Apple red cabbage from the Thermomix® is ready in 50 minutes and serves 4. Here is the whole recipe in one sentence: place 600 g red cabbage and 2 apples roughly in the mixing bowl, chop for 5 sec / speed 5, then cook with vegetable stock, red wine, 30 g apple cider vinegar and spices for 40 min / 100°C / reverse direction / speed 1. Stir in 2 tbsp jam at the end. The apple cider vinegar is not just a flavour addition. It keeps the anthocyanins in the cabbage a vivid red rather than blue-violet.
We cook this red cabbage every year from October onwards, as soon as the first Boskoop apples are ripe, and then regularly right through to the Christmas roast. The great advantage with the Thermomix®: we chop the cabbage and apples evenly in five seconds, sweat the onion in the same bowl and leave everything to simmer on reverse direction for 40 minutes without any supervision. No grating, no constant stirring, no burnt pan bottom. It goes brilliantly with Beef Olives from the Thermomix® and a hearty roast.
Apple Red Cabbage (Blaukraut) with the Thermomix®
Ingredients 0 / 12 ✓
- 1 onion
- 2 tbsp clarified butter (ghee)
- 20 g sugar
- 600 g red cabbage
- 2 apples
- 30 g apple cider vinegar
- 1 tsp salt
- 200 g vegetable stock liquid
- 100 g red wine
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp ground allspice
- 2 tbsp jam e.g. rosehip or lingonberry
Instructions 0 / 5
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1
Chop the onion.
Peel the onion, halve it, place it in the mixing bowl and chop for 5 sec / speed 5, then push down with the spatula.
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2
Sweat the onion.
Add the clarified butter and sugar to the mixing bowl and cook for 3 min / Varoma / speed 1.
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3
Chop the red cabbage.
Meanwhile wash the red cabbage, remove the core and cut into pieces. Peel the apples, quarter them and remove the cores, then add both to the mixing bowl and chop for 5 sec / speed 5 using the spatula.
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4
Cook the red cabbage.
Add the remaining ingredients except the jam to the mixing bowl and cook for 40 min / 100°C / reverse direction / speed 1.
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5
Finish with jam.
Add the jam to the mixing bowl, mix for 10 sec / reverse direction / speed 3 and serve.
Tip: When choosing the jam, let your own taste decide. You can go for a tart jam or a sweeter one, whichever you prefer.
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Nutrition per serving
What we do differently from other Thermomix® red cabbage recipes
We have looked at the most common Thermomix® red cabbage recipes and have made some deliberate choices of our own. Some recipes use dark balsamic vinegar plus orange juice, others use rapeseed oil and soy sauce, and some stick to the classic version with bacon. We use clarified butter for sweating, 30 g apple cider vinegar for the acidity and 100 g red wine plus 200 g vegetable stock as the liquid. We choose apple cider vinegar over balsamic for a reason: it does not overpower the apple flavour and keeps the colour a clean red.
Our cooking time of 40 minutes at 100°C sits in the middle ground. Some recipes cook for a similar length of time, others go slightly shorter and produce a firmer bite. With our method the cabbage becomes tender but still has a little texture. We season with 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon and 1/2 tsp ground allspice. Those who prefer to work with whole spices will find our spice-bag variation further below.
Why our red cabbage stays red and does not turn blue
In southern Germany red cabbage is called Blaukraut, and that is not a quirk: the pigments in the cabbage, the anthocyanins, react like a litmus indicator to the level of acidity. In an acidic environment they turn red, in an alkaline one blue-violet. That is exactly why the 30 g apple cider vinegar go in early, before the 40-minute cooking time begins. Anyone who leaves out the vinegar or uses bicarbonate of soda will end up with the typical Bavarian Blaukraut.
In the Thermomix® this has a practical side effect: because reverse direction at speed 1 does not cut but only gently turns the contents, the acidity spreads evenly throughout the whole bowl. So not just the surface but the entire cabbage colours up to a rich, even red. If the acidity feels too pronounced at the end, balance it out with the sweet jam.
The most common pitfalls with Thermomix® red cabbage
The cabbage turns mushy instead of tender
If you chop the red cabbage too finely or blend it too long on a high speed, you end up with a puree rather than cabbage with some bite. Our solution: use the spatula for exactly 5 sec at speed 5 and do not blend again afterwards. During cooking use only reverse direction / speed 1, because reverse direction turns without cutting.
The colour turns blue-violet
If the finished red cabbage looks more purple than red, there was not enough acid. Our solution: the 30 g apple cider vinegar go in with the remaining ingredients directly before the 40-minute cook, not at the end. Tart apples such as Boskoop support the effect further. If that is still not enough, simply add another 10 g of vinegar and stir it in briefly on reverse direction.
The red cabbage tastes flat
Freshly cooked red cabbage can still taste a little flat because the flavours need time to come together. Our solution: cook the cabbage a day ahead and leave it to rest overnight in the fridge. On the second day it tastes noticeably rounder and fuller. If you are serving it straight away, add a pinch of salt and another spoonful of jam at the end.
Our favourite variations on the basic recipe
Mulled wine red cabbage: We swap the 100 g red wine for 100 g mulled wine and add half a star anise pod. This gives a festive note that works very well with goose and duck.
Chestnut red cabbage: Add 100 g of pre-cooked chestnuts only in the last 5 minutes, together with the jam on reverse direction / speed 1. This way they stay whole and do not get broken up.
Spice-bag variation with whole spices: Instead of ground cinnamon and allspice, we put 3 cloves, 1 bay leaf, 3 juniper berries and 2 allspice berries into a tea bag and cook it with the cabbage. We remove it before serving. The aroma is cleaner but slightly more subtle than with ground spices.
Vegetarian without clarified butter: Anyone who wants to avoid animal fat can replace the 2 tbsp clarified butter with 2 tbsp neutral rapeseed oil. We lose a little depth of flavour, but the side dish becomes entirely plant-based.
What we love to serve with apple red cabbage
Classically, apple red cabbage goes with Christmas goose, duck, sauerbraten and game roasts. For a vegetarian version, we serve it alongside dumplings and a mushroom pan. As a filling side dish, we add Bread Dumplings from the Thermomix® or, when time is short, Mashed Potatoes from the Thermomix®.
If you are planning a full festive menu, combine the red cabbage with our Goulash from the Thermomix®. The sweetness of the apple and the acidity of the vinegar balance rich roast gravies very well.
How long the red cabbage keeps in the fridge and freezer
Stored in a sealed jar, the apple red cabbage keeps for 5 to 7 days in the fridge and actually tastes better from the second day once the flavours have had time to develop. That is why we like to cook it a day ahead for special occasions. Frozen in portions it keeps for around 3 months.
To reheat, place it back in the mixing bowl with a splash of water and warm for 8 to 10 minutes at 90°C / reverse direction / speed 1. On the hob, 10 minutes over a medium heat with occasional stirring is enough. Frozen red cabbage is best thawed overnight in the fridge.
Goes well with: Duck.
Also worth trying: Green Beans Thermomix®.
