Fried cabbage with bacon, onion and garlic is a one-pan Southern-style side: tender, buttery cabbage cooked in smoky bacon drippings with sweet onion, a little garlic and crisp bacon stirred back in at the end. It goes with cornbread, pork chops, sausage or a plain weeknight supper.
How to make fried cabbage with bacon: Cook diced bacon until crisp and set it aside. Keep 1/4 cup of the fat in the pan and cook sliced onion in it, then garlic. Add cabbage with apple cider vinegar, brown sugar, seasoned salt and pepper and cook until tender, 10 to 15 minutes. Stir the bacon back in with butter and serve.
Why You’ll Love It
- One pan. The bacon, onion and cabbage all cook in the same Dutch oven or deep skillet.
- Cheap and filling. A whole head of cabbage and a pound of bacon make 8 servings.
- Sweet, smoky and tangy. A spoonful each of brown sugar and cider vinegar balance the bacon.
- Bacon that stays crisp. It goes back in at the very end.
Ingredient Notes
Bacon. One pound of thick-cut bacon, diced small.
Onion. One small onion, thinly sliced.
Garlic. Four cloves, minced.
Cabbage. One head, cored and cut into bite-sized pieces.
Apple cider vinegar and light brown sugar. One tablespoon of each. The sugar is packed.
Seasoned salt and black pepper. A 1/2 teaspoon of each. Taste at the end before adding more, because the bacon is salty.
Butter. Two tablespoons of salted butter, stirred in with the bacon to finish.
Ingredients
- 1 pound bacon, thick-cut, diced small
- 1 small onion, thinly sliced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 head cabbage, cored and cut into bite-sized pieces
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon light brown sugar, packed
- 1/2 teaspoon seasoned salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 tablespoons butter, salted
How to Make Fried Cabbage with Bacon
1. Crisp the bacon. In a Dutch oven or large, deep-sided skillet, cook the diced bacon over medium heat until crispy, about 12 to 15 minutes. Transfer it to a paper-towel-lined plate.
2. Cook the onion. Leave 1/4 cup of the bacon fat in the pan. Add the sliced onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until translucent, about 10 minutes.
3. Add the garlic. Stir in the minced garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
4. Cook the cabbage. Add the cabbage, apple cider vinegar, brown sugar, seasoned salt and black pepper. Stir to combine, then cook, stirring occasionally, until the cabbage is tender, 10 to 15 minutes.
5. Finish and serve. Return the bacon to the pan and add the butter. Stir until the butter melts and the bacon is distributed. Taste, adjust the seasoning if necessary, and serve immediately.
How Much Bacon Fat Stays in the Pan?
For this recipe, 1/4 cup. A pound of thick-cut bacon gives off more fat than that, so after the bacon comes out, pour off the extra and keep 1/4 cup in the pan. That is what the onion and the cabbage cook in.
You will see other numbers for other fried cabbage recipes, from about 2 tablespoons up to about 1/2 cup. Those belong to recipes with their own amounts of cabbage and bacon. Do not mix them into this one.
| Step | What happens with the bacon and its fat |
|---|---|
| Bacon is crisp | Take the bacon out to a paper-towel-lined plate |
| Before the onion | Leave 1/4 cup of fat in the pan and pour off the rest |
| Onion, garlic, cabbage | All cook in that reserved fat. The bacon stays on the plate. |
| Cabbage is tender | The bacon goes back in, with the butter |
Keeping the bacon out of the pan while the cabbage cooks is the whole reason it is still crisp when you eat it. It only goes back for the last stir.
Tips for Success
How do I know the cabbage is done?
It is tender when you bite a piece. That takes 10 to 15 minutes, with a stir now and then.
What pan should I use?
A Dutch oven or a large, deep-sided skillet. A whole head of cabbage is a lot of volume before it cooks down.
How long does the onion take?
About 10 minutes, until it is translucent. The garlic goes in after that and needs only about 30 seconds.
Should I add more salt?
Taste first. The recipe says to adjust the seasoning at the end, after the bacon and butter are in.
How should I cut the cabbage?
Core it and cut it into bite-sized pieces.
How Long Does It Take?
About 55 minutes: 15 minutes of prep and 40 minutes of cooking. Most of the cooking is hands-off stirring: 12 to 15 minutes for the bacon, about 10 for the onion and 10 to 15 for the cabbage.
For something to serve with your fried cabbage, try Buttermilk Cornbread, baked in a hot, buttered skillet.
Storage & Reheating
This dish is at its best served immediately. For leftovers, USDA FSIS says to refrigerate them within 2 hours in shallow, covered containers and to use them within 3 to 4 days. Frozen leftovers keep 3 to 4 months. Thaw them in the refrigerator, in cold water or in the microwave, not on the counter.
Reheat leftovers to 165°F on the stovetop, in the microwave or in the oven. Do not reheat them in a slow cooker.
What to Serve With It
Serve it next to fried potatoes, onions and smoked Polish sausage or a pot of slow cooker black-eyed peas with bacon. For a hands-off take on the same pair, there is 3-ingredient slow cooker bacon and cabbage. More cabbage dinners: Irish bacon, cabbage and potato soup, slow cooker unstuffed cabbage roll soup and slow cooker savory cabbage pork belly.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much bacon fat should stay in the pan, and when does the bacon go back?
Leave 1/4 cup of fat in the pan. The bacon goes back after the cabbage is tender, along with the butter.
Do I cook the cabbage with a lid on?
The recipe does not call for a lid. Cook the cabbage in the open pan and stir it occasionally.
Can I freeze fried cabbage with bacon?
Yes. Frozen leftovers keep 3 to 4 months. Reheat to 165°F.
How many does this serve?
Eight, as a side dish.
Final Notes
I measure the 1/4 cup of bacon fat back into the pan instead of guessing, so the cabbage is rich but not greasy. If you make it, leave a comment to tell me how it turned out or ask a question.
Fried Cabbage with Bacon, Onion, and Garlic
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Ingredients
- 1 pound bacon thick-cut, diced small
- 1 small onion thinly sliced
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 head cabbage cored and cut into bite-sized pieces
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon light brown sugar packed
- 1/2 teaspoon seasoned salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 tablespoons butter salted
Instructions
- In a Dutch oven or large, deep-sided skillet, cook the diced bacon over medium heat until crispy, about 12 to 15 minutes. Transfer it to a paper-towel-lined plate.
- Leave 1/4 cup of the bacon fat in the pan. Add the sliced onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until translucent, about 10 minutes.
- Stir in the minced garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
- Add the cabbage, apple cider vinegar, brown sugar, seasoned salt and black pepper. Stir to combine, then cook, stirring occasionally, until the cabbage is tender, 10 to 15 minutes.
- Return the bacon to the pan and add the butter. Stir until the butter melts and the bacon is distributed. Taste, adjust the seasoning if necessary, and serve immediately.
