Marinated Cabbage and Beet Salad | natashaskitchen.com

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This cabbage and beet salad is worth discovering. It tastes a little like marinated cabbage salad (a type of sauerkraut), with a little sweetness from the beets. And it’s so colorful! The natural hue will surprise and intrigue your dinner guests, especially if they aren’t from Eastern Europe where beets are used in strange and delicious ways.

My mom grows these gigantic cabbages in her yard – I mean twice the size of my head! So ofcourse you’ll find plenty of cabbage recipes on my blog. We love cabbage raw, marinated, pickled, stuffed, braised, you name it! It’s based on a recipe shared by one of my lovely readers, Vika (I love it when you all write in with your cool recipes!).

Cabbage and Beet Salad Ingredients:

2 medium cabbages (5-6 lb total) *see note on cabbage in notes below
3 medium beets (1 lb)
3 large garlic cloves

Marinated Cabbage and Beet Salad | natashaskitchen.com

Marinade Ingredients:

2 cups filtered water
1 1/4 cup oil (I used light olive oil)
1 cup white vinegar
1 cup of granulated sugar
2 Tbsp sea salt (best if it’s not iodized)

Marinated Cabbage and Beet Salad | natashaskitchen.com

How to Make Cabbage Salad with Beets:

1. In a medium sauce pan, combine all marinade ingredients: 2 cups filtered water, 1 1/4 cup light olive oil, 1 cup vinegar, 1 cup sugar, and 2 Tbsp sea salt. Bring to a boil then remove from heat and cool to room temperature.

Marinated Cabbage and Beet Salad-3

2. Finely shred cabbage (this is much easier with a mandolin and be sure to use safety gloves to protect your fingers) and transfer to your largest mixing bowl. Grate beets or cut them into matchsticks (we love this julienne slicer), then transfer to your mixing bowl. Finely dice garlic cloves and add them to the mixing bowl.

Marinated Cabbage and Beet Salad | natashaskitchen.com

3. Pour cooled marinade over your chopped ingredients and stir to combine. Create a press to weigh down the cabbage enough to bring the marinade to the surface of the cabbage. We used a large dinner plate and a covered bowl with water for the weight. Refrigerate or let this stand in a cool room for 7-10 hours or overnight. We set it next to an AC vent.

Marinated Cabbage and Beet Salad | natashaskitchen.com

4. Transfer salad to a large glass jug for easier storage in the fridge and keep refrigerated until ready to serve.This salad holds well in the refrigerator for about a week. Pairs well with steak and mashed potatoes

Marinated Cabbage and Beet Salad | natashaskitchen.com

Natasha's Kitchen Cookbook

Cabbage and Beet Salad Recipe

4.87 from 23 votes
Author: Natasha of NatashasKitchen.com
Cook Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 5 minutes

Ingredients 

Servings: 1 1/2 Liters

Salad Ingredients:

  • 2 medium heads of cabbage, 5-6 lb total
  • 3 medium beets, 1 lb
  • 3 large garlic cloves

Marinade Ingredients:

  • 2 cups filtered water
  • 1 1/4 cup oil, I used light olive oil
  • 1 cup white vinegar
  • 1 cup of granulated sugar
  • 2 Tbsp sea salt, best if it's not iodized

Instructions

  • In a medium sauce pan, combine all marinade ingredients: 2 cups filtered water, 1 1/4 cup light olive oil, 1 cup vinegar, 1 cup sugar, and 2 Tbsp sea salt. Bring to a boil then remove from heat and cool to room temperature.
  • Finely shred cabbage (this is much easier with a mandolin and be sure to use safety gloves to protect your fingers) and transfer to your largest mixing bowl. Grate beets or cut them into matchsticks (we love this julienne slicer), then transfer to your mixing bowl. Finely dice garlic cloves and add them to the mixing bowl.
  • Pour cooled marinade over your chopped ingredients and stir to combine. Create a press to weigh down the cabbage enough to bring the marinade to the surface of the cabbage. We used a large dinner plate and a covered bowl with water for the weight. Refrigerate or let this stand in a cool room for 7-10 hours or overnight. We set it next to an AC vent.
  • Transfer salad to a large glass jug for easier storage in the fridge and keep refrigerated until ready to serve.This salad holds well in the refrigerator for about a week.

Notes

*When buying cabbage, buy light in color and NOT bright green (the light color indicates that it is a “late” in the year cabbage which works best for this recipe). The ones at the farmers market in Fall are best. Also, avoid using aluminum for the marinating process.
Course: Salad
Cuisine: Russian, Ukrainian
Keyword: Cabbage and Beet Salad
Skill Level: Easy/Medium
Cost to Make: $

If you make this recipe, I’d love to see pics of your creations on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter! Hashtag them #natashaskitchen

Thank you Vika for sharing this wonderful recipe with us! Keep ’em coming! 😉

Marinated Cabbage and Beet Salad | natashaskitchen.com

Marinated Cabbage and Beet Salad | natashaskitchen.com

Natasha Kravchuk

Welcome to my kitchen! I am Natasha, the blogger behind Natasha's Kitchen (since 2009). My husband and I run this blog together and share only our best, family approved and tested recipes with YOU. Thanks for stopping by! We are so happy you're here.

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Comments

  • Lucy
    October 25, 2023

    Do I need to shred the cabbage and beets? I think I would prefer veggies into bite-sized pieces/ bigger pieces- iso shredding , do you think it would still work ok? Thank you for your guidance!

    Reply

    • NatashasKitchen.com
      October 25, 2023

      Hi Lucy! It marinates easily with thinner/shredded pieces but feel free to experiment with it. I hope you love the recipe.

      Reply

  • Diane
    August 29, 2023

    I made this yesterday and it’s so good I had some for breakfast! Next time I will use either a “lighter” oil or use less. So yummy

    Reply

    • NatashasKitchen.com
      August 29, 2023

      Hi Diane! I’m glad you loved it. Thank you for sharing your experience with the recipe.

      Reply

  • Dave
    November 18, 2021

    Regarding some of the questions below: I halved the sugar and added an extra bit of salt and garlic, and a little less oil. Basically you can tweak this however you want to your tastes. So good and so healthy.

    Reply

    • Natashas Kitchen
      November 18, 2021

      I know our readers will find this helpful! Thank you for sharing, Dave!

      Reply

  • TJ
    February 6, 2021

    Boiling beats first gives the salad much better flavor. But still it’s kind of bland. We had to add some more salt and apple sider vinegar before serving.

    Reply

    • Natashas Kitchen
      February 6, 2021

      Thank you so much for sharing that with me.

      Reply

  • Julie
    December 29, 2020

    Hi, do you think this will pair well if salmon?

    Reply

    • Natasha's Kitchen
      December 30, 2020

      Hi Julie, it depends on your preference but I think it should be good with salmon.

      Reply

  • Olga
    October 1, 2020

    Hey Natasha!
    Could you please mute all your ads and videos, this became SOOO noisy. There is absolutely no way to start cooking something without waking my napping baby! Or, I’ll need to stop using your site for inspiration at all; it’s so distracting as well! I find the Video recipe I need, but then another starts playing simultaneously, and ads as well! I wonder if it’s same for everyone, but my patience with the mobile site is mostly gone. I understand that this is your income, but PLEASE MAKE ADS AND VIDEOS SILENT by default.
    Thanks for understanding

    Reply

    • Natasha's Kitchen
      October 6, 2020

      Hi Olga, thank you for sharing your concerns and feedback. The only way we can continue providing free recipes is by having ads on our site so we are not able to remove those at this time. We find that most people would rather see the ads than pay to see the recipes. I appreciate your feedback and I hope you love every recipe you try. You should also be able to close the video window after a while, the x button shows up.

      Reply

  • CB
    August 25, 2020

    Hi Natasha, can I water-bath can this for shelf storage?

    Reply

  • Tanya
    March 25, 2020

    Hi Natasha, did you weight the cabbage with the core?
    Thank you

    Reply

    • Natasha
      March 26, 2020

      Hi Tanya, yes I weighed the cabbage with the core. I had removed the ugly outer leaves then weighed.

      Reply

  • Olga
    February 4, 2020

    Hi Natasha,

    So the marinade goes into the jar too, you don’t drain right? Just get all the cabbage into the jar and then add whatever amount of marinade will fit inside right?

    Reply

  • Sarah
    February 3, 2020

    This is the most amazing simple and economical recipe ever and it keeps really well (much longer than the recipe says)
    and is now a stock item in my fridge.

    Reply

    • Natashas Kitchen
      February 3, 2020

      That’s so awesome Sarah! Sounds like you found a new favorite!

      Reply

  • David
    December 31, 2019

    This cabbage and beet salad is the truth, and that’s no lie. I’ve prepared it for family and friends and I’ve only heard yelps of delight and screams of joy. Unfortunately, when I share the recipe, those scalawags think it’s too much work. So anytime they want it now, I’m the one who has to make it. Oh well. There are worse things to complain about. Thanks for the recipe.

    Reply

    • Natashas Kitchen
      December 31, 2019

      Sounds like you found a party favorite, David! Thank you for sharing that awesome review with us.

      Reply

  • Inna
    June 6, 2018

    So delicious! My friends and I could not stop eating this salad! I love that you can change up the marinade according to your own preference. Next time I would make it a little less sweet since the beets add their own sweetness. Thank you!

    Reply

    • Natashas Kitchen
      June 6, 2018

      You’re welcome, Inna! I’m so happy you enjoyed it. 🙂

      Reply

  • ghahereh
    November 7, 2017

    is the best natashaskitcheb
    nice to meet you

    Reply

    • Natasha
      natashaskitchen
      November 7, 2017

      I’m so glad you liked it! 🙂

      Reply

  • Sarah Jane
    October 6, 2017

    Must the beets be cooked or roasted or are they used raw after peeling?

    Reply

    • Natasha
      natashaskitchen
      October 6, 2017

      Hi Sarah, the beets are added raw to the salad 🙂

      Reply

      • Sarah Jane
        October 7, 2017

        Thanks for your prompt response. Love your website. The marinated tomatoes are great! We used our garden tomatoes and some store bought ones to make a nice bowl. Delicious!! I used dried herbs since I didn’t have fresh and it turned out well. Spashebo! (sp?)

        Reply

        • Natasha
          natashaskitchen
          October 7, 2017

          You are so welcome and thank you for sharing that with us!! 🙂

          Reply

  • Anna
    July 18, 2017

    Natasha! Where did you purchase your big tall jar?

    Reply

    • Natasha
      natashaskitchen
      July 18, 2017

      Hi Anna, I found that one at TJ Max which is not helpful to you since their inventory is constantly changing. Any 3-liter jar would work for this though or even a glass bowl with lid.

      Reply

  • Rosie
    May 23, 2017

    Wanted to give you and some of your fans a little insight into my experience with using Stevia and Stevia/sugar mix with this recipe. The first time I made this recipe, I used the ingredients as listed. Turned out great! The second time I made, this I used Stevia. Results were okay…you definitely know it’s not sugar, as most sugar-substituted foods turn out, but it was still really good. My favorite so far has been using SugarLeaf, which is a half Stevia and half sugar mix. I think this version of the salad was most similar to using 100% sugar in the marinade. As you can tell, this is pretty much a constant item in our fridge. Thanks!!

    Reply

    • Rosie
      May 23, 2017

      I just realized I’ve made this salad every week since finding it. LOL

      Reply

      • Natasha's Kitchen
        May 23, 2017

        LOL! Sounds like you definitely have a favorite! Thanks for sharing Rosie 🙂

        Reply

    • Natasha's Kitchen
      May 23, 2017

      Awesome! Thanks for sharing your tips with other readers Rosie!

      Reply

  • Rosie Huff
    May 7, 2017

    This recipe is really good!! Thanks for sharing it. I tossed in a thinly chopped Spanish onion since I love marinated onions. I will definitely make this again. One thing, though…..I’ve never added oil to a pickle recipe, so I felt the oil made this really greasy. But I really liked it, so maybe next time I will use less oil.

    Reply

    • Natasha
      natashaskitchen
      May 7, 2017

      Rosie, thank you for sharing your review, I’m so glad you liked the salad. Oil can be added according to your preference.

      Reply

  • Carol
    August 7, 2016

    Have you ever used the purple cabbage for this? I have one and I was wondering how you think it would be.

    Reply

    • Natasha
      natashaskitchen
      August 8, 2016

      Hi Carol, I’ve never tried that combination so I’m not really sure how it would affect the flavor or color. It might end up darker in color.

      Reply

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