Buttered slow cooker cabbage recipe that is the perfect vegetable side dish to serve with any meal, not just corned beef brisket at St. Patricks Day. We will show you how to cook cabbage low and slow step by step.

A fork holds a portion of slow cooker cabbage seasoned with black pepper. The light green cabbage appears soft and tender, with a focus on the fork and cabbage in the foreground against a blurred background.
Want to save this recipe?
Just enter your email and get it sent to your inbox! Plus you’ll get new recipes from us every week!
Please enable JavaScript in your browser to complete this form.

If you’re looking for a vegetarian Crockpot recipe, this slow cooker cabbage is great. We eat meat and love this just the same. Throw in your favorite seasonings with or without salted butter and it will surely make your mouth water. One of our favorite easy Crockpot recipes on our site. (affiliate links present)

Cabbage in Crockpot

If you only think about this green vegetable during St. Patrick’s Day, shame on you! There are SO many great and simple cabbage recipes you can make all year long. We make air fryer cabbage with chicken all the time, and even my kids clean their plates. 😉

I mean buttered cabbage just melts in your mouth and is so easy to throw together. If you want to spend less time standing at the stovetop, let it cook in your slow cooker instead!

Let’s talk a little bit about slow cooking shall we?? First off I have a few different varieties and I love them all. Each one has an occasion to be used like….

  1. This is my favorite 6 quart programmable one with a locking lid so it’s great for bringing to a potluck too.
  2. I prefer not to use liners, but rather just spray olive oil inside before adding my food for easier cleanups.

Let me give you a peek of my pretty thang I bought recently. It goes with my kitchen so I can just leave it out on the countertop all the time. 😉

A floral design slow cooker with a white base and lid sits on a kitchen countertop, perfect for whipping up a 5 ingredient crockpot chili recipe.

I was not a fan of this growing up. Every time I went to visit my Grandmother she served this with everything, I mean every thing. It literally took me into my late 30s before I bought a head myself and started working with it. I found that the leaves really soaked up a lot of flavor, but you had to find the right consistency for sure.

You don’t want it too firm or wilted and soggy. A fine balance for sure is necessary to really enjoy it but once you get the hang of that perfect cook time you’ll be a new cabbage lover too I tell you.

Slow Cooker Cabbage and Ham

If you wanted to transition this from a side to a main dish you could make this as an easy leftover ham recipe with diced pieces into the mix at the beginning. A great way to add protein and a lot of flavor

With that you would get to enjoy our slow cooker cabbage and ham dish you can serve as a whole meal. Meat will give your leaves even more flavor with the broth and seasonings.

You can add chicken too like we did with old fashioned cabbage soup. Want to keep it vegetarian? Use vegetable broth and just some garlic salt.

What are the benefits of eating cabbage?

It’s packed with nutrients and is actually said to reduce inflammation. Improving digestion because of the fiber, it is also a great keeper of Vitamin C believe it or not. It’s been said to lower cholesterol and blood pressure levels so overall there isn’t a reason you shouldn’t enjoy it on a regular basis.

A heap of slow cooker cabbage rests inside a sleek black cooker, primed for a delicious transformation.

Buttered Cabbage

I mean a stick of butter makes everything taste out of this world right? Especially with this veggie it’s kinda’ a must if you ask me. When we make these baked cabbage steaks I put a thick slice on top of each one. It gets to seep in and just melt in your mouth when they’re done.

Throw in some salt and pepper and that’s really all you need, but you could season it up more with whatever you wish of course.

Ingredients

  1. Head of cabbage sliced with stem removed
  2. Stick of salted butter
  3. Seasonings of your choice but salt and pepper are givens
  4. We use chicken broth
  5. Diced onions and garlic are optional
  6. You could add bacon bits and a bit of bacon grease while you’re at it for an over the top wow

For a heartier dish you can add protein like we did with our Crockpot cabbage and sausage recipe.

Depending on how much you want to make and how large your pot is you may use only 1/2 or the whole head. This is very simple to double if you have a really large machine for sure. Only want enough for dinner, use a casserole size Crockpot and cut this in half, simple.

Crockpot Cabbage recipe

How do you make cabbage not soggy?

Well I mean you do want it to get soft, but not too much. Cook time and the amount of liquid it is sitting in will change the texture of it the most. If you don’t want it as soft then cut the timing, you can also gently move the bottom layer to the top so the texture is more evenly distributed.

Steaming it quickly can also keep it a bit firmer. Try a few of our Instant Pot cabbage recipes and see which you prefer too and go with that.

With tons of flavor but low in calories and carbs it’s kinda’ the perfect easy side dish. Now there are different colors of this baby too, sometimes. The most popular is green as you see here but you can find red or purpleish colorwhich is much firmer and used more in things like red cabbage coleslaw.

Slow Cooker Cabbage

Slow Cooked Cabbage

This is kinda’ a throw it all in, cover and cook sort of dish. The seasonings are up to you but the ones used here are listed below and simple. Here’s a quick rundown but please refer to the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post with exact ingredients and instructions.

How to Cook Crockpot Cabbage

  • First you’ll want to remove the hard stem from cabbage and slice in half.
  • Then chop again into 3/4″ ribbons. Put into pot.
  • Pour in broth.
  • Slice butter into 6 equal pieces and place on top sprinkled with salt and pepper.
    • minced garlic is great too if you love that flavor
  • Cook on low for 6 hours.
  • If you can, fold ingredients together halfway thru cook time.

This cabbage cooks all day long so when you’re ready for this favorite recipe it will be ready. At times I will slice petite potatoes in half and have a cabbage and potatoes dish for dinner. You could add leftover ham to it too for meat or leave vegetarian.

A white plate filled with slow cooker cabbage, seasoned with black pepper. A silver spoon rests on the edge of the plate.

Buttered Cabbage in Crockpot

Looking for more Crockpot cabbage recipes? Check out our roundup of more here.

Jump to recipe below and get your cabbage and onions all prepped. There is nutritional information there too with calories, saturated fat, etc… You could fry up some fresh bacon and chop it up, or throw in some already precooked out of a bag. Print recipe to keep it handy or just come back time and time again. 😉

A white plate filled with slow cooker cabbage, seasoned with black pepper. A silver spoon rests on the edge of the plate.
5 from 11 votes

Slow Cooker Cabbage

By The Typical Mom
Buttered slow cooker cabbage recipe that is the perfect vegetable side dish to serve with any meal, not just corned beef brisket.
Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 6 hours
Servings: 6
Save this recipe!
Get this sent to your inbox, plus get new recipes from us every week!
Please enable JavaScript in your browser to complete this form.

Equipment

  • 1 slow cooker
  • 1 knife

Ingredients 

  • 6 c cabbage, sliced into ribbons
  • 2 c chicken broth
  • 1 stick butter, 1/2 cup
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp pepper

Instructions 

  • Remove stem from cabbage and slice in half. Then chop again into 3/4" ribbons. Put into Crockpot.
  • Pour in broth. Slice butter into 6 equal pieces and place on top sprinkled with salt and pepper.
  • Cook on low for 6 hours. Ideally fold together halfway thru cook time.

Video

Nutrition

Serving: 2oz, Calories: 160kcal, Carbohydrates: 4g, Protein: 1g, Fat: 16g, Saturated Fat: 10g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 4g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 41mg, Sodium: 437mg, Potassium: 187mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 2g, Vitamin A: 552IU, Vitamin C: 31mg, Calcium: 38mg, Iron: 1mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Additional Info

Course: Appetizer, Side Dish
Cuisine: American, irish
Tried this recipe?Mention @thetypical_mom or tag #thetypicalmom!

About The Typical Mom

Justine is the creative mind behind The Typical Mom and The Typical Family on YouTube. She began blogging about easy recipes, budget friendly activities for kids, and fun family travel destinations in September 2012.

You May Also Like

5 from 11 votes (2 ratings without comment)

Leave a comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

21 Comments

  1. I love this recipe. I’ve always loved cabbage – and this is so easy. The first time I made it exactly as the recipe stated. Perfect – so much so, that I got a craving for it… I didn’t have cabbage or chicken broth on hand, so made it with Napa Cabbage and Beef Broth – all else the same. I did put the thicker ‘base’ of the Napa cabbage at the bottom of the crock with the frilly leaf portions at the top. I also threw in some sliced onion. I was pleasantly surprised that when I went to stir halfway through, it was already done – and with a perfect ‘bite’!!! Bonus, I enjoyed a portion peacefully before the family got home for dinner! This is going in my permanent rotation!!! Thank you!

    1. I haven’t done it but imagine if you added thinner slices of dials that would get tender.

  2. I love cabbage, but this recipe was the best I have ever made. No more stove top cooking. I put some smoked sausage in, and I made a pan of corn bread and ate the cabbage over the corn bread. It’s a meal in itself. Very good and thanks for posting the recipe.

  3. Paired this slow cooker cabbage as a side dish with my meatloaf last night. It was perfection! So easy and tasty!

  4. Your Crockpot Butter Cabbage is a game changer for me. No more stovetop! Thanks for sharing!

  5. Awesome side dish to serve at Christmas dinner! 🙂 And I love that it is made in the slow cooker.

  6. Easy and delicious, this one is a keeper. I know I’m going to make it over and over again!

  7. This cabbage was so yummy and easy to make. I served it with a brisket and it was the perfect combination.