My Sister Alla’s Red Cabbage Salad with Apple is loaded with the best Autumn Ingredients. She sneaks sauerkraut into her salad, making it like a red cabbage slaw; it’s almost undetectable but makes every bite perfectly tangy.
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I don’t know if it’s the wonderful flavor or pretty color (or both!) that has this red cabbage salad on the top of my children’s list for salads. My little one calls this her purple salad :).
Red Cabbage Salad Recipe
After sharing this purple cabbage salad in our camping post, there was a flood of requests for the recipe, so here it is! Thank you to my sister Alla for sharing your salad (and love of Sauerkraut) with us. Read more below on why red cabbage is so good for you (it will surprise you!).
Ingredients for Red Cabbage Salad:
The ingredients make a generous-sized side salad for a family of 6, but you can easily double everything for a crowd. Think: Thanksgiving side dish!
The red cabbage makes the whole salad so vibrant and everything else takes on a pretty purple hue once it’s all stirred together. We love the sweet tart granny smith apples for salads, but you can use any apple variety you have on hand.
Red Cabbage Nutrition:
According to Harvard Health (2018), Red Cabbage is very high in Vitamin C and Vitamin A while being low in calories. Vitamin C is a wonderful thing to have on-board in the winter months.
Did you know you could make Red Cabbage Sauerkraut? My sister Alla does it all the time! Fermenting red cabbage adds probiotic properties in addition to enjoying all of the nutritious benefits of red cabbage.
How to Select and Trim a Red Cabbage:
Select a red cabbage the same way you would select a green one – with tight and crisp, un-damaged leaves. Limp leaves or damage that extends past the first leaf can indicate a bad cabbage.
To Trim a Cabbage, peel back and discard the outer leaves even if they look good (because they’ve been on the grocery shelf). Rinse and pat dry the cabbage and cut it in half. Place the cabbage cut-side-down (on a dark cutting board as the color can stain). Thinly slice the cabbage working around the edges. Slice nearly to the center core then discard the core.
More Red Cabbage Recipes:
Red Cabbage Salad with Apple

My Sister Alla’s Red Cabbage Salad with Apple is loaded with the best Autumn Ingredients. She sneaks sauerkraut into her salad, making it like a red cabbage slaw. One of our Favorite Red Cabbage Recipes
Servings: 6 people as a side salad
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Finely chop cabbage and transfer it to a large mixing bowl.
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Thoroughly squeeze sauerkraut by the fist-fulls to remove excess moisture until you have 1/2 cup of squeezed sauerkraut then add it to the salad bowl.
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Add sliced cucumber and granny smith apple, chopped dill and green onion.
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Drizzle the salad with 4 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil and 1 Tbsp white vinegar and 1/2 tsp sea salt*. Toss the salad well to combine and add more salt and/or vinegar to taste.
*Serving Tip: Add salt until just before serving since it will cause the cucumbers to wilt.
129kcal Calories11g Carbs1g Protein9g Fat
Nutrition Facts
Red Cabbage Salad with Apple
Amount per Serving
% Daily Value*
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
If you make this recipe, I’d love to see pics of your creations on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter! Hashtag them #natashaskitchen
Q: Do you call this red cabbage or purple cabbage and what is your all-time favorite red cabbage recipe?