Name: Instant Pot Fried Cabbage- Southern Cabbage
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 15 min
Ingredients: 6 slices bacon (diced); 1 onion (diced); 1 tablespoon butter; 1 teaspoon hot sauce; 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce; 1 head cabbage (chopped in large chunks); 1 teaspoon Creole seasoning; 1 cup chicken broth

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Fried cabbage is cabbage pan fried in onions, bacon grease, and a little broth until soft and tender with delicious flavoring of bacon.

Cooking the cabbage in the Instant Pot reduces the cooking time significantly.

Southern cabbage in a red bowl with wooden spoon

"So easy to make and so delicious. I've never cooked cabbage before but love to eat it. I made it for my office's potluck lunch. I was one of the last to sign up for it so only the vegetable slot was left. I wanted something easy and tasty to make so I opt for this recipe. Man, was it easy to make. Not only did I get lots of compliments on it but it was the first dish to go. So glad I decided on this recipe. Next time I'll double it up if I plan to share."

- ★★★★★ Ann

You can have delicious Southern cabbage in just a few minutes!

Serve it as a delicious side to barbecue chicken, fried chicken, pork chops, ham, and barbecue ribs! I hope you enjoy! Xoxo ~Katie.

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Ingredient notes and substitutions
Steps
Watch how to make
Cooking tips
How do you cut cabbage for fried cabbage?
Flavor tip
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💬 Comments

fried cabbage ingredients-cabbage, bacon, butter, onion, creole seasoning, hot sauce, Worcestershire sauce, chicken broth

Ingredient notes and substitutions

You will need the following ingredients to make this Instant Pot cabbage recipe.

whole head of cabbage
bacon-Do not substitute with bacon bits. You can use turkey bacon.
butter
onion-Use white or yellow onion. You can substitute with onion powder.
Creole seasoning-This adds a pop of spicy flavor. You can substitute with seasoning salt or salt and pepper.
hot sauce-Use your favorite brand. I use Texas Pete.
Worcestershire sauce
chicken broth-Chicken broth adds flavor, however, you can substitute with vegetable broth or water.

(Full recipe with measurements is located at the bottom of the post in the recipe card.)

Step by step process images for Instant Pot Fried Cabbage. Bacon frying until crispy, cabbage cooking in Instant Pot.

Steps

Follow these easy steps to make Instant Pot Fried Cabbage.

Turn on saute setting. Cook diced bacon until crispy.
Remove bacon and set aside. Add diced onion to bacon grease drippings in Instant Pot and cook until softened.
Deglaze Instant Pot with butter, hot sauce, Worcestershire Sauce and half of the chicken broth. Scrape bottom of pan with spatula making sure there is nothing sticking to the pan.
Add chopped cabbage and Creole seasoning. Mix cabbage, fried onions, and seasoning.
Add additional chicken broth. Close and lock lid. Cook on manual high pressure for 3 minutes.
Quick release. Open lid. Mix cabbage releasing all steam.
Top with cooked bacon and serve.

Watch how to make

Cooking tips

Do not discard your bacon drippings. The drippings gives the fried cabbage that good Southern flavor.
If you do not deglaze your Instant Pot with the liquids before adding the cabbage, you will likely get a burn notice. It is important to make sure there is no food sticking to the bottom of the pan before closing the lid and turning on the manual setting.
Fast release and open immediately once it is ready. Otherwise your cabbage may become overcooked and mushy.
Some bacon is very salty. You may not need to add salt. Taste the cabbage after it is cooked to see if you need to add any additional salt.

How do you cut cabbage for fried cabbage?

Large chunks of cabbage are best for cooking fried cabbage.

First, rinse cabbage real well. Often cabbage can have a little grit of sand on the outer leaves. Remove the outer leaves for best results.
Cut in half.
Cut top half into big chunks ( a little bigger than bite size because it will shrink once cooked).
Next cut bottom half into quarters around the hard core.
Throw away the hard core. Cut remaining cabbage into big chunks.

Southern cabbage topped with bacon, served in a red bowl that is placed on a flower towel.

Flavor tip

Southerners like to add a dash of either apple cider vinegar, peppered vinegar, or hot sauce to country fried cabbage on each serving. It enhances the flavors of the tender cabbage.

If you like hot and spicy foods, try adding a few of my pickled hot peppers with some of it's vinegar to the cabbage or a ½ teaspoon of jalapeno garlic relish!

Want to try some more Southern Sides?

When you make this country cabbage, tell me what you think in the comment section! I would love to hear back! My readers will too.

Also post your picture of your Instant Pot Fried Cabbage on Instagram or Facebook, and tag @aforkstale with #aforkstale hashtags! I will share with my followers! xoxo!

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