Air Fryer Cabbage Steaks or Wedges (Recipe + VIDEO!) (2024)

Learn how to cook cabbage in the air fryer! These air fryer cabbage steaks are brushed with olive oil and sprinkled with a simple BBQ seasoning. You’ll love how easy these roasted cabbage wedges are to make. This air fryer side dish is a great way to use up leftover cabbage and boost your veggie intake! You can use green cabbage or red cabbage in this air fryer recipe.

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What’s tender in the middle, crispy on the edges, and delicious all over? This air fryer cabbage recipe, that’s what!

Before anyone gets mad, I just want to say that these cabbage steaks are not meant to take the place of your rib eye. This vegan side dish is not pretending to be something it's not. You’re still going to need to add a protein-packed main dish to your meal.

It could be a burger, a steak, or maybe some smoked tofu if you want to keep things plant-based. Please remember cabbage is firmly in the vegetable group and not a protein group food. It’s not going to give you the protein and the same range of B vitamins you get with your protein foods.

I created this recipe because I had a bit of cabbage leftover from another recipe. It didn’t seem worth heating the house with oven roasting for such a small amount of cabbage. Once again, air fryer cooking came to the rescue!

If you don’t want to serve the cabbage as sliced wedges, you could chop it or cut it into large shreds instead. The versatility of this easy cabbage recipe is one of the reasons I think you’ll love it!

📋 Calories, Net Carbs, Protein

One serving of Air Fryer Cabbage has 155 calories, 4.7 grams net carbs, and 1.8 grams protein. Many BBQ seasonings contain a lot of salt. The sodium in this recipe will vary depending on the amount of seasoning you use. (You may want to use a different type of seasoning if you’re on a low sodium diet!)

⭐ Air Fryer Cabbage Steaks Benefits

Why try air frying cabbage? Here’s a quick summary of the benefits of this recipe:

• Healthy veggie: Cabbage is a cruciferous vegetable in the same family as other nutritious veggies like broccoli, cauliflower and Brussels sprouts. If you’re looking to boost your intake of potentially beneficial phytochemicals, this recipe is a great choice.
• Low calorie: This side dish is under 200 calories and suitable for weight watchers. With under 5 grams of net carbs per serving, it’s a good fit for low carb diets too.
• Antioxidants: This air fryer recipe provides certain essential nutrients that have antioxidant properties. This includes vitamin C (from the cabbage) and vitamin E (from the olive oil).
• Fast: You can air fry cabbage much faster than you can make oven roasted shredded cabbage. The air frying time for this recipe is approximately 16 minutes- not much longer than it would take to preheat the oven!
• Easy to customize: You don’t have to use barbecue seasoning in this recipe. Switch things up and use whatever herbs, spices, and seasoning blends you prefer.
• Delicious: Cabbage by itself is pretty blah. However, when you allow some caramelization to happen on the edges, and season it up, it’s really tasty! If you like roasted Brussels sprouts, you’ll probably enjoy this air fryer roasted cabbage as well.

🥘 Cabbage Steaks in Air Fryer Ingredients

What do you need to make cabbage in an air fryer? Here’s the roundup:

• Head of cabbage (cut into slices)
• Olive oil (or your favorite oil for cooking)
• BBQ seasoning (this one’s a personal favorite)
• Cooking oil spray (non-aerosol type)

It’s critical to choose a seasoning you like for this recipe because it provides most of the flavor. Here are a few more ideas for seasonings for cabbage if the BBQ seasoning doesn’t sound good to you:

• Indian spices such as curry
• Old Bay seasoning
• Grated Parmesan cheese
• Cajun spice
• Italian seasoning

🍽 Equipment

The kitchen equipment you need for air fryer cabbage steaks include a good knife, silicone pastry brush, and an air fryer. The brush is used to coat the cabbage slices with oil.

I use a 10-Quart Kalorik Digital Air Fryer Oven to develop my air fryer recipes. You can use a Ninja Foodi, Cosori, Pampered Chef Air Fryer, Actifry, Nuwave, Instant Vortex, Cuisinart, Philips, Power Air Fryer, etc. to roast cabbage. However, you may need to tweak the cooking times depending on the air fryer you use.

If your air fryer basket is small, you might have to cook the cabbage steaks one at a time. I was able to fit two cabbage steaks on my air fryer tray.

🔪 How to Make Air Fryer Cabbage Steaks

Time to learn how to air fry cabbage! Cooking cabbage in the air fryer is ridiculously simple. First you need to cut the cabbage.

I sliced two cabbage steaks that were each ½-inch (1.27 cm) thick and 4½-inches (11.4 cm) in diameter. It’s important to cut the “steaks” to a uniform thickness for the most even cooking.

If you cut your cabbage thicker or thinner, you will likely have to adjust the cooking times. You may also need to alter the air frying times if your cabbage steaks have a larger or smaller diameter than mine. (I actually don’t recommend cutting them thicker because the edges will burn before the middle becomes tender.)

I prefer to keep as much of the cabbage core as possible out of my cabbage wedges. The cabbage cores stay firm with air frying and aren’t really edible. Plus, I think the cabbage steaks look nicer without the cores.

After you’ve cut the cabbage, spray your air fryer tray or basket with cooking spray. Put the cabbage wedges in a single layer on the tray.

It’s better to cook the slices in batches versus overcrowding the air fryer. If you try to cook a lot at once, your cabbage won’t get as crisp.

Brush the tops and sides of the cabbage steaks with olive oil. Sprinkle the BBQ seasoning on liberally.

Put the tray with the cabbage in the air fryer (use the top rack position for air fryer ovens). You’re ready to air fry!

️⏲ Air Fryer Cabbage Steaks Cooking Time and Temperature

How long to air fry cabbage steaks? What temp to cook cabbage in air fryer? Air fry cabbage for a total of 16 minutes at 375 degrees Fahrenheit (190C).

Flip your cabbage steaks after 10 minutes of cooking and sprinkle with additional seasoning. Check your cabbage after cooking. Feel free to add more air fryer time if the cabbage isn’t cooked to your liking.

The edges of these cabbage steaks undergo caramelization and basically turn into crispy cabbage chips. They are my favorite part! Seriously, if you notice the edges getting too crispy during cooking, just eat them! YUM

To cut down on cooking time further, chop or shred the cabbage instead of cutting it into steaks. (Stir in the oil and seasoning instead of brushing or sprinkling it on.) A benefit of doing it this way is that you’ll get more of those yummy crisp edges.

Just save all the air fryer crispy cabbage for me. Yes, please.

🌡️ Leftovers

Keep air fried cabbage in a covered food-safe container in the fridge for 3-4 days. You can reheat the cabbage in the microwave or with a little oil on the stovetop. Though it’s possible to freeze cabbage steaks, the texture won’t be the same when defrosted.

🥗 How to Serve Cabbage Steaks

What to serve with cabbage steaks? One popular option is air fryer cabbage and sausage, such as kielbasa. Here are a few more ideas for what to eat with cabbage steaks:

• Air Fryer Chicken Leg Quarters
• Corned Beef
• Lamb
• Air Fryer Bacon-Wrapped Pork Tenderloin
• Edamame

Those are some good options for protein, and feel free to add more veggies to your plate as well! Potatoes, carrots, and onions are all great with cabbage.

💭 Expert Tips from a Dietitian

This is a level 1 recipe (may help support fat loss). Are you looking for a low carb and vegan food that’s high in satiety and low in calories? (Plus, very inexpensive!) Please don’t overlook cabbage.

This air fryer cabbage is going to be a good choice for a veggie side dish for nearly everyone. One exception is those who have an allergy or food intolerance to any of the ingredients. Another exception may be those on low-sodium diets.

Many BBQ seasonings (and seasoning blends in general) contain a lot of salt. A second popular example of a salty seasoning is Everything But the Bagel seasoning.

No worries though, those on low-sodium diets can still enjoy this air fryer cabbage. All you have to do is be mindful of the type of seasoning you use. Here is an option for no salt seasonings that may be worth looking into.

Sodium is an electrolyte and an essential nutrient, but many of us get an excess of it in ultra-processed foods. That said, there are groups of people who may benefit from not being super restrictive with sodium (e.g., certain athletes and keto dieters).

Salt enhances the flavor of food without adding calories. As an active person with low blood pressure who eats mainly whole foods, I don’t tend to worry about it. (That doesn’t mean that’s the right thing for YOU to do though.)

Be sure to check in with your personal physician or dietitian if you need help with your diet. Any general nutrition information on the web (including with this cabbage recipe) hasn’t been tailored to you.

FAQs

Are air fried cabbage steaks keto?

These air fryer cabbage steaks have under 5 grams of net carbs per serving. Cabbage counts as a non-starchy veggie, and is a good fit for most very low carb and ketogenic diets. Just don’t forget to add some protein to your meal!

Are air fryer cabbage steaks gluten free?

These are gluten free airfryer cabbage steaks as long as the seasoning you use is GF. (P.S. The BBQ seasoning I’m currently in love with also happens to be certified gluten free. You can purchase it on Amazon here.)

How to make cabbage steaks in the Instant Pot?

You can make this cabbage steak recipe in an Instant Pot with an air fryer lid. Alternatively, try using the “high saute” function of the Instant Pot to cook cabbage steaks. Put your oil in the bottom of the Instant Pot (instead of on the cabbage directly) and watch it closely as it sautés. I don’t recommend pressure cooking here.

Is cabbage good for weight loss?

Cabbage is a very low-calorie veggie that is high volume and packed with fiber to help keep you full. As long as you don’t deep fry it (or add a lot of sugar, oil, or flour to it) I do consider cabbage a good choice for losing weight. I think the inventor of the Cabbage Soup Diet was on to this!

👩🏻‍🍳 Other Cabbage Recipes

Want more recipes using cabbage? Here you go!

• Fermented Red Cabbage Sauerkraut
• Keto Unstuffed Cabbage Rolls
• Inside Out Egg Rolls

Also, don’t miss this Air Fryer Vegetable recipe. You’ll learn to cook some of the most popular frozen veggies in the air fryer!

📖 Recipe

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