This is our easy recipe for Instant Pot buttered cabbage. It is the best cheap side dish we cook night after night. You can add bacon bits like our Instant Pot fried cabbage or serve as is. All you need is 2 minutes to the perfect texture.
When I turned 40 I couldn’t get enough steamed cabbage. My kids love it buttered so I wanted to figure out a quick way to make this with dinner often. Making it as one of our Instant Pot recipes has been a game changer for sure.
You can use your Crockpot Express or make as one of our Ninja foodi recipes with the lid that is not attached. As long as you have the high pressure function this is possible, in just a few minutes. I know, kinda’ crazy. If you too love this crunchy green vegetable but need new ways to make it in a jiffy this will be a hit in your house too for sure.
When it comes to simple cabbage recipes in general you want seasonings galore. Not that the natural flavor isn’t okay but it would be like eating lettuce leaves with nothing on them. I mean, not super great. Typically I just throw in this and that without measuring, I have been doing this a LONG time.
Ingredient Notes
You will start with a whole head of cabbage, medium sized. This is a great way of how to cook a whole cabbage but in this case you will want to cut into very large bite size pieces, like 2×2″ or so. I have only made this with green cabbage but purple I would make the same way.
Salted or unsalted butter, 1 stick will be needed to add flavor and make creamy too. You could use a dairy free alternative too if need be
Chicken broth, vegetable broth or vegetable stock are better than water to add a lot more flavor.
I mean you could skip the butter but…..why??? It will work just as well steaming cabbage quick with broth and just some salt and pepper but…… No, we haven’t tried that because it just doesn’t have the same yum as this method.
Old Bay is a great one too if you love that flavor. Jazz it up even more with some already cooked bacon bits. OH Yes my friends we are going there. And then you add salt and/or all of your seasonings of choice into the mix of this low carb side dish.
Tips for Success
Let’s talk about this buttered cabbage a bit further shall we. Yes you need liquid to steam anything in a multi cooker. Do not believe “their” website where it says you need 1 cup minimum, that isn’t true. You have to keep in mind that foods in general are going to emit some liquid when they cook first off.
You don’t want to add too much in this case because if it sits in the broth too long it will get soggy in a sense, even after just 2 minutes. Same thing goes with our Slow Cooker Cabbage.
How Long to Cook Cabbage in Instant Pot
It depends on the texture (how wilted) you want it to be. If you want it like our stewed cabbage we found in our testing process that 2 minutes with a quick release at the end is perfect. If you want it to be firmer than that then set to 1 minute.
This timing will create wilted but not mushy leaves. Use a slotted spoon to serve, season with salt and pepper if you wish. What once would take a good 20 minutes on the stovetop to boil or saute to tender now takes less than 5. Now keep in mind it does take some time to reach pressure so take that into account but still there is such a huge difference that I suggest getting one for all busy families out there.
How do you cook cabbage so it is not soggy?
The secret is to not stray far from your pot or pan because it doesn’t take long and you do NOT want to overcook it. 30 seconds longer than it should cook could be the difference between loving it and throwing it out. In this case it is VERY important to quick release the steam and remove the lid as soon as it is released and safe to do so. Leave it off from then on and unplug the pot (or it will switch to warm and keep it too warm).
Instant Pot Cabbage Recipe
Video
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 head cabbage, medium, cut into large chunks
- 1/2 cup butter, 1 stick, salted is best
- 3/4 cup chicken broth
Instructions
- Cut cabbage into very large bite size square pieces. Add into pressure cooker with broth and cut butter into pats and place on top. (could add 1 tbsp precooked bacon bits too if you wanted.)
- Seal lid and steam valve and cook for 2 minutes with a quick release. This will create wilted but not mushy leaves. Unplug the pot and keep the lid off or it will get too soft.
- Use a slotted spoon to serve, season with salt and pepper if you wish.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
How to store leftovers
Don’t, just don’t. Even when I have made a meal of Ninja Foodi corned beef and cabbage I don’t save it. In the fridge it just continues to break down and it’s just mush the next day, let alone keeping it longer than that. It is so fast to make it fresh that I do just that. Warm the meat and dice up 1/2 a head for meal #2.
Other cabbage recipes you’ll love
If you want to avoid this getting too soft all together you could try others like air fryer cabbage steaks or baked cabbage steaks. Those have the opposite texture but still a favorite. I rotate depending on what else I am making as my main dish. If I’m baking chicken I’d opt to add both sheet pans in at once, etc…
