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 tbsp butter; 1 tsp hot sauce; 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce; 1 head cabbage (chopped in large chunks); 1 tsp Creole seasoning; 1 cup chicken broth

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Fried cabbage is cabbage slowly cooked 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

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

Watch how to make

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 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 for 3 minutes.
Open lid. Mix cabbage releasing all steam.
Top with cooked bacon and serve.

Note: Creole Seasoning gives the cabbage a little extra kick to the flavor of the cabbage. If you do not have creole seasoning on hand, you can substitute it with season salt or plain salt.

Tips for cooking Southern cabbage with bacon

Here are some tips for cooking Southern Cabbage with bacon perfectly:

Do not discard your bacon drippings. The drippings gives it 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?

You will want large chunks of cabbage for 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.

Southern Food 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!

Recipe