This crockpot cabbage with bacon is a quick and easy way to make a classic dish! With just a few minutes of prep work and 2 hours in your slow cooker, we are going to create a cabbage dish that is perfectly seasoned and ready for your dinner table. It's a whole lot of easy and a WHOLE LOTTA YUM!
Slow Cooker Cabbage
If you're looking for crockpot cabbage recipes, this is seriously THE ONE. Cabbage seems to be one of those overlooked veggies that aren't featured on their own as often as they should! Case in point: my kids didn't even know what the dish was until I told them, and my teenage son ended up eating 3 BOWLS of the dish, it was THAT tasty! Our family loved this and it's become a regular in our dinner rotation.
Not only is this crockpot cabbage super tasty, but it's also super convenient if you are following a specific eating plan. Slow cooker cabbage works for those who are gluten-free or are following a low-carb, keto, or paleo lifestyle (just be sure your bacon does not contain added sugar).
Crockpot cabbage is a great meal by itself, but if you are wanting to do a little more with it try adding in meats such as bacon, ham, or kielbasa, or including potatoes.
Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Crockpot cabbage requires minimal prep work and is super easy as your crockpot does all of the hard work.
- With butter and bacon grease, plus onions, cabbage, and chicken broth, this slow cooker cabbage recipe is bursting with all of the flavors you would expect from a cabbage dish.
- Customize the cabbage recipe by adding in your family's favorite meats and/or veggies.
To create a complete meal that is both easy and flavorful, serve your crockpot cabbage with air fryer bratwurst and herbed potatoes!
Are you in a hurry? Head on over here and check out our Instant Pot cabbage and bacon that cooks up in less than half the time of this crockpot version but is still bursting with the flavor!
On Keto? Grab our FREE keto foods list here OR Snag our Keto Binder HERE
Ingredient Notes
Let's combine some great flavor makers including chicken broth, butter, bacon, onion, and, of course, cabbage, to create a fantastic crockpot cabbage with bacon dish!
- cabbage - either 1 whole cabbage or shredded. We used green cabbage but red would work too!
- yellow onion - sweet onion or red onion can be substituted
- garlic
- butter
- bacon - cooked and diced
- bacon grease
- sea salt
- ground black pepper
- chicken broth
Variations
Chicken broth - you can also use vegetable broth
Optional add-ins - ham, kielbasa, potatoes, carrots
Diet Adaptions
- Vegan or Vegetarian - use oil in place of butter, vegetable brothe in place of chicken broth, and omit the bacon and bacon grease.
Step by Step Instructions
Your crockpot cabbage is just a few easy steps away. After prepping your bacon and onions, the whole dish goes into the crockpot for just two hours!
Prep Ingredients
Cook the bacon in a skillet. Remove your bacon from the pan and drain the grease saving 2 tablespoon for cooking the onions.
If you already have bacon on hand or are using pre-cooked bacon in a bag from the store, skip this step.
Saute the chopped onions over medium heat in a large skillet in 2 tablespoon of bacon grease until they're soft.
Add the minced garlic and cook for 1 more minute. If you don't have bacon grease, use olive oil or canola oil.
Assemble
Add the sliced cabbage wedges, onion, bacon, salt, pepper, butter, and chicken broth to the crockpot.
Slow Cook
Cook the crockpot cabbage on high for 2-3 hours or low for 5-6+ hours.
Serve warm and enjoy!
We do recommend cooking up extra bacon to use as a topping and garnishing your crockpot cabbage with fresh herbs such as parsley or dill. Season with more salt, pepper, and other spices if desired.
Recipe Tips
- For our crockpot cabbage, we used a whole head of cabbage that we cut ourselves. If you are using bagged cabbage your cook-time will be less.
- Cooking the onions and garlic in the bacon grease help to give the entire dish a smokey flavor. However, if you don't have bacon grease or are trying to make a vegetarian version, you can saute the vegetables in your favorite cooking oil. Smoked salt can be used to give the dish a smokey flavor in place of the bacon.
- As tempting as it may be, when it comes to the cooking time, don't peak and lift the cover of your crockpot for at least 2 hours of cooking on high and 5 hours if cooking on low. Peaking lets out a lot of moisture and reduces the temperature. Cook on high if you're in a hurry.
- Print the slow cooker cabbage with bacon recipe for future use!
Common Questions
What to serve with crock-pot cabbage?
Serve your crockpot cabbage with bacon, ham, or kielbasa to make a complete meal. These can either be added to the crockpot cabbage or served on the side. Air fryer brats also make a great side to cabbage and bacon.
How to make this a one pot meal?
To make your slow cooker cabbage a one pot meal add sauteed kielbasa slices or cubed ham to the crockpot and cook. You can either omit the bacon or reduce the amount used.
Can you freeze cabbage?
Yes, if it's been precooked like our cabbage in crockpot recipe or blanched first. Store in freezer safe containers for up to 6 months in the freezer. To reheat the dish, put the frozen crock-pot cabbage recipe in the slow cooker and heat on low or high for 1-2 hours until defrosted and heated.
How long does cabbage last in the fridge?
A head of cabbage will last up to 2 months in the fridge when stored unwashed and whole in a produce bag in the vegetable drawer. Cooked cabbage will last for up to 5 days in the fridge.
Is it better to cook on high or low in a slow cooker?
In general, if you have the time it's better to cook on low in a slow cooker, especially when you're cooking a cut of meat that's a tougher cut. But cooking most recipes on high works well too.
More Crockpot Recipes
Looking for more slow cooker recipes? We have lots of crock pot recipes on our site!
- Crockpot brats and sauerkraut
- Pulled pork sliders on Hawaiian rolls
- Crockpot chili with kielbasa
- Slow cooker Mississippi pot roast
More Cabbage Recipes
- Instant pot cabbage and bacon
- Weight Watchers eggroll in a bowl
- Bacon curry coleslaw
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Crockpot Cabbage and Bacon
Yield: 8 servings
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 2 hours
Total Time: 2 hours 15 minutes
When you're looking for crockpot cabbage recipes, be sure to give this easy slow cooker cabbage recipe a try! Make it as a savory side dish or make it main dish by adding protein like ham or kielbasa and potatoes.
Ingredients
- 1 cabbage (about 2 lbs), cut into small wedges
- 1 large yellow onion, diced
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 5 slices of bacon, cooked and diced
- 2 tablespoon bacon grease
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 cup chicken broth
Instructions
- Cook the bacon in a skillet, remove from the pan and drain the grease other than 2 tablespoon for cooking the onions. If you already have bacon on hand or are using pre-cooked bacon in a bag from the store, skip this step.
- Saute the chopped onions over medium heat in a large skillet in 2 tablespoon of bacon grease until they're soft. Add the minced garlic and cook for 1 more minute. If you don't have bacon grease, use olive oil or canola oil.
- Add the sliced cabbage wedges, onion, bacon, salt, pepper, butter and chicken broth to the crockpot.
- Cook the crock-pot cabbage on high for 2-3 hours or low for 5-6+ hours.
Notes
We recommend cooking extra bacon to use as a garnish on the finished dish. Adding a fresh green herb like parsley or dill adds a nice touch.
Adding the extra butter isn't essential if you want to cut back on fat in the dish but butter, bacon, and cooked cabbage have an amazing flavor when all combined together.
Instead of cutting up a whole cabbage, bags of sliced cabbage can be substituted. The slow-cooked cabbage won't take as long to cook if you use shredded cabbage.
To make the cabbage dish without bacon, simply leave it out and increase the seasoning to taste. Adding a smoked salt would be a great substitution to add a touch of that smokey flavor to the recipe.
To make the cabbage in crockpot recipe as a main dish, you can add in diced ham or sauteed kielbasa slices.
Vegetables such as small cut potatoes and carrots can also be added, it could add time to the slow cooker since those take longer to cook than cabbage.
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Nutrition Information
Yield 8Serving Size 1
Amount Per ServingCalories 90Total Fat 7gSaturated Fat 3gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 4gCholesterol 15mgSodium 400mgCarbohydrates 3gNet Carbohydrates 2gFiber 1gSugar 1gProtein 3g
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