Ethiopian Cabbage
Ethiopian Cabbage is a healthy combination of crunchy cabbage, tender carrots, and potatoes infused with deep, earthy spices. Absolutely delicious, vegan, and naturally gluten-free! 🫶

Is This Atakilt Wat?
Atakilt wat is an Ethiopian stew with cabbage, potatoes, and carrots with deliciously earthy spices. However, it was my inspiration for this recipe. Is it one hundred percent authentic? I can’t say because, number one, I’m not from Ethiopia, and number two, I’ve adapted it to my tastes and preferences, but it’s fairly close to an authentic atakilt wat.

Perfecting Cooked Cabbage
I seldom eat cabbage in restaurants because it tends to end up on my plate overcooked. Once it gets overly mushy (and pungent to boot!), I’m out. In my humble opinion, cabbage is best cooked briefly, leaving it tender but still a tad crunchy and not too smelly.
So that’s the key to this recipe! It can be tempting to toss all the veggies in the pan at once, but resist the urge! You’ll want to add the cabbage at the end, after the carrots and potatoes are tender.
How to Make Ethiopian Cabbage

- Saute – In a large saucepan or Dutch oven, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onions and saute them for a few minutes. Then, add the carrots, potatoes, and tomatoes.
- Spices – Next, stir in all the spices: garlic, cumin, smoked paprika, curry, white pepper, cayenne pepper, and salt.
- Simmer everything for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent burning.
- Cook – Pour about 1 cup of water into the saucepan, adding more as needed. Continue simmering for 10-15 minutes or until the potatoes are almost tender.
- Cabbage – Finally, add the cabbage and green peppers and stir. Continue cooking for about 5 minutes. Bought too much? Use it up in my tasty chicken cabbage soup.
- Serve – Taste test and adjust the seasonings as needed. Serve hot.
Tips and Tricks
- If your veggies start sticking at any point while cooking, add a splash of water or vegetable broth as you saute. 💦
- You can, in fact, sub the water in this recipe for broth, which will add a little more flavor. Some people even like to double up on broth, turning this dish into more of a stew than just sauteed veggies.
- Technically, you can freeze Ethiopian cabbage, but I prefer not to. I find the potatoes get mealy and the cabbage a little too mushy for my taste.
- Add a can of lentils with all the liquid instead of water for a vegan entree. Thanks, Ian.😍
- Toss in some leftover roasted chicken, beef, or pork for a non-vegetarian one-pot meal.
Make-Ahead Instructions
How can you save time even if you don’t want to freeze it? I like to make this a day ahead.
To do so, I cook everything except the cabbage. I chop the cabbage while the other veggies are cooking and then let them cool. I store the veggies and the cabbage separately in the fridge and simply heat the cooked veggies on the stovetop the next day. Add the cabbage and let it cook until just tender, which only takes a few minutes.
Make Ethiopian Cabbage a Whole Meal
You can certainly pair this lovely dish with Ethiopian chicken stew as a side, but it can easily be your main course, too. I like to cook a side of steamy jasmine rice and homemade bread – injera is perfect – and call it dinner! Maybe some kashata for a dessert twist. 😋
More Recipes for Voracious Vegans
- Baked Stuffed Plantains with Black Beans
- Creamy Vegetable Soup
- Chakalaka
- Coconut Fried Rice
- Doubles (Curry Chickpeas and Spicy Flatbread)
By Imma
Watch How to Make It
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This blog post was originally published in January 2017 and has been updated with additional tips, new photos, and a video
I will make this tonight it sounds so good, but I do not add the oil, since I am an fat free vegan. Just a note, all vegetables have all the protein a person needs. Animal proteins are not needed. Thank you for this recipe though, let you know How we liked it. Perhaps I put it into my food demonstrations I do for healthy eating.
Can’t wait to hear your feedback! Thanks for stopping by!
Kermit D. The oil in the recipe is not animal oil es vegetable oil. More more flavor, coconut oil is super good for this dish.
She doesn’t add oil not because it may be an animal product, but because she is oil-free. I am too. You can easily substitute the oil with veggie broth or water.
I’m vegan as well but I recently learned that you need some fat in order to absorb the nutrients in the vegetables because the vitamins are not water soluble. There was a study done by Wendy White regarding that. This article might help: ttps://www.news.iastate.edu/news/2017/10/09/saladvegetablesandoil
Thanks for this, will definitely check it out!
2nd time making this and its so amazing. Definitely adding to my staple. Thanks so much!
I was searching for a cabbage recipe and I came across your page. Made this tonight and it was delicious. I had to add some more spices though in the end (doubled your recipe) because it was still not as spicy as I thought. Maybe because my half cabbage was a much bigger. But really enjoyed this dish. Thank you.
Hi Raschelle! So thrilled to hear this ! Glad to hear it all worked out well for you.
Holy deliciousness!
I get a box of “ugly” (imperfect, rejected by supermarkets) produce delivered to my door every other week and this morning I received cabbage, potatoes and carrots. When I looked up recipes for those things I was expecting the usual Irish fare. The spices in this dish are so deeply warming on a winter’s night.
I think I know what I’ll be doing with the other half of the cabbage…remaking this recipe.
Thank you!
Awesome! So happy to hear this ! Happy Cooking!!!
Hello, love this recipe. I am definitely trying it.
How long can it stay in the fridge/freezer?
Hi , Mine usually last about 4 days, in the fridge . Never tried freezing it .
This was really good. Nice and healthy gluten free and veggies !! (Health). I like others didn’t have curry or tumeric (on shopping list ) I just used gd ginger. I love it it is something different rather than same things. Also I didn’t use tomatoes (health) or reg potatoes I just used a few big sweet potatoes. Will make again! Also didn’t have onion so just used little bit of onion powder.
Awesome . Thanks for the feedback. So happy to hear it worked out well for you.
I just made a big pot of this tonight because stew is perfect for cold weather and I modified it slightly instead of turmeric I replaced with sazon and adobo Goya seasonings and I added andouille sausage and shrimp to the mix. Pair this stew with some buttered cornbread and it’s phenomenal I am proud I made this
Virtual High Five!!! Glad to hear it worked out well for you.
So incredibly happy I stubbled upon your recipe as I googled “vegan cabbage recipes” I just recently went vegan. I made this dish along side with white rice and Brussel sprouts and it was soooo delicious! Thank you so much for this very simple yet very flavorful recipe!
Fantastic! Thanks for taking the time to share this with me. Have a great weekend!!!
This was really good. I actually just finished eating some leftovers. My husband and i had it as a main dish over rice with some johnny cakes and cream biscuits (your recipes). Thanks
And oh, sorry for all of the responses on your posts at once. Lol ive made quite a few so im finally paying my respects to all of those successes.
I’m making this dish right now and it smells fantastic! Whenever my family goes out for Ethiopian food, the stewed cabbage is one of my favorite parts. I also love what they do with dark greens. Yum. Now I have your recipe! I don’t remember how I found your site, but I’m so glad that I did. Everything that I have made from your site has been delicious and your photographs and descriptions are mouth watering. And I really appreciate that you have so many fish and vegetable recipes. I really feel like my family and your family have a shared taste in food. Thanks for sharing!
I would certainly agree Christine! Bland doesn’t cut it for us. It’s must be flavorful to the BONE. Glad you enjoy these recipes as much as I do . Thank you so much for the feedback – always appreciated . Happing Cooking !!!
Made this tonight and it was delicious. Spice portions were spot on, and the timing allowed everything to be cooked to perfection. Thanks!
Oh Wow! Thanks for letting me know Sam!
Hi Imma,
I tried the recipe this weekend with a few modifocations-omitted the potatoes and added broccoli and green beans. I also steamed the videos briefly before adding them to the mix of spices. The flavor is great! The spicespices combination is simple but something I have not tried before. I will Defiently cook this again!
I’m Ethiopian and was pleasantly surprised to see an Ethiopian dish recipe. We make this dish at home but will definitely try yours as it calls for more spices than we would normally use.
Awesome! Can’t wait to hear how this compares to yours.
Oh lovely, I will try this today for sure. Thank you for sharing this recipe, I am alowly transitioning to a vegatarian diet. All easy vegan recipes are welcomed.
This cabbage looks absolutely amazing! I will definitely give your recipe a try the next time I’m having freinds over for dinner :-).
Awesome! Can’t wait to hear how it works out for you.
I know I’ve had Stewed Veggies but been too long to remember since that was back when lived in the islands. But I like this dish and a very healthy one as well. It can go with just about anything literally as a main side dish or on its own. As well a good excuse to use or use up Cabbage which I also like. Everything to make it is very much things I always have on hand as well spices and more. I’ll surely have to make it st some point.
Healthy, Nutritious & Quite Delicious ! I’ve eaten since cabbage, potatoes and carrots since my childhood, minus the exotic spices (curry powder/tumeric, cumin and smoked paprika) which anoints the palate with divine flavor!!! #Yummers
I tried this dish and it was quite delicious. Thank you for sharing this recipe.
Angie, always good to know. Glad you enjoyed it!
Great recipe. Healthy and tasty too…Thanks for sharing.
Hello! Found you on foodgawker and am excited to try making an Ethiopian dinner tonight for the first time. Thank you for the recipe and inspiration.
Helena, I am happy you are trying your first Ethiopian dish.You will truly enjoy this stewed cabbage.Thanks for taking the time to comment