Grilled Cabbage Steaks

Grilled Cabbage Steaks is an easy side dish for any summer meal or party!

Sliced cabbage is grilled until charred and smoky on the outside and tender throughout. And it takes less than 30 minutes!

Then you can serve them however you want. See the post for lots of ideas.

Plus they’re naturally low carb, gluten-free, dairy-free, vegan, keto, Paleo and Whole30 friendly!

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Grilled Cabbage Steaks

Coleslaw isn’t the only way to enjoy cabbage during summer. Why should vegetables like zucchini and summer squash get all the grilling action?

Grilled cabbage steaks are easy to prepare, don’t take a lot of time and are great on their own or served a million different ways.

Plus one head of cabbage, which is pretty cheap, can easily serve 4-6 people.

And while these are great no matter how you eat, they fit so many different ways of eating, too!

• Keto/low carb – 1 cup of raw chopped cabbage (which is roughly equal to one cabbage steak) has 3 grams of net carbs, so it’s great for keto or low carb lifestyles.
• Gluten-free and dairy-free – Grilled cabbage steaks by themselves are naturally both gluten-free and dairy-free. That might change depending on what you top them with, thought.
• Paleo/Whole30 – The Paleo lifestyle and the Whole30 program are both very veggie friendly, so these cabbage steaks are perfect! Again, that might change depending on how you top them.
• Vegan – Since cabbage steaks by themselves have no animal products, they’re totally vegetarian and vegan friendly.

What you need for Grilled Cabbage Steaks

Equipment:

• An gas or charcoal outdoor grill (this recipe was tested on a gas grill)
• a cutting board
• a chef’s knife
• measuring spoons (these are my favorite because they actually fit into spice jars)
• a small bowl
• a silicone or food-safe basting brush
• a measuring glass
• long cooking tongs
• a platter or baking sheet to transport them to/from the grill
• a serving platter and serving tongs

How to make Grilled Cabbage Steaks

First, heat your grill to medium heat.

Peel off any dirty or wilted outer leaves of the green cabbage.

Thinly slice off the bottom root end of the cabbage. Don’t cut the whole root stump away – you need it so that the steaks hold together. You just want to slice off the slightly dry outer layer.

Then stand the cabbage upright on its root end. Slice into 1/2″ steaks. If some outer leaves fall off, that’s fine (save for another use).

Lay them on a platter or baking sheet. Add avocado oil or olive oil to a small bowl and use a basting brush to brush the cabbage evenly with the oil (be sure to oil the outer leaves). Then sprinkle with salt, flip and oil and salt the other side.

Grill the steaks for 10 minutes per side, until you see char marks. Do not move the steaks around much once you’ve placed them on the grill. Some of the outer leaves might get pretty black but that’s normal (feel free to discard those bits).

And that’s it!

*Please note I have not tried this with red cabbage.

What to serve with cabbage steaks

There are so many ways to enjoy them:

1. Simply drizzle with balsamic vinegar or a thick balsamic glaze
2. Drizzle with ranch or Caesar dressing
3. Top with shredded Buffalo or BBQ chicken or pork
4. Top with a fried egg, chopped bacon and freshly ground pepper
5. I love making this topping and piling it on the cabbage steaks: chopped olives, capers, basil, garlic, minced anchovies, extra virgin olive oil and a splash of red wine vinegar
6. Sprinkle with toasted chopped nuts and chopped fresh herbs
7. Think of the cabbage steaks as a replacement for leafy greens in salad – top the steaks with your favorite salad add-ins

Make ahead/storage

I recommend eating these immediately. You can also make them a few hours ahead of time and store them at room temperature.

I do not recommend making them more than a few hours in advance or freezing them. The salt will draw out the moisture and they will get soft.

Other recipes you might like:

1. Grilled Fruit Platter
2. Grilled Carrots
3. Grilled Avocado Hummus
4. Grilled Steak
5. Smoky Grilled Pork Tenderloin

Print Recipe

5 from 3 votes

Grilled Cabbage Steaks

These Grilled Cabbage Steaks are an easy side dish and there's a ton of different ways to serve them! Plus they're naturally low carb, keto and vegan.

Prep Time5 minutes mins

Cook Time20 minutes mins

Total Time25 minutes mins

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: American

Keyword: cabbage steaks, grilled vegetable, keto, low carb, paleo, vegan, whole30

Servings: 4 servings

Author: Don Baiocchi

Ingredients

• 1 head green cabbage
• ¼ cup avocado oil or olive oil
• 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
• See notes below for serving ideas

Instructions

• First, heat your gas or charcoal grill to medium heat.
• Peel off any dirty or wilted outer leaves of the green cabbage. Thinly slice off the bottom root end of the cabbage. Don't cut the whole root stump away - you need it so that the steaks hold together. You just want to slice off the slightly dry outer layer.
• Stand the cabbage upright on its root end. Slice into 1/2" steaks. If some outer leaves fall off, that's fine (save them for another use). Lay the slices on a platter or baking sheet. Add avocado oil or olive oil to a small bowl and use a basting brush to brush the cabbage evenly with the oil. Then sprinkle with salt, flip and oil and salt the other side.

  (You can also just drizzle them with oil and smear it around with your fingers but I don't like this method as much. If you do this, just remember to oil first, then salt.)
• Grill the steaks for 10 minutes per side, until you see char marks. Do not move the steaks around much once you've placed them on the grill. Some of the outer leaves might get pretty black but that's normal (feel free to discard those bits). See notes below for serving ideas.

Notes

What to serve with cabbage steaks

1. Simply drizzle with balsamic vinegar or a thick balsamic glaze
2. Drizzle with ranch or Caesar dressing
3. Top with shredded Buffalo or BBQ chicken or pork
4. Top with a fried egg, chopped bacon and freshly ground pepper
5. I love making this topping and piling it on the cabbage steaks: chopped olives, capers, basil, garlic, minced anchovies, extra virgin olive oil and a splash of red wine vinegar
6. Sprinkle with toasted chopped nuts and chopped fresh herbs
7. Think of the cabbage steaks as a replacement for leafy greens in salad - top the steaks with your favorite salad add-ins

 

Make ahead/storage

I recommend eating these immediately. You can also make them a few hours ahead of time and store them at room temperature.

I do not recommend making them more than a few hours in advance or freezing them. The salt will draw out the moisture and they will get soft.

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