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This easy beef cabbage soup recipe (sometimes called hamburger cabbage soup) tastes so rich and hearty, you’d never guess it was healthy. It’s a lot like my hamburger soup, but with the added comfort factor of cabbage instead of some of the other veggies. Let me show you how to make cabbage soup with ground beef, tender veggies, and only 15 minutes of hands-on prep — including Crock Pot or Instant Pot options.
If you like this cabbage soup recipe, you’ll probably also enjoy my detox soup.
Why You’ll Love This Cabbage Soup Recipe
- Rich, beefy flavor
- Tender meat with soft vegetables
- Simple ingredients with minimal chopping
- 15 minutes of prep time
- Make this easy cabbage soup recipe in the slow cooker, pressure cooker, or on the stove top
- Naturally paleo, whole30, keto, and low carb
- The perfect light meal that keeps you full and satisfied!
Ingredients & Substitutions
This section explains how to choose the best ingredients for cabbage and ground beef soup, what each one does in the recipe, and substitution options (see more in the Variations section below). For measurements, see the recipe card below.
- Avocado Oil – You can also use olive oil, or whatever neutral cooking oil you prefer.
- Onion – A white or yellow onion is best, but red onion can work as well.
- Ground Beef – I typically use 85/15 grass-fed beef, which is flavorful without being too greasy, but use any variety you like. While this is a recipe for cabbage soup with hamburger, you can also make it using other ground meats (see ideas in the Variations section below).
- Shredded Coleslaw Mix – Makes for minimal chopping in this simple cabbage soup recipe! If you want to avoid the added carrot, you can also use plain shredded cabbage.
- Beef Broth – I use homemade bone broth, but a store-bought variety beef broth works too. Chicken broth and vegetable broth also make fine substitutions.
- Diced Tomatoes – These are the kind that come in a can. Include them with the liquid for extra flavor and for the right amount of liquid in the soup.
- Herbs & Spices – Including Italian seasoning (make homemade Italian seasoning for best flavor!), garlic powder, bay leaves, sea salt, and black pepper. If you like a little kick, add some cayenne pepper to taste.
How To Make Cabbage Soup With Hamburger
This section shows how to make cabbage soup with ground beef, with step-by-step photos and details about the technique, to help you visualize it. For full instructions, including amounts and temperatures, see the recipe card below.
- Saute onions. Heat oil in the Instant Pot (or saute pan, if using a slow cooker). Cook onions until softened.
- Cook beef. Increase temperature to medium-high heat and add ground beef, cooking until browned.
- Add remaining ingredients. Transfer the beef and onions to a slow cooker (or leave in the Instant Pot if using that method.) Stir in the coleslaw mix, diced tomatoes (with liquid), broth, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, and whole bay leaves.
- Cook. Cook hamburger cabbage soup in the Crock Pot or Instant Pot, until ingredients are softened and cooked through. (Times will vary depending on cooking vessel of choice — see recipe card below.) I like to garnish with fresh parsley, but this is optional.
VARIATION: Cook ground beef cabbage soup on the stove top instead.
Follow the same steps, but use a large pot and cook on the stove. After adding ingredients to the pot in step 3, bring to a boil and simmer for 30-60 minutes, or until the flavors develop to your liking.
Variations Of Beef Cabbage Soup
- Skip the meat – Make it vegetarian by omitting the beef and use vegetable broth instead of beef bone broth.
- Use different ground meats – Instead of hamburger soup with cabbage, trade beef for ground turkey, ground pork, ground chicken, or Italian sausage with casings removed.
- Add beans – If your lifestyle allows beans, they would make a perfect addition to this soup. Simply rinse and drain beans before adding to the pot. Try it with cannellini beans or kidney beans!
- Try other added veggies – This soup would taste delicious with cauliflower, bell peppers, or celery added!
- Include potatoes – If you wish to have potatoes in your soup, saute them to brown after the onions, then cook as usual. They’ll soften while the soup cooks.
- Use whole cabbage – I typically use coleslaw mix as a time-saving shortcut whenever I make cabbage soup recipes, but you can simply chop it yourself instead of using a mix.
- Add a squeeze of lemon juice – It brightens up the flavor and adds a boost of vitamin C! Add it at the end of cooking, to taste.
Storage Instructions
- Store: Cool cabbage beef soup leftovers to room temperature, then cover and store in airtight containers in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
- Meal prep: Shred cabbage (if not using a pre-shredded mix), and cook onions and beef ahead of time and store until ready to complete the recipe. You can also make the entire soup ahead of time, since it stores very well. It’s easy to make a double batch!
- Freeze: Cover tightly and freeze for up to 3 months, and thaw in the fridge overnight before reheating.
- Reheat: Warm up the soup on the stovetop, in the slow cooker, or in the microwave.
More Healthy Soup Recipes
If you like this hearty Crock Pot cabbage soup with hamburger, you’ll love these other cozy soups too!
Tools To Make Cabbage Soup Recipes
- Saute Pan – Only needed if using the stovetop or slow cooker version of this recipe.
- Instant Pot – Makes the best cabbage soup recipe in the least time!
- Crock Pot – My favorite for low and slow cooking.
Beef Cabbage Soup Recipe
Cabbage Soup With Hamburger (Crock Pot or Instant Pot)
Make this easy beef cabbage soup recipe in the Crock Pot or Instant Pot! Cabbage soup with hamburger is cozy, healthy, and easy.
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Ingredients
Tap underlined ingredients to see where to get them. Please turn Safari reader mode OFF to view ingredients.
Instructions
Tap on the times in the instructions below to start a kitchen timer while you cook.
Crock Pot Instructions:
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Heat the oil in a large saute pan over medium heat. Add the chopped onions. Cook for about 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until onions start to brown.
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Add ground beef to the pan. Season with sea salt and black pepper. Increase heat to medium-high. Cook, breaking apart with a spatula, for about 7-10 minutes, until the beef is browned.
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Meanwhile, place the remaining ingredients into the Crock Pot.
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When the beef is browned, add the beef and onion mixture to the Crock Pot. Stir to combine. Season with more salt and/or pepper to taste.
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Cook for 5-6 hours on low or 2-3 hours on high. Remove the bay leaves before serving.
Instant Pot Instructions:
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Press the Saute button on the Instant Pot. Add the oil and chopped onions. Cook for about 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until onions start to brown.
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Add ground beef to the Instant Pot. Season with sea salt and black pepper. Increase saute temperature to "High". Cook, breaking apart with a spatula, for about 7-10 minutes, until the beef is cooked through.
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When the beef is done, turn off heat and add the remaining ingredients into the Instant Pot. Stir to combine. Season with more salt and/or pepper to taste.
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Cover and seal the Instant Pot. Press the Manual button and adjust the time to 20 minutes. When cooking is complete, let pressure release naturally for 5 minutes, then use quick release. Remove the bay leaves before serving.
Last Step: Leave A Rating!
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Readers Who Liked This Easy Recipe Also Made:
Recipe Notes
Serving size: 1 cup
Nutrition facts are provided as a courtesy. Have questions about calculations or why you got a different result? Please see our nutrition policy.
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302 Comments
Chandra
1Made this with Ground Hot Sausage, added cumin and extra crushed red peppers! Amazing! Super easy to make, so I very much appreciate that! Thank you!
Kendahl
0I love cabbage so I just had to try it! It was really easy to make and turned out delicious! I used ground turkey instead of beef, and fresh tomatoes. Again, it turned out amazing and can’t wait to make it again!
Maria Preston
0Just baked a bone-in ham and could not find an actual ham bone cabbage keto soup to use it. So I made ham bone broth by cooking the ham bone in just water with 2 bay leaves, until the joints fell apart. Strained it and saved all the ham meat to add to the soup. Added to the broth- 1 bag of coleslaw mix, chopped onion, a chopped whole small head of cabbage, 2 tsp celery seed, the ham and extra water. Cooked until cabbage is tender. It tastes like the navy bean soup Mom used to make, without the beans. Makes a lot so I always freeze some.
I shall try the beef next, as we only get ham a few times a year.
Geoff McMillan
0Beautiful soup, filling and wholesome.
Gayle W.
0Really good! I used what I had in the house, so used the ham bone broth I had in the freezer and Rotel for the tomatoes. Then I messed up and put in poultry seasoning rather then Italian seasoning, but it was really good! I also added 2 tbsp of coconut aminos.
Really versital recipe that is good no matter what exchanges you make.
Hubby loved it!
Linda Noeller
1It’s a snowy day here, so this was a perfect recipe to try. Bonus, I had all ingredients! I normally don’t like cooked Cabbage and was hesitant to use my bag of coleslaw, but it adds a great flavor to the soup. I used 1/2 an onion. Directions were clear, easy to follow and went together quickly. I just got an Instapot for xmas so this was a new experience (I hadn’t used it yet). I used 90% ground beef. Soup was tasty and filling – it was enough by itself for me. I made my hubby a salad and roll. He’s isn’t trying to loose weight but eats keto(mostly) to control his diabetes without meds. He LOVED this soup. Will definitely be rotating this recipe into our dinner menu. Might add some red hit pepper flakes in next time to make it spicy.
Lisa Goossen
1This is one of my favorite soups! I love how easy it is to change the flavor just by changing up the spices! I often omit the Italian seasoning and add taco seasoning and chili powder. Then I sprinkle with chopped cilantro right before serving! My whole family likes it both ways.
Annie
0I made this tonight only instead of browning the ground beef, I made keto meatballs. Roasted the meatballs in the oven while the soup cooked in the instapot. Delish!
Penny Lennon
0I made this earlier in the week. I froze some of it but saved some to eat during this cold rainy weather. It is so good! I made mine in the InstantPot pressure cooker. Tastes even better the next day.
Diane Klingemier
0I made the cabbage soup with ground beef using slaw mix and a few extra carrots. The crock pot option was a great convenience got me making it more likely that I will keep it in my rotation for quick soups. I am thinking maybe I would like it even better bok choy in place of the cabbage since cabbage isn’t my favorite.
Barbara
0I made this tonight and it was delicious, a real keeper. I used leftover Italian beef juice from a party we had, so I know it won’t taste the same the next time I make it, but I hope I can get close. I used ground chuck and Hunt’s Fire Roasted Diced Tomatoes, but I may try using Rotel tomatoes next time. I made the crockpot version in my All Clad slow cooker with the aluminum insert, so I could sautée the onions and ground beef in one pot and then just dump in the rest of the ingredients. I’m debating adding more beef next time, maybe 1.5 lbs for a meatier version.
Krissie Thomson
0I decided to make this Cabbage Soup with Hamburger today on a cold wintery day with temps below freezing all day. I used the crockpot and love the simplicity of the recipe. I only had petite diced tomatoes with green chilis but decided to use them anyway. I love cabbage.
I had a head of cabbage so I chopped my cabbage up rather than using coleslaw. Good flavor and I will definitely make this again!
Patricia Muhl
0Cooked mine on stove then transferred to crockpot to simmer. Also used a head of cabbage (chopped a little over half and stored rest for egg roll bowls). Soup was delicious! My husband loved it. Perfect for our keto life style. I also tried chicken with some adjustments (chicken broth, Goya seasoning). Was also a great soup.
Mara
0Great soup for the winter months, I did a mix of minced beef and pork, seasoning was perfect.
Rosa
0Made this soup last night. It is for my lunches for the week. It is so good! I will def make this again
Linda Blackmon
0I made the cabbage soup on the stove since I don’t have a crockpot. I used fire roasted tomatoes and about half a teaspoon more of Italian spice. It was really good. The weather has been so cold and wet, it was a perfect soup! My whole family enjoyed it and I will be making it again. Thanks!
Steph
0I love this recipe but due to my husband who can’t have tomatoes I am puzzled with what to use in their place. Any suggestions?
Wholesome Yum D
0Hi Steph, You can omit the tomatoes.
Papaw
0This is a delicious soup. I did add 1/2 tsp of crushed red pepper since we like a little bit of spice but otherwise made it exactly to the recipe and we loved it!
Julie Elander
0I tried this the night I received it in my Inbox from Wholesome Yum. It was delicious and perfect for a chili night. I’m a Type 1 diabetic and this soup was perfect for not raising my blood sugar! I made only one change: To save time, I used some cooked pulled pork I already had on hand instead of ground meat. It saved me 5 minutes of browning time–making the recipe even faster! My hubby loved it, by the way!
Lynn
0Cabbage soup? Yes please! Absolute yum yum is exactly what I said to myself after a test taste. I couldnt fill my bowl fast enough. Made it on top of the stove in such a short amount of time. This works out so well to warm up after being in the bitter cold.
Gail Ouellette
0Made this for dinner tonight. One of the quickest most delicious soups…the whole family went back for seconds! I used my own homemade beef bone broth. This is going to become a regular in the rotation here.
Susan Muller
0⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Just made your cabbage hamburger crockpot soup and we really like it. The only change I made was not as much Italian seasoning as we don’t like a lot of it. I made your Parmesan biscuits to go with it. Yum! This is a keeper, like all of your other recipes. Love both of your books.💕
Sharon
0Delish and easy. Used Rotel can tomatoes, and pepper flakes, wanted the extra kick. Sprinkled in turmeric as well. Next time I’d add more cabbage.
Tina
0My family turned their noses at it. I made them taste it and they loved it. Thanks for all the great recipes.
Jeaness Thibodeau
0Made the cabbage soup in The instantpot. Substituted roasted red peppers for tomatoes. Next time I would add more cabbage and thicken the broth.
Sandra
0Jeaness:
How much red peppers did you use in the cabbage soup in place of the tomatoes? I’m not particulary fond of tomatoes, and your comment caught my eyes. It sounds like a great idea, and I would like to try this.
Thank You ahead of time for your reply.
Sandra W.
Alexys Carter
0This was SO much easier than expected to make. I’ve being doing keto for a little while now so finding new recipes like this to mix up the usual meals was perfect!
Denise
0Over the years I have made several versions of hamburger cabbage soup recipes. This one is my new favorite! Easy, tasty, hearty and filling as a main course. Thank you!
Kathy Ramirez
0I LOVED it!! I always love cabbage in my soup, but the additional flavors and tastes were soooo welcome! Especially on a cold evening or after doing work around the house. Very easy to make and clean up was a breeze! Definitely in my recipe box for future use!!
John Kalgren
0This soup was AWESOME!! My roommates and I have been doing Keto for a few months now and always on the lookout for new recipes. One thing in particular has been trying to add more vegetables to our diet and, to be honest, cabbage hasn’t been on our radar. However….the flavor this soup produces, with minimal effort, is OUTSTANDING!
The only thing we did different, is added a few slices of chopped, pre-cooked bacon…….AMAZING!!
By the way…NO LEFTOVERS!! The 3 of us ate the entire batch!!
GREAT winter soup and I encourage others to give it a try!!
Lesley
0This was delicious! I didn’t have quite enough cabbage so I added about 3/4 cup of sauerkraut which gave it a nice depth of flavour. Perfect hearty winter recipe. Will definitely make it again.
Carolyn
0The recipe was good, but I think the instant pot cooking time was too much. The cabbage was very soft. I’ll try cooking it for only 5 minutes next time.
Lyn W Barlow
0I have loved this soup for years! A friend introduced me to it, and I have made it numerous times, sometimes with beans. It’s healthy and easy and ranks among the best comfort foods. I would recommend it to anyone!
sharon walker
0Very ez & yummy… I made this soup meatless and didn’t use a crockpot.
Julie JOY
0Simple ingredients. Satisfying soup!
My instant pot was busy making Greek yogurt, so I made this soup on the stove top. It is fabulous!
My husband is not a soup fan, but that’s OK. It’s more for me! 🙃 I will enjoy eating on this for several days.
Maya, all of your recipes are winners!
MariaT
0Oh dear.. this was definitely not for me.. Now I refuse to leave a star rating because I feel I did something wrong.. Perhaps I used ground turkey instead of beef? Could my cabbage have been old- hence the bitter taste? Not sure! But I did not enjoy this recipe. I will try it again, someday.
Amanda Overton
0FANTASTIC RECIPE! I am Portuguese & a HUGE carb queen. When I started Keto, I was super nervous about cutting out rice, pasta & breads. I found Wholesome Yum, watched a plethora of videos & thought to myself… “I think I can do this!” The cabbage soup was my first go at it & let me tell you…it came out AMAZING!!! I could hardly believe it. I was so stunned, I brought bowls over to my mom, two aunts & boyfriend (who are all non-Keto) & they were impressed. So much flavor, so much depth…you don’t even notice it’s that it’s so healthy! Thanks for making me a believer Maya!
Valerie Harding
05 Star. Started making it in a crockpot. Decided to double the recipe and it became so big that I had to move it to a big pan. We ate some, froze some and gave some to a neighbor who is ill. IT IS THAT GOOD. No surprise as I haven’t tried a recipe that isn’t wonderful.
Sonia Lamp
0I actually had a head of cabbage on hand and was looking for something to do with it when this recipe appeared in my inbox. It was very easy to make. I didn’t add anything extra or different from the recipe, but used only cabbage rather than the coleslaw mix, so it did come out a little bland. I might try kicking it up a little with some extra seasonings. It’s a good base that offers lots of options for variations.
Linda Cribari
0Hubby and I love cabbage. I made this recipe Friday evening and it was easy and delicious. I used a Dutch Oven on the stove top. I fried the onion and ground beef together and put the remaining ingredients in the Dutch Oven as instructed. I stirred the contents of the Dutch Oven then added the onion and ground beef into the Dutch Over ingredients and gave it a stir to combine. Hubby and I both loved this dish. Thank you Maya!
Brenda Karl
0I made this soup tonight in the crockpot for Sunday supper. It was terrific! Used a one pound roll of Italian sausage from Aldi, and the soup was just right. My husband added shredded cheese on top, ’cause he likes to do that with soups. 😉 I used pre-shredded coleslaw mix, but I think I’ll try it with shredded cabbage next time, so the cabbage shows up a little more. Will definitely be making it again. Thanks for a great, simple, yummy recipe!!
Jill A.
0I really liked the ease of making this recipe. It didn’t take much time before it came together and was in the pot cooking. I had some Tuscan kale I needed to use up so I switched out some of the cabbage for that. I also used fresh garlic, added some crushed red pepper and some smoked paprika. For a little extra nutrition I used chicken bone broth. The soup was delicious. Thank you for this really great recipe.
Linda
0Loved this recipe and have added it to my cabbage recipes. Before I do though I’m going to try adding and a little Parmesan cheese and ground pork, I’m an experimenter🤭
The recipe really doesn’t need a thing as it’s good just as is.
I’m on your mail list and love your recipes.
Brenda Dehart
0Made this soup as directed, but added garlic and a small can of V8 to up the flavor a bit. DELICIOUS! Thanks for the easy, tasty recipe!
Anna Nelson
0I feel obligated to tell you all that my dad and I were on the cabbage soup diet eons ago. He had sworn never to eat cabbage soup again after months on that diet much to my mom’s dismay. I made this soup tonight for him, my mom, my husband, and myself. Dad said he loved it! Miracle of miracles, I tell you! Dad has particular tastes so the fact that he loves this, says a lot! The rest of us also loved it. It was easy peasy to make in my slow cooker. I doubled everything but used half hamburger, half turkey burger because we didn’t have another pound of hamburger. Side note…Garlic Parmesan Biscuits from the Wholesome Yum Carboholics Cookbook were really good as a side to this soup. Definitely saving both in my recipe collection!
Maureen
0Tasty! I added kale, turkey, lots of garlic, zucchini ( it was close to going bad) and Parmesan. The whole family enjoyed . Def needed more salt . I think ground meat would be even tastier .
Donna Goldwasser
0Hello folks… I’m not a big cabbage fan, but decided to try this recipe. I was pleasantly surprised on how easy, hearty, tasty & filling this recipe is, plus the fact that you can add spices’ to your liking is a healthy plus for me. You can use a different meat, like sausage, and if you’re vegetarian, you can either omit the meat altogether, use a vegetarian “meat”, or use a firm tofu cut up. My family loved it, and even the leftovers were great! Try it to your liking, I’m sure you won’t be disappointed. Looking forward to your other wonderful recipes.
Patrice mooe
0This was so easy to make. It makes a lot I am going to share at work tomorrow. I love cabbage and this soup is awesome.
Geisha Olavarria
0I love how it turned out! I used turkey ground meat and it was delicious!
Kim
0Family really liked the soup. Made it in the Instant Pot. I think I would like to add the cabbage or colemix after it was cooked so it would stay crisp. It had a great taste. Will definitely make again.
Teresa Thamer
0I prepared this in my 3 quart instant pot so cut the recipe in half but it was so quick and easy. The best part was the taste! The bay leaf and Italian seasonings gave it a unique but yummy flavor. I used vegetable broth but it was still very hearty and rich. I will definitely make it again.
Paul Goldie
0It is a cold winter Sunday and I had all the ingredients so I gave it a try. Wow, it is really easy and delicious. I do not have a crock pot but do have an instant pot but decided to make it in a pan on the stove. I followed the instant pot instructions but added more time to the cooking. Top it off with little red pepper flakes and a scoop of sour cream!
Kim
0This was a very good starting point for me. I turned it into more of an Italian-based vegetable dump soup as I had A bag of kale/cabbage/Brussel sprouts and little bits of other veggies I needed to use up. Added cut up green beans and carrots. I am not eating full keto but low carb so added a couple small Yukon Gold potatoes diced that I needed to get rid of too. For the meat used Abbott’s plant-based chorizo which is a Pea protein-based and very low carb. I browned it separately and added it at the end. Simmered on stove top it only needed to simmer a little over an hour. Thank you so much for jumpstarting my healthy fridge clean out.
Paula Sayre
0This was a winner with us! I made it with our own lean grass-fed ground beef, lots of finely-shredded cabbage and carrot, and added some sliced red radishes, and used avocado oil to saute and season. I used onion powder extra, instead of the garlic (Not a garlic fan!). I used the stovetop method, and let it simmer all afternoon. Oh, so good! We ate the entire pot full in one sitting! This will definitely be a regular on our healthy dinner table! Thank you!
Sherry
0This soup was so awesome! So easy to make,! I evan bragged about it at work. My husband also likes it! There’s nothing that i would change about it.
Cheryl Gaggins
0Love this soup! It has everything you need to make a delicious meal! Of course I always have leftovers to eat as my lunch for a few days and just love it! Easy to make and easy to enjoy! Thanks for a great addition to my soup recipes!