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 as we do, try braised cabbage, cabbage soup, and cabbage stir fry.
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
See the complete list of ingredients on the recipe card below.
- 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.
- Brown the bacon and chop it.
- Cook the onion in a little butter in a large skillet.
- Add the bacon and cabbage. Cook until tender.
- Season with salt, freshly ground black pepper, Cajun seasoning, and red pepper flakes.
Preparation Tips
- Slice your cabbage thinly to cook it evenly and let it 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 suit your preferred texture.
Recipe Variations
- Spice it up: add 1/4-1/2 teaspoon of 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.
- Add more color and nutrition: by chopping some red, orange, or yellow bell peppers and adding them at the same time as the chopped onion.
- Reduce the 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.
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.
Video
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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Jenny
Super tasty and so easy to make. My hubby loved it and wants me to make it again already!
Hayleigh
Cabbage is quickly becoming one of my favorite vegetables because it lasts so long and is so filling for the price. Southern fried cabbage is a type I have never tried – it sounds like a very good side dish.
Harriet Y
This fried cabbage is delicious and easy. Thanks for the recipe. Everyone loves it.