Perfect Roasted Cabbage
Learn how to roast cabbage with this simple recipe! Perfectly roasted cabbage is caramelized and delicious. It's super easy and healthy, too!
Updated by Kathryne Taylor on September 2, 2024
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Ever roasted cabbage? If not, meet your new favorite side dish! If you enjoy roasted Brussels sprouts, you’ll surely love roasted cabbage, which offers similarly irresistible crispy-caramelized-tender bits.
Roasted cabbage has a lot going for it, and it’s about time I shared my go-to roasting method. Cabbage is easy to prepare for roasting (much easier than Brussels), very inexpensive, and lasts quite a while in the fridge.
Plus, roasted red cabbage adds an eye-catching purple hue to the dinner table. It’s fun, right? This dish would be a vibrant addition to your Easter meal.
Keep cabbage on hand in the vegetable drawer and you can turn it into a simple and nutritious side dish in twenty minutes. I’ll show you how!
Watch How to Make Perfect Roasted Cabbage
Roasted Cabbage Tips
Roasting cabbage is simple, but keep these factors in mind:
You can roast red or green cabbage, but I recommend choosing red.
Red cabbage is typically more dense and less watery than green cabbage, which means it will yield more crispy end results. It also offers a lovely peppery flavor, which you can enhance by sprinkling with freshly ground black pepper before serving.
Don’t overcrowd your baking sheet.
This is key! Overcrowded cabbage will never crisp up, so look at my photos for reference. You can fit up to one pound of cabbage on a large, rimmed baking sheet at one time—that’s one small cabbage or one-half of a small-to-medium cabbage. I highly recommend roasting your vegetables on what’s called a “half-sheet pan,” which is a true kitchen workhorse with ample space and rimmed edges.
How to Roast Cabbage
You’ll find the recipe below. Here’s the gist:
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit, which is the perfect roasting temperature for yielding caramelized vegetables.
- Slice the cabbage into 1-inch chunks. This is my favorite size for yielding pieces with contrasting crisp-and-tender textures. I’ve tried slicing cabbage into wedges, but it’s nearly impossible to keep them intact when flipping and they don’t bake evenly.
- Toss the cabbage with olive oil and some salt, leaving any chunks of cabbage intact.
- Roast for about 20 minutes, tossing halfway, and keep an eye on them during the final few minutes. Don’t worry if the cabbage looks a little browned/burnt—it’s probably perfectly caramelized!
Roasted Cabbage Serving Suggestions
Roasted cabbage is the perfect easy side dish for variety of entrées, especially those that don’t require the oven (that way, your cabbage can roast while you’re preparing the rest of your meal).
Roasted cabbage is simple to throw together for a casual lunch at home. I’d love a side of roasted cabbage with a grilled cheese, for example—a great way to incorporate a hefty dose of veggies with a cheesy meal!
A few quick suggestions:
- Avocado toast
- Fried eggs or scrambled eggs with toast
- Sandwiches, in general
- Simple quesadillas
- Veggie burgers
More Roasted Vegetables to Enjoy
Roasting vegetables brings out their best flavors. Here’s my growing list of perfected roasted vegetable recipes:
- Roasted Asparagus
- Roasted Beets
- Roasted Broccoli (Plus Four Variations)
- Roasted Brussels Sprouts
- Roasted Carrots (Three Ways)
- Roasted Cauliflower (Four Ways)
- Roasted Green Beans
- Roasted Potatoes
- Roasted Sweet Potatoes
Perfect Roasted Cabbage
Learn how to roast cabbage with this simple recipe! Perfectly roasted cabbage is caramelized and delicious. It’s super easy to make, inexpensive and healthy, too! Recipe yields 4 side servings.
Ingredients
- 1 pound red or green cabbage* (about 1 small cabbage or ½ medium)
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- ¼ teaspoon fine salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a large, rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper for easy clean-up.
- Slice the head of cabbage in half. Carefully cut out the white core, then place the cabbage with the flat side(s) face-down on the cutting board. Slice the cabbage into 1-inch wide columns and rows. I like to leave the chunks of cabbage intact when possible.
- Transfer the cabbage to the prepared baking sheet. Drizzle the olive oil on top and sprinkle the salt all over. Gently stir to combine, until all of the cabbage is lightly coated. Spread the cabbage into an even layer across the pan (again, chunks of cabbage are fine).
- Roast the cabbage in the preheated oven, tossing halfway, until tender and charred brown in spots, about 18 to 20 minutes. Enjoy.
Notes
*Quantity note: Cabbage varies quite a bit in size. For best results, either weigh your cabbage before using, or just don’t use more cabbage than can fit in a single layer across your pan, as shown in the photos. Overcrowded cabbage will not crisp up, so use two pans if necessary (place them in the upper and lower thirds of the oven, swapping the pans’ positions after you toss the cabbage halfway through).
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice. See our full nutrition disclosure here.
Thank you for reminding me of this one… Ive got a huge red cabbagge in the crisper right now! My husband and I do this one now and again. You can also add other cruciferous veggies (broccoli, cauliflower, kohlrabi) that you may have on hand. A little crushed garlic tossed in at the beginning is good, and a squirt of lemon juice just before serving is really nice.
Thanks, Violet! All those variations sound fantastic!
This is perfect! I have a ton of cabbage left from my CSA basket! Thank you!!
You’re welcome! Be sure to let me know what you think when you try it, Jenna.
I just tried this. I never would have thought of eating red cabbage this way, but it is delicious! And because it is so fast and easy, will enjoy it often from now on. Thank you!
You’re welcome! Thank you for your review, Dede.
Tried this tonight to go with our roast dinner, I had quarter a head of red cabbage hanging around in the fridge and needed to use it up so this post was perfect timing. I was a little sceptical but it was great, absolutely delicious. I will definitely be doing this again – thank you Kate and Happy Easter !
Thank you for sharing, Joanne!
Oh wow. This has got to be the easiest dish yet. I prepared it for lunch while eating breakfast!
This recipe came as if you were reading my mind (or saw my fridge.)
I had two left-over cabbages from the your delicious Simple Speedy Slaw recipe. I figured they were just going to stay there for weeks, as normally happens, until I need to throw them out.
No more. I’m going to keep cabbages in the fridge just to quickly roast them.
I roasted a pan of both red and green cabbage. The red needs a bit more time in the oven than the green.
Thanks.
That’s great, Oran! I appreciate your review.
Thank you for your excellent suggestion to cut the cabbage into 1 inch pieces! I have previously roasted wedges and they are just as difficult as you say. Apparently I wasn’t able to figure out for myself that I should cut it smaller, but luckily I have you for that:).
You’re welcome! I’m happy it worked for you.
Do you need to use red cabbage? I have some leftover green I’d love to try this with !
Hey Beth, green will work!
This looks perfect!
If I want to make this recipe with white cabbage, what do you recommend I change? I often burn it even at lower temperatures, not sure what I’m doing wrong.
Hey Laura! I don’t think you’d need to modify the recipe. If your oven runs hot in general (or if you happen to be using a super dark baking sheet), definitely keep an eye on it toward the end. Otherwise, you should be fine if you slice the cabbage as instructed—sometimes cabbage looks burnt but it’s just crispy goodness!
Just made it for morning breakfast and delish! I drizzled balsamic glaze on top. Simple. Quick. I cook so many of your recipes.
Sounds great! Can’t go wrong with balsamic glaze.
tried this with white cabbage and i cut into wedges (out of laziness haha) and it was still amazing!!!
Awesome! Thanks, Arya!
Roasted and/or sauteed cabbage is the most underrated easy, cheap and delicious veggie dish in my opinion. I’m glad you shared this!!
Agreed very much! Thanks Marie!
I’d never thought of roasting red cabbage : thanks a lot!
(I usually slow-cook it with red wine – so this is a real change)
I’ve just tried it, adding one tbspoon sugar for extra caramelisation. We’ve all really enjoyed it, except for my three-year-old who LOVED it :)
Hooray! Glad to hear it, and please high-five your son for me. :)
Never would have thought of roasted cabbage, but when you said if you like brussels sprouts you’ll love cabbage, I had to try it. Had it with grilled sandwiches. Will also make with roasted sweet potatoes. The cripsy parts reminded me of kale chips. Was delicious, husband loved it too! Easy to make, inexpensive, nutritious and delicious!
Yay! So glad you are a roasted cabbage convert now.
I love roasted cabbage! Roasted cabbage with hashbrowns/roasted breakfast potatoes = chef’s kiss.
That sounds delicious! Thank you for sharing, Abby.
Thank you for this amazing recipe! I made your black bean tacos and was looking for ways to use the rest of my red cabbage. Not only did this recipe help me reduce my food waste, the end product is so tasty, I call it cabbage candy. I ended up using some as a pizza topping with kale, it’s so versatile.
I love that! I’m happy to hear you enjoyed my tacos and then this recipe. Roasted cabbage is seriously so good!
This recipe is delicious. I used bacon grease instead of oil and it added extra flavor. I cut the cabbage in thick slices and my family loved the little extra burnt edges. Will definitely make again.
I made this tonight along with Kate’s roasted carrots and roasted broccoli recipe and put it all on a bed of spinach with olive oil, lemon juice and salt and pepper. AMAZING Thank you Kate!
Thank you, Robyn! I’m excited you enjoyed it. I love that combination, too!
Just the recipe I was looking for! I love roasting Brussels sprouts with a little bbq sauce but lately they’ve been so buggy I end up composting more than half of what I paid for :( Hard to find a non-wedge cabbage roasting recipe but I’m thinking this will replicate Brussels without the hassle of all that trimming!! Yum and thanks!
Thank you for sharing! I’m sorry to hear about your produce, always disappointing. I’m glad you found this recipe.
As always, this is a carefully constructed recipe from Kate! It is very good. I cooked half a pan of red cabbage and half of green, cooking the red five or so minutes longer, perhaps not enough. I used Trader Joe’s everyday seasoning sprinkled on. We use that all the time on brussels sprouts. It is varied and somewhat spicy.
Roast with chili flakes as well. Once they’re out of the oven add balsamic and honey/maple syrup for a bit of sweetness. Trust me!
Have you made the NY Times’ red cabbage ragu? I followed your method for roasting cabbage (instead of doing it in the pan like the ragu recipe), and our pasta turned out great. I’ll definitely be roasting instead of cooking on the stove from now on!
Amazing!
Minimal effort = maximum deliciousness
Thank you Kate – – and Cookie
Thank you, Tom! I’m happy you enjoyed this recipe.
Well, I just roasted my first red cabbage (my first cabbage ever, really) using your recipe and it was delicious!!
It was so good wirh my roasted pumpkin mash. Great simple combo with some toasted pine nuts. Thank you
Wonderful! I’m glad you loved it, Dyonna.
I’m making this right now…it’s in a 425 oven & the timer us set for just under 15 minutes (just in case bc my oven is, well, my oven. It has plenty of acid & sweetness. & I’m hoping that it comes out crispy. Either way, I guess the flavor is there even if the texture doesn’t come out perfectly. It’s funny how I always end up on this site for my recipe basics (time, temp…the usual suspects…). Good stuff!
Thank you for coming back for more recipes, Sam! I appreciate your review.
We eat red cabbage raw on tacos and cooked on the stovetop in stir fry, but I never thought to roast it until I saw this recipe. Wow, I LOVE roasted red cabbage! Now I want to make it every week. Never thought I would be so enthusiastic about roasted cabbage, hah!!
I forgot how good roasted red cabbage is! I couldn’t stop eating it! Even my 16 and 20-year old sons love it!
Hooray! That’s great to hear, Bea.