This easy Braised Red Cabbage recipe is the perfect make-ahead vegetable side dish, slow cooked with spices and apples to make the humble cabbage into something extra special.
This Braised Red Cabbage with Apple is such a special side dish for times in the year that call for rich, hearty food.
It’s has a sweet and sour tang that transforms the humble cabbage to something extraordinary and it looks colourful and pretty on the plate. It’s by far one of my most favourite and impressive sides to serve up.
This dish can be made in your trusty slow cooker OR you can make it in the oven. Both methods are in the recipe below.
Why you’ll love this Braised Red Cabbage and Apple recipe
Ultra convenient make-ahead dish
Delicious sweet and sticky tang
Looks colourful and impressive
Sarah’s Notes
This recipe makes 8 portions. But who wants to have half a leftover raw cabbage handing around?
Plus, if I’m cooking something for hours, it feels sensible to cook a larger portion.
I always cook this in the early weeks of December and freeze it, so I have enough in the freezer for Christmas lunch and as a side dish on another day.
If you want to halve the recipe, feel free, you’ll just need to reduce the cooking time slightly.
Get my ‘What’s For Christmas Dinner’ cookbook!
It’s filled with lots of festive recipes.
Braised Red Cabbage Ingredients Notes
- Red cabbage – Just a normal red cabbage. This will need to be cored and finely shredded.
- Red onions – These need to be peeled and chopped into chunks.
- Cooking apples – These need to be peeled, cored and chopped up. You could use a gadget like this Oxo Good Grips Apple Divider to make this job quicker.
- Dry ingredients – You will need soft dark brown sugar, ground cinnamon and mixed spice.
- Butter – This should be unsalted.
- Wet ingredients – Add some red wine vinegar for the colour and cranberry sauce (shop bought or homemade).
- To finish off – This is an optional extra – pomegranate seeds (I use a small pre-prepared pack) – and salt and pepper.
How to make Braised Red Cabbage and Apple
1. If you’re cooking in the oven, put all the ingredients (apart from the cranberry sauce and pomegranate seeds) in an ovenproof casserole dish and bake according to the recipe below.
2. If you’re cooking in the slow cooker, add all of the ingredients in (apart from the cranberry sauce and pomegranate seeds) and mix well. Cook according to the recipe below with the lid on.
3. If you’re making this ahead of time, allow the dish to cool, pop it in a freezer bag and store it in the fridge or freezer.
4. Just before serving, stir in the cranberry sauce and sprinkle with the pomegranate seeds (optional).
REHEATING AFTER MAKING IN ADVANCE
When cold, you can either:
- Keep it covered in the fridge for up to 3 days OR
- Freeze it for up to 3 months
FOR FREEZING
- Complete the recipe (but don’t add the pomegranate seeds until just before you serve)
- Pack into a sealed freezer-proof container
- When you’re ready to serve, defrost fully in the fridge overnight
REHEATING
You can then either reheat thoroughly:
In the slow cooker on HIGH for 1-2 hours (try not to overcook, but do check it’s hot through).
In the microwave, covered, for 3-5 minutes or until hot through (this timing will depend on the portion you are reheating and also your own microwave).
My preferred option:
On the hob. Pop into a lidded saucepan over a medium heat for 5-10 minutes until hot through. Stir regularly and if the cabbage is drying out at all add a splash of water.
Recipe Tips
Vinegar
It’s really important to add some red wine vinegar when cooking red cabbage as it’s what keeps the gorgeous red colour.
Slicing
A mandoline is really useful for making this dish or any type of coleslaw. I use this adjustable mandoline slicer.
More special side dishes…
Side Dishes
Boulangère Potatoes
Side Dishes
Easy Cauliflower Cheese
Christmas Recipes
Brussels Sprouts with Bacon & Chestnuts
Side Dishes
Yorkshire Puddings {Foolproof Recipe!}
FAQ
It’s OK, you CAN carefully defrost this from frozen, but it takes a little more work to reheat.
You can either pop it into the slow cooker for about 1 hour on HIGH or 2 hours on LOW You can do it in the oven in a lidded casserole dish, on 180C for 20 minutes or so On the hob, gently heat in a lidded saucepan for about 10-15 minutes (it might need a little water) You can also do it in the microwave for approximately 10 minutes
Stir occasionally for each method and make sure the cabbage is heated all the way through before serving.
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Braised Red Cabbage & Apple {Oven or Slow Cooker}
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Ingredients
- 1 Red cabbage Cored and finely shredded
- 2 Red onions Peeled and cut into 3cm pieces
- 3 Cooking apples Peeled, cored and cut into 3cm pieces (about 600g)
- 75 g Soft dark brown sugar
- 1 tbsp Mixed spice
- 1 tsp Ground cinnamon
- 75 g Unsalted butter
- 3 tbsp Red wine vinegar
- 100 g Cranberry sauce Optional | See notes
- Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
To serve:
- 80 g Pomegranate seeds Optional | I use a small pre-prepared pack
Instructions
To oven cook:
-
Preheat the oven to 140℃/160℃/Gas Mark 3.
-
Put all the ingredients, apart from the cranberry sauce and pomegranate seeds, in an ovenproof casserole dish and mix well. Cover and bake in the oven for 1.5-2 hours until the cabbage is tender.
-
Just before serving, stir in the cranberry sauce and sprinkle with pomegranate seeds.
For the slow cooker:
-
Put all the ingredients, apart from the cranberry sauce and pomegranate seeds, into the slow cooker and mix well. Pop on the lid and cook on HIGH for 2-3 hours or LOW for 4-5 hours, checking is occasionally to make sure that the cabbage doesn't overcook. When cooked, stir in the cranberry sauce and season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle over the pomegranate seeds to serve.
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Notes
Slicing: A mandoline is really useful for making this dish or any type of coleslaw. I use this adjustable mandoline slicer
If freezing: Add your cranberry sauce before freezing
Cranberry sauce: You can use shop-bought or make your own with this recipe
Pomegranate seeds: These are an optional extra. They give a lovely crunch and juicy sweetness, but it’s also fine to leave them out. I use a pre-prepared pack
Gluten free, nut free and suitable for vegetarians
Nutrition
This recipe was first published here on December 15th, 2020 and fully updated with amended method and new photos on December 2nd, 2022. It was updated again on November 6th, 2025 to add additional step-by-step videos.
The post Braised Red Cabbage appeared first on Taming Twins.
This is our go to at Christmas but now we make extra and stick it in the freezer. What a treat on a rainy Tuesday in March!
– Lyn