Rotkohl (German Red Cabbage)
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A quintessential and popular German side dish, Rotkohl (braised German red cabbage) is the perfect accompaniment to your Sunday roast, beef rouladen, brats and more! This traditional Rotkohl recipe is the way my Mutti and Oma made it and is easy to prepare, can be made in advance, and can even be frozen!
What is Rotkohl?
Known as Rotkohl, Blaukohl or Blaukraut in Germany, depending on the region, this braised red cabbage is a staple side dish that is served throughout Germany. It has a distinct sweet and sour flavor profile achieved by braising the red cabbage with apples, vinegar, and spices. A traditional accompaniment for beef dishes in particular, I grew up in Germany enjoying Rotkohl on a regular basis served with our Sunday roasts, Sauerbraten, and Rouladen.
This sweet and sour red cabbage has been around for, well, seemingly forever. And that’s how it usually works, doesn’t it? Great dishes stand the test of time. And Rotkohl takes the humble red cabbage and transforms it into something wonderful. If you’ve traveled to Germany or have sampled traditional German food, you’re likely familiar with Rotkohl. And this authentic German red cabbage recipe will transport you back to your favorite German dinner tables with memories of your favorite German meals.
Rotkohl Ingredients
Butter, apples, vinegar, red currant jam, bay leaves, cloves and juniper berries are some of the ingredients that mingle together to create this delicious braised sweet and sour red cabbage. Just be sure to make time for the slow cooking process. It’s that long simmering process that’s key to the final outcome. The other key is to be sure to include all of the ingredients called for, including the spices, in order to achieve that authentic German Rotkohl flavor.
This traditional Rotkohl recipe is simple to prepare and can slowly cook with minimal attention while you’re preparing the other dishes or going about your daily business. It’s a great make-ahead dish because the flavor is even better the next day. Feel free to double or triple the batch because this sweet and sour cabbage also freezes well. Simply let it thaw and gently reheat it on the stovetop or in the microwave.
Rotkohl Recipe
Let’s get started!
Finely chop the red cabbage. Achieving exact uniformity isn’t necessary so you can do this either by hand or with a mandolin or food processor.
In a Dutch oven over medium-high heat, melt the butter and cook the onions until lightly caramelized, 7-10 minutes.
Add the red cabbage and cook for 5 minutes.
Add the diced apple along with the broth, bay leaf, whole cloves, juniper berries, red wine vinegar, sugar and salt. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer for 2 hours, stirring occasionally. Add more broth if needed. Mix a tablespoon of flour with 2 tablespoons of water until dissolved and stir it into the cabbage. Add salt, sugar and vinegar to taste.
Enjoy!
Serving Suggestions
In Germany, Rotkohl is the quintessential side to serve with roasts and a variety of meat dishes along with a carb of choice. Here are few dishes you’ll commonly see served with Rotkohl in Germany:
- Sauerbraten
- Rouladen
- German Goulash
- Schweinshaxe
- Spätzle
- Bread Dumplings (Semmelknödel)
- German Potato Dumplings (Kartoffelklöße)
For more traditional German dishes be sure to try my:
- Spätzle
- Käsespätzle
- Rouladen
- Sauerbraten
- German Goulash
- Schweinshaxe
- Maultaschen
- Schnitzel
- Königsberger Klopse
- German Potato Dumplings (Kartoffelklöße)
- Bread Dumplings (Semmelknödel)
- Zwiebelkuchen
- German Bread (Vollkornbrot)
- Bratwurst
- Currywurst
- Swabian Potato Salad
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Rotkohl (German Red Cabbage)
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 pounds red cabbage , very thinly sliced
- 1 large yellow onion , finely diced
- 1 large Granny Smith or other semi-tart apple , peeled, cored and diced
- 1/4 cup butter (vegan: substitute oil)
- 2 tablespoons red currant jam or jelly , this is traditional but can substitute cherry jam
- 2-3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 1/2 cup vegetable broth
- 1 bay leaf
- 3 whole cloves
- 3 juniper berries
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoons all-purpose flour (gluten free: omit)
- 2 tablespoons water
Instructions
- Melt the butter in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat and cook the onions until just beginning to brown, 7-10 minutes. Add the cabbage and cook for 5 minutes. Add the apple, broth, bay leaf, cloves, juniper berries, red currant jam, red wine vinegar, sugar and salt. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer for 2 hours, stirring occasionally. Add more broth if needed. Combine the flour and water until dissolved and stir into the Rotkohl. Simmer for another minute. Add more salt, sugar and vinegar to taste.
- Traditionally served with roasts, Rouladen, and Sauerbraten along with potatoes, Spaetzle, German Potato Dumplings, or German Bread Dumplings.
Nutrition
Originally published on The Daring Gourmet July 23, 2014
Hi, I’m Kimberly Killebrew and welcome to Daring Gourmet where you'll find delicious originals, revitalized classics, and simply downright good eats from around the world! Originally from Germany, later raised in England, world-traveled, and now living in the U.S., from my globally-influenced kitchen I invite you to tour the world through your taste buds!
I’m using this recipe again this year for our Oktoberfest celebration at church. Everyone loves it! I increase the quantity to feed 150, but it’s every bit as fantastic made large! I buy a package of my favorite corned beef seasoning and put it in a cheesecloth and let that simmer with the cabbage. It has the juniper berries as well as a few other German friendly spices (corned beef is far more German/eastern European than Irish, after all) and it comes out fantastic. That currant jelly addition is a fantastic touch!
Fantastic, Christine, I’m glad to hear it’s been such a hit! And that’s a great idea, thanks for sharing!
Would I be able to use green cabbage instead? I know traditionally it is red but those failed in my garden this year leaving me with a surplus of green cabbage. 😟 Thank you for a delicious recipe!!
Hi Jen, unfortunately no, it won’t taste anything like it’s supposed to. Better to use that green cabbage for sauerkraut – or here’s a great soup putting green cabbage to use: https://www.daringgourmet.com/creamy-cabbage-kielbasa-soup/
I have this simmering on the stove top right now, and it smells amazing! I didn’t have juniper or red currant jelly, so I substituted caraway seeds and home made blackberry and apple jelly. Thanks for the recipe, I can’t wait to eat it!
Fantastic, Honor, happy eating!
This transported me right back to Germany. It’s the same, possibly even better, than I remembered. Thanks for a wonderful recipe and trip down memory lane.
I’m so happy to hear that, Tim, thank you!
Hola all! This is absolutely fantastic. Really brings out the flavors of Germany and especially a friend of mine Wessling. Thank you so much. I have actually been looking for a recipe like this for a couple of years now. Lost mine from my German friend.
And here it is. I have canned this with no problem. 10# pressure for 15 minutes. Sealed and lasted over a year (well would have exceptwe ate it all! Great Blog site Kimberly so glad I have found you.
Fantastic, Sandra, thank you! I’ll need to try canning this as well – I’d love to have this conveniently on hand every time I need some. Thanks again!
I was in Germany 2 years ago and fell in love with the jarred Rotkohl! Is there a recipe that I could adapt to can this myself?
Thanks so much!!
Hi Dawn, because it lacks enough acidity to be canned via water bathing, it would have to be pressure canned. Whatever the general guidelines are for pressure canning cabbage would apply here (just omit the flour). That said, my concern would be that after such intense pressure canning the cabbage would be mushy, but I’m not sure.
Schönen Dank,ein gutes Rezept.
Vielen Dank, Jörg!
Thanks for your recipes! I made your schnitzel, spaetzli and red cabbage tonight and it turned out great. didn’t have cloves so used all spice berries and used dried cherries instead of preserves. 2 out of 3 kids loved it as did the hubs. Better than what my mom used to make and the schnitzel was amazing.
Fantastic, Cathy, I’m glad it was a hit, thank you!