Christmas braised red cabbage
Rich, sweet-tart braised red cabbage flavoured with orange, red wine and redcurrant jelly — perfect for a Christmas plate.
This braised red cabbage is the kind of seasonal side that makes the rest of the table sing. It’s sweet, tart and spiced — ideal for Christmas plates but just as welcome throughout winter.
A hint of orange and a spoonful of redcurrant jelly lift the cabbage from ordinary to festive; cook it low and slow and the leaves turn meltingly soft with a shiny, sticky glaze.
Ingredients
- 1 kg red cabbage
- 30 g unsalted butter
- 15 ml rapeseed oil
- 1 brown onion
- 1 cooking apple — peeled and coarsely grated
- 1 orange — zest and juice
- 60 ml red wine vinegar
- 150 ml red wine — use a dry red
- 40 g redcurrant jelly
- 30 g soft brown sugar
- 200 ml vegetable stock — hot
- 6 whole cloves
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 cinnamon stick
- salt — to taste
- black pepper — freshly ground, to taste
Equipment
- large heavy-based casserole with lid
- grater
- wooden spoon
Instructions
Trim the cabbage, remove the core and finely slice it into thin ribbons.
Peel and finely slice the brown onion.
Peel and coarsely grate the cooking apple. Zest the orange and squeeze out the juice; keep both.
Heat the unsalted butter and rapeseed oil in a large heavy-based casserole over a medium hob. Add the sliced brown onion and sweat gently for 8 minutes until softened but not browning.
Add the grated cooking apple, orange zest and half the orange juice, together with the whole cloves, bay leaf and cinnamon stick. Cook for 3 minutes to warm through and release the spices.
Tip in the sliced red cabbage. Add the soft brown sugar, redcurrant jelly, red wine vinegar, red wine and hot vegetable stock. Stir well to combine and bring to a gentle simmer.
Cover with the lid and braise gently on the lowest heat for 60 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes so the cabbage cooks evenly.
Remove the lid, increase the heat slightly and reduce the liquid for 10 minutes until the cabbage is glossy and the cooking juices have thickened to a glaze.
Remove and discard the whole cloves, bay leaf and cinnamon stick. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt, black pepper and the remaining orange juice if it needs brightening.
Serve warm as part of your Christmas plate, or cool and refrigerate — it reheats beautifully.
Tips
- Make ahead: cook the day before and refrigerate — flavours deepen overnight and it reheats on the hob in 10–12 minutes.
- If your cabbage seems dry while braising, add a little extra hot stock rather than turning up the heat.
- If you prefer a looser texture, skip the final reduction and serve with the braising juices.
- Remove whole spices before serving — they’ve done their work and the dish looks and eats better without them.
- For a slightly sharper note, swap half the red wine vinegar for apple cider vinegar (stays-close).
Substitutions
red wine → use 150 ml port or a non-alcoholic red wine alternative
Stays closeunsalted butter → replace with an equal weight of olive oil
Noticeably differentredcurrant jelly → use 40 g cranberry sauce or 40 g blackcurrant jam
Stays closesoft brown sugar → use 30 g clear honey (reduce at the end if too sweet)
Noticeably different
Nutrition
Per serving · estimated
- 195
- Calories
- 3 g
- Protein
- 30 g
- Carbs
- 6 g
- Fat
- 5 g
- Fibre
- 13 g
- Sugar
- 250 mg
- Sodium
FAQ
Can I make this the day before Christmas?
Yes — it tastes even better after resting. Cool to room temperature, cover and refrigerate; reheat gently on the hob with a splash of stock or water.
How can I make this vegan?
Replace the unsalted butter with olive oil or vegan butter and check the redcurrant jelly is vegan-friendly; everything else is plant-based.
My cabbage is still crunchy after an hour — what went wrong?
Either the slices were too thick or the heat was too high. Return to a low simmer, add 50–100 ml hot stock and cook for a further 20–30 minutes.
Can I freeze braised red cabbage?
Yes — cool completely and freeze in airtight containers for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge and reheat gently.
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