This is the best Southern fried cabbage recipe with bacon and onions recipe cooked on the stove to be served with dinner. Like our popular Instant Pot fried cabbage but made in a Dutch Oven, this is going to knock your socks off!

If you remember having this as a kid, or at a restaurant and want to recreate it at home it is easy. This low carb keto friendly dish is packed with bacon and TONS of flavor y'all. Ready to make this simple cabbage recipe tonight? Let's get going.

Ok so the name is a bit deceiving. When we think of frying we picture something that is submerged in oil and horrible for you, this is not. Fried in the sense that you'll “fry” them in your frying pan or we like our Dutch Oven on the stovetop. If you have a large cast iron skillet that's seasoned that is even better.

All those flavors deepen the longer it simmers and you can choose how tender or crunchy the leaves are this way. Beyond the green vegetable itself, bacon is the big must. We mean if removed the bacon you could make it vegetarian instead. You can certainly leave it out, but we don't, it's our favorite part.

We started this journey by making a pressure cooker version, that was a family favorite. It's a tweak of our Grandmother's recipe from WAY back in the day. She would be proud we gained a love for it finally as an adult.

Chopped onions and bacon cooking in a pot with a wooden spoon on a stove—solid beginnings for classic Southern Fried Cabbage.

Dutch Oven Fried Cabbage

Not everyone has a pressure cooker so we thought we would show you how our dutch oven recipe is made Southern style too. There isn't a huge difference other than a few seasonings, and the cook time of course. The latter does take longer but decide for yourself which you like best.

How do you cut cabbage for fried cabbage?

We're glad you asked. We wrote a whole post on how to cut a cabbage here for you. This time it will be cubed as we like to call it. We prefer bite size 1×1″ pieces (or so). You want each one to soak up all the sauces and seasonings as it sautes in the pot. For that reason cooking a whole cabbage or quartering it wouldn't work well at all.

When it comes to leafy veggies, the smaller the pieces the quicker they will get soft. If you like them wilted then by all means cut smaller than this. Love it on the crunchier side, then larger would be better.

Either way you will want to kinda' break up each chunk a bit when you add them into the pot. If not they will cook unevenly. The center sections tend to stick together more with a whiter color and firmer texture. If you use your fingers to break it apart so it's basically all the same you'll get a better result overall.

How do you make Patti Labelle Cabbage?

Her cabbage stewed recipe is similar to this except she uses grapeseed oil instead of olive, adds diced bell peppers and instead of Old Bay she adds a bit of heat with cayenne.

Southern Fried Cabbage Ingredients

Cubed head of green cabbage is where this baby starts. Chop up into equal sized pieces, the smaller they are the more wilted they will become. Set aside while you prepare the other items below.

We use half a pack of bacon that has been chopped up into small bite size pieces, plus the bacon grease generated (don't drain that, it's golden).

Can you add ham?

If you want to load it with protein however, we like adding leftover ham to the mix when we have it. Sliced moons of kielbasa sausage is another winner. Saute this with the onions to seep more of that smoky flavor out of those babies. For this version you will need:

It is nice to add a chopped onion (yellow or white) into the mix with the pork to cook down until it softens and is fragrant.

You will want a touch of some olive oil or avocado oil to saute those first. You don't need much though because the meat will generate wonderful grease which tastes way more good than oil.

The liquid we use to essentially steam the leaves to fork tender perfection is chicekn broth or whatever of your choice flavor you would like. If you are watching your sodium levels we would use low sodium soy sauce and leave out the salt entirely.

Soy sauce lends a ton of flavor to this dish, a deep salty flavor you will love. If you need a gluten free variety you can use amino acids instead.

For seasonings we will generally add Garlic salt Old Bay and paprika but you can add this or that and taste along the way until it is solid for y'all.

Swaps

There are a lot of substitutions you could do with this. If you wanted it to be spicy We'd add 1/2-1 tsp of red pepper flakes. Another option for that is Sriracha powder which has a great flavor to it. Like we said if you wanted it vegetarian then eliminate the meat all together.

If you like a spicier richer tomato based version, try our Swamp cabbage recipe too. That is on the spicier side, but still closer to medium because we hate our mouth on fire when we eat anything.

After you “fry” it, you'll want to add the lid and let it simmer on low for a little while to get the leaves to wilt and get tender. Timing for this is subjective. We like it right in the middle with a bit of “bite” to it and not mushy so 5-7 minutes seems solid to us.

How Long to Cook Southern Fried Cabbage on the Stove

If you want to add meat you first need to cook until bacon is a bit crispy and onions are softened. Then it will take 7-10 minutes beyond that depending on how wilted and soft you want the leaves to become, that is subjective. If it isn't as soft as you'd like, continue to cook with the lid on for another 2 minutes and check again. Serve immediately for best results, and remove from the heat once it is right for you.

A bowl of Southern Fried Cabbage with crispy bacon sits on a wooden table, beside a white floral napkin.

Kitchen questions

Can you use liquid aminos instead of soy sauce to make Southern fried cabbage?

Absolutely. Aminos are a great gluten free ingredient that tastes almost identical to soy sauce. It is the best substitution to provide a rich salty flavor to this popular cabbage side dish.

Can you make fried cabbage without meat?

Absolutely, but we don't think it is as good. If you didn't want to add any meat you would skip the step of sauteeing in the first step. Instead you would combine the chopped cabbage, seasonings, broth and soy sauce until tender.

How do you save leftover Southern fried cabbage?

As with any other type of food always wait until it is at room temperature. As soon as you're serving it up remove from the burner entirely and leave the lid off. Eat whatever you want and then when you're sure you're done, let it cool. Use the smallest container you can so it fits and the least amount of air can get trapped inside. Keep in the fridge for up to 3 days.

How do you reheat fried cabbage so it doesn't get soggy?

We will tell you that leftover cooked cabbage in general doesn't save that well. No matter what you do it is going to continue to soften over time however you can reheat, the texture will be softer. Your best bet is to reheat in the microwave for 45 seconds to 1 minute.

Southern Fried Cabbage with Bacon Recipe

By This is the best Southern fried cabbage with bacon recipe ever. This cheap vegetable dish is packed with flavor. Serve as a side dish or add meat for dinner. Prep: 10 minutes minsCook: 10 minutes minsServings: 8 Save Recipe Saved! Pin Recipe Comment Print Recipe

Equipment

Ingredients

1 head cabbage, cubed
1/2 package bacon, diced
1/2 small onion, diced
2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 cup vegetable broth, or chicken broth
2 tbsp soy sauce
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp garlic salt
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp Old Bay

Instructions

In a dutch oven or pot over medium heat, add olive oil, diced bacon and onions. Cook until bacon is a bit crispy and onions are softened.
Cut end off cabbage and discard, slice in half and then into 1×1" cubes. Add into pot and mix together. Saute together for 2 minutes.
Pour in vegetable broth and all seasonings, stir together. Saute for another 2 minutes.
Cover and turn heat to low, cook for 5 minutes. Open, stir and if you want it softer cover again for another minute or two.

Nutrition

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

Additional Info

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

Spoon it inside (with as much liquid from the pot) and tightly seal the lid completely. Store in the fridge until the next day, beyond that you won't like it. SO remember it's there so you can have another dish. Transfer to a dish and microwave for 30 seconds, then stir and heat again for 30 seconds.

Other easy cabbage recipes you'll love

If you love cabbage you're going to nuts over this and our air fryer cabbage and Old Fashioned cabbage soup too. With butter and a bit of salt with garlic powder and that gets so crispy, our kids' favorite way for sure.

Nutritional information is calculated by the recipe card itself so we cannot guarantee it's accuracy but it's usually pretty close. Bacon will vary though so that will change it in that regard.