The Best Fried Cabbage Recipe is a simple six-ingredient recipe that combines cabbage, onions, and bacon cooked in butter and bacon drippings. This low-carb, easy side dish is full of flavor, low in calories, and loaded with fiber.
Get ready to wow your taste buds with this simple and tasty fried cabbage recipe. It’s the perfect side dish for any meal and will quickly become a favorite. It is the perfect side dish for roasted chicken, grilled bratwurst, smoked sausage, and ham steak.
My family and I love cabbage. We are one crazy cabbage-loving family. It is just so nutritious, versatile, delicious, and quite economical. If you love cabbage like we do, try braised cabbage, cabbage soup, cabbage stir fry, and cabbage rolls.
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
See the complete list of ingredients below on the recipe card.
- Bacon: If available, use nitrate-free smoked bacon. It is healthier and tastes better.
- Butter: unsalted or salted. If using salted butter, reduce the amount of added salt.
- Cabbage: I like to use standard green cabbage for this recipe. It retains its structure better, which gives it just the right texture for fried cabbage.
- Seasonings: salt, freshly ground black pepper, Cajun seasoning, and red pepper flakes
How to Make Fried Cabbage
This is the summary version; see the recipe card below for the complete list of ingredients and the instructions.
Start by browning your slices of bacon until crisp. You can do this either in a large skillet, a large cast-iron skillet, or in the oven. Do whatever is easier for you, but reserve the bacon grease. Next, chop the browned bacon.
Then, melt a little butter in a large skillet over medium-low heat and add the reserved bacon grease. Add the onion and cook until tender. Add the bacon to the skillet and stir to combine with butter and onions. Increase to medium-high heat and add the cabbage. Cook until tender, stirring several times to ensure it does not burn and cooks evenly. Season to taste with salt, black pepper, and, if desired, a little Cajun seasoning and red pepper flakes.
Preparation Tips
- Slice your cabbage thin to cook it evenly and soak up all that good butter and bacon grease.
- Are you in a big hurry and have to get supper on the table? No problem. Chop the raw bacon and place it in the skillet over medium heat. Cook it for 2-3 minutes, stirring several times, then reduce the heat to medium-low. Then add the butter and onions and cook as directed. The bacon will not be as crispy, but it will still be delicious.
- Serve this dish promptly. If held in the skillet too long, the cabbage will overcook.
- We like our cabbage with just a bit of crispiness and structure left, but you can adjust the cooking time to your preference for texture.
Recipe Variations
- Add 1/4 – 1/2 teaspoon Cajun Seasoning and a pinch of cayenne for some spice and pizzazz.
- Add a little sweetness with 2 pinches of brown sugar and 2 cloves of minced garlic.
- Make it a complete meal with thin slices of Polska Kielbasa or all-natural chicken sausage.
- For more color and nutrition, chop some red, orange, or yellow bell peppers and add them simultaneously as the chopped onion.
- To reduce the saturated fat, use turkey bacon or vegan bacon. Omit the butter and bacon grease. Cook the onion and cabbage in 2 tablespoons of olive oil.
Serving Suggestions
The possibilities are endless, but a few of my favorites are pan-fried pork chops, smothered pork chops, and smothered chicken. Other great dishes are beef rouladen and chicken schnitzel.
More Cabbage Recipes
Fried Cabbage Recipe
Ingredients
- 6 slices smoked bacon
- 2 tablespoons butter salted or unsalted
- 1 medium yellow onion chopped
- 1 head green cabbage cored and thinly sliced
- salt and black pepper to taste
- ¼ -½ tsp Cajun seasoning optional
- ¼ tsp red pepper flakes optional
Instructions
- In a large skillet or Dutch Oven over medium heat, brown the bacon (alternately, you can do this in the stove on a baking sheet). Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon. Reserve the bacon grease. Coarsely chop the bacon.
- Melt butter and heat bacon grease in a skillet over medium-low heat. Add the onion and cook until tender, about 3-4 minutes. Add the chopped bacon to the skillet and stir to combine with butter and onions.
- Add the cabbage and cook until tender, stirring several times to make sure it does not burn and that it cooks evenly; approximately 5-7 minutes.
- Season to taste with salt, black pepper, and, if desired, Cajun seasoning and red pepper flakes.
Notes
- We like our cabbage with just a bit of crispiness and structure left, but you can adjust the cooking time to your preference for texture.
- Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. They can be reheated in the microwave at reduced power or on the stovetop over low heat.
- To freeze fried cabbage, fully cool it, then store it in a freezer-safe container. Freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight.
Nutrition
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Jennifer P
Yum, I love this cabbage, its so tasty! My family adores it! Two thumbs up from the four of us!
Ollie
Comfort food at its finest. Simple ingredients, big flavor, and that home-cooked goodness you just can’t beat.
Marley
Such an easy dish to make! I don’t really cook much with cabbage, and it is nice to have such an easy recipe to prepare.
Lynn
Cabbage is one of my favorites. Your Southern fried cabbage was delicious and so easy to make. I am going to make it again, real soon. My husband agrees.
Beth Pierce
Thanks, Lynn! I am glad that you and your husband like it.
Tammy
I love fried cabbage with a hunk of cornbread served on the side. Yummy! Thanks for the great recipe!