Instant Pot Cabbage Soup

This healthy Instant Pot Cabbage Soup is packed full of vegetables, fiber, and lots of fresh flavors. Pressure cook this soup in no time when you need a quick and healthy soup that is perfect for a weeknight meal or as part of a healthy detox! 

Cabbage soup is a popular dish especially during the beginning part of the year. Cabbage is high in nutrients and fiber making it a great vegetable to eat when you want to get back on track with a healthy lifestyle after the holidays or for when you need a boost of nutrients without sacrificing taste. 

Mixing cabbage with hearty aromatic soup vegetables like carrots, celery, onion, and garlic helps enhance the flavor of the cabbage along with fire-roasted tomatoes and fresh thyme. 

The best part? This vegan cabbage soup is made using the Instant Pot or pressure cooker to cook it up all in one pot with minimal time and effort. 

Serve this instant pot cabbage soup recipe as the main meal, as a starter, or serve it for lunch alongside a green salad. You can customize this easy cabbage soup in many different ways and make a large batch for meal prep during the week. 

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• It’s packed full of natural nutrients, and fiber coming from fresh vegetables.
• Cabbage soup is inexpensive making it a budget-friendly meal. 
• You can customize the soup by adding in your favorite vegetables and flavors. 
• Make this soup using your Instant Pot or on the stovetop. 
• This soup recipe is perfect for anyone – it’s vegetarian, vegan and naturally gluten-free.

Ingredients You Need

• Extra Virgin Olive Oil – Used to saute the vegetables which help them break down and release their flavor getting them ready for pressure cooking. 
• Vegetables – A mirepoix, also known as carrots, onion, and celery is classically used to add aromatic flavor to most vegetable soups. 
• Salt & Pepper – Helps to enhance the flavors of all the ingredients in the soup. Adjust as necessary. 
• Garlic – Gives the soup an infusion of fresh garlic flavor that pairs well with the rest of the vegetables.
  Vegetable Broth & Water – Adds liquid making this dish a soup consistency. Vegetable broth also adds additional flavor and nutrients. You can substitute with chicken broth or beef broth, but it will change the flavor.
• Green Cabbage – A half of a head of green cabbage is the main vegetable of this soup making it a healthy meal but also a great cabbage detox soup. 
• Fire Roasted Tomatoes – A can of chopped fire-roasted tomatoes gives acidity to the broth along with sweet tomato flavor. You can substitute with regular diced tomatoes, if needed.
• Herbs – This recipe calls for bay leaves and fresh thyme. Use fresh parsley for garnish.
• Crushed Red Pepper (Optional) – Gives this soup a kick of spice, but is completely optional. 

Equipment Needed

This cabbage soup recipe cooks in an Instant Pot or pressure cooker. However, if you don’t have a pressure cooker, stove top directions are also provided below.

How to Make Cabbage Soup in an Instant Pot

1. Prepare the pressure cooker: Turn your Instant Pot to Saute mode. Drizzle in the oil and wait until it gets shiny and hot. 
2. Cook the soup vegetables: Once the oil is hot, add the carrots, celery, and onion, and sprinkle in the salt and pepper. Saute the vegetables for 3-4 minutes or until they begin to soften. Then, add the freshly chopped garlic and cook for an additional 30 seconds. Press the cancel button on the Instant Pot. 
3. Add the remaining ingredients: To the softened vegetables, add the vegetable broth, water, cabbage, thyme, bay leaves, and crushed red pepper. Add additional salt and pepper if needed. Give it a stir to combine all of the ingredients.
4. Pressure cook the soup: Add the lid onto the instant pot and put it in sealing mode. Cook on manual high pressure for 5 minutes and allow the pressure to naturally release for 10 minutes. Release the remaining pressure, then remove the lid. (It takes about 15 minutes for the pot to come to pressure.)
5. Season and serve: Remove the bay leaves and fresh thyme sprigs from the instant pot and discard. Give the instant pot cabbage soup a stir, then season if necessary. Ladle into bowls and serve hot with a fresh parsley garnish. 

Stove Top Instructions

You can easily make this cabbage soup on a stove top if you don’t have a pressure cooker.

• Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the carrots, celery, onion, salt and pepper and sauce for 8 to 10 minutes, until softened.
• Add the vegetable broth, water, cabbage, thyme, bay leaves and crushed red pepper. Stir and cover. Allow to simmer over low heat for 15 to 20 minutes or until cabbage is fork tender.
• Remove bay leaves and thyme springs and season with salt and pepper to taste. Garnish with fresh parsley and serve.

Expert Tips

• Always taste and adjust the seasonings in each stage. The vegetable broth may already contain salt, so you may need more or less to add depending on which kind you use. 
• Cut the vegetables into all roughly the same bite-sized pieces to ensure they cook evenly and that you get some of each in every bite. 
• The cabbage does not have to be sautéed before adding to the broth as cabbage is a delicate vegetable that will break down easily when pressure cooked.

Variations

• To make Instant pot cabbage roll soup: This soup has a very similar flavor to baked cabbage rolls. Add rice, quinoa, or your favorite grain to the soup after it’s cooked to make a cabbage roll soup. 
• Add meat: If you want to add additional protein to the soup, cook up some ground beef, ground turkey, or chicken along with the soup vegetables before adding the broth and cabbage. 
• Change up the veggies: This instant pot cabbage soup can be made with many different vegetables including zucchini, corn, mushrooms, brussels sprouts, green beans or broccoli. 
• Add some greens: Add additional nutrients by stirring in some chopped spinach, kale, or collard greens after the soup cooks. 
• Add different herbs: You can use rosemary, sage, basil, or any fresh or dried herb you enjoy to add a layer of herb flavor to the cabbage soup. 
• Use fresh lemon juice: Before serving, adding a fresh squeeze of lemon juice.

If you love this Instant Pot Cabbage Soup, then you will love some of our other favorite instant pot soup recipes. Try them and let us know what you think!

Other Instant Pot Soup Recipes

• Instant Pot Carrot Soup
• Instant Pot Broccoli Cheddar Soup
• Chicken and Dumplings
• Instant Pot Sweet Potato Quinoa Chili
• Instant Pot Chicken Stew
• Instant Pot Stuffed Pepper Soup

Did you try this Cabbage Soup recipe in the Instant Pot or Stove Top? Leave a recipe rating and review below.