Red cabbage and potato soup- a delicious and beautiful vegan soup that's also gluten-free. This creamy cabbage soup is a great option if you are planning to eat healthy by adding more colors to your diet.
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I love adding different colors to my plate and that's the reason I really like using red cabbage in my recipes.
Though I generally prefer using it in my salads because it tastes the best when eaten fresh and crunchy, I also love using it in a lot of other recipes like in this red cabbage and potato soup.
This light and creamy soup is gently flavored with minimal ingredients which keeps the taste of cabbage prominent. Also, since it's vegan and gluten-free, people with these dietary preferences can also enjoy this cabbage soup.
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What goes in this red cabbage soup?
To make red cabbage soup with potato, the following ingredients are needed:
- Red cabbage also called purple cabbage. Use fresh cabbage otherwise, the soup won't taste good and may taste slightly bitter too.
- Potato: Use a starchy variety. It helps to make the soup creamy.
- Onion: Any variety is fine.
- Garlic: You may add garlic powder too but garlic cloves give better flavor.
- Dill: I love the combination of dill with cabbage and beets so have used it. You can use any herb of your choice.
- Lime juice: Lemon can be used too.
- Ginger powder: It gives a very nice warm taste to this soup which I really love. You can also add fresh minced ginger but ginger powder tastes better in this soup.
- Ground black pepper
- Salt
- Olive oil
- Almond milk: You can use any milk of your choice vegan or dairy but, almond milk tastes the best in purple cabbage soup.
- Vegetable stock: Homemade or store-bought both are fine.
How to select the best red cabbage?
Getting the best fresh cabbage to use in this red cabbage soup is very important. If you are not sure how to pick it, just take care of the following points:
- Pick the cabbage head that is firm, the leaves should be tightly packed. Never pick the ones that feel soft to touch.
- Pay attention to the color and pick the bright ones that are shiny too.
- The leaves should be fresh and crisp and there should be no bruises on them. Soft leaves mean the cabbage is old.
- Don't pick the one from which outer layers have been removed.
- It's best to buy the whole head instead of chopped or half-cut cabbage heads because they start losing nutrients.
Potato substitute suggestions in this soup
Potato is added to give creaminess to this purple cabbage soup. If you don't want to use potatoes, following are some substitute suggestions:
- Sweet potato: However, then your soup will be slightly sweeter.
- Boiled/ canned cannellini beans or chickpeas
- Turnip/ Rutabaga
- Cauliflower
The taste of this soup will slightly change with each of these ingredients.
How to make?
Making red cabbage soup is very easy, you just need to follow these steps:
- Roughly chop cabbage. Peel and chop the potatoes too. Since we will be blending the vegetables in the soup, you can roughly chop all the vegetables.
- Heat oil in a pot. Add garlic and onion. Saute until the onion becomes translucent.
- Add cabbage, potato, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Saute for a few minutes. Sauteing for a few minutes before adding the stock brings out the flavor of cabbage but don't overcook it as it will be cooked with the stock too.
- Add vegetable stock, mix everything and cover the pot. Cook for around 20 minutes.
- Remove the lid and blend the soup with a hand blender until it turns smooth and creamy. If you don't have a hand blender, you can also use a stand blender. However, if you are using the stand blender allow the soup to reach room temperature before blending.
- Add almond milk to the soup and mix. Switch off the gas.
- Finally, add lime juice. Drizzle some olive oil/ almond milk on top and garnish with fresh dill.
- Enjoy your delicious purple cabbage potato soup.
Step by step photo instructions
How to serve?
Red cabbage soup can be served with some breadsticks, garlic bread, oven roasted potatoes, a simple sandwich, or just a bowl of salad on the side.
How to store?
To store this soup just put it in an air-tight container and keep in the fridge. It will be fine for 3-4 days.
Frequently asked questions
Yes, red cabbage potato soup freezes well. Just put it in batch-size air-tight containers and freeze. It will be fine for 3-4 months.
If your cabbage head was very big and you could not use the entire head in this recipe just tightly wrap the remaining head in cling wrap and put it in the fridge. It should be fine for around 10 days like this.
You can also shred it and store in an air-tight container in the fridge. However, it's advisable to use the shredded cabbage as soon as possible as it starts losing vitamin C and some other nutrients.
Recipe tips and tricks
- Pick fresh cabbage for this recipe. If made with old cabbage it won't taste good.
- Don't skip potatoes as they give creaminess to the soup. However, if you want you can replace it with any other ingredients given in the substitute suggestions above.
- This soup is very mildly seasoned as I prefer it that way. If you want to add more flavour you can add more seasonings of your choice.
- If you want to add some heat to it, saute some chili flakes with garlic or sprinkle some on top.
More easy cabbage recipes
Looking for more easy cabbage recipes from around the world? Don't miss to check the following links:
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Recipe
Red cabbage soup
Equipment
- Cooking pot
- Knife and chopping board
Ingredients
- 6 cups red cabbage roughly chopped
- 1 cup potato cubes
- 1 medium-sized red onion roughly chopped
- 2 garlic cloves roughly chopped
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
- 3 tablespoons lime juice adjust to taste
- 3.5 cups vegetable stock
- 1 cup almond milk or any plant-based milk
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ teaspoon ginger powder
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- Salt to taste
Instructions
- Heat oil in a pot. Add garlic and onion. Cook until the onion starts turning brown.
- Add cabbage, potato, ginger, pepper, and salt. Cook for 5-7 minutes or until the cabbage softens.
- Add vegetable stock. Mix and cover the pot. Cook for around 20 minutes or until the potatoes are cooked well.
- Blend the soup with a hand blender until smooth. Boil for about a minute and then turn off the heat.
- Add almond milk and mix.
- Finally, add lime juice and chopped dill. Enjoy!
Notes
- Use fresh cabbage in this soup otherwise, the soup may taste slightly bitter.
- Turn off the heat before adding the milk.
- Feel free to use any fresh herb of your choice.
- More detailed recipe tips are given in the post above. Please follow them to make this recipe.
Sweetened or unsweetened almond milk?
Unsweetened milk.
Loved this, as everyone seems to do. No measuring, so probably had a bit more onion and garlic in mine.
I might add a small parsnip next time and maybe some Morrican spices but this was delicious as is.
Great coloured soup which looks fantastic with our new, blue stoneware bowls. Thank you for the recipe 😊😊
Thank you :).
I don’t have dill and the store is out. Should I still use lime if I don’t have dill? Is it good without the dill?
Hi Alexa, you can use lime even if you don't have dill.
This soup is absolutely delightful! I've never made soup with purple cabbage before and wasn't sure what to expect but all the reviews were so positive I had to try it. I'm so happy I did! The flavours are balanced so nicely, what a fantastic recipe. I used oatmilk instead of almond and that was the only change I made. I think I might buy purple cabbage regularly just for the soup instead of using the left over cabbage from another recipe!
Thanks Kristin. I am really glad to know that you enjoyed the soup.
Wow. This taste amazing. Just like others, I had leftover red cabbage and wanted to use it up and found your recipe. I did not have fresh dill on hand so dry dill it was. I just added it in along with the ground ginger and it worked out nicely. Definitely suggest making this to others. Yum! Oh, and the color is absolutely beautiful! Also, I was a little nervous about putting lime juice and dill together but the flavor is on point. Great work creating this recipe and thank you for sharing.
Hi Branday. Thanks a lot for sharing your feedback. I am so happy to know that you enjoyed it.
A added a tablespoon of hummus on top of my bowl- stirred it in- yum
Sounds delicious :).
I loved this soup.
Thanks Lilly.
I was having difficulty eating red cabbage raw in salads since they are very difficult to chew. I cooked it and it is very delicious. Thank you.
Hi Michael.Thanks for sharing your feedback 🙂
Wasn’t sure what to expect making a cabbage soup but this recipe is actually quite delicious.
Thank you 🙂
I had a lot of red cabbage left over from another recipe and didn't know what to do with it...found this recipe and it was very tasty!! I only blended about 2/3 of it because I like my soup a bit chunky. I also added a can of chickpeas at the end to bulk it up a bit more. Even my picky toddler gobbled it up with no complaints!
Thank you Katie. Great to know that your toddler also enjoyed it. It's a challenge to make kids eat healthily.
I love the color of the soup. Never tasted the cabbage soup but this one looks delicious for sure.
Thanks Latiya 🙂
I made this tonight with homemade artisan bread (I know, not gluten fee) and it was amazing! Thank you so much for sharing! We love soup and always look for creative ways to repurpose our veggies!
Thank you Carol for sharing your feedback, glad to know that you enjoyed the soup 🙂
Red cabbage and potato soup !!!! ahaaa what a delicious and beautiful color soup.
LOve the fact that it is completely vegan and gluten-free. A perfect eye-catchy soup for any party time
Thank you Sasmita 🙂
How hearty and comforting this cabbage soup is. I love the gorgeous purple color this soup has got ...looks amazingly gorgeous.
Thanks Sapana.
First of all I must say this is a gorgeous looking soup...Red cabbage is something I mostly use for salad! This is such a soothing & comforting soup!
Thank you Padma.
Making nutritious soup with red cabbage is brilliant! Love the gorgeous purple color of the soup and the creamy texture it has got due to almond milk.
Thanks Poonam.
What a gorgeous and delicious purple cabbage soup this is. Looks so creamy and also easy to make.
Thanks Pavani.
Red cabbage is generally used as salad and you made soup out of it is an amazing way to eat your veges in a different Avatar.
The soup looks so beautiful and nutritious as well. Great share Vandana.
Thank you Lata 🙂
This is such an amazing colour. I fell in love with the colour of the soup, so soothing.
Thank you Seema.
Such a delightful soup bowl it is. And a great recipe to utilise purple cabbage, which usually ends up in salads only. A great share.
Thanks Payal.
That is one beautiful looking soup. Have never thought of using red cabbage to make a soup, I usually use it for salads. This is a must try recipe Vandana. Thank you for sharing red cabbage soup.
Thankyou Mayuri 🙂