How to Cut Cabbage

Learn How to Cut Cabbage like a professional for maximum speed and efficiency in the kitchen. Then add cabbage to soups, salads, and stir-fries or enjoy it in coleslaw or own its own.

Meggan’s notes

One of the best parts of culinary school was learning how “the pros” cut every single fruit and vegetable ever. It was part of our Knife Skills education, and it has made all prep in my life easier ever since.

Prep cooks and chefs everywhere know how to methodically break down produce for maximum speed and efficiency because they do it every day. Once you learn the secrets, chopping veggies becomes a lot easier and more fun!

In this post, we’re tackling cabbage. I love cabbage because it’s hearty and nutritious, it’s great raw, cooked, and fermented (aka Sauerkraut or Kimchi), and it lasts a long time in the refrigerator. All good things! Let’s take the guesswork out of cutting up cabbage so you can get to eating it even faster.

Recipe ingredients

At a Glance: Here is a quick snapshot of what ingredients are in this recipe.
Please see the recipe card below for specific quantities.

Ingredient notes

The cabbage family is vast and broad, but here are some commonly found varieties that are often used interchangeably in recipes where sliced or shredded cabbage is called for.

• Green cabbage: The one that’s most commonly found at just about any supermarket. Green cabbage has smooth, darker green outer leaves, and paler green to white inner leaves.
• Red cabbage: This beautiful cabbage has vibrant purple-red leaves and white veins inside. Its shape and flavor is similar to green cabbage, but its color is infinitely more vibrant.
• Savoy cabbage: This round head of cabbage resembles green cabbage but has loosely packed, crinkly, yellow-green leaves and a very mild flavor.
• Napa cabbage: This oblong head of ruffled cabbage belongs to the Chinese cabbage varieties, which also include bok choy, baby bok choy, and choy sum. It has a slightly more tender texture than head cabbage, but it shreds well and is delicious raw in salads.

Step-by-step instructions

1. Remove any damaged or browned outer leaves and rinse under cold water. Place the head of cabbage on the cutting board and cut the whole head into quarters straight down from the top of the crown to the stem using a large chef’s knife.

2. With a knife, carefully cut out the core from each quarter.

3. Place the quarters, cut-side down, on the cutting board. Shred, slice, or chop according to your recipe instructions.

How to cut cabbage into wedges:

1. If you’re braising the cabbage for a recipe like Corned Beef and Cabbage, or need cabbage in wedges for roasting or braising, you will want to leave the core and stem intact to hold the leaves together.
2. Trim the tough end of the stem to leave a fresh cut, then make wedge-shaped slices through the core.

How to shred cabbage using a mandoline:

A mandoline is a handy kitchen device that slices, shreds, and juliennes firm vegetables like carrots, cucumbers, and potatoes efficiently. If you’re excited about using a mandoline to slice cabbage, it’s easy to do, as long as you’re careful. It also works well for making large quantities of shredded cabbage for parties and big groups.

1. First, place your mandoline on a sturdy work surface and set the flat blade to the thickness you prefer. There should be a knob or dial that adjusts the blade’s thickness. Most likely, you will need to cut the cabbage in quarters to fit on the cutting surface of the mandoline.
2. Very carefully, using the guard that came with the mandoline to protect your fingers, move the cabbage wedge across the blade in one clean motion, from one end of the vegetable to the other. As you do this, the sliced cabbage will fall under the mandoline. You can transfer it to a bowl as you work.
3. For safety’s sake, don’t feel compelled to slice the entire wedge on the mandoline. When it gets close to the end, slice the remainder using a chef’s knife and start again with a new wedge.

Recipe tips and variations

• Yield: 1 pound cabbage = about 4 cups shredded cabbage.
• Storage: Store a whole head of cabbage in a plastic bag in your crisper drawer for up to 2 months. Store a cut head of cabbage the same way for 3 to 4 days. For shredded bags of coleslaw from the store, follow the expiration date or your own observations (if it looks bad, toss it).
• Coleslaw: Cabbage is a crucial component in KFC Copycat Coleslaw, Apple Coleslaw, or Fish Tacos with Slaw.
• Pan-fried: I grew up on cabbage sautéd in butter with garlic and onion, and it was delicious!
• Stir-fries: Cabbage is an excellent addition to Fried Rice or any stir-fried vegetable medley. For even more flavor, add a splash of Teriyaki Sauce.

Put your cabbage to work

Stews and Soups

Cabbage Soup

Salad Recipes

Chopped Cabbage Salad

Casserole Recipes

Stuffed Cabbage Rolls

German Recipes

Braised Red Cabbage

How to Cut Cabbage

By Meggan Hill

Learn How to Cut Cabbage like a professional for maximum speed and efficiency in the kitchen. Then add cabbage to soups, salads, and stir-fries or enjoy it in coleslaw or own its own.

Prep Time 1 minute min

Cook Time 2 minutes mins

Total Time 3 minutes mins

Servings 8 servings (1 cup each)

Course Pantry

Cuisine American

Calories 28

5 from 41 votes

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Ingredients 

US CustomaryMetric

• ▢ 1 head cabbage (about 2 pounds, see note 1)

Instructions 

• Remove any damaged or browned outer leaves and rinse under cold water. Place the head of cabbage on the cutting board and cut the whole head into quarters straight down from the top of the crown to the stem using a large chef’s knife.
• With a knife, carefully cut out the core from each quarter. Place the quarters, cut-side down, on the cutting board. Shred, slice, or chop according to your recipe instructions.

Notes

1. Yield: 1 pound cabbage = about 4 cups shredded cabbage.
2. Storage: Store a whole head of cabbage in a plastic bag in your crisper drawer for up to 2 months. Store a cut head of cabbage the same way for 3 to 4 days. For shredded bags of coleslaw from the store, follow the expiration date or your own observations (if it looks bad, toss it).

Nutrition

Serving: 1 cupCalories: 28kcalCarbohydrates: 7gProtein: 1gFat: 0.1gSaturated Fat: 0.04gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.02gMonounsaturated Fat: 0.02gSodium: 20mgPotassium: 193mgFiber: 3gSugar: 4gVitamin A: 111IUVitamin C: 42mgCalcium: 45mgIron: 1mg

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