Name: Instant Pot Braised Red Cabbage
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 25 min
Ingredients: 1 red onion (, small); 1 red cabbage ((about 1.5 pounds/700 grams)); 3 tablespoons granulated sugar; 2 tablespoons sunflower oil; 1 cup water; 1 teaspoon caraway seeds; 1 teaspoon salt; 4 tablespoons white wine vinegar

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Instant pot braised red cabbage is a quick, sweet, tangy side dish that pairs perfectly with chicken, duck, sausages or pork – ready in just 5 minutes under pressure.

Wooden spoon of homemade braised red cabbage made in pressure cooker.

Every time I make braised red cabbage I use my mom’s recipe. She’s been making it this way for years and everyone in our family loves it. Now as much as I love making it I like to simplify things for myself. That was why I made it in my electric pressure cooker.

Making braised red cabbage is simple and more importantly it saves you time and energy. You don’t need to be standing at the pot, checking if there is enough water in the pot or if the cabbage is done.

This recipe is perfect for anyone who loves simplifying the cooking process without losing flavors!

Now we love serving braised red cabbage with roasted chicken, duck or pork and mashed potato flatbread or traditional Slovakian steamed bread that is very similar to chinese steamed buns but the options are endless.

How to make braised red cabbage in instant pot

In this case it is important to do all the prep before actually doing anything else. Because once you turn on the pressure cooker, things will go fast and you won’t have time to do any prepping.

Cut the onion finely. Shred the cabbage. First, half it and remove the hard middle part. Then with a sharp knife, shred the cabbage. I like to shred it as thin as possible but this is just my preference.

Now turn on the Instant Pot and press SAUTE. Adjust the heat to medium and add sugar. Wait until the sugar turns brown. Don’t mix though. Once it’s brown, add oil and onion. Sauté the onion for a few minutes before adding the cabbage.

Then add caraway seeds, salt, water and cover the lid. Now lock the lid and turn the steam release valve to SEALING. Then all you have to do is adjust the time on MANUAL mode to 5 minutes and let the pressure cooker do its magic.

Yes, making braised red cabbage takes about 10 minutes of active cooking time.

Now I recommend waiting 10 minutes before releasing the pressure manually (this might not be needed as the pin might be down already at this stage). Because this pressure cooker braised cabbage is cooked under pressure, the liquid does not evaporate.

If you feel like there is too much liquid to your liking, press the SAUTE button and cook off some of the liquid. About 5 minutes should be enough.

By the way, caraway seeds look very similar to cumin seeds but they taste completely different. Make sure you use the right seeds here (if you need some more info, click here: The difference between caraway seeds and cumin seeds).

Shredded red cabbage in the pressure cooker instant pot.

Useful tips

Salt, sugar and vinegar should be added to your taste. Some might like it more acidic while others sweeter (like me) so make sure to taste it at the end and adjust the seasoning, if needed.
Vegetable oil can be substituted with sunflower oil.
This Instant Pot braised red cabbage can be stored in the freezer as well! I simply spoon it into Ziploc bags and take out only as much as I need!

Juicy pressure cooker braised red cabbage in bowl with wooden spoon.

Check out more easy instant pot recipes on my blog. This will bring you directly to a selection of my most favorite dishes.

Watch how to make instant pot braised red cabbage

Wooden spoon with Instant Pot Braised Red Cabbage

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5 from 13 votes