This sweet and sour red cabbage with raw honey is a bright and flavorful side dish! Made with healthy red cabbage and honey right from the hive! Great to serve along side any protein.

This Red Cabbage with Raw Honey Is:
- Sweet
- Tangy
- Bright
- Tart
- Packed with Flavor
- Healthy and loaded with nutrients
- Vegetarian (not technically vegan beacuse of the honey), gluten free, dairy free, and refined sugar free
Sweet & sour cabbage (and sourkraut) has always been one of my favorite ways to eat cabbage. My family used to go to this fantastic Bohemian/German resturant “Little Europe” in Brookfield Illinois when I was growing up. We would get breaded pork tenderloins all around, with potato dumplings, goulash (or beef noodle soup), heaps of sweet and sour cabbage and sourkraut, and of course kolachkes for dessert. I’m drooling just thinking about it! Little Europe has sinced closed, but I love sweet and sour cabbage to this day. This recreation uses a red cabbage and some raw honey in a sweet vinegar dressing.
What’s In This Sweet & Sour Cabbage with Honey?
- Red Cabbage: or you can use green. I made this recipe with one medium head of cabbage… and it still made a lot! I’m always surprised how much cabbage actually ‘expands’ when you chop it, becuase its so dense when its grown.
- Raw Honey: Straight out of the beehives for us! As beekeepers, we have plenty of raw honey so I try to use it in all my recipes instead of sugar. You can substitute maple syrup or brown sugar instead of the honey, if you don’t have any honey on hand.
- Balsamic Vinegar: gives the cabbage a nice acidity and sweetness.
- Apple Juice: I use this to give the cabbage a sweet fruity flavor, without adding any actual sugar.
- Olive Oil: for sauteeing the cabbage in. You can use any oil or even butter if you’d like.
- Salt and Pepper: for a little flavor kick!
Red cabbage and apples is a classic combo – so I decided to give it a new twist by using apple juice in this recipe. It has all the sweetness of the apples, but also gives the cabbage a nice flavorful broth to simmer in.
How Do I Make This Sweet & Sour Red Cabbage with Honey?
- In a large pot, add the shredded cabbage and olive oil. Heat over low heat for about 10 minutes, stirring frequently until cabbage has begun to wilt.
- Add the apple juice, raw honey, balsamic vinegar, salt, and pepper to the pot. Stir well to combine.
- Cover the pot, and heat on low for about 30 minutes until cabbage is cooked through
Dietary Modifications
- This recipe is naturally vegetarian, but because raw honey isn’t technically vegan, you can substitute maple syrup or brown sugar instead of honey in this recipe if you don’t eat animal products.
- This cabbage is gluten free!
- It’s also refined sugar free, but make sure you are using 100% apple juice and not a blend or mix that has added sugar.
Other Recipes With Raw Honey We Love!
A Beekeeper’s Raw Honey Mustard Dressing (Gluten Free)
Baked Caramel Apples (Vegan, Paleo, Gluten-Free)
Honey Mustard Macaroni Salad (Gluten Free, Vegetarian, Vegan Option)

As always, if you make this Sweet & Sour Red Cabbage with Raw Honey recipe be sure to leave me a comment, rate this recipe, and tag me on Instagram so I can feature you. I love seeing all your photos of my recipe recreations!
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Sweet & Sour Cabbage with Raw Honey
Ingredients
- 1 medium head red cabbage shredded
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 cup apple juice
- 1/4 cup raw honey
- 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
Instructions
- In a large pot, add the shredded cabbage and olive oil. Heat over low heat for about 10 minutes, stirring frequently until cabbage has begun to wilt.
- Add the apple juice, raw honey, balsamic vinegar, salt, and pepper to the pot. Stir well to combine.
- Cover the pot, and heat on low for about 30 minutes until cabbage is cooked through.
Notes
- We try to cook as low sodium as possible, so you can add additional salt or pepper to suit your tastes.
- Same with the sweetness: if you need more sweetness, add more honey or apple juice.
This is one of my all time favorites 👍