YIELD: 4 to 6 servings | PREP TIME: 10 minutes | STOVETOP: 20 minutes | SLOW COOKER: 8 to 10 hours
• 1 tablespoon (15 ml) light olive oil or avocado oil
• 1 medium head cabbage (about 2 pounds (907 g)), chopped
• 1 large onion, diced
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons (30 ml) tomato paste
• 1 (14-ounce) can diced tomatoes or 1 pound (454 g) fresh tomatoes
• ¼ cup apple cider vinegar
• 2 tablespoons (30 ml) honey
• 1 teaspoon (5 ml) paprika
• ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 2 quarts Basic Beef Broth
1. Heat the oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, add the cabbage, onion, and salt. Cook for about 10 minutes, until the cabbage is wilted.
2. Stir in the tomato paste and cook for another minute, then add the tomatoes, vinegar, honey, paprika, cayenne pepper, and broth. Bring to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes, or until the onion and cabbage are very tender.
3. Taste for seasoning. The soup should have a nice balance of sweet and sour with a little bit of a kick. Add more honey, vinegar, or cayenne pepper as desired.
Slow Cooker Instructions: Place all of the ingredients in a slow cooker and cook on low for 8 to 10 hours, until the onion and cabbage are very tender. Proceed with Step 3.
Lower-Carb Modification: Omit the honey.
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Sweet and sour cabbage soup is a tangy, gently spicy bowl built on a whole head of cabbage and a splash of apple cider vinegar. Honey rounds out the sour edge while paprika and cayenne add a quiet kick at the back of each spoonful. It is a hearty, budget-friendly soup that only improves as it sits in the pot.
Pro Tips
- Wilt the cabbage for the full 10 minutes before adding the liquid. Starting the cabbage soft means the final soup is tender rather than chewy.
- Balance the sweet and sour at the end by tasting and adjusting: more honey for roundness, more vinegar for tang, more cayenne for heat.
- The honey's sweetness is what makes the sour cabbage sing — for the lower-carb version, omit it and lean on the tomatoes for balance.
- Use beef broth rather than chicken here; its deeper flavor is what makes the sweet-sour profile work like a proper Eastern European cabbage soup.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does sweet and sour cabbage soup keep?
Up to 5 days in the fridge — one of the best make-ahead soups, since the sweet-sour flavors deepen beautifully overnight.
Can I make this in a slow cooker?
Yes, simply combine everything and cook on low for 8-10 hours until the cabbage and onion are completely tender, then adjust the seasoning.
Is this soup recipe spicy?
Only mildly — 1/2 teaspoon of cayenne across the whole pot gives a warm hum. Halve it if cooking for heat-sensitive eaters.
What type of cabbage works best?
Standard green cabbage holds its texture well through the simmer. Savoy cabbage is a softer, milder alternative if that is what you have.
Recipe Card
- 1 tbsp light olive oil or avocado oil
- 1 medium head cabbage (about 2 pounds), chopped
- 1 large onion, diced
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 (14-ounce) can diced tomatoes or 1 pound fresh tomatoes
- ¼ cup apple cider vinegar
- 2 tbsp honey
- 1 tsp paprika
- ½ tsp cayenne pepper
- 2 quarts Basic Beef Broth
- Heat the oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, add the cabbage, onion, and salt. Cook for about 10 minutes, until the cabbage is wilted.
- Stir in the tomato paste and cook for another minute, then add the tomatoes, vinegar, honey, paprika, cayenne pepper, and broth. Bring to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes, or until the onion and cabbage are very tender.
- Taste for seasoning. The soup should have a nice balance of sweet and sour with a little bit of a kick. Add more honey, vinegar, or cayenne pepper as desired.
Lower-Carb Modification: Omit the honey.
