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Everything you need to know about how to freeze cabbage, whether it’s raw, balanced, or cooked. Preserve the fresh flavor of this healthy vegetable all year long.
Cabbage is a hearty vegetable that lasts a long time in the fridge. But even the best intentions to finish a whole head can become too much, especially if you’re not feeding cabbage lovers regularly.
Luckily, this is one of the best vegetables to freeze. You can just as easily preserve fresh cabbage as you can blanched or even a fully cooked cabbage dish. This is everything you need to know to freeze cabbage so you’ll always have a crunchy vegetable on hand to make soups, stews, and more.
Which Cabbage Types are Best For Freezing?
Cabbage is a hearty cruciferous vegetable, and really any variety can be frozen easily. If you’re wondering how to freeze red cabbage, it’s no different from the directions for green below. In fact, napa, purple, savoy, and even smaller relatives like bok choy can be frozen using the how-to guide below.
Can I Freeze Fresh Cabbage?
Yes! You can easily preserve fresh cabbage without blanching or cooking. In fact, you can freeze it shredded, halved, quartered or even whole. Note that larger pieces of cabbage will take longer to defrost and won’t have the same crunch as they did fresh.
Can I Freeze Cooked Cabbage?
Absolutely. You can quickly blanch fresh cabbage in boiling water, drain it, and freeze it. Be sure to drain off as much water as possible before freezing the vegetable. You can blanch whole, halved, quartered or finely chopped cabbage.
Likewise, you can also freeze a cooked dish, such as stuffed cabbage rolls. Just be sure to let the dish cool fully to room temperature before freezing.
How to Store Frozen Cabbage
The best way to store vegetables in the freezer is in an airtight container or bag. Gallon-sized freezer bags are great, as you can easily label the bag with the date of freezing. This way you’ll know exactly what’s inside and when you need to use it by.
Best Recipes to Try
Now that you have a freezer full of the good stuff, here are my favorite recipes to put your cabbage to good use:
- How to Freeze Corn
- How to Freeze Kale
- Korean Beef and Noodle Stir Fry
- Instant Pot Red Posole (Pozole)
- Stuffed Cabbage Rolls from Jenny Can Cook
I’d love to see your masterpieces! If you make this or any of my recipes be sure to tag @foodlovecooks on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest!
How to freeze cabbage for soups, stews, and other dishes from raw, blanched or cooked.
Prep Time5 minutes
Additional Time6 hours
Total Time6 hours 5 minutes
Materials
- 1 head cabbage
Tools
- Freezer-safe bags or airtight container
Instructions
Whether you freeze cabbage raw, blanched, or cooked, the first step is to wash and rinse the cabbage head well. Place it in cold water and let it soak for 2-3 hours. Place it in a colander to drain off as much liquid as possible.
Freezing Raw Cabbage
- You can freeze raw cabbage whole, sliced, cut into quarters, or shredded.
- Place the cabbage in a baking dish or on a sheet pan and place it in the freezer for 6-8 hours.
- Transfer individual portions of the frozen cabbage to airtight bags or wrap tightly in plastic wrap. Write the date on a label or directly on the bag.
- Keep frozen raw cabbage in the freezer for up to 2 months.
Freezing Blanched Cabbage
- Slice, shred, quarter the cabbage or keep it whole.
- Prepare an ice bath by filling a large bowl with ice and cold water.
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Place the cabbage in the pot and cook for 90 seconds. Drain the cabbage and transfer it to the ice bath. When the cabbage is cool, place it into a colander and drain as much liquid as possible.
- Spread the cabbage out on a baking sheet and freeze for 6-8 hours, uncovered.
- Transfer individual portions of the frozen cabbage to airtight bags or wrap tightly in plastic wrap. Write the date on a label or directly on the bag.
- Keep frozen raw cabbage in the freezer for up to 9 months.
Freezing cooked cabbage
- In order to freeze cooked cabbage, for example, a side dish made out of cabbage, tomatoes, herbs, and a bit of olive oil, be sure to allow the dish to cool completely first.
- Transfer the dish to an airtight freezer bag or container, label and keep in the freezer for up to 2 months.
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