Can You Freeze Uncooked Cabbage?
Yes, you can freeze raw cabbage if stored properly in freezer-safe bags. Generally, they should be used within 17 to 20 weeks to retain the best quality. However, the cabbage that is constantly kept frozen at 0 degrees centigrade is safe to consume indefinitely.
Yes, you can freeze shredded cabbage, but you need to take these easy steps to get the best results. For example, if you have frozen leaves or strips, and want to make a soup, you can just throw your cabbage in right out of the fridge.
Ideally, you would blanch your shredded cabbage at this point, though it is possible to freeze your shredded cabbage, placing pieces into a freezer-safe bag, and then keeping it frozen. Just remove the bag of cabbage from the freezer and let it sit in the fridge overnight to thaw. If you are stuck for a bit, just keep the bag sealed up and immerse it in a big bowl or pot of cold water.
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After doing this, put the kale pieces in a big freezer bag, seal, and keep in the freezer for a later date. To make the freezing, cook and chop your cabbage, skip the blanching step, and place directly into a freezer bag.
If you are going to use the cabbage later in a recipe involving cooking, then a better way to freeze it is blanching it first. You can freeze cabbage without blanching, but it will not last as long as when blanched. In our opinion, blanching cabbage prior to freezing is the best way to go about this, as it will guarantee better quality for a longer period of time.
Note that although it is possible to freeze a whole cabbage head, this is not ideal as it would require lots of space in your freezer and would require plenty of time for thawing. If you cooked more cabbage than you needed, and you would like to freeze it for eating later, it is fine to freeze. If cooked cabbage is already a part of another dish, like casserole or cabbage soup, then that too can freeze well.
| Types of Cabbage | Room Temperature | Fridge | Freezer | Note |
| Whole Head | – | 1- 2 months | 1 year – but cut in pieces | |
| Shredded | – | 3-4 days | 1 year (blanched) | Blanching maintains the color and flavor |
| Partly cut | – | 3-4 days | 1 year (blanched) | Blanching maintains the color and flavor |
| Cooked | 2-3 hours | 4-5 days | 1 year |
If you need to freeze, you can place cooked cabbage into a freezer-safe plastic container, or wrap it tightly with heavy-duty foil, before placing it into the freezer. If you need to freeze a whole cabbage, soak it in one gallon of water with 3 tablespoons of salt first. If you are freezing shreds or slices of cabbage, you can skip the soaking process since you most likely already did some form of cleaning on the cabbage. Then, give the cabbage a good, hard shake to remove any water, and then freeze the vegetables in the Instant Pot (use a baking sheet for this).
Place the tray in the freezer and let the cabbage chill 8 hours before removing the cabbage from the tray and moving to a sealed container. If you plan on using the cabbage raw once frozen, you might want to let the cabbage thaw for several hours in the refrigerator or for up to 1 hour at room temperature. It is recommended that cabbage is frozen in wedges if you are unsure of how you plan to use the cabbage.
If the cabbage is not frozen so much that it is difficult to handle, then you can just continue preparing the cabbage however you like. You may want to attempt thawing frozen cabbage in your refrigerator, and then using it for raw dishes such as slaws and salads. Shredded/frozen cabbage is the easiest one to prepare, and depending on the recipe, you may be able to simply toss it in a pot uncooked. There are certain dishes, such as collards and cole slaw, in which you need to thaw the frozen cabbage correctly, but for many recipes, you can simply add the frozen cabbage to the pan.
For cooked recipes, such as in cabbage rolls, or for soups or stir-fries, frozen cabbage can be used for up to 2 days after thawing. If cabbage has been frozen for a reasonable amount of time, it is still good for cooking dishes such as soup, stir-fries, boiling, or steaming in a crock pot. Also, cooked or blanched cabbage that has been defrosted in the refrigerator can still continue to last for 3-4 days.
Blanched cabbage, on the other hand, can last for up to 9 months, so if you are unsure of when you will use your cabbage next, but know that you want to hold onto it for as long as you can, opt for the blanched method. Frozen cabbage in this way can keep up to 8 weeks, and if you would like to prolong this shelf life further, you could blanche cabbage, soaking it for 3 minutes in boiling water, then moving to ice water to stop the cooking process. Allow the chopped cabbage to cook for 2-3 minutes, and then transfer the blanched cabbage into the ice water bowl using a slotted spoon or strainer. When your time to blanch is up, remove the cabbage from boiling water and place in the ice water bowl to finish the cooking process.
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If you are unsure of how you are going to use your frozen cabbage, lay it out on a baking sheet and freeze it for several hours to overnight, until firm, then transfer it into a freezer-safe bag – again, lay it out in one layer and press out as much air as you can. This is clearly a must-have tool for the kale-freezing process, especially if you expect to store the kale in your freezer for at least 3-4 months.
Freezing single cabbage leaves for use later, such as for slaws or cabbage rolls, is doable too, but takes considerably more time to prepare and freeze. Yes, you can freeze braised red cabbage, just make sure that it is completely cool from cooking before placing in the freezer. Freezing chopped cabbage is another easy option, and you can accomplish this either with or without parboiling. If you would like to later use leftover cabbage in salads or coleslaw, you can just freeze raw wedges.
For dishes that use raw cabbage, like coleslaw, salad, or spring rolls, you will have to first thaw the cabbage. If you are cooking kale alone, with no other food or sauce, be sure to dry your kale first on paper towels.
Can you freeze-cut raw cabbage?
You can freeze cabbage in shreds, leaves, or wedges, depending on what works best for you. The best option for storing cabbage if you are unsure of how you will use it is to freeze it in wedges, which will enable you to cut it to the size you require later.
How do you prepare cabbage for freezing?
Boil the half-filled stockpot with water at high temperatures. Place the cabbage in the boiling water to blanch it. It will destroy any germs inside and block the enzyme process, allowing it to store properly in the freezer. Boil chopped cabbage for 1 min and slices for 3 minutes in boiling water.
Is it best to freeze cabbage raw or cooked?
It is better to freeze raw cabbage rolls for their original flavor and taste. Thus, make the cabbage rolls but don’t fry them; once made, you may keep them in the freezer for a long time without any alternation in the flavor.