Easy and delicious, this cabbage fritters recipe is a simple vegetable dish that you can whip up for a quick dinner or make with leftover cabbage. Serve these crispy patties as an appetizer, side dish, or snack, and watch everyone gobble them up!
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Lizzie’s Notes
When you’re out of inspiration for vegetables and don’t want your same old salads or roasted veggie staples, try fritters! They open up a ton of opportunities to still include veggies at a meal but in a different way that feels new and exciting. Plus, who doesn’t love something pan fried and crispy every now and then?
Made with pantry staples, these cabbage fritters are an easy way to score some extra vegetables without a lot of fuss. They’re customizable, too, and you can mix up the seasonings however you’d like.
And last but not least, this recipe is ideal for preventing food waste. Got half a head of cabbage in the back of the fridge that isn’t getting any younger? Make these!
Ingredients and Substitutions
- Shredded cabbage: Pre-shredded bagged cabbage or coleslaw mix, particularly angel hair/thinly shredded, works well for this recipe. If you need to shred the cabbage yourself, I highly recommend using a mandoline if you have one because it gets the cabbage really thin similar to bagged varieties. Here is the mandoline I use and love and here is my tutorial on how to shred cabbage. If you don’t have a mandoline, that’s ok! Use a sharp knife to cut the cabbage into thin pieces (be sure to remove the hard core). Check out my post on How to Cut Cabbage if needed. By the way, any kind of cabbage (green, red, Napa, Savoy, etc) will work.
- Scallions: Use white, yellow, or red onion if that’s what you have.
- Eggs: In my experience, eggs are a vital ingredient in cabbage fritters. Plant-based substitutes like flax “eggs” do not help the fritters stay together as well as eggs.
- All purpose flour: If you need these to be gluten free, substitute a gluten free 1-to-1 flour.
- Garlic powder, smoked paprika, and salt: I love when cabbage has a smoky flavor, so these are my favorite seasonings to use. Feel free to mix it up and try cumin instead of paprika or sub Italian seasoning for an entirely different flavor profile.
- Avocado oil: I prefer to fry the fritters in avocado oil since it’s neutral tasting and has a high smoke point, but you can also use extra virgin olive oil or whatever oil you prefer.
- Possible additions: ½ cup shredded cheese (like parmesan or cheddar), fresh herbs, cooked bacon bits
Instructions
The full recipe card for cabbage fritters is at the bottom of the post. Scroll down to see it. Here’s a preview of the instructions with photos to guide you in the kitchen.
Beat eggs in a large mixing bowl. Add shredded cabbage and scallions and stir until coated.
Combine flour and spices. Sprinkle over the cabbage mixture. Stir until well-combined.
Warm a thin layer of avocado oil in a nonstick skillet over medium heat until hot. Scoop about three tablespoons of batter into your hands and form into a patty.
Cook for three minutes per side until golden brown and crispy. Repeat with the rest of the batter.
Make Ahead, Storage, and Reheating
If desired, you can make the batter for cabbage fritters ahead of time. Keep it in a covered bowl for up to 8 hours in the refrigerator. You may find that the liquid released from the cabbage gets partially reabsorbed if you let the batter sit in the fridge. This is a good thing, so there’s no need to adjust the recipe. Just give it a good stir before forming and cooking the fritters.
Keep cooked cabbage fritters in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 2 to 3 days. Reheat in a nonstick skillet with a little oil for a few minutes on each side or in the microwave in 30-second intervals until warmed through. The skillet method keeps them crispy, while the microwave method does not.
To freeze leftover fritters, let them cool completely then wrap each one tightly in plastic wrap. Keep in an airtight freezer bag. Store for up to 3 months. Reheat straight from frozen in a nonstick skillet with a little oil until warmed through. You can also reheat them on a baking sheet in the oven at 350 degrees F/177 degrees C for 10 to 15 minutes.
Serving
Cabbage fritters taste delicious on their own or with dipping sauces such as yogurt, sour cream, ranch dressing, or applesauce. You can serve them as an appetizer, side dish, topped with eggs for a hearty breakfast, or on the side of corned beef for St. Patrick’s Day.
Similar Recipes
Love these easy cabbage fritters? Check out these other recipes while you’re here:
📖 Recipe
Cabbage Fritters
Ingredients
- 3 eggs
- 10 to 12 ounces shredded cabbage - about 4 packed cups or ¼ of a large head
- 2 scallions - white, light green, and dark green parts sliced, about ¼ cup
- ½ cup all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 2 to 4 tablespoons avocado oil
Instructions
- Whisk the eggs in a large mixing bowl.
- Add the shredded cabbage and sliced scallions. Stir until they are coated with the eggs.
- In a measuring cup or small bowl, stir together the flour, salt, garlic powder, and smoked paprika.
- Sprinkle the flour mixture over the cabbage mixture. Stir until coated. Let the batter sit while you warm the skillet.
- Warm a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add 1 to 2 tablespoons of avocado oil, just enough to thinly coat the bottom of the skillet. Let the oil get hot enough that when you put a tiny drop of batter into it, it starts sizzling right away.
- When the oil is hot enough, stir the batter in the bowl. Scoop about three tablespoons into your hands and form into a patty that's about ¼-inch thick. Carefully transfer the patty to the skillet. Repeat until the skillet is full, making sure to leave some room around each fritter to allow for proper cooking. I typically cook four at a time to not overcrowd the skillet.You will see quite a bit of liquid on the bottom of the bowl as you form the fritters. This is OK and to be expected. You will still be able to form the patties in your hands. In my experience, they do not fall apart although they appear to be holding liquid. The key is to form them quickly and carefully slide them into the oil in the pan. Then, the cooking process keeps them together. If you have issues with the patties falling apart, add a little more flour.
- Cook each fritter for three minutes on each side over medium heat until golden brown and crispy.
- Transfer the fritters to a plate lined with paper towels to absorb excess oil and keep them crispy. After a minute or so, you can then transfer them to a cooling rack if you want them to be as crispy as possible. However, if you want to enjoy them hot, you can just do the paper towel step and skip the cooling rack!
- Repeat the process with the rest of the batter. Enjoy!
- Leave a rating or review by tapping the stars on this recipe card (above) or in the comments section (at the end of the post).
Notes
- Cabbage notes: Thinly shredded cabbage from a bag (particularly angel hair cabbage if you can find it) or prepared yourself with a mandoline works best for this recipe. You can also use sliced cabbage if you don’t have shredded/don’t have a mandoline but it may not stay together as well.
- Make ahead: If you want to make the batter ahead of time, store it in a covered bowl in the fridge but use within 8 hours.
- Storage and reheating: Keep leftover fritters in an airtight container in the fridge for 2 to 3 days. You can freeze them by tightly wrapping each one in plastic wrap and storing in an airtight freezer bag for up to 3 months. Reheat in a nonstick skillet with a little oil for a few minutes on each side, in the microwave in 30-second intervals on high, or on a baking sheet in the oven at 350 degrees F/177 degrees C for 10 to 15 minutes.
- Possible dipping sauces: sour cream, yogurt, applesauce, hummus, ranch dressing or dip
JACLYN DUBOIS
These fritters are DELICIOUS! They were easy and so flavorful. I had a leftover fritter in the morning with a fried egg on top and it was such a savory, satiating breakfast. I’m sharing this recipe with everyone!
Lizzie Streit, MS, RDN
Hi Jaclyn, yay! I’m so glad to hear the fritters were successful for you! Thanks for sharing the recipe and leaving a review.