Slow cooker cabbage with bacon turns the humblest vegetable in your crisper drawer into a savory side dish that actually gets people excited about eating their veggies. This isn’t your grandmother’s mushy, flavorless boiled cabbage that haunted family dinners!
Tender cabbage melts into smoky, bacon-studded goodness while you focus on other things until dinnertime rolls around. I love how the slow cooker turns tough cabbage leaves into silky bites without that sulfur smell that comes from boiling it on the stove.
The bacon renders down, coating every piece with smoky flavor, while the low heat coaxes out the cabbage’s natural sweetness. This recipe feeds a crowd for pennies, reheats like a dream, works with the seasonings you have on hand, and makes your house smell amazing all afternoon.
I started making this after realizing I’d been buying cabbage with good intentions, only to watch it slowly wilt in my fridge week after week. Now I know exactly what to do with it. So if you think cabbage is boring or just something you tolerate in coleslaw, this recipe will change your mind.
I’ll walk you through the simple steps to make this, share my best tips, and tell you what to serve alongside this surprisingly addictive side dish. Even the cabbage skeptics in your life are about to become believers.
Looking for more easy slow cooker sides recipes? Try slow cooker stuffing, slow cooker apples, or slow cooker swamp potatoes.
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Ingredient Notes
For exact amounts needed see the recipe card below
- Cabbage: You’ll want about 8 cups once it’s sliced, which is roughly one small head. Don’t stress too much about perfect measurements here, since a little more or less cabbage won’t hurt anything.
- Bacon
- Onion
- Garlic
- Chicken broth
- Apple cider vinegar: White vinegar also works.
- Brown sugar
- Seasonings: Salt, pepper, and paprika keep things simple but flavorful.
- Butter
How to Make Slow Cooker Cabbage
- Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add your chopped bacon. Cook it for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until it starts to brown and crisp up. Toss in your thinly sliced onion and cook everything together for another 5 minutes until the onion softens. Add the minced garlic, give it a quick stir for about 30 seconds until fragrant, then take the skillet off the heat.
- While the bacon is sizzling, remove the core from your cabbage and slice it into 1-inch-thick strips. Cut the cabbage into quarters first, then slice each quarter. Toss all those cabbage pieces into the bottom of your slow cooker.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the chicken broth, apple cider vinegar, brown sugar, salt, pepper, and paprika.
- Pour your broth mixture right over the cabbage in the slow cooker. Add the cooked bacon, onions, and garlic on top. Use a spoon or tongs to stir everything together, making sure the cabbage is coated with the liquid and the bacon is evenly distributed.
- Cut the butter into small pieces and scatter them over the cabbage mixture. They’ll melt down as everything cooks.
- Put the lid on your slow cooker and set it to high for 3 hours or low for 4-6 hours. About halfway through the cooking time, take off the lid and give everything a quick stir. The cabbage is done when it’s tender but not mushy.
Serving Ideas
Serve this slow cooker cabbage alongside roasted chicken, bratwurst, or pork chops for a classic pairing. The tangy, bacon-studded cabbage cuts through rich meats beautifully. I’ve also ladled it over creamy mashed potatoes. It makes a simple but delicious dinner.
How to Store
Transfer any leftovers into an airtight container, and this dish keeps beautifully in the refrigerator for up to four days. Reheat it gently on the stovetop over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally. The microwave works too, though the stovetop method keeps the cabbage from getting mushy.
Tips
Be sure to check out the step by step instructions
- I know, the whole point of a slow cooker is to dump everything in and walk away. But those five minutes of browning the bacon and softening the onions make a huge difference in the final flavor that you can’t get by tossing raw ingredients into the crock.
- I like to cook my bacon until it’s just starting to crisp up, but still has a bit of chew to it, so it doesn’t turn into bacon bits after hours in the slow cooker.
- Try to keep your cabbage strips around 1 inch long so everything finishes at the same time. The outer pieces will be softer, and the inner pieces will have a bit more bite, which creates a nice texture contrast.
- Taking 30 seconds to stir everything halfway through cooking helps redistribute the liquid and prevents the top layer of cabbage from drying out. I set a timer on my phone so I don’t forget.
- The tablespoon of brown sugar balances the vinegar’s tang and the cabbage’s natural bitterness, but you can adjust it to your taste. I’ve made this with as little as a teaspoon when I wanted it more savory, and I’ve gone up to 2 tablespoons when I wanted it closer to a sweet-and-sour cabbage. You can always stir in a bit more sugar or vinegar at the end.
- A 6-quart slow cooker is ideal for this recipe. If yours is smaller, you might not be able to cook a whole head of cabbage.
Reader Questions
Sure. Red cabbage turns everything a gorgeous purple and has a slightly earthier flavor. Savoy cabbage is more delicate and cooks down even more than green cabbage, so you should add an extra cup or two if that’s what you’re using. I haven’t tried this with napa cabbage, but I suspect it would get too soft.
Yes. I’ve made it the night before a potluck, refrigerated it, and then reheated it in the slow cooker on low for an hour before serving. It’s also great for meal prep. You can portion it into containers and reheat it throughout the week.
You can, though the bacon really is the star of the show here. If you need a vegetarian version, skip the bacon and use vegetable broth instead of chicken broth. Add two tablespoons of olive oil or butter to the skillet when you cook the onions to prevent them from sticking. For a smoky flavor without the meat, add ½ teaspoon of smoked paprika (in addition to the regular paprika) or a few drops of liquid smoke to the broth mixture.
The cabbage should be tender but not mushy. I test it by poking a piece with a fork—it should slide in easily, but the cabbage should still hold its shape. If you like your cabbage on the firmer side, check it at 3 hours on low. If you prefer it really soft and almost melting, let it go the whole 6 hours.
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Slow Cooker Cabbage with Bacon
Ingredients
- 1 small-sized cabbage head core removed and sliced into 1-inch thick strips (about 8 cups)
- 6 slices bacon chopped into 1-inch pieces
- 1 large onion thinly sliced
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- 1 tablespoon butter
Instructions
- In a large skillet, cook the diced bacon for about 5 minutes, until it starts to brown. Add the onion slices and cook for another 5 minutes. Add the minced garlic, stir, and remove from the heat.6 slices bacon, 1 large onion, 1 clove garlic
- While the bacon cooks, cut the cabbage into 1-inch pieces and place them at the bottom of the slow cooker.1 small-sized cabbage head
- In a small bowl, mix the chicken broth, apple cider vinegar, brown sugar, salt, pepper, and paprika.1 cup chicken broth, 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar, 1 tablespoon brown sugar, ½ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper, ½ teaspoon paprika
- Pour the chicken broth mixture over the cabbage. Add the cooked bacon, onions, and garlic. Stir to mix everything.
- Cut the butter into small pieces and scatter them over the cabbage.1 tablespoon butter
- Cover and cook on high for 3 hours or low for 4-6 hours. About halfway through the cooking time, remove the lid and stir quickly.
Notes
- I know, the whole point of a slow cooker is to dump everything in and walk away. But those five minutes of browning the bacon and softening the onions make a huge difference in the final flavor that you can’t get by tossing raw ingredients into the crock.
- Try to keep your strips around 1 inch thick so everything finishes at the same time. The outer pieces will be softer, and the inner pieces will have a bit more bite, which creates a nice texture contrast.
- Taking 30 seconds to stir everything halfway through cooking helps redistribute the liquid and prevents the top layer of cabbage from drying out. I set a timer on my phone so I don’t forget.
- The tablespoon of brown sugar balances the vinegar’s tang and the cabbage’s natural bitterness, but you can adjust it to your taste. I’ve made this with as little as a teaspoon when I wanted it more savory, and I’ve gone up to 2 tablespoons when I wanted it closer to a sweet-and-sour cabbage. You can always stir in a bit more sugar or vinegar at the end.
- A 6-quart slow cooker is ideal for this recipe. If yours is smaller, you might not be able to cook a whole head of cabbage.
As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Nutrition Information
Nutrition facts are estimates.
