Cabbage Stir Fry is easy to make and super tasty as a meal or a side dish!
This easy recipe is packed with all the good stuff! Sweet cabbage and carrots, ramen noodles (optional!), and fresh garlic and ginger are all sautéed together to make a healthy dish that goes from the stovetop to the table in minutes!
A Colorful Cabbage Stir Fry
- Healthy and delicious, cabbage is both inexpensive and tasty!
- This dish takes just minutes to make and tastes great making it perfect for weeknight meals.
- Stir-fries are affordable, filling, and healthy.
- The whole family will love how versatile this dish is, switch up the ingredients for a new entrée every time.
- Save time and use a bag or two of pre-packaged slaw that comes with shredded carrots, and often shredded spinach, brussels sprouts, or kale!
What’s in Cabbage Stir Fry
CABBAGE: Regular cabbage AKA, ‘cannonball’ stays firm while it absorbs the juicy sauce in this recipe. Shredded Napa, purple cabbage, and Savoy will all work in this recipe. Use a mixture of cabbages for a colorful dish! FUN FACT: Cauliflower, brussels sprouts, kohlrabi, kale, and Bok Choy are also members of the cabbage family and can be used as well!
MEAT: Keep the vegetarian vibe going and add tofu, seitan, or some scrambled eggs for a protein boost. Ground beef or pork sausage, shredded chicken, shrimp, and bacon crumbles will definitely make cabbage stir fry a heartier main dish meal!
NOODLES: Ramen is economical, easy to find, and even easier to prepare! Soba, udon, rice noodles, and egg noodles are other options. For a keto dish, use ‘zoodles’ (zucchini), palmini (hearts of palm), or shirataki noodles.
VEGETABLES: Aside from color carrots in this recipe, add a bag of frozen veggies like green beans with peas and pearl onions, broccoli, spinach, cauliflower, baby corn, or water chestnuts. The sky’s the limit!
SAUCE: Homemade sauce can be made as sweet or spicy as you like! Use this homemade teriyaki recipe as a cabbage stir fry sauce, a marinade, or a glaze!
Switch It Up!
The basics are cabbage, fresh seasonings, and a savory sauce with an ‘umami’ flavor profile. After that, add in any meats, veggies, or noodles that you like. This is a great recipe for using up leftover meats and veggies, too!
How to Make Cabbage Stir Fry
This easy to make dish is simplicity itself:
- Whisk the sauce ingredients in a small bowl and set aside (per the recipe below).
- Cook ramen noodles as directed on the package, reserving 1/3 of the cooking water.
- Cook sliced cabbage and carrots with garlic and ginger until tender.
- Add sauce and ramen and cook until bubbly and heated through.
Remove from heat and garnish with sliced green onions and optional sesame seeds.
PRO TIP: Cut green onions diagonally for a restaurant-worthy plate presentation!
Storing Stir Fry
Keep garlic cabbage stir fry in a covered container in the refrigerator for about 4 days. Serve cold or reheat in the microwave or on the stovetop. Cooked cabbage freezes beautifully for up to 4 weeks!
Better Than Take-out
- Easy Mongolian Beef – almost famous
- Chicken Udon Stir Fry – perfect weeknight meal
- Kung Pao Shrimp – so flavorful with a kick
- Pork Stir Fry – loaded with veggies
- Beef and Broccoli – a reader favorite
Did you make this Cabbage Stir Fry? Be sure to leave a rating and a comment below!
Garlic Cabbage Stir Fry
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 2 teaspoons minced fresh ginger
- 3 green onions
- 4 cups shredded cabbage or slaw mix
- 1 carrot grated or julienned
- 1 package ramen noodles seasoning packet discarded
Sauce
- 3 tablespoons hoisin sauce or teriyaki sauce, plus additional for serving
- 1 ½ tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 ½ teaspoons rice vinegar
- 1 teaspoon brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon sriracha or sambal oelek
- ½ teaspoon sesame oil
Instructions
- Thinly slice the green onions separating the white and green parts. Mix the sauce ingredients in a small bowl and set aside.
- In a small pot boil ramen noodles according to package directions. Reserve ⅓ cup of the cooking water. Drain and set aside.
- Heat the vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add garlic, ginger and the whites of the green onions. Cook just until fragrant.
- Add the cabbage and carrots and cook until slightly tender, about 3-5 minutes.
- Add the sauce, noodles, and 2 tablespoons of the reserved cooking water or more as needed. Stir while cooking until the cabbage is tender.
- Remove from heat and garnish with the remaining green onion and sesame seeds. Drizzle with additional hoisin or teriyaki sauce if desired.
Notes
- If using bottled teriyaki sauce, ensure it's one that is thick (like bbq sauce).
- For a low carb dish, skip the ramen noodles and add additional cabbage.
- Cabbage can be replaced with coleslaw mix, it will cook faster than cabbage.
- Cooked chicken or shrimp can be added.
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Dinner, Entree
Cuisine American, Asian© SpendWithPennies.com. Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited. Please view my photo use policy here.
Excellent- Quick and easy to make. One of my regular recipes for supper. I often substitute a small bell pepper for the carrot, but otherwise I don’t change anything. My family loves it!
Charlotte, I’m so glad to hear it’s become a regular favorite for your family! The bell pepper substitution sounds like a great idea—adds a nice crunch and flavor. Thanks for sharing your version of the recipe, and it’s awesome that your family loves it so much!
This was really good and easy to make. Especially liked the sauce! I added zucchini and mushrooms. Yum!