How Many Carbohydrates Are In Cabbage? | Raw, Cooked, Red Counts

Cabbage is one of those vegetables that feels hearty on the plate but stays modest on carbs. That’s why it shows up in slaws, stir-fries, soups, stuffed rolls, and low-carb meals so often. If you want one number to carry with you, this is it: a cup of raw green cabbage lands at around 5 grams of total carbohydrate.

That said, the exact number shifts with the type of cabbage, the serving size, and whether it’s raw or cooked. Red cabbage runs a bit higher. Cooked cabbage gets denser, so a cup can hold more carbohydrate than a cup of shredded raw leaves. None of that makes cabbage a high-carb food. It just means the details matter if you track grams closely.

Why Cabbage Carbs Stay On The Lower Side

Cabbage has a lot of water and a fair amount of fiber for its calorie count. So even when the total carbohydrate number rises with a bigger serving, the food still feels light. That’s one reason it works well in meals where rice, pasta, bread, or potatoes would push the carb total up much faster.

You also get more chew than the numbers suggest. A bowl of shredded cabbage takes up space, adds crunch, and keeps a meal from feeling skimpy. If you’re building a plate and trying to hold carbs in check, cabbage pulls its weight.

Carbohydrates In Cabbage By Type And Serving Size

The fastest way to judge cabbage is to think in cups, not in abstract grams. Most people aren’t weighing a wedge before dinner. They’re tossing shredded cabbage into a skillet, piling slaw next to a sandwich, or simmering wedges in soup. The table below gives a practical range you can use at home.

These figures are best treated as working numbers, not lab math. Brand labels, trimming, water loss during cooking, and how tightly you pack the cup can nudge the count a bit.

• Raw green cabbage is usually the lowest-stress pick for carb tracking.
• Cooked cabbage has more carb per cup because it shrinks as it softens.
• Red cabbage is still modest on carbs, though it tends to come in a touch higher than green.
• Napa cabbage is one of the lighter choices.

If you want hard reference points, the FDA’s raw vegetable chart lists green cabbage at 5 grams of carbohydrate per 84-gram serving, and USDA FoodData Central entries let you compare raw and cooked forms in more detail.

Type And Serving	Total Carbs	Fiber / Net Carbs
Green cabbage, raw, 1/12 medium head	5 g	2 g fiber / 3 g net
Green cabbage, raw, 1 cup shredded	About 5.2 g	About 2.3 g fiber / 2.9 g net
Green cabbage, cooked, 100 g	About 5.5 g	About 1.9 g fiber / 3.6 g net
Green cabbage, cooked, 1 cup	About 6 g	About 2.8 g fiber / 3.2 g net
Red cabbage, raw, 1 cup chopped	About 7.4 g	About 2.2 g fiber / 5.2 g net
Savoy cabbage, raw, 1 cup shredded	About 6 g	About 2 g fiber / 4 g net
Napa cabbage, raw, 1 cup shredded	About 3.2 g	About 1.2 g fiber / 2 g net

Raw Vs Cooked Cabbage

This is where people get tripped up. A cup of raw shredded cabbage and a cup of cooked cabbage do not hold the same amount of food. Once heat hits the pan, the leaves wilt, water cooks off, and the cabbage packs down. So a cooked cup often carries more carbohydrate than a raw cup, even when the vegetable itself did not “gain” carbs.

If you’re logging food, weigh it when you can. If not, use a simple rule: raw cabbage tends to read lighter by the cup, cooked cabbage reads denser by the cup, and both still stay moderate in carb terms.

What About Net Carbs?

Net carbs are total carbs minus fiber. Not everyone tracks food that way, but many low-carb eaters do. Cabbage fits neatly into that style of eating because a decent slice of its total carb count comes from fiber. That keeps the net number lower than the headline number on paper.

The FDA’s Daily Value for total carbohydrate is 275 grams per day on a 2,000-calorie diet. Against that yardstick, even a generous serving of cabbage barely moves the dial.

How Much Cabbage Can You Eat Before Carbs Add Up?

More than many people think. A side portion of raw cabbage slaw might land around 1 to 1 1/2 cups. That still keeps total carbs in a modest range. Even a big skillet of sautéed cabbage shared between two people usually does not turn the meal into a carb bomb.

What sends the count upward is often the rest of the recipe. Sugar in coleslaw dressing, honey in braised cabbage, apples, raisins, breaded add-ins, or a pile of noodles underneath can swing the final number far more than the cabbage itself.

Portion	Estimated Total Carbs	What It Means On The Plate
1/2 cup raw shredded	About 2.5 g	Easy add-in for tacos, bowls, and sandwiches
1 cup raw shredded	About 5 g	Solid slaw or salad base
2 cups raw shredded	About 10 g	Large salad-sized serving
1 cup cooked cabbage	About 6 g	Normal hot side dish
2 cups cooked cabbage	About 12 g	Big serving, still modest next to rice or pasta

Which Type Of Cabbage Is Lowest In Carbs?

Napa cabbage is often the lightest choice by the cup, with green cabbage close behind. Red cabbage still sits in a low-to-moderate range, yet it tends to edge higher. In real meals, the gap is small enough that taste and texture should drive the call unless you count every gram.

Green cabbage is the most flexible all-rounder. It works raw, stir-fried, roasted, braised, or fermented. Red cabbage holds crunch and color well in salads. Napa softens fast and slips neatly into soups, noodle bowls, and wraps.

Best Picks If You Track Carbs Closely

• Choose napa or green cabbage most often.
• Measure cooked cabbage with extra care, since it packs down.
• Watch sweet dressings and glazes more than the cabbage itself.
• Use vinegar, mustard, mayo, herbs, and spices to keep sauces leaner on carbs.

Easy Ways To Keep A Cabbage Dish Lower In Carbs

The vegetable is rarely the problem. The sauce usually is. A creamy slaw can jump if the dressing leans on sugar. Braised cabbage can creep up if it uses sweet onion jam, apple juice, or brown sugar. Restaurant versions may hide more sugar than you’d guess from the menu line.

At home, a few swaps keep the numbers steady:

• Use plain Greek yogurt or mayo with vinegar for slaw dressing.
• Skip dried fruit unless you want the sweetness on purpose.
• Pair cabbage with butter, olive oil, garlic, bacon, sausage, or eggs for a filling low-carb meal.
• Use cabbage leaves in place of tortillas or noodles when the dish fits.

So, How Many Carbs Are In Cabbage?

For most people, the practical answer is simple: raw green cabbage has about 5 grams of carbs per cup, cooked cabbage lands near 6 grams per cup, and red cabbage comes in a bit higher. Fiber trims the net count, which is why cabbage stays popular in low-carb eating plans.

If you want the leanest estimate, go by green or napa cabbage and keep an eye on dressings, sauces, and sweet add-ins. Do that, and cabbage stays one of the easiest vegetables to fit into a carb-conscious meal.