How Many Calories In A Head Of Cabbage?

A whole head of green cabbage contains roughly 200 to 350 calories, depending on its size. A typical medium head weighs about 2 pounds (around 900 grams), which works out to about 220 calories. Red cabbage lands in the same range. The wide spread comes down to weight, not variety — a small head can weigh close to 1 pound while a large one can pass 3 pounds.

That works out to about 25 calories per cup of shredded raw cabbage, based on USDA data. It is one of the lowest-calorie vegetables you can eat, mostly because it is over 90% water.

How Many Calories In A Head Of Cabbage?

Use weight as your guide, because “a head” is not a standard measurement. Cabbage heads vary widely in size, and the calorie count follows the weight almost exactly.

USDA data puts raw green cabbage at about 25 calories per cup shredded (roughly 89 grams). Since a cup of shredded cabbage weighs around 89 grams, you can estimate any head by weight:

• Small head (about 1 pound / 450 g): roughly 110 to 115 calories
• Medium head (about 2 pounds / 900 g): roughly 220 to 230 calories
• Large head (about 3 pounds / 1.4 kg): roughly 340 to 350 calories

Red cabbage has nearly identical calorie content to green. Savoy and napa cabbage are close as well, though napa is somewhat lighter per cup because it holds more water.

One thing people often miss: those numbers are for the whole head as purchased. Once you trim the core and outer leaves, you lose some weight. The edible portion is usually a bit less than the scale weight, so the calories you actually eat from a 2-pound head are slightly lower than 220.

Why Is Cabbage So Low In Calories?

Cabbage is mostly water. Raw green cabbage is about 92% water by weight, which leaves very little room for calories from carbohydrate, protein, or fat.

The calories it does contain come almost entirely from carbohydrate — a mix of natural sugars and fiber. Fiber is a carbohydrate your body cannot fully break down, so it contributes fewer usable calories than starch or sugar. That is part of why a large volume of cabbage fills you up without adding much energy.

The water content matters too. Foods high in water tend to be less calorie-dense, meaning you get more weight and volume per calorie. That is a mechanical fact about the food, not a diet claim. Whether that translates into eating less overall depends on the person and the meal.

Cabbage Nutrition Beyond Calories

Low calories do not mean low nutrition. Cabbage carries a meaningful amount of vitamin C and vitamin K, along with smaller amounts of other nutrients.

Based on USDA data, one cup of shredded raw green cabbage provides roughly:

• About 25 calories
• Around 35% of the Daily Value for vitamin C
• A substantial share of the Daily Value for vitamin K
• Roughly 2 grams of fiber
• Small amounts of folate and potassium

Red cabbage contains anthocyanins, the pigments that give it color. These are antioxidant compounds, and they are the main nutritional difference between red and green varieties. Whether that difference matters for health outcomes is not established — the evidence for specific health benefits from anthocyanins in whole foods is suggestive but not conclusive.

Vitamin K matters for anyone on blood-thinning medication such as warfarin. Cabbage is a good source, and intake should stay consistent rather than swinging up and down. That is a conversation to have with a prescribing clinician, not something to manage by guessing.

Does Cooking Change The Calories In Cabbage?

Cooking cabbage does not add calories by itself. Boiling, steaming, roasting, or sautéing the vegetable alone leaves the calorie count essentially unchanged, though boiling can leach some water-soluble vitamins like vitamin C into the cooking water.

What changes the count is what you cook it with. A tablespoon of oil adds about 120 calories. Butter, cream, cheese, and dressings add more. A pile of sautéed cabbage can easily carry more calories from the fat than from the cabbage itself.

Fermented cabbage is a separate case. Sauerkraut and kimchi are made from cabbage but their calorie content varies with the recipe, added sugar, and other ingredients. Plain sauerkraut is low in calories, but it is also high in sodium. Kimchi varies widely by brand and recipe. Check the label rather than assuming.

Is Cabbage A Good Choice If You Are Watching Calories?

Cabbage fits easily into calorie-controlled eating because it adds volume and fiber for very few calories. That is a straightforward nutritional fact, not a weight-loss promise.

There is a persistent myth that cabbage soup or a “cabbage diet” burns fat or speeds metabolism. No clinical evidence supports that. Any weight lost on such plans comes from eating fewer calories overall, not from a special property of cabbage. Extremely restrictive single-food diets are also hard to sustain and can fall short on protein and other nutrients.

Where cabbage genuinely helps is as a substitute and a filler. It can replace higher-calorie ingredients in slaws and stir-fries, stretch a soup, or add bulk to a meal without much energy cost. That is a practical use, not a metabolic trick.

One caution is worth stating plainly. Cabbage is high in fiber and contains compounds that can cause gas and bloating in some people, especially when eaten in large amounts or introduced quickly. For most people this is uncomfortable rather than harmful. People with irritable bowel syndrome sometimes find large portions of cabbage trigger symptoms.

How Does Cabbage Compare To Other Common Vegetables?

Cabbage sits near the bottom of the calorie scale among common vegetables, alongside lettuce, celery, and cucumber. The table below compares calories per cup of raw vegetable, based on USDA data.

The comparison is not about picking a winner. Cabbage delivers more vitamin C and fiber per cup than lettuce does, at a slightly higher calorie cost that is still very low. Different vegetables bring different nutrients, and variety matters more than any single ranking.