Grilled Napa Cabbage Recipe

By
Molly Watson
Molly Watson
An award-winning food writer and cookbook author, Molly Watson has created more than 1,000 recipes focused on local, seasonal ingredients.
Learn about The Spruce Eats' Editorial Process
Updated on 05/16/22
Tested by
Danielle Centoni
Danielle Centoni
Tested by Danielle Centoni

Danielle is a James Beard Award-winning food writer and editor based in Portland, Oregon.

Learn about The Spruce Eats' Editorial Process
Grilled napa cabbage

The Spruce Eats / Julia Hartbeck

Prep: 10 mins
Cook: 15 mins
Total: 25 mins
Servings: 4 servings
Yield: 1 head cabbage
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
117 Calories
11g Fat
5g Carbs
3g Protein
Show Full Nutrition Label Hide Full Nutrition Label
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4
Amount per serving
Calories 117
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 11g 14%
Saturated Fat 1g 7%
Cholesterol 0mg 0%
Sodium 718mg 31%
Total Carbohydrate 5g 2%
Dietary Fiber 2g 8%
Total Sugars 2g
Protein 3g
Vitamin C 95mg 473%
Calcium 221mg 17%
Iron 2mg 10%
Potassium 529mg 11%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

Grilled cabbage may sound a bit odd to people. Really odd to some. Yet we can assure you that this grilled napa cabbage is as delicious as any other grilled vegetable. After just a bit of time over a hot flame, cabbage takes on a lovely sweetness, picks up crispy blackened edges, and gets slightly soft while stubbornly holding onto its crunchy texture.

Grilled Napa Cabbage/Tester Image

"This is a simple side dish that goes with nearly any entree any time of year. It's fantastic with barbecued chicken and takes well to a drizzle of vinaigrette or a creamy slaw dressing. Skewering the wedges definitely makes it easier to keep them together on the grill." —Danielle Centoni

A Note From Our Recipe Tester

Ingredients

  • 1 head napa cabbage

  • 2 to 3 tablespoons olive oil, or other cooking oil

  • 1 teaspoon sea salt, or to taste

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients.

    Ingredients to make grilled cabbage

    The Spruce Eats / Julia Hartbeck

  2. Prepare a high (500°F to 600°F) gas or charcoal grill fire. Trim the cabbage of damaged outer leaves. Cut the cabbage into 8 wedges, being careful to keep a bit of the core in each piece to hold the wedge of leaves together.

    Wedges of napa cabbage on a cutting board

    The Spruce Eats / Julia Hartbeck

  3. For ease of handling, and to make sure the leaves don't fall between the grill grates, skewer each cabbage wedge onto a grill-proof metal skewer or wooden skewers which have been soaked for 30 minutes in water. Brush the cabbage wedges lightly with oil and sprinkle with salt.

    Skewered wedges of napa cabbage, brushed with oil and topped with salt

    The Spruce Eats / Julia Hartbeck

  4. With the cover opened, grill the cabbage until the edges are blackened and crispy, and the center wedges are warm, turning frequently to char on all sides, 10 to 15 minutes. For more tender cabbage, cover the grill while cooking. Serve hot, warm, or at room temperature.

    Napa cabbage cooking on a grill

    The Spruce Eats / Julia Hartbeck

Recipe Variations

  • The recipe also works with green and savoy cabbage.
  • Remove the wedges from the skewers and chop it all up before serving it more like a salad, drizzling it with a vinaigrette.
  • Sprinkle with grated cheese while the grilled cabbage is still hot so the cheese melts into it a bit—aged Gouda or cheddar are both really nice choices for this.
  • Drizzle with flavored oil before serving; lemon olive oil is nice, but a hot chile oil or toasted sesame oil add even more kick.
  • Add a sprinkle of ground cumin or other earthy spice (the warm spice mix called garam masala is a good choice, too) to the oil used to brush the cabbage in step 3.

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