This easy recipe for low-carb Sweet and Sour Red Cabbage will make you a cabbage fan, if you aren’t already. This sautéed cabbage has a hint of sweetness balanced out with a touch of red wine vinegar. This red cabbage recipe makes a wonderful side and can be part of a low-carb, keto, diabetic, or Atkins diet.

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Our recipe for Sweet and Sour Red Cabbage

This recipe starts by sautéing the cabbage in rich buttery goodness. Red wine vinegar and sweetener create a tangy addictive quality to this red cabbage recipe. I use red wine vinegar, due to its low carbohydrate content, to add the tartness . 

In addition to the sweet-tart flavor profile, I added a bit of star anise. Star anise is a wonderful warm spice that’s perfect for fall and winter. It’a flavor has licorice-like notes. If you don’t have star anise, a little fennel or a pinch of tarragon will give a similar flavor profile.

If you don’t like licorice, you may enjoy this recipe more if you substitute a pinch of cinnamon for the star anise.

While many recipes for red cabbage add extra carbs in the form of sugars, I chose to use allulose to keep my version low-carb. One reason I chose allulose for this recipe is that it doesn’t have any sort of aftertaste like stevia or unpleasant cooling effect like erythritol. While Pyure granulated stevia erythritol blend is my favorite sweetener for baked goods, I find that the slight stevia aftertaste is more noticeable when I use it in savory recipes. 

While allulose is more expensive, I don’t use very much in my savory recipes, so the bag lasts me a long time. The more I use it, the more I like having it in my low-carb pantry.

The inspiration

When I lived in Glen Ellyn, IL, there was a restaurant there called Cabs. My favorite dish there was the duck breast that they served on a bed of red cabbage.

Now, the first time I ordered the duck, I wasn’t sure if I would like the cabbage, but I decided to give it a shot. With the first forkful, their recipe changed the way I thought about red cabbage. It is the sweet and sour goodness with a hint of spice that I tried to emulate with this recipe.

Is red cabbage low carb?

One cup of shredded raw Red cabbage has 7 grams of total carbohydrate. Of the total, 1.9 grams is fiber. This gives us about 5 grams net carbs. While this is carb level is higher than some vegetables, red cabbage can still be part of a low-carb or ketogenic lifestyle.

If keeping your carbs down is important to you, red cabbage isn’t a vegetable you can eat without being mindful of the carbs. If you’re eating only 15-20 net carbs a day, you need to be careful about where and how you “spend” your carbs.

When it comes to “spending” carbs, however, red cabbage gives you a huge nutritional bang for your buck! This is one reason I try to include it in my diet, even though I eat keto.

Is red cabbage good for you? 

Red cabbage is loaded with nutrition! Just one cup of raw, chopped red cabbage provides 19% of the RDI for vitamin A and a whopping 84% for vitamin C, and 10% of vitamin B-6 as well as traces of minerals.

Not only is red cabbage high in vitamins an minerals, it also adds fiber, antioxidant polyphenols, and beneficial sulfur compound to your meal.

The antioxidant properties of red cabbage help neutralize any free radicals in the body, preventing them from damaging your cells. In one study, researchers found that red cabbage actually had more total antioxidants, total healthy phenolic compounds, and total flavonoids than savoy cabbage, green cabbage, or Chinese cabbage.

The sulfur containing compound sulforaphane has been shown to have anti-cancer effects.

The right pan for the job

Using the right tools in the kitchen makes cooking easier and helps ensure success. For this recipe, I used a 10″ stainless steel frying pan from Mealthy.

A good solid stainless steel pan is a must for any kitchen. Stainless steel is my top choice pan for recipes that have a lot of acid, like vinegar, lemon juice, or tomatoes. This is because stainless steel doesn’t react with acid ingredients like, for example, cast iron would. 

Things I love about this particular pan is that it has a good, thick bottom that heats evenly, so there are no hot spots. This allows your food to cook evenly rather than have places that get burned and other places that are undercooked.

While this pan is heavy enough for even heating, it isn’t so heavy that it’s hard to lift. One thing that makes it a bit lighter than other similar pans is its hollow handle. 

This handle has the added benefit of staying cool to the touch while it’s on the stovetop, so there’s no need to use an oven mitt when cooking on the stove.

An added benefit to the metal handle is that it can go in the oven. This makes it the perfect pan to use when you’re doing an skillet meal that you want to finish in the oven. Be careful, though, because the handle DOES get hot in the oven.

Clean-up for this pan is a breeze because you can put it in the dishwasher. Call me lazy, but I really love this feature!

If you already have a good, heavy duty stainless steel pan, use it for this recipe. If you don’t and are looking for one, this one will be a workhorse in any kitchen. Use my coupon code SIMPLYSOHEALTHY to get $10.00 of a total order of $59.95 or more.

What to serve with Sweet and Sour Red Cabbage

This vegetable works perfectly with most meats. I love it with pork and duck, but it also works well with chicken, turkey, and even a good steak. It makes a versatile vegetable that’s perfect for the fall and winter months. Enjoy!

-Annissa

This recipe for Low-Carb Sweet and Sour Red Cabbage makes a delicious veggie with a hint of spice. 🌶 Perfect for those who choose to eat low-carb or keto. 😋🍴

5 from 10 votes

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Low-Carb Sweet and Sour Red Cabbage

This easy recipe for low-carb Sweet and Sour Red Cabbage will make you a cabbage fan, if you aren't already. This sautéed cabbage has a hint of sweetness balanced out with a touch of red vinegar. This red cabbage recipe makes a wonderful side and can be part of a low-carb, keto, diabetic, or Atkins diet.

Course Side Dish

Cuisine American, keto, low-carb

Keyword healthy red cabbage recipe, keto red cabbage recipe, keto sweet and sour red cabbage recipe, sauteed red cabbage, sweet and sour red cabbage

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes

Total Time 35 minutes

Servings 4

Calories 88 kcal

Author Annissa Slusher

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons butter (avocado oil may be substituted for dairy-free)
• 1 pound red cabbage (about 1/2 head) thinly sliced
• 3 tablespoons allulose see notes for substitutions***
• 1 whole star anise
• 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• sea salt (optional)
• black pepper freshly ground

Instructions

1. Preheat a stainless steel pan over medium heat.  I used this pan. Add butter.

   

2. When butter has melted, add cabbage. Cook cabbage stirring frequently until slightly softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the allulose and the star anise. 

   

3. Add the red wine vinegar. Bring to a simmer, then turn heat to low. Cook until cabbage is tender, stirring frequently, until cabbage is tender, about 25-30 minutes.

   

4. Remove from heat. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper if desired.

   

Recipe Notes

***To substitute sweetener, you may use an equal amount of sweetener if it measures the same as sugar. If you use Pyure stevia/erythritol blend, use only half the amount since it is twice as sweet as sugar.

Nutrition Facts

Low-Carb Sweet and Sour Red Cabbage

Amount Per Serving (4 ounces)

Calories 88 Calories from Fat 54

% Daily Value*

Fat 6g9%

Saturated Fat 4g25%

Trans Fat 0g

Polyunsaturated Fat 0g

Monounsaturated Fat 2g

Cholesterol 15mg5%

Sodium 32mg1%

Potassium 282mg8%

Carbohydrates 8g3%

Fiber 2g8%

Sugar 4g4%

Protein 2g4%

Vitamin A 2800%56%

Vitamin C 59.4%72%

Calcium 70%7%

Iron 0.9%5%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.