar be omitted?
You can omit the sugar, it’ll just be a bit more tart because the sugar helps to balance out the tartness of the vinegar!
Curious about the sugar in the recipe. I’m removing added sugar from my diet so is the sugar absolutely necessary? TIA for response! ps-I’ve made so many of your recipes!! I love chickpeas too! 🙂
I’m so happy you’ve made and loved so many of the recipes. You can omit the sugar, it might just make the recipe a bit more tart than intended because the sugar really helps to balance out the vinegar.
Do you have a recipe for a quick pickle green cabbage salad with caraway seeds?
Also a recipe for pickled sliced cucumbers where the cucumbers stay crispy!
Thank-you so much. 💐
Hi Joy! I have a recipe for pickled cucumber slices here and while I don’t have a recipe for pickled green cabbage, I do have a comprehensive guide on how to pickle virtually any vegetable that you could use as a starting off point.
I usually use Swerve as my sugar substitute. How do you think this would work in this recipe?
I think it could work. The sugar is really to balance out the tartness of the vinegar. I would love to hear how it goes if you try it out!
I made this at Christmas with the quarter red cabbage leftover from the braised Christmas Day red cabbage. It was absolutely delicious, so much better than shop bought pickled cabbage. So impressed about to make another jar today.
Would monk fruit sweetener work in place of the sugar?
Yes that should work!
Since this calls for 1/3 medium cabbage, what would you do with rest. I hate to waste food?
You can save it for your next batch or add it to this Thai curry!
Can I use green cabbage instead of red?
This recipe is intended for red cabbage, which has a bit of a different flavor than green cabbage!