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Cabbage Stir Fry

The best cabbage stir fry recipe with ramen noodles. Serve this stir fry dinner topped with sweet chili sauce for the best flavor!

ramen noodles, cabbage, and carrots in a dish

It’s no secret that I have a love for homemade stir fry recipes.

Broccoli with garlic sauce, ramen noodle stir fry, stir fry vegetables, broccoli tofu stir fry, broccoli stir fry, teriyaki sauce, egg roll in a bowl, just to name a few.

Stir fry is one of our favorite types of dinners to make.

This recipe that I am sharing today is just 10 ingredients and so easy to make!

You can’t go wrong with this delicious cabbage stir fry recipe. 

stir fry in a bowl with a bite twirled around a fork

Ingredients to make cabbage stir fry

  • ramen noodles (flavor packets discarded)
  • thinly sliced green cabbage
  • minced fresh ginger
  • fresh garlic
  • grated carrots
  • yellow onion, diced
  • sesame oil
  • stir fry sauce
  • sweet chili sauce, for topping
cabbage and carrot with ramen noodles

how to make cabbage stir fry

Step 1: Remove the core from a green cabbage and thinly slice the cabbage until you measure 5 cups worth. 

The core is tough, so we don’t want to use that part of the cabbage in this recipe. 

Try to slice it as thinly as possible for best texture. 

Step 2: Grate the carrots and finely mince the ginger and garlic. 

ramen noodle cabbage stir fry in a red pan

These are what give stir fry that next level flavor. 

If you have never bought fresh ginger in the store, just look for it in your produce section.

It comes in long knobs which look like roots.

To prepare your ginger, just cut off the peeling with a knife, then slice and dice until the ginger is in very small minced pieces.

You can also use the back of a spoon to scrape off the peel, it takes a little bit longer, but often yields more ginger.

a serving of noodles

Step 3: Peel and dice up a yellow onion. 

Once all of your vegetables are prepped, it is time to start cooking the stir fry. 

Step 4: In a large skillet or jumbo cooker combine the cabbage, ginger, garlic, carrots, onion, and 2 tablespoons of sesame oil. 

raw ginger, onion, cabbage, and carrots in a large skillet

You do not need a wok to make this recipe, any large skillet type pan will work!

Step 5: Turn the heat to medium high and stir often, until cabbage is wilted and onion is soft as pictured below.

This will take around 15 – 20 minutes. 

Stir every few minutes to make sure the vegetables cook evenly. 

This will cook the cabbage down until it is nice and soft. 

cooked cabbage, carrots, ginger, and onion

Step 6: When the veggies are close to being done cooking, prepare the ramen noodles. 

These only take a few minutes to make. 

Discard the ramen noodle packets, you don’t need those. 

Cook the ramen noodles according to the package instructions, then drain. 

stir fry sauce in a mason jar with a lid

Step 7: Make the 3 ingredient stir fry sauce and shake all the ingredients together. 

This is the sauce that I use in every stir fry recipe that I make, it is so easy and always tastes amazing!

A good sauce is important to any homemade stir fry recipe. 

cabbage stir fry in a skillet with tongs

Step 8: Once the ramen noodles are cooked, add them to the cabbage stir fry.

Pour the homemade stir fry sauce over the top. 

It won’t look like much sauce at first, but the flavor is very strong and will work just right for the amount of ingredients in this recipe. 

It is a highly concentrated sauce, so the little bit goes a long way. 

cooked cabbage, carrots, onion, and ginger

Cook for an additional 3 – 5 minutes, stirring well, until sauce coats the entire stir fry.

The cornstarch part of the sauce is what will cause it to thicken and start to coat the ingredients of the stir fry. 

Just keep mixing until all of the veggies and noodles are coated. 

cabbage recipe with ramen noodles

I find tongs to work best for mixing the noodles evenly into the vegetables. 

Everything is going to stick together in clumps at first.

I have found that tongs help separate everything nicely so that you get both ramen and veggies in every bite. 

cabbage stir fry being served with tongs

From here you can taste and add more soy sauce (if you like a saltier stir fry), or you’re ready to eat!

Grab a bowl and serve up this cabbage stir fry!

This makes a very large amount and the leftovers are just as good the next day. 

overhead view of a skillet full of cooked cabbage stir fry noodles

I love using ramen noodles in stir fry and they’re perfect in this one. 

If you are gluten free, make this recipe gluten free by using brown rice ramen noodles!

The texture is slightly different, but I have used them before and they are still good. 

stir fried cabbage and noodles in the skillet

How can I make this high protein?

Cook up some of your favorite protein (chicken, tofu, beef, etc) and add it in to make this higher in protein. 

Just remember you may need more sauce to accommodate for the extra ingredients.

For this cabbage noodle stir fry, you absolutely MUST top it with sweet chili sauce!

The salty nutty flavor of the stir fry pairs perfectly with the sweet slightly spicy sweet chili sauce. 

Sweet chili sauce is so delicious on stir fry recipes. 

The sweetness also balances out the natural slight bitterness that cabbage can sometimes have. 

It’s a must have for this cabbage stir fry!

Are you making this recipe? I want to see! Don’t forget to tag me on instagram @buildyourbite and hashtag #buildyourbite with your recipe creations!

Looking for more ramen noodle recipes? Try these Sesame Garlic Ramen Noodles, Asian Mushroom Ramen Noodles, or Teriyaki Noodles.

If you have a hankering for orange tofu or orange chicken, try this homemade orange sauce

Just pour a little on top of your bowl and stir it all in!

Literally heaven in every bite and so fast to throw together.

Sweet and spicy and all things yummy. 

a bowl of stir fry with sweet chili sauce on top

Be sure to pin this recipe for later and follow Build Your Bite on Pinterest for all the latest delicious recipes!

cabbage stir fry

looking for more cabbage recipes? Be sure to try this easy instant pot cabbage!

Did you make this recipe? Be sure to leave a star rating below!

Yield: 8 - 10 servings

Cabbage Stir Fry Recipe

cabbage stir fry

The best cabbage stir fry recipe with homemade stir fry sauce.

Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes

Ingredients

  • 9 oz ramen noodles (flavor packets discarded)
  • 5 cups thinly sliced green cabbage
  • ¼ cup minced fresh ginger
  • 6 cloves of garlic, minced
  • 1 cup grated carrots
  • 1 large yellow onion, diced
  • 2 tablespoons sesame oil

For the sauce

for topping

  • sweet chili sauce to taste

Instructions

  1. Remove the core from a green cabbage and thinly slice 5 cups worth of cabbage
  2. Dice the yellow onion and mince the fresh garlic and ginger
  3. Grate the carrots
  4. Add the sliced cabbage, ginger, garlic, carrots, onion, and sesame oil to a large skillet or jumbo cooker
  5. Cook over medium high heat, stirring often, for 15 - 20 minutes, or until cabbage is wilted and onion is softened
  6. In the last 5 minutes of cook time, prepare the ramen noodles according to package instructions
  7. Once the cabbage stir fry is done, add in the cooked ramen noodles and homemade stir fry sauce (recipe linked in the recipe ingredients)
  8. Cook for 3 - 5 minutes until well coated and combined
  9. Add soy sauce to taste, if desired (I did not add any more)
  10. Serve stir fry topped with sweet chili sauce

Notes

1. I used organic ramen noodles, so it was a total of 8.4 oz. If using regular ramen most are 3 oz each so you would need 3 blocks.

This stir fry is intended to be topped with sweet chili sauce. It's the perfect slightly sweet and spicy contrast to the mild bitterness of the cabbage. Don't skip this!

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

10

Serving Size:

1

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 97Total Fat: 5gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 103mgCarbohydrates: 12gFiber: 2gSugar: 2gProtein: 1g

Did you make this recipe?

Be sure to tag me on instagram @buildyourbite and hashtag #buildyourbite with your recipe creations!

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Janet

Saturday 14th of January 2023

We loved this! Added shredded pork and used Japanese BBQ sauce in place of chili sauce. It was so delicious!

Diane Hills

Tuesday 10th of January 2023

This is really good! I love the stir fry sauce, has a lot of flavor.

Vero Bo

Sunday 13th of November 2022

We absolutely love this recipe and make it regularly. Carrots and cabbage being relatively cheap winter vetegetables, this recipe gets bonus points for that. We usually add grilled tofu or edamames for protein.

Karen orban

Friday 12th of August 2022

Made this tonight. I only had red cabbage but it was totally delish. Chile sauce was just right with this.

Suzy

Tuesday 5th of July 2022

Made this tonight with millet capellini and coconut aminos with the sesame oil and arrowroot in place of the cornstarch. We loved it and all the substitutions works exceptionally well. Love Asian dishes and especially ones I can make on a lectin free diet. Thanks so much.

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