Creamed Savoy Cabbage

This Creamed Savoy Cabbage is a luxurious take on a humble vegetable. Quick and simple to make this creamy, garlicy cabbage will quickly become your new favourite side dish.

creamed savoy cabbage is a revelation

I don’t know whether it is just me that is late to creamed cabbage, but if you haven’t tried it you really need to!

I’m not sure I would have specifically ordered or tried it, but it was part of a bowl of vegetables served in a pub alongside a pie. It definitely exceeded my expectations and I knew I wanted to recreate it at home.

It is the perfect combination of cabbage, cream and garlic which makes a decadent and delicious side dish.

which cabbage to use

As the name suggests, I use savoy cabbage for this recipe. It is my go-to cabbage of choice in general, however it is also the variety most commonly used in creamed cabbage recipes.

I don’t think white or red cabbage work well for this recipe. However a hispi cabbage (pointed cabbage) could work well.

Cavolo nero (Tuscan kale) or kale would also be worth trying if you couldn’t find or didn’t have any savoy cabbage.

how to prepare the savoy cabbage

Preparing a savoy cabbage is super simple. I start my breaking off the outer leaves and giving them a good wash.

Once they are clean, using a sharp knife cut down either side of the stalk to remove it completely. I usually then cut each leave in half where the stalk was and pile them all on top of each other. I then thinly slice through the pile of cabbage leaves.

Personally I prefer the darker leaves of the savoy cabbage and don’t tend to use the really tightly compacted lighter leaves in the middle. This is personal preference so please use them if you wish.

Savoy cabbages seem to come in a variety of sizes these days. The below recipe is based on a medium sized cabbage but can easily be adjusted.

which cream to use

I always prefer to use double cream for pretty much any recipe that requires cream. If you only have single cream you can use this instead but you might need to adjust the quantities.

As single cream is thinner you might want to let it thicken for a little longer before serving.

Recipes are all about personal preference and you might not need all of the cream stated. Keep adding until the cabbage is the creaminess you like.

I see so many people using Elmlea which is a cream alternative rather than actual cream. Personally I wouldn’t use this but if you have that in your fridge already you can use it.

which garlic is best to use

I’ll be honest with you, more often than not I use a jar of chopped garlic when cooking. One of my least favourite kitchen tasks is peeling and chopping garlic so I like to avoid it when I can.

Jarred garlic isn’t as strong as fresh garlic so if you are using this in your cabbage you may want to add a little more than if you are using fresh. Two cloves of fresh garlic would be roughly 2 teaspoons of diced garlic from a jar.

You can also use garlic puree or garlic granules in this creamed cabbage. Just adjust how much you add depending on which type of garlic you are using. Remember you can always add more but you can’t take away!

You may want to alter the amount of garlic you add depending on what you are serving this creamed savoy cabbage with. For example if I am serving it with a roast dinner I typically add less garlic than if I was serving it with simply grilled meat.

making the cabbage dairy free

This creamed cabbage can easily be made dairy free and vegan. Instead of double cream just use you preferred dairy free cream.

Just make sure you use double cream rather than dairy free milk as this will have a much looser texture and not provide the same flavour to the finished cabbage.

Can you make this creamed cabbage in advance?

This isn’t really a recipe you can make too far in advance because it doesn’t reheat to be as good as it originally was. Don’t get me wrong it is still ok, just not as good.

You can easily wash and prep your cabbage so it’s all ready. Then when you want to cook it will only take a few minutes and you can serve it straight away.

how to serve creamed savoy cabbage

You can serve this cabbage with so many different dishes. As you can see from the photos I served it with roast beef, roast potatoes and stuffing. Although it has cream in it, it definitely does go well with gravy!

It would also be delicious served with roast chicken or honey glazed ham.

I also like to serve it with cosy dishes like chicken & ham hock filo pie, slow cooker chicken casserole or pork & mustard stew.

It is such a quick and easy side dish you really can serve it with a whole variety of meals.

other recipes you might like

• Pressure Cooker Red Cabbage with Apple
• Brussels Sprouts with Bacon & Garlic
• Air Fryer Parmesan Tenderstem Broccoli
• Bubble & Squeak
• Roasted Air Fryer Carrots

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