Easy Cabbage Fritters with Garlicky Dip

If you're looking for fun new cabbage recipes or to try a new savory pancake recipe, then you HAVE to try these tasty Cabbage Fritters!

They are easy to make, fun to eat, and taste great with my creamy garlicky yogurt dip.

Would you be willing to try these savory pancakes???

View my web story for how to make Cabbage Fritters!

We've been making these cabbage fritters on repeat at my house, and I absolutely love them! My husband likes them too, although he does admit he would rather be eating pizza or burgers or something with meat. 

The reason I am in love with these cabbage fritters is that they're like the perfect combination of healthy and indulgent: they have healthy cabbage and a good amount of protein thanks to the eggs, all in a tasty, pancake-y fritter. That's the beauty of vegetable fritters, isn't it?? You are eating something tasty and healthy at the same time!

These fritters use thinly sliced cabbage which form nice little layers in the fritters, giving them a nice texture as you bite into them.

The fritters hold up well and make great finger food for dipping into the delicious creamy garlicky sauce/dip, which is the perfect pairing for these cabbage fritters.

We usually have these cabbage fritters when we want a light vegetarian lunch, or we have one or two as our side dish next to some chicken or steak.

These cabbage fritters are inspired by okonomiyaki, which are Japanese savory pancakes made with shredded cabbage.

Except these are so much easier to make without ANY exotic ingredients, making them totally easy to make for ANY cook.

The humble cabbage

Cabbage is so much more than coleslaw, kimchi, and stuffed cabbage, and I am on a mission to prove that!

I was born in Ukraine, and we eat a lot of cabbage as part of our diet. 

Most of my cabbage recipes are not traditionally Ukrainian, but they are really good! Check them out:

• Cabbage and kielbasa stir fry
• Sweet and sour cabbage stir fry with pork
• Cabbage and bacon stir fry
• Bubble and squeak
• Coleslaw orzo salad
• Soba noodle and red cabbage stir fry

Cabbage is super healthy - it is light in calories, high in fiber, nutrients, and antioxidants. It has a LOT of vitamins K and C, and a good amount of folate, manganese, vitamin B6, calcium, and potassium. Cabbage can help reduce inflammation, improve digestion, help fight off diseases, keep the heart healthy and your blood pressure low. (Source)

If that doesn't convince you to try these cabbage pancakes, then I don't know what will!

How to make cabbage fritters

Making cabbage fritters is almost as easy as making regular pancakes, with just a few added ingredients.

Here's how I make these cabbage fritters:

Start by slicing the cabbage really thin - see photo above (but you can use a bag of coleslaw mix too!). This recipe needs 4 cups of sliced cabbage, which is about 1 lb of cabbage, or ½ of a really small head of cabbage. Then squeeze the sliced cabbage with your hand just to soften it a little bit. 

Then combine the dry ingredients in one bowl, just like you would for pancakes. The only difference is you skip the sugar and add a few extra seasonings for flavor:

• Garlic powder
• Onion powder
• Diced scallions or other fresh herbs
• Dried herbs (Italian seasoning or any combination of dried oregano, parsley, basil work great!)
• Salt and pepper (and baking powder)

If you want to add a little spice, you can add red pepper flakes, a few pinches of cayenne pepper, or finely diced jalapeños.

Then I combine the wet ingredients in another bowl. For these cabbage fritters I use less milk and more egg, to make them more eggy and less pancake-like. I just prefer that texture for these savory fritters.

Typically pancakes require a 1:1 ratio of flour to milk, plus 1-2 eggs. But for this recipe I use 1.5 cups flour, 1 cup milk, and 4 eggs.

If you don't want the fritters to be eggy, feel free to use 1.5 cups milk and 2 eggs instead.

Then whisk the wet ingredients together, add them to the dry ingredients, and stir in the sliced cabbage.

At this point, you might feel like you have wayyyy too much cabbage and you might be questioning your decision to make these fritters.

Don't worry. It is going to be OKAY.

Just mix everything together well. You want the batter to be super cabbage-y.

Time to fry!

I fry these fritters in olive oil in a non-stick pan. I shallow fry them, but I like to use a generous amount of olive oil to get those crispy edges. You can definitely make these fritters even more delicious by frying them in about ½ inch oil.

Or you can make them a little lower in calories by frying them in just a tiny bit of oil or using an olive oil spray.

The non-stick skillet is super important though! I really haven't tried these with a cast iron skillet or a stainless steel skillet because I don't want to take any chances.

Other add-ins for savory cabbage pancakes

The recipe I give here is pretty much a basic cabbage pancake recipe. But you can add so much more to these! Here are some fun add-in ideas:

• Crumbled bacon
• Finely diced ham
• Splash of liquid smoke
• Fresh or sauteed scallions
• Fresh or sauteed jalapeños
• Finely shredded carrot
• Finely diced onion
• Sauteed leeks (like I do in my sweet potato fritters recipe)

Garlicky dip

These cabbage fritters are delicious when served with a chilled, garlicky lemony creamy dip.

You can use sour cream or plain unsweetened Greek yogurt or regular yogurt as the base of this dip. Sour cream definitely makes a richer dip, but plain Greek yogurt is just fine too.

I add garlic powder, salt, pepper, fresh herbs, and lemon juice to the creamy dip to give it flavor.

Other dip and topping ideas for savory cabbage pancakes

These cabbage fritters would also be great served with any of these dips or sauces drizzled over them:

• Tartar sauce
• Ranch dressing
• Sour cream + a generous sprinkling of Everything but the Bagel Seasoning
• Sriracha mayo sauce (from my ground pork burgers)
• Soy sauce
• Hoisin sauce
• Mayo + Worcestershire sauce
• Mayo + Tonkatsu sauce

The last few ideas are definitely a nod to the fact that these savory cabbage pancakes are very similar to Japanese okonomiyaki cabbage pancakes, which are traditionally drizzled with a combination of mayonnaise and a sweet/sour/smoky Asian sauce, then topped with bonito flakes (fish flakes).

Be open minded! Try them with every one of these sauce suggestions!

However you decide to serve these cabbage fritters, I hope you get a chance to make them! If you do, please take a picture and tag me on Instagram or Facebook. You can find me at @babaganoshblog on both. I love seeing your creations!

Looking for more easy vegetable fritters, tots, and savory pancakes?

• Cauliflower fritters
• Corn fritters (my most popular recipe in 2020!)
• Cauliflower tots
• Yellow squash tots
• Cheesy savory pancakes with scallions

If you enjoyed this recipe, let me know with a comment and a star rating below. And don't forget to share it on Facebook and save it on Pinterest for later!

Print Recipe

4.74 from 34 votes

Easy Cabbage Fritters with Garlicky Dip

These savory cabbage fritters are easy to make, fun to eat, and taste great with the creamy garlicky dip or any of the other dip ideas below!

Prep Time15 minutes mins

Cook Time15 minutes mins

Total Time30 minutes mins

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: American, Eastern European

Diet: Vegetarian

Servings: 14 fritters

Author: Kate

  Cook Mode: Prevent your screen from going dark

Ingredients

For the fritters

• 1 lb cabbage - very thinly sliced (see note #1)
• 2-4 tablespoons olive oil for cooking fritters

For the fritters - dry ingredients

• 1.5 cups all purpose flour
• 1 scallion - diced (see note #2)
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning - or dried parsley + oregano (see note #3)
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon pepper
• Optional: ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes

For the fritters - wet ingredients

• 1 cup milk - (any kind)
• 4 eggs
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice or lime juice - (from ½ lemon)

For the garlicky dip

• ½ cup sour cream - (or plain yogurt, see note #4)
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice or lime juice
• ½ teaspoon garlic powder
• ¼ teaspoon salt and pepper - (or to taste)

Instructions

Make the cabbage fritters:

• Thinly slice the cabbage, place it in a bowl, and squeeze it / massage it with your hand to break it up and soften it a bit.
  1 lb cabbage
• In a large bowl, combine all the dry ingredients and mix well.
  1.5 cups all purpose flour
• In a medium bowl, combine all the wet ingredients and whisk together, breaking up the eggs.
  1 scallion, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1 teaspoon onion powder, 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning, 2 teaspoons baking powder, 1 teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon pepper, Optional: ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
• Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and whisk together, until mostly combined.
  1 cup milk, 4 eggs, 2 tablespoons olive oil
• Add the sliced cabbage and stir together, until all the cabbage has been mixed into the batter. You might need to use a fork if your whisk is too bendy to stir the cabbage+batter together.
• Heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a large non-stick skillet. Add about ¼ cup of the cabbage batter to the hot oil and turn the heat down to medium-low. Cook for 4-5 minutes, or until golden brown. Use a silicone spatula to carefully flip the fritters and cook on the other side for 3-4 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove the fritters to a plate to cool, add a bit of olive oil and cook the remaining fritters.

Make the garlicky dip - or see notes for other serving suggestions

• Combine all the dip ingredients in a small bowl and mix well. Serve with warm cabbage fritters.
  ½ cup sour cream, 1 tablespoon lemon juice or lime juice, ½ teaspoon garlic powder, ¼ teaspoon salt and pepper, 1 tablespoon lemon juice or lime juice

Notes

• Note #1: This recipe needs 4 cups of thinly sliced cabbage, which is 1 lb of cabbage. This is about ½ of a small head of cabbage. You can also use a 14 oz package of coleslaw mix.
• Note #2: You can use diced scallion or about 2 tablespoons of your favorite fresh herbs. I often mix diced scallion and parsley leaves.
• Note #3: A mix of dried herbs works well - I like to mix dried oregano + parsley + basil. I like using both fresh and dried herbs for this recipe for the best flavors.
• Note #4: Full fat sour cream makes the best garlicky dip, but you can use plain fat-free Greek yogurt or plain yogurt if you want to reduce the calories and fat.

Other dip and sauce ideas:

• Tartar sauce
• Ranch dressing
• The spicy mayo sauce from my pork burgers recipe
• Sour cream with a generous sprinkle of Everything but the Bagel Seasoning
• Hoisin sauce
• Mayo + Worcestershire sauce
• Mayo + Tonkatsu sauce
• Soy sauce
• Hoisin sauce

The nutrition facts are estimated for 1 piece, and not guaranteed to be accurate.

1

Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Calories: 128kcal (6%) | Carbohydrates: 15g (5%) | Protein: 5g (10%) | Fat: 6g (9%) | Saturated Fat: 1g (5%) | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 54mg (18%) | Sodium: 280mg (12%) | Fiber: 1g (4%) | Sugar: 3g (3%)

The nutritional information displayed is an estimate and not to be used as dietary or nutritional advice. Consult a nutritionist or dietician for nutritional info based on the exact ingredients you use.