Learn how to cut a head of cabbage perfectly for various uses, from coleslaw to soups and stir fries. You’ll be an expert in no time!
If looking at a whole head of cabbage is overwhelming because you aren’t sure how to get the results you want, I’m here for you. I’m going to walk you through a few different options for cutting cabbage, depending on how you want to use it.
Scroll down to read more or click here to jump straight down to the instructions.
Types Of Cabbage
There are a few main kinds of cabbage and you can use these instructions to cut all of them. Green cabbage is a popular variety and what is shown in my photos. It has a similar appearance to iceberg lettuce and can be eaten raw, such as in coleslaw, or used for dishes like cabbage rolls. Red cabbage has reddish purple leaves and adds lovely color to coleslaw and salads. These two kinds are found in most grocery stores year round.
Other types of cabbage you may come across are savoy and napa. Savoy cabbage has wrinkly and tender leaves with a softer texture and works well for stuffed cabbage. Napa cabbage or Chinese cabbage is more oblong than the other round cabbages with a milder taste. Both of these are good for raw and for cooked cabbage dishes.
How Many Servings Is A Head Of Cabbage?
It depends on how you are using the cabbage, but approximately 4-6 servings.
A whole cabbage will yield about 7-8 cups of shredded cabbage. This is a similar amount as you’ll find in a 16 ounce bag of shredded cabbage.
How To Cut Cabbage For Whole Leaves
For some recipes you’ll want the whole cabbage leaf, like when you’re making cabbage rolls. You’ll usually blanch the whole head of cabbage in boiling water before using in that case. The boiling softens the leaves so that you can roll the cabbage rolls. But, before blanching, cut off the stem from the head of cabbage as shown below.
To get whole leaves (you can blanch after this step) you’ll cut the core out like the photo below, with knife angled in. We don’t want to halve or quarter the cabbage first because we want the leaves to end up large and whole, like for stuffing or garnishing.
If you’re making stuffed cabbage, you’ll put the head without out the core into the boiling water and simmer it. Use tongs to gently pull leaves off of the head, starting at the outside. They’ll come off more and more easily as they cook. Once a leave has come off of the head, try using your tongs to fold. If it can fold fairly easily, it’s finished blanching. Transfer it to a plate, and then add more leaves on top as they become pliable.
How To Cut Cabbage For Slices
Now, if your goal is slices or chopping the cabbage into small pieces, you don’t need to core it first. You can instead cut the cabbage in half or quarters before dealing with the core. I prefer to halve it because you get a nice solid flat surface for the cabbage to rest on later while slicing – it’s very easy to hold. If you quarter it first, it’s just a little bit more difficult, but not much. So, halve the cabbage so it’s like this:
Then, cut out the core:
Note though that if you are roasting the cabbage, some people leave in the core so that it helps to hold the leaves together. In that case, you’d cut cabbage wedges with the core still in there. You can even cut each quarter of cabbage into smaller wedges. I dislike this because the core doesn’t really soften and ends up unpleasant, in my opinion. I’d rather have the cabbage leaves fall apart a bit than have the hard core on my plate.
Once the core is removed, slice the cabbage. For coleslaw, like for our Pulled Chicken Sandwiches, slice it thinly as shown here:
I usually like my shreds more bite sized so after slicing, run your knife through the thin strips.
How To Cut Cabbage In Bite-Size Pieces
For soups, stews, braises, or stir fries, you can slice the cabbage thicker like this after coring it so that you end up with nice sized chunks of cabbage.
Then run your knife through it to make bite sized pieces that are easy to incorporate into your recipe. You can use these for easy air fryer cabbage, soups, and more.
More Vegetable Guides
Browse our other guides for instructions and helpful tips.
- How to Cut Fennel
- How to Chop an Onion
- How to Cut Brussels Sprouts
- How to Safely Cut Avocados
- How to Shred Lettuce
Podcast Episode: How To Cut Cabbage
Listen to me explain briefly about how to make this recipe, with some great tips along the way, by clicking the play button below:
Listen to more Recipe of the Day episodes here.
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How to Cut Cabbage Instructions
Learn how to cut a head of cabbage perfectly for various uses from coleslaw to soups or stir fries. You’ll be an expert in no time.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Total Time: 5 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
- Category: Side Dish
- Method: Cutting
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- 1 head of cabbage
Instructions
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Remove any wilted or discolored outer leaves from the cabbage. Rinse and pat dry. Place the cabbage on a cutting board.
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Use a sharp chef’s knife to cut off any stem and slice the cabbage in half through the core. Optionally, cut each half again to make wedges in your desired thickness to roast or air fry.
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To cut shredded cabbage for coleslaw or salads, place the cabbage cut side down. Cut out the core. Thinly slice the cabbage. Optionally cut cabbage slices into shorter shreds.
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To cut chopped cabbage for a stir fry, soup, or for braising, cut 1-inch slices, then cut it into 1-inch squares for nice bite-sized pieces.
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Is it recommended to wash the cabbage after shredding/slicing it? Or is rinsing the entire head before cutting it enough?
The leaves are pretty tight together, so usually after removing any less than ideal outer leaves and washing, I find it to be fine as is. If you’d prefer to be extra sure, you can absolutely rinse the sliced or shredded cabbage in a colander and then pat it dry with clean kitchen towels or use a salad spinner to remove excess water. Thanks for your question, Melissa!