Recipe
🥙 LUNCH
Blaukraut (Bavarian Braised Red Cabbage)
Red cabbage slowly braised sweet-and-sour with apple, vinegar, cloves and juniper until glossy and tender, the classic Bavarian side to roast pork knuckle and Oktoberfest roasts.
German (Bavarian) · easy · serves 6
prep 15 min · cook 60 min
~157 cal · 2g protein · 30g carbs · 5g fat · 7g fiber · 19g sugars · 1g sat fat (estimated, per serving)
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In southern Germany this sweet-and-sour red cabbage is called Blaukraut (blue cabbage), while the north calls it Rotkohl (red cabbage); the same cabbage shifts colour with the acidity of the soil and the pot. In Bavaria it is the near-inevitable partner to the big Oktoberfest and Sunday roasts, above all Schweinshaxe, roast pork and goose.
Finely sliced cabbage is low and slow with grated apple, onion, vinegar and a little sugar for the signature sweet-sour balance, and scented with cloves, bay and juniper. The long is the whole point: it turns the cabbage glossy and tender while keeping a slight bite, and the flavour only improves made a day ahead.
Serve it warm beside anything roasted, with dumplings or spaetzle to catch the juices.
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Make it yours
✓ Naturally vegetarian, vegan and gluten-, dairy-, nut-, egg- and pork-free. No swaps needed.
Toggle a diet and the ingredients rewrite themselves with regional substitutes.
🥕 Vegetarian
🌱 Vegan
🌾 Gluten-Free
🥛 Dairy-Free
🥜 Nut-Free
🥚 Egg-Free
🐖 Pork-Free
Dietary labels are a cooking guide, not allergen-safety advice. We track dairy, egg, gluten, tree nuts and peanuts (we count coconut as a tree nut, following FDA labeling), fish, and shellfish; we do not screen for sesame, soy, mustard, celery, or sulphites. If you have a food allergy, read the label on every product you use, and note that a kitchen can cross-contaminate in ways a recipe cannot control.
Ingredients
US
Metric
Serves 6
1 kg (1 medium head) red cabbage, thinly sliced
1 medium onion, finely diced
2 tart apple (such as Granny Smith), peeled and grated
2 tbsp
250 ml apple cider (or unsweetened apple juice)
3 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 tbsp sugar
3 whole cloves
4 juniper berries
1 bay leaf
to taste salt and pepper
Instructions
1
Heat the oil in a large heavy pot and soften the onion and grated apple for a few minutes.
2
Add the sliced cabbage and the vinegar and stir until it wilts a little.
✎ Chef’s note
Adding the vinegar early helps the cabbage keep its bright colour through the long cook.
3
Pour in the apple cider and add the sugar, cloves, juniper and bay. Bring to a simmer.
4
Cover and braise gently for about an hour, stirring now and then and adding a splash of water if it dries, until the cabbage is tender with a slight bite.
5
Fish out the bay, cloves and juniper, season with salt and pepper, and serve warm. It is even better made a day ahead.
Bavarian Oktoberfest and roast tradition.
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🌏 While it simmers, know your destination
📍
Bavaria (Munich). Bavaria, in Germany's southeast with Munich at its heart, is the source of the food the wider world pictures as German: soft lye pretzels, roast pork knuckle with crackling, white sausages, and litre steins of beer in vast timber halls and shady beer gardens.
🗺️
Germany. Beyond beer halls, Germany is a land of serious regional home cooking, Swabian spätzle, Bavarian roasts, northern fish, and an unmatched bread and sausage culture. Hearty, seasonal, and built for cold winters, it prizes pork, potatoes, cabbage, and cured meats.
🌍
Europe. A surprising amount of European cooking is under five hundred years old. Tomatoes, potatoes, peppers, maize, beans and chocolate all crossed from the Americas after 1492, and none of them was trusted quickly: the potato took most of the eighteenth century to be accepted as food rather than animal fodder across much of the north.
The story behind this dish is up top, worth a read while the pot works.
More from Germany
KäsespätzleFresh egg noodles scraped into boiling water, layered with alpine cheese and buried in crispy onions.
Schnitzel (Schweineschnitzel)The German pork schnitzel: a thin cutlet pounded flat, breaded in a loose golden crust, and fried until crisp, served with a wedge of lemon.
RinderrouladenThin beef rolled around mustard, bacon, onion, and pickle, braised into a deep gravy, Sunday dinner across Germany.
Browse all Germany recipes →
Good to know
You’ll need: Pot or saucepan.
Storing it: Stews and braises keep 3 to 4 days refrigerated and often taste better the next day. Reheat gently, adding a splash of water if it has thickened.
Make it a Germany meal
Schwarzwälder KirschtorteDessert
Schweinshaxe (Roast Pork Knuckle)Dinner
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Frequently asked questions
What is Blaukraut (Bavarian Braised Red Cabbage)?
Red cabbage slowly braised sweet-and-sour with apple, vinegar, cloves and juniper until glossy and tender, the classic Bavarian side to roast pork knuckle and Oktoberfest roasts.
Where does Blaukraut (Bavarian Braised Red Cabbage) come from?
Blaukraut (Bavarian Braised Red Cabbage) is a German (Bavarian) dish from Bavaria (Munich), Germany.
Can Blaukraut (Bavarian Braised Red Cabbage) be made vegan, gluten-free, or dairy-free?
This Blaukraut (Bavarian Braised Red Cabbage) recipe includes substitution suggestions for vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free, egg-free, and pork-free versions, including several at once such as gluten-free and dairy-free together. Treat them as a starting guide rather than a guarantee, and see the allergen note below.
Is Blaukraut (Bavarian Braised Red Cabbage) safe for people with food allergies?
Our dietary labels and substitutions are a cooking guide, not medical or allergen-safety advice. We track dairy, egg, gluten, tree nuts and peanuts (we count coconut as a tree nut, following FDA labeling), fish, and shellfish, but we do not screen for sesame, soy, mustard, celery, or sulphites. If you have a food allergy, always read the label on every product you use, and remember a home or commercial kitchen can cross-contaminate ingredients in ways a recipe cannot control.
How long does Blaukraut (Bavarian Braised Red Cabbage) take to make?
About 75 minutes total (15 minutes prep, 60 minutes cooking), serving 6.
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