Cabbage juice

Juicing anything is a great way to add more vegetables to your diet, and cabbage juice in particular is known for an array of health benefits — especially when it comes to our gut. Cabbage juice can ease or improve digestion and serves as a soothing beverage to heal digestive ulcers.

Making cabbage juice at home is a great way to maximize these benefits. You can easily juice cabbage with a home juicer, but you can also use a blender and a strainer if you don’t want to invest in a juicer just yet. We’ve broken down each method so you can effortlessly and efficiently juice cabbage at home.

Best cabbage for juicing

You can juice any variety of cabbage — from green cabbage to red cabbage to other varieties such as Napa or Savoy. In general, green and red cabbage are the easiest to find at the supermarket. We also suggest buying cabbage from a local organic farm if possible. Locally grown cabbage tends to have a higher nutrient content and organically grown cabbage is less likely to contain pesticide residue than conventionally grown cabbage.

How to make cabbage juice with a juicer

A home juicer is the best option for juicing cabbage. Juicing cabbage with a juicer is an easy and efficient process and maximizes the health benefits of cabbage juice compared to other methods. You can either use a masticating or slow juicer (we like the Omega Juicer Extractor and Nutrition Center) or an extracting or centrifugal juicer like the Juice Fountain Cold Plus from Breville. Both provide great options for juicing cabbage, though masticating juicers are generally known to preserve the most nutritional content overall. Plus, this type of juicer tends to be best for juicing leafy greens like cabbage.

Clean the cabbage

Make sure to thoroughly clean the cabbage in cold water to remove any dirt or chemical residue. This is especially important if you’re using cabbage that’s not grown organically, as it might contain pesticide residue.

Prep the cabbage

To prepare the cabbage for juicing, remove the few outer leaves from the cabbage head, then chop the cabbage into sizable chunks that will fit into the chute of your juicer. Masticating juicers typically have smaller chutes than extracting juicers, so you may have to cut the cabbage smaller if you’re using this type of juicer.

Juice the cabbage

Juice the cabbage according to your instruction manual, which will vary slightly depending on which juicer you use. Make sure to set up the juicer properly. Feed the cabbage into the chute slowly to avoid overwhelming the juicer.

How to juice cabbage with a blender

If you don’t own a juicer, you can still make cabbage juice at home by using a blender. The basic method is to soften the cabbage by cooking it slightly in boiling water, blending the softened cabbage then using a fine mesh strainer or chinois to strain out the juice. A high-powered blender like the Vitamix Explorian Series E310 or NutriBullet Pro will generally work best for juicing cabbage, but any home blender will do.

Prep the cabbage

First, thoroughly rinse the cabbage and remove a few of the outer leaves. Then chop the cabbage into small chunks. To do this, cut the cabbage head in half then remove the thick stem with your knife. Toss the stem into your compost bin and cut the remaining cabbage into small chunks, about 2-3 inches in size.

Boil the water

Boil about 2 cups of water in an electric kettle or medium-sized pot. This should be the right amount of water for a medium-sized head of cabbage and will yield roughly 2 liters of juice.

Blend the cabbage and water

Add the cabbage and hot water to your blender, making sure not to fill the blender past 2/3 of its capacity. Keep in mind that you might have to blend in batches for best results. Blend at a low to medium speed for about one to two minutes, then blend on high for about 10-20 seconds until the cabbage is broken up.

Strain the juice

Once the cabbage is properly blended, you’ll need to strain out the juice using a fine mesh strainer or chinois. You can also try laying a few layers of cheesecloth over a colander. Pour the contents of the blender through the strainer into a medium-sized bowl or glass jar. Cabbage juice can be stored for two to three days in an airtight container in the fridge.

Benefits of cabbage juice

Rich in vitamins and antioxidants

Cabbage contains strong levels of vitamin C, which supports your immune system and acts as a powerful antioxidant in the body. Cabbage also contains vitamin K, which is beneficial for bone, brain and heart health. It’s important to note that high levels of vitamin K can have adverse side effects for those taking blood thinners, so be sure to speak to your doctor or healthcare professional if you’re taking these medications.

Soothes stomach ulcers

Cabbage juice contains L-glutamine and gefarnate, amino acids that can protect the stomach lining. Cabbage juice has traditionally been used as treatment to soothe and heal digestive ulcers.

What should I add to cabbage juice?

Because cabbage juice has a strong flavor that may be off-putting to some, you might consider adding cabbage to a blend of other fruit or vegetable juices. Try adding beets, oranges, celery, cucumber or apple to your juicer along with the cabbage. We also like a blend of carrot, cabbage and apple.

Katy Severson is a writer for BestReviews. BestReviews is a product review company with a singular mission: to help simplify your purchasing decisions and save you time and money.

BestReviews spends thousands of hours researching, analyzing and testing products to recommend the best picks for most consumers. BestReviews and its newspaper partners may earn a commission if you purchase a product through one of our links.

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.