Rotkohl German Braised Red Cabbage Recipe
This traditional German recipe for Rotkohl makes an incredibly delicious sweet and sour side dish of braised red cabbage with apples, onions, and other simple ingredients.
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Depending on the region in Germany, this side dish can be called rotkohl, blaukohl or blaukraut. It is an excellent accompaniment to roasted, grilled, and smoked meats. You will almost always find rotkohl served alongside spaetzle as a traditional side for sauerbraten and rouladen.
We always eat rotkohl for special occasions at my in-law’s house as well, so you will find this dish served for Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners, where it pairs beautifully with roasted and smoked turkey.
Try my red cabbage soup if you’re looking for more red cabbage recipes. And try my German sauerkraut soup and liver dumpling soup for more traditional German recipes.
Some more side dishes I love to make: blitva (garlicky potatoes with Swiss chard), sataraš (stewed tomatoes, peppers, and onions), risotto, and my warm roasted vegetable salad.
Traditional Rotkohl Ingredients
All of the authentic ingredients you need to make rotkohl, along with any notes and common sense substitutions to help you make this recipe.
- Red Cabbage | Sometimes called purple cabbage, this is the star of this dish. You can find this cheap, delicious, and healthy cabbage everywhere — or even grow it yourself.
- Onion | I prefer yellow onion, but you can use whatever you have on hand. You might also try shallots.
- Apple | I love a tart apple like Granny Smith; use whatever you have on hand.
- Butter | The addition of a fat like butter really complements cabbage. You can also use lard or bacon fat.
- Red Currant Jam | Or jelly. You can also use cherry, blueberry, lingonberry, or any other berry jam you have on hand.
- Red Wine Vinegar | Use apple cider, white wine, or balsamic instead.
- Apple Cider | Or apple juice. A fruit beer would also work here. My mother-in-law uses crushed canned pineapples.
- Juniper Berries | This is an expensive ingredient to buy, but it’s very traditional and used in many German recipes. A little bit goes a long way. Use cloves instead if you have them. You can forage for juniper berries very easily pretty much year-round. We have a ton growing on our land.
- Sugar | Brown sugar is great, and so is maple syrup or honey.
- Salt | I always use unrefined sea salt in all my recipes.
- Bay Leaf
Instructions (Step-by-Step)
Step 1: Prep all of your ingredients. Dice and slice the fruits and vegetables. Use this photo as a guide for how yours should approximately look.
Step 2: Melt the butter in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat and sauté onions and apples for 10 minutes or until translucent and starting to get soft.
Step 3: Add the cabbage to the onions and apples and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring the entire time. Coat the cabbage in the fat.
Step 4: Add the remaining ingredients and stir to combine everything well. Bring the liquids to a boil, then cover the pot and reduce heat to a low simmer.
Simmer for 1 hour until cabbage is soft but not mushy. Check it at the 45-minute mark.
Serve warm or cold as a side dish.
Substitutions & Variations
My Slovak mother-in-law makes rotkohl with a can of crushed pineapples which further enhances the sweet and sour flavor.
Equipment
- A knife and cutting board.
- A good, heavy, pot with a lid.
Storage, Freezing, & Reheating
Rotkohl is a great dish to make a big batch of and then reheat or freeze for longer-term storage.
It will last up to 7 days in the refrigerator and should be stored in a covered container. Reheat it gently on the stovetop over low heat and add a splash of water to the pot.
It will last up to 3 months in the freezer. Let it thaw in the refrigerator and then gently reheat it.
Related Recipes
- Red Cabbage Soup
- Traditional German Sauerkraut Soup
- Segedinsky Gulas Pork Stew & Sauerkraut
- Blitva | Croatian Chard & Potato Side Dish
- Sataraš {Croatian Stewed Tomato & Pepper Side Dish}
- Smoked Onions {Perfectly Caramelized}
MSN Readers: View The Original Recipe Here (Printable Recipe Card)
Rotkohl German Braised Red Cabbage
Ingredients
- ½ head red cabbage thinly sliced, feel free to use the whole head and double up this recipe to have leftovers.
- 1 large yelloe onion finely diced
- 1 large apple tart apples work best
- ¼ cup butter or lard
- 2 tablespoons red currant jam
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- ½ cup apple cider or juice
- 1 bay leaf
- 3 whole cloves leave cloves whole, do not crush them.
- 3 juniper berries leave out if you don't have any and add 2 more cloves
- 1 teaspoon sugar or maple syrup or honey
- 1 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Prep all of your ingredients. Dice and slice the fruits and vegetables. A mandoline is great to speed up the cabbage processing.
- Melt the butter in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat and sauté onions and apples for 10 minutes or until translucent and starting to get soft.
- Add the cabbage to the onions and apples and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring the entire time. Coat the cabbage in the fat.
- Add the remaining ingredients and stir to combine everything well. Bring the liquids to a boil, then cover the pot and reduce heat to a low simmer.
- Simmer for 1 hour until cabbage is soft but not mushy. Check it at the 45-minute mark.
- Serve warm or cold as a side dish.
Notes
- Red Cabbage | Sometimes called purple cabbage, this is the star of this dish. You can find this cheap, delicious, and healthy cabbage everywhere — or even grow it yourself.
- Onion | I prefer yellow onion, but you can use whatever you have on hand. You might also try shallots.
- Apple | I love a tart apple like Granny Smith; use whatever you have on hand.
- Butter | The addition of a fat like butter really complements cabbage. You can also use lard or bacon fat.
- Red Currant Jam | Or jelly. You can also use cherry, blueberry, lingonberry, or any other berry jam you have on hand.
- Red Wine Vinegar | Use apple cider, white wine, or balsamic instead.
- Apple Cider | Or apple juice. A fruit beer would also work here. My mother-in-law uses crushed canned pineapples.
- Juniper Berries | This is an expensive ingredient to buy, but it’s very traditional and used in many German recipes. A little bit goes a long way. Use a few more cloves instead or nothing. You can forage for juniper berries very easily pretty much year-round. We have a ton growing on our land.
- Sugar | Brown sugar is great, and so is maple syrup or honey.
- Salt | I always use unrefined sea salt in all my recipes.
- Bay Leaf
