Got extra cabbage on hand and not sure how to preserve it? This happens to us often: we’ll buy a cabbage for recipe, only to end up with a half cabbage sitting in the refrigerator days later. What to do with it? Here’s a great way to preserve it: throw it in the freezer! Use this method to keep cabbage for months.
Can you freeze cabbage?
Cabbage freezes well: the flavor of the vegetable remains essentially unchanged. However, the texture does become softer after thawing. For this reason, you’ll want to use frozen cabbage only in cooked dishes, like sauteed or boiled cabbage, or in soups and stews. Cut cabbage lasts in the refrigerator for about 3 to 5 days. If you’d like to preserve it beyond that point, you can freeze it for 3 to 6 months. Keep in mind that you’ll need to blanch the cabbage in boiling water before freezing it, so in some cases it might be easier to make sauteed cabbage instead of preparing it for the freezer.
How to freeze cabbage
Cabbage lasts in the refrigerator for about 2 weeks. But once it’s cut, it lasts only 3 to 5 days. The best way to save that half of a cabbage in the refrigerator drawer? First, try it in recipes like a big batch of coleslaw, sauteed cabbage, or even sauerkraut (for green cabbage). But if you don’t think you can use it in time, you can freeze it!
The best way to freeze cabbage? Blanch it first. Blanching is boiling vegetables until they’re just crisp tender. It helps to keep vegetables colorful while frozen by locking in a bright color, and makes them last longer by stopping the natural enzyme activity that deteriorates their texture, color, and flavor.
Here’s how to freeze cabbage:
Tips for how to use frozen cabbage
Frozen cabbage can be used right from the freezer in cooked dishes: no need to defrost! Here are a few tips:
Use frozen cabbage only in cooked dishes, like sauteed cabbage, soups, stir fries, and more. Don’t use frozen cabbage in salads or coleslaw, as the texture is much softer after freezing. Frozen cabbage can be added right to cooked dishes: no defrosting is required. The cabbage may release more moisture than fresh when cooking, so it may need an extra minute or two when sauteing.Use within 3 to 6 months. The flavor can degrade the longer it is frozen. For best results, use it within 3 months.
Other ways to use cabbage
In some cases, it’s easier to make a recipe with leftover cabbage than to go to the trouble of blanching it, flash freezing it on a baking sheet, and then transferring it to long-term storage. Here are a few of our top cabbage recipes for using up leftovers of this tasty vegetable:
Try tasty Sauteed CabbageGo for Best Creamy ColeslawOpt for Boiled Cabbage or Easy Steamed CabbageMake a pot of Easy Cabbage SoupMake a jar of Sauerkraut
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