One cup of raw, shredded cabbage contains about 22 calories. That makes cabbage one of the lowest-calorie vegetables you can eat, with less than 20 calories per half cup cooked. Whether you’re tracking calories or just curious, cabbage delivers a surprising amount of nutrition for almost no caloric cost.
Calories by Type and Preparation
Green and red cabbage are nearly identical in calories. One cup of raw shredded cabbage (about 89 grams) lands right around 22 calories. Cooking changes the math slightly because heat shrinks the volume, so a cup of cooked cabbage is denser and comes in closer to 34 calories. But the cabbage itself isn’t gaining calories. You’re just fitting more of it into the same measuring cup.
The calorie picture changes fast once you add other ingredients. A cup of traditional coleslaw dressed with mayonnaise can climb to 250 or 300 calories depending on the recipe. Sauerkraut, which is simply fermented cabbage with salt, stays lean at about 27 calories per cup. If you’re choosing cabbage specifically for its low calorie count, how you prepare it matters more than which variety you pick.
What Else You Get for Those 22 Calories
The real story with cabbage isn’t how few calories it has. It’s how much nutrition fits into those calories. One cup of raw shredded cabbage provides 190% of your recommended daily vitamin C, which is more than you’d get from a medium orange. A cup of cooked cabbage delivers 91% of your daily vitamin K, a nutrient essential for blood clotting and bone health.
Cabbage also provides both soluble and insoluble fiber. Soluble fiber slows digestion and helps manage blood sugar, while insoluble fiber keeps things moving through your digestive tract. You’ll also get small amounts of folate, manganese, and potassium. For a vegetable that barely registers on a calorie counter, it pulls a lot of nutritional weight.
Why Cabbage Works for Weight Management
Cabbage has a glycemic index of just 10, which is extremely low. Anything under 55 is considered low-glycemic, meaning it causes only a minimal rise in blood sugar after eating. This matters for weight management because sharp blood sugar spikes tend to trigger hunger and cravings shortly after a meal. Cabbage does the opposite: its combination of fiber and water creates volume in your stomach, helping you feel full without adding meaningful calories.
This high-volume, low-calorie profile is why cabbage shows up so often in weight loss plans. You can eat a large portion, get genuine satiety from the fiber, and still stay well within your calorie goals. Shredded cabbage works as a base for salads, a filler in stir-fries, or a simple side dish that takes up plate space without taking up your calorie budget.
Red Cabbage vs. Green Cabbage
Calorie-wise, red and green cabbage are interchangeable. The difference is in their plant compounds. Red cabbage gets its deep purple color from anthocyanins, the same pigments found in blueberries and red wine. These compounds act as antioxidants in the body and have been linked in research to cholesterol-lowering, liver-protective, and blood sugar-regulating effects.
Both red and green cabbage contain compounds called glucosinolates, which break down during digestion into substances that have shown anti-cancer activity in studies. Regular consumption of cruciferous vegetables like cabbage has been associated with reduced risk of colon and lung cancer in epidemiological research. Green cabbage tends to be milder in flavor and softer when cooked, while red cabbage holds its crunch better and adds color to raw dishes. Nutritionally, red cabbage has a slight edge thanks to those anthocyanins, but both varieties are excellent choices.
Simple Ways to Keep Cabbage Low-Calorie
Raw cabbage in salads or slaws stays lowest in calories, especially if you skip creamy dressings. A vinegar-based slaw with shredded cabbage, a splash of rice vinegar, and a pinch of salt keeps you close to the vegetable’s baseline calorie count. Sauerkraut is another smart option at 27 calories per cup, with the added benefit of probiotics from fermentation.
Roasting cabbage wedges with a light coat of olive oil adds some calories from the fat but brings out a sweet, caramelized flavor that makes it satisfying as a main side dish. Stir-frying shredded cabbage with garlic and a small amount of oil is another way to keep calories modest while adding flavor. The key is that cabbage itself is so low in calories that even with reasonable additions, the final dish stays relatively light compared to most sides.