Cabbage is not high in protein. A cup of shredded raw green cabbage (about 70 grams) contains just 1 gram of protein, which is a tiny fraction of the 50 grams most adults need daily. While cabbage is a nutritious vegetable with real benefits, protein is not one of its strengths.
How Much Protein Cabbage Actually Has
One cup of shredded green cabbage delivers 1 gram of protein and only 18 calories. Red cabbage is nearly identical: half a cup of shredded raw red cabbage has 0.5 grams of protein and 11 calories. Napa cabbage edges slightly higher at 1.2 grams per cooked cup, but that’s still negligible in the context of a full day’s protein needs.
To put this in perspective, you’d need to eat roughly 50 cups of shredded cabbage to hit a typical daily protein target. That’s over 7 pounds of cabbage. No one is doing that, and no one should try.
Cabbage vs. Other Vegetables
Even among vegetables, cabbage sits near the bottom for protein. Here’s how a one-cup serving of common vegetables compares:
- Brussels sprouts: 3 g
- Asparagus: 3 g
- Broccoli: 2.5 g
- Cauliflower: 2 g
- Mustard greens: 1.6 g
- Green cabbage: 1 g
- Spinach: 0.7 g
Brussels sprouts and broccoli, both close relatives of cabbage in the cruciferous family, deliver two to three times the protein per cup. If you’re trying to squeeze more protein from your vegetables, those are better picks. That said, no vegetable is a significant protein source on its own. Even the top performers on this list contribute only a small supplement to protein-rich foods like meat, beans, eggs, or tofu.
What Cabbage Does Offer
Cabbage’s real nutritional appeal has nothing to do with protein. At 18 calories per cup, it’s one of the lowest-calorie vegetables you can eat while still getting meaningful amounts of vitamin C, vitamin K, and fiber. It’s also rich in compounds called glucosinolates, which are linked to anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects in the body.
The small amount of protein cabbage does contain includes some essential amino acids, with valine making up the largest share (roughly 34 to 67% of the essential amino acids present, depending on the variety). Red cabbage lines contain valine, threonine, isoleucine, leucine, and lysine. But the total quantities are so low that this amino acid profile matters very little in practical terms.
Does Cooking Change the Protein Content?
Cooking cabbage doesn’t meaningfully increase or decrease its protein. What cooking does change is how easily your body absorbs nutrients from cabbage overall. Heat breaks down cell walls in the plant, making certain vitamins and minerals more bioavailable. Cooked cabbage, along with kale and tomatoes, is generally easier for your body to extract nutrients from than raw cabbage. But this effect applies more to vitamins and minerals than to the trace amount of protein present.
How to Pair Cabbage With Protein
If you enjoy cabbage and want to build a higher-protein meal around it, the strategy is simple: treat cabbage as the vehicle, not the protein source. Stir-fried cabbage with chicken or shrimp, cabbage rolls stuffed with ground meat and rice, or a coleslaw served alongside grilled fish all work well. Cabbage’s mild flavor and satisfying crunch make it a useful base for dishes where something else provides the protein.
For plant-based meals, pairing cabbage with tofu, edamame, or lentils fills the protein gap. A cup of cooked lentils adds about 18 grams of protein, instantly turning a cabbage-heavy dish into a complete meal. Cabbage also pairs naturally with chickpeas in grain bowls or with white beans in soups, where the beans do the heavy lifting nutritionally and the cabbage adds bulk and texture for almost no calories.