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How to Dehydrate Cabbage

Dehydrate cabbage to reduce waste and make it shelf-stable for a year! It’s an easy project that is perfect for making Eggrolls in a Bowl at any time!

Bowl of sliced cabbage and cabbage head for dehydrating
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Cabbage is often looked at as a throwaway vegetable because people don’t know how to preserve it other than fermenting. But you can easily dehydrate it and use it for so many things.

Yes, even coleslaw! It won’t be your typical coleslaw, a little softer, but it still works!

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Types of Cabbage to Use

Cabbages are great balls of leafy goodness for those who love them. It’s great for making fermented sauerkraut, kimchi, coleslaw, salad, colcannon and so much more!

But did you know there are a variety of cabbages to choose from – not just the typical red and green you find in the store?

  • Green — what most people are familiar with for making sauerkraut and coleslaw.
  • Red  — tends to be smaller than green, and makes a great color addition to coleslaw and other salads. It’s perfect for pickling, too!
  • Savoy
  • White 
  • Napa — looks a little more like Romaine lettuce than typical cabbages. It’s perfect for salads and stir frys. This is also known as Chinese Cabbage.
  • Bok Choy — another variety that looks more like lettuce than cabbage. Great for stir frys. It’s also good for roasting.

How to Dehydrate Cabbage

Dehydrating cabbage is a good beginner’s dehydrating project since so little preparation is needed. It’s a quick-dry project, easy to store, and so versatile in usage.

Quick Instructions: Slice, dry at 125°F/52°C until crisp, and store for up to a year. Blanching is recommended.

Equipment Needed

  • Knife
  • Cutting Board
  • Dehydrator
  • Storage Container – I prefer glass jars, but mylar bags and vacuum seal bags work well for cabbage.

A Note about Blanching

Cabbage falls under the “if you eat it raw, you don’t have to blanch it” column. This means that while it is recommended to blanch cabbage to stop the enzymatic process that makes foods degrade faster on the shelf, it isn’t necessary. So you can choose to blanch for 2 minutes or leave as is.

Cabbage head being sliced in preparation for dehydrating

Directions

  1. Remove the outer leaves from each head of cabbage and any additional damaged pieces.
  2. Cut into quarters, then cut the core at an angle to remove the core.
  3. Wash at this point, or cut in the next step and clean the strips. You can use a Salad Spinner to remove the excess moisture.
  4. Cut into thin strips approximately no more than 1/4″ wide. I prefer to cut longer pieces in half to make storage and eating later easier. You can also use a shredder attachment on your food processor.
  5. Place on dehydrator trays. You can mound them a little as they will shink like other greens do as they dry.
  6. Dry at 125°F/52°C for 8-12 hours. Get this handy dehydrating magnet to help remember!
  7. Allow to cool before testing. It should be dry, breakable, and crunchy.
  8. Store after cooling in an airtight container for up to a year.
Before and after image of drying cabbage in a Sahara Dehydrator

This image was taken from doing bagged cole slaw mix from the store!

Oven Directions

Drying cabbage in the oven needs to be done with caution. If your oven is too hot, it may actually cook your cabbage instead of drying it.

  1. Spread cabbage shreds on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
  2. Set your oven to its lowest temperature (crack the door if necessary to release excess heat). The optimal temperature is 150°F or below, because too much heat will bake instead of dry.
  3. If you have a gas oven, you can just leave this overnight with the pilot light on.
  4. Dry until breakable and crunchy.

Conditioning and Storing

Conditioning is the process of keeping your dehydrated cabbage in a large container for five days, shaking once a day. This allows the residual moisture to even out throughout the batch and allows you to see any moisture issues long before mold sets in.

Once you’ve conditioned, place into an airtight container, such as glass jars, vacuum seal bags or mylar bags, for 12-18 months. This is the optimal time to store cabbage to keep the most of the nutrients and color. You may get longer, but over time, they may begin to change color and degrade in texture.

Expect cabbage to turn a brownish color more quick if you did not blanch, or if you’ve stored longer than a year.

Dehydrated cabbage in a 1/3 cup measure to show drying yield

Yield

1 packed cup of fresh cabbage is approximately equal to 1/4 cup dried.

Rehydrating Dried Cabbage

Reconstituting cabbage is so easy to do!

  • Simmer in a soup or stew
  • Place in a container and cover with water to allow it to rehydrate. I generally put just enough water to cover it.
Dehydrated cabbage rehydrating in a bowl of water

Uses

Dried cabbage can be used in a variety of dishes.

  • Eggroll in a Jar Recipe – imagine Eggroll in a Bowl – but shelf-stable!
  • Coleslaw – while not the typical fresh crunchy coleslaw, this will make a softer version.
  • Taco topping – makes a fun crunchy topping for fish tacos and other street taco kinds of meals when fresh isn’t available.
  • Soups – add it to any ramen, soup, or stew without the need to rehydrate.
  • Colcannon. Yes – you can use dehydrated for this version as long as you rehydrate first!
  • Add to scrambled eggs.
  • Stir fry – yes, you can! You can rehydrate first, or just toss it in as-is!

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need to blanch cabbage before dehydrating it?

No. You can, but it’s not necessary. However, know that your cabbage may lose its color over time when not blanched. Rotate through it, and you won’t have to worry.

Can I powder dehydrated cabbage?

Yes – you can powder it and add it to your green or vegetable powder.

Can I dehydrate bagged cabbage?

Yes! Those bags of coleslaw mix are a perfect way to start dehydrating without the fuss of slicing and chopping. Just throw it onto your dehydrator trays and dry it as above!

How long does dehydrated cabbage last?

Properly dried and stored, cabbage will last about 12-18 months, depending on if you blanched it or not. It does not have the longer shelf life as starchier vegetables, but rotate through for best results.

Dehydrating Basics & Journal book and ebook mockup
Bowl of sliced cabbage and cabbage head for dehydrating

Dehydrate Cabbage

Dehydrating cabbage to make it shelf stable for up to two years is the perfect way to have egg roll casserole or fried rice at any time!
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Course: Preserved Food, Side Dish
Cuisine: American
Diet: Vegetarian
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Drying Time: 8 hours
Total Time: 8 hours 5 minutes
Servings: 1
Calories: 18kcal

Equipment

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Remove the outer leaves from each head of cabbage.
  • Cut into quarters, then cut the core at an angle to remove
  • Wash.
  • Cut into thin strips approximately no more than 1/4" wide, 1/8" (3mm) is a better cut.
  • Place on dehydrator trays. You can mound them a little as they will shink like other greens do as they dry.
  • Dry at 125°F/52°C for 8-12 hours until they are crunchy and break easily
  • Condition
  • Store in an airtight container for up to a year.

Video

Darcy’s Tips

To rehydrate, soak in some water. You can dried cabbage for egg roll casserole, fried rice, or any other cooked cabbage dish.
To use in slaw, know that it loses it’s crunchy texture, so may be better for a warm slaw recipe!
Condition: Place food into a large glass jar, shake once a day for a week to check for any signs of moisture buildup or sticking that isn’t released by an easy shake of the jar. If you find signs, put it back into the dehydrator to dry more. 
Storage: Store in an airtight container for up to a year in a dark, cool, dry place.

Nutrition

Calories: 18kcal | Carbohydrates: 4g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 0.1g | Saturated Fat: 0.02g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.01g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.01g | Sodium: 13mg | Potassium: 119mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 69IU | Vitamin C: 26mg | Calcium: 28mg | Iron: 0.3mg

Nutritional information is an estimation only. Nutrient information for dehydrated foods is based on fresh. Use 1/4 of the servicing size for the same nutrient information. Thus 1 Cup of fresh fruit has the same sugars as 1/4 dried.

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10 Comments

  1. I love using my dehydrated cabbage. Is it normal for it to turn light brownish in color in jar over time? Although color changed, the flavor was still good when added to my soups.

    1. Yes – especially if you didn’t blanch it first or it has been stored in light. Things get old…and you need to note that and rotate them more often.

  2. Avatar for Lonnie Estrella Lonnie Estrella says:

    On #7 it says condition. What is that?

  3. My dehydrator is not adjustable and runs at about 145 to 155 degrees. Will this be too high for the cabbage?

  4. I have been air-drying cabbage by the wood stove and it is nice and dry, but a few pieces here and there, while dry, are still a little rubbery/flexible. They feel “dry” but they are not absolutely brittle. Is cabbage supposed to be ALL completely brittle?

  5. Do you blanch the cabbage before or after cutting into strips?

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