German Braised Red Cabbage
Traditional sweet and sour slow-braised red cabbage cooked with crisp apples, warming cinnamon, red wine, and brown sugar.
This classic German braised red cabbage (Rotkohl) is the ultimate sweet-savoury side dish! Finely shredded red cabbage cooks down slowly with diced tart apples, soft light brown sugar, vinegar, red wine, and a whole cinnamon stick until meltingly tender and glossy. Rich, aromatic, and deeply comforting—an essential side for Sunday roasts, Christmas feasts, and cosy winter dinners.
Before you start
Get your mise en place ready so nothing catches you out mid-cook.
Method
- 1
Combine & Simmer
In a large heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven, add the shredded red cabbage, diced onion, diced apple, 70 g soft light brown sugar, 70 ml red wine vinegar, 150 ml red wine (or vegetable stock), 2 tbsp butter, 1 whole cinnamon stick, 1 tsp salt, and ½ tsp black pepper.
- 2
Place the pot over medium heat and bring the liquid to a gentle simmer, tossing well to distribute the sugar and spices.
- 3
Slow Braise Covered
Cover tightly with a lid, turn the heat down to low, and slow-cook for 1 hour and 30 minutes, stirring every 20–30 minutes to prevent sticking.
⏱ 30 min
The rest of this recipe
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Ivana’s note
The combination of vinegar and red wine provides the necessary acid to keep the cabbage's vibrant magenta-ruby colour from turning dull greyish-blue during the long braise.
Don't rush the cook time! True German Rotkohl needs a full two hours of slow, low-heat simmering so the tough cabbage cell walls break down completely into that signature melt-in-the-mouth texture.
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