Instant Pot Sweet and Sour Cabbage is the dish that gets cabbage haters to try – and like – cabbage for the very first time. You get a sweetness from the applesauce and the vinegar makes it tangy. Both turn plain cabbage into something you can’t stop eating.

Cabbage Cooks Perfectly in Your Instant Pot

I love cabbage because it’s inexpensive, easy to get your hands on, and is the perfect candidate for electric pressure cooking and slow cooking. And it’s good for you too!

In the summer we eat a lot of cole slaw, but I like to change it up by mixing in some cooked cabbage too.

While cabbage softens when cooking, it keeps it’s delightful taste and texture. I learned to love that texture in Indian food and now I love it in most dishes.

Cabbage is a Beautiful Addition to Your Plate

There are so many different varieties and colors that you can choose from. But in my experience all heads of cabbage taste good. We’re using red or purple cabbage for this recipe, but you could use green if that’s all you have.

This red cabbage recipe got cut from The Ultimate Vegan Cookbook for Your Instant Pot. But the book’s loss is your gain!

In the book, it was served as a side to some potato-stuffed pierogis.  I can’t give the pierogi recipe, but for a hint you can take vegan dumpling wrapper add a heaping tablespoon of mashed potato or other veggie. Then wet your finger and go around the edges to seal. Steam for about 5 minutes and enjoy!

Make an Easy Full Meal All at Once

1. Cook some chopped potatoes either wrapped in foil, or in a Pyrex dish or stainless dish covered in foil, on top of the cabbage. From there you can make mashed potatoes. Or you could start off a little different and toss the potatoes with dill and paprika then cook them. Both will make this a filling meal.
2. Make cauliflower steaks by cutting 1/2 inch thick slices from the middle of a head of cabbage. Cook these over the cabbage wrapped in foil. Season with fresh dill and lemon juice.
3. Add in some vegan sausage sliced into rounds for a one dish meal.
4. Cook 4 pieces of lightly steamed tempeh in with the cabbage. The steaming make it less bitter.

Instant Pot Sweet and Sour Cabbage

Yield: 6 servings

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Additional Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

This is the dish that I've used to get cabbage haters to try - and like - cabbage for the very first time. The sweetness of the applesauce and the tang from the vinegar turns plain cabbage into something you can eat by the bowlful.

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Ingredients

SAUTE INGREDIENTS

• 1 tablespoon water, or broth
• 1/2 cup minced onion
• 4 cloves garlic, minced

PRESSURE COOKER INGREDIENTS

• 6 cups chopped red cabbage
• 1 cup water
• 1 cup applesauce, or the same amount chopped fresh apple
• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
• salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions

1. Use the sauté setting over normal, or medium heat, and warm up the water or broth. 
2. Saute the onion until they become transparent. Then add the garlic and sauté a minute more.
3. Add the pressure cooker ingredients listed above and put the lid on and make sure that the vent is closed.
4.  Cook on pressure cooker/manual setting on high pressure for 10 minutes.
5. Carefully move the pressure valve to release the pressure manually.

Recommended Products

• 
  Santa Cruz Organic Applesauce, 23 oz
• 
  Bragg USDA Organic Raw Apple Cider Vinegar, With The Mother 16 Ounces Natural Cleanser, Promotes Weight Loss - Pack of 2
• 
  Instant Pot DUO60 6 Qt 7-in-1 Multi-Use Programmable Pressure Cooker

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Nutrition Information

Yield 6
Amount Per Serving Calories 113 Total Fat 1g Saturated Fat 0g Trans Fat 0g Unsaturated Fat 0g Cholesterol 1mg Sodium 152mg Carbohydrates 26g Fiber 5g Sugar 16g Protein 4g

Nutrition information is provided from nutritionix.com as a close estimate. If you have specific health issues please put the recipe information into the nutritional calculator your Dr. recommends.

Why Do Cabbage Haters Love Instant Pot Sweet and Sour Cabbage?

My sweet ad sour cabbage uses flavors that hide some bitterness that cooked cabbage sometimes has. Also when cabbage is overcooked it can have that unpleasant smell just like cauliflower.

The trick is to no overcook the cabbage and to add some sweetness and a little bit of tart from the apple cider vinegar. Red cabbage and apples is a traditional dish that uses its ingredients to show off how wonderful cabbage is.

More Recipes to Try

• Vegan Instant Pot Steamed Vegetable Dumplings
• Vegan Instant Pot Bouillon with No Added Salt or Oil
• Plant Based Instant Pot White Beans with Tomatillos and Poblanos
• Kathy’s Famous Spicy Instant Pot Cauliflower Queso