Instant Pot German Red Cabbage is a delicious vegetable side dish with a sweet and sour flavor. Popular for the wonderful red color, and the soft, comforting warmth of an Old World comfort food. Pressure cooker German red cabbage is so good! Sweet and Sour German Red Cabbage perfectly braised in your Instant Pot®.
Originally published on 4/22/2019
Instant Pot German Red Cabbage
I have talked about my mom's German cooking before, and today I am bringing you another childhood comfort food. We ate a lot of cabbage growing up. It was cheap, and mom could but several heads of it. Cabbage was a base for many of her delicious recipes.
What To Serve With German Cabbage
Sweet and sour red cabbage is a perfect side dish for sausages, Pork Chops, or Pork Loin Roast. Braised cabbage also goes well with Chicken and Beef Tips.
Instant Pot German Red Cabbage has many variations, depending on where you live, or what the recipe creator liked in theirs. This recipe is easy to change up and customize to your taste.
Here are a Few Variations You Can Try
- Use brown sugar instead of white sugar.
- Add more allspice for more intense spice flavor.
- Fry some bacon and use the bacon fat instead of butter, adding the cooked bacon as a garnish.
- Add some raisins or other dried fruit.
- Add 1 teaspoon of caraway seeds.
- Toss a few precooked sausages on top and cook with the cabbage.
Can I use Green Cabbage?
Green cabbage has a different flavor than red cabbage, plus it is not as soft. That doesn't mean you can't use it, just that the results will be a bit different.
Can I Make this Instant Pot Red Cabbage Recipe Without the Sugar?
Yes you can. You can replace the sugar with Swerve, honey, or just omit the sweetener completely. It will be more savory/sour, but you can add sweetener at the end if you need to.
Can I Add Meat to Make a One-Pot Meal?
- Yes, as long as the meat has the same cook time, and does well with a Quick Release. Also think of the flavor that the meat will add. Sausages would be great.
- You'd probably have to use precooked sausages as uncooked would take longer to cook than the cabbage, and you may not like overly mushy cabbage.
- Adding some cooked bacon after pressure cooking would be delicious! It will add a nice smoky, savory edge.
Storage and Reheating Leftovers
• Store leftover red cabbage in an airtight container up to 4 days.
• Reheat in the microwave, or using low heat in a frying pan on the stovetop.
• This recipe does not freeze well, so I don't recommend it.
Instant Pot Cabbage Side Dish
Instant Pot Braised Cabbage and Apples
Instant Pot Orange Maple Carrots
Instant Pot Broccoli
Instant Pot Asparagus
Instant Pot Artichokes
Instant Pot German Red Cabbage is a delicious vegetable side dish with a sweet and sour flavor. Pressure cooker German red cabbage is perfectly braised in your Instant Pot.
- 4 Tablespoons Butter*
- 1 Onion, sliced
- 1 (2 lb) Head Red Cabbage, shredded, thinly
- ½ teaspoon Kosher Salt (or ¼ tsp table salt)
- ⅛ teaspoon Pepper
- ½ teaspoon Allspice
- ⅓ cup Balsamic Vinegar (or Apple Cider Vinegar)
- 1 Tablespoon Sugar (or more to taste at the end)
- 2 Granny Smith Apples, peeled, cored and diced
- ⅓ cup Water (optional, for more sauce)
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Have all of the vegetables prepared and ready to go before you start cooking.
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Turn on the Sauté setting. When the pot is hot, add the butter and the onion. Cook, stirring occasionally, until just starting to soften.
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Add the cabbage and stir. Cook for a few minutes, stirring occasionally and breaking up any clumps of cabbage that stuck together.
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Add the salt, pepper, and allspice. Stir well.
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Add the balsamic vinegar and sugar. Stir
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Add the apples, and water, if using, and stir them in.
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Cancel the Sauté setting. Then press the Pressure Cook/Manual button or dial, then press the +/- button or dial to select 4 minutes (2 minutes for more firm). High pressure.
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When the cook time has finished, do a Quick Release of the pressure by turning the steam release knob to the Venting position. Turn off the pot.
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When the pin in the lid drops back down, open the lid. Stir the cabbage.
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Serve hot with pork ribs or chops, sausages, or any main dish you like.
*You can also use Bacon Fat.
Store leftovers in an airtight container up to 4 days.
Pin This Recipe
Karen
Delicious, even cold.
Kelli
Turned out really good but not quite as tangy as I was expecting, how would I adjust this next time?
Sandy
Add more vinegar.
Kristin Perez
This was absolutely delicious! We made a German Christmas dinner and this was a perfect compliment AND it didn’t take up any oven or stovetop space. I made it as directed. My son had 3 servings! Thank you! 5 stars for sure!
Kaye M.
I have found your recipe for red cabbage and noticed your reference to your German heritage. My dad’s mother was German. He stood over her and learned a few recipes that he made for us over the years. Not being that interested in cooking at the time, I only managed to pick up a couple. One was potato dumplings and the other was sour hamburger. I have never seen any recipes for the Sour Hamburger. Dad also mad a dish he called rolled steak. I have since found out it is called Rouladen. Have you ever heard of it?
Jan Pellman
Before making your recipe I made red cabbage in a dutch oven which took 2 hours from prep time to cook time. The ingredients are so similar I decided to try the Instant Pot and used your recipe. This recipe and instruction for using the pressure cooking setting worked perfectly and I had delicious cabbage in no time at all!!!
Thanks for this recipe, it's a keeper!
Sandy
That's so great, Jan! Thank you for letting me know.
matt
Do you need to add any water/liquid prior to the pressure cooking for 5 minutes or will it build up enough steam from the water from the cabbage?
Sandy
The vinegar and apple should create enough liquid to bring it to pressure. If it doesn't come to pressure, you can add 1/4 cup of apple juice or water.
Jocelyn
Yummy! Very similar to what my oma made. She added raisins to hers. I remember it cooking on the stove all day. Thank you for this recipe.
Sandy
Hi Jocelyn, what a great memory of your dear Oma! Thank you for your comment!