Cabbage Stir Fry
Updated May 17, 2024
This Cabbage Stir Fry recipe with ramen noodles is absolutely delicious! Top with sweet chili sauce for a dinner that will rival your favorite takeout.
This cabbage stir fry is so delicious!
It’s no secret that I have a love for homemade stir fry recipes and this cabbage stir fry is one that I find myself making again and again. I have been making this recipe for years now and to this day I would say it’s in my top 10 of my favorite recipes to make from my blog!
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. Everyone who tries it raves about how good it is!
You can find the full recipe and ingredients in the recipe card at the bottom of this post, but here is what you’ll need to make this recipe.
Ingredients and Notes
- ramen noodles: flavor packets discarded
- thinly sliced green cabbage: or substitute purple cabbage. Try coleslaw mix for a faster alternative.
- fresh ginger: minced
- fresh garlic: minced
- grated carrots: grate them yourself or save time and buy pre shredded carrots in the produce section
- yellow onion: diced
- sesame oil
- stir fry sauce: this homemade 3 ingredient recipe is the best!
- sweet chili sauce, for topping
Can I make this gluten free?
If you are gluten free, you can 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.
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.
Recipe Tip
To save time, some readers have noted that they buy bags of coleslaw mix at the store to use for this recipe with great results!
Step 2: Grate the carrots and finely mince the ginger and garlic. 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.
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.
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 the cabbage is wilted and the 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.
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.
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.
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.
Cook the cabbage stir fry for an additional 3 – 5 minutes, stirring well, until the 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.
I find tongs to work best for mixing the noodles evenly into the vegetables. Everything is going to stick together in clumps at first.
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 heated up the next day.
How to serve & store leftovers
Serving: This cabbage stir fry is best served with sweet chili sauce on top. You can also add protein of choice, such as tofu, chicken, beef, or plant-based meat.
Storing: leftover cabbage stir fry can be stored in the fridge in an airtight container for 3-4 days.
More Stir Fry Favorites
Cabbage Stir Fry
Ingredients
- 9 oz ramen noodles, flavor packets discarded
- 5 cups thinly sliced green cabbage
- 1/4 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, for serving
Instructions
- Remove the core from a green cabbage and thinly slice 5 cups worth of cabbage
- Dice the yellow onion and mince the fresh garlic and ginger
- Grate the carrots
- Add the sliced cabbage, ginger, garlic, carrots, onion, and sesame oil to a large skillet or jumbo cooker
- Cook over medium high heat, stirring often, for 15 – 20 minutes, or until cabbage is wilted and onion is softened
- In the last 5 minutes of cook time, prepare the ramen noodles according to package instructions
- Once the cabbage stir fry is done, add in the cooked ramen noodles and homemade stir fry sauce (recipe linked in the recipe ingredients)
- Cook for 3 – 5 minutes until well coated and combined
- Add soy sauce to taste, if desired (I did not add any more)
- Serve stir fry topped with sweet chili sauce
Hi, I was thrown off as what to do with this recipe as there is no such thing as a 9 0z package of ramen noodles at the store. They are 3 or 3.5 oz and are the ones that are like 17 each on sale or 4 for a dollar. I just didn’t want to buy about 25 packages of maurachan ramen noodles.
Would you please be more specific. Instead I bought a package of 16 oz of thin spaghetti. I’m on my way home now to make this.
This is listed in the notes below the recipe. You need 3 blocks total of ramen since they are 3 oz each, so buy the 4 for a dollar pack and only use 3.
@Joy Shull, exactly what I needed to know. Thanks!
This looks and sounds good. I think I might make it with lo mein noodles rather than ramen.
Hi. I can’t find the stir fry sauce recipe. Desperate to try this. Please help!
https://buildyourbite.com/3-ingredient-homemade-stir-fry-sauce-recipe/
This was delicious! My family really enjoyed it, thank you!
So glad you enjoyed the recipe Pam!
I can’t use Sesame seed oil. My old man has an allergy. He is allergic to peanuts and the oil. What can I use for a a subscription.
This is a recipe after my own heart! Easy, delicious, and frugal, aside from the sesame oil. This is a winner, and I will definitely make it again. Thank you!
So glad you loved the recipe Chessie!
Can this be made low carb and high protein? WhT would you suggest?
You could add your favorite protein and use low carb noodles.
Don’t be low carb 😉
Seriously, why do you look at a noodle recipe if you are low carb?
Now a good answer, just leave out the noodles and triple the cabbage.
How do I find the sauce u made for the stir fry
It’s linked in the post! Here it is, just scroll to the bottom of the page for the recipe: https://buildyourbite.com/3-ingredient-homemade-stir-fry-sauce-recipe/
Hi Joy. Do I use the seasoning packet that comes with the ramen noodles?
Nope, just discard it!
Hi Joy,
Wow was I so ready to throw this together tonight. I had everything in my pantry and fridge that I needed. Or so I thought. First faux pas was finding out I DIDN’T have any sweet chili sauce….when I was halfway done cooking the veggies. AAAAAAWWWWW! But the worst thing was my ramen. I am not a ramen chef and they came out gooey. What did I do wrong?? The flavors were fantastic. The fresh ginger just popped. I will make it again if I can get the noodles right. Thank you!!
Hi Lori,
What kind of ramen did you buy? Did you follow the cooking instructions for the length? I’m sorry they turned out gooey! It may have been a problem of cooking too long. They cook super fast. I’m so glad you enjoyed the flavors of the recipe!!