This quick-pickled red cabbage is crisp, tangy, and incredibly easy to make. Lightly spiced and vinegar-forward, it comes together quickly and adds brightness and crunch to salads, grain bowls, tacos, sandwiches, and more. A simple refrigerator pickle that instantly elevates everyday meals.
This one is kind of a big dill
Ok, there is actually no dill in this quick-pickled red cabbage recipe, but I can't resist a pickle pun. I mean, who can?
You know what else I can't resist? Piling forkfuls of this easy pickled cabbage onto meal bowls (these Winter Vegetable Meal Prep Bowls are probably my favorite), tacos (I looooooove pickled red cabbage with these sheet-pan halloumi tacos), and more. Or, really, piling forkfuls of it straight into my mouth, out of the jar. It's that good.
My spicy-pickled red onions are a HNL community fave, but honestly, my heart is with pickled cabbage right now. All you need is a handful of ingredients and approximately 15 minutes of hands-on time. Oh, and the patience to wait a couple of hours while your refrigerator pickles do their thing.
We got this! Let's go make some pickles!
Let's make quick pickled red cabbage together!
Ok, friend, let's do this! If you prefer to skip straight to the recipe card, by all means use the "jump" button. Otherwise, join me for a bit of a scroll and we'll walk through it together.
Step 1: slice your cabbage
Use a sharp knife, and slice it up real fine!
Step 2: whisk up the vinegar mixture
You're going to mix the vinegars, spices, salt, and sugar, then whisk until the sugar dissolves.
Step 3: make those pickles!
Stuff the red cabbage into a wide-mouthed jar. Really cram it in there! Then pour the vinegar mixture over the top.
Step 4: wait...
You need to wait at least 2 hours before using your pickled red cabbage. The longer the better, but waiting is hard!
Then you're ready to get your crunch on! Your tangy, tasty, bright, and vibrant crunch. Oh yeah!
The pickled red cabbage will last for a couple of weeks in your fridge, so you’ll have plenty of time to use it up.
Quick Pickled Red Cabbage (Easy No-Cook Recipe)
Ingredients
- ½ medium red cabbage finely shredded
- 1 cup water
- ½ cup apple cider vinegar
- ½ cup red wine vinegar
- 1 Tablespoon light brown muscovado sugar
- 1 teaspoon fennel seeds
- 1 teaspoon brown mustard seeds
- 1 teaspoon black peppercorns
- 1 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Finely shred the cabbage using a very sharp knife or mandolin.½ medium red cabbage
- Stuff as much cabbage as you can fit into a 1L wide mouth mason jar. Really cram it in, you can fit a lot more than you think!
- Whisk together water, vinegars, sugar, spices, and salt. Stir until the sugar is dissolved.1 cup water, ½ cup apple cider vinegar, ½ cup red wine vinegar, 1 Tablespoon light brown muscovado sugar, 1 teaspoon fennel seeds, 1 teaspoon brown mustard seeds, 1 teaspoon black peppercorns, 1 teaspoon salt
- Pour the liquid over the cabbage.
- Seal the jar, and place into your fridge to sit for at least 2 hours, or preferably overnight.
Notes
- Nutrition values are an estimate only
- Quick-pickled red cabbage will last for 2-3 weeks in your fridge
Brittany says
Hi Katie! I make this all the time and loooove having it on hand for its versatility. I am wondering if there is a substitute you recommend for the mustard seeds? I ran out, and with the new challenges of grocery shopping during lockdown, I'm not sure what I'll be able to get my hands on at the store. I wonder if I can sub ground mustard or turmeric, or if it might be best to omit entirely. Any pointers?
Katie Trant says
I'd probably just leave them out or sub in another seed you like the flavour of. Peppercorns, maybe?