I've spent a huge part of my life working in Sub-Saharan Africa and have come to really appreciate the vast flavor palette of the continent. This Ethiopian cabbage recipe (Atakilt Wat or Atkilt Wot) is from my time in Addis - it is easy to make, and tastes absolutely delicious and hearty.
This post contains helpful tips and tricks! If you're in a rush, please use the "Jump to Recipe" link!
This post might contain affiliate links. If you click on those and make a purchase, I earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
💭 Why this recipe works
- Vegan and gluten-free - this recipe is vegan and gluten-free and is a wholesome, hearty meal to share with your family
- No special spices - the key is all about infusing the oil with basic spices, and using a cast iron pan to spread the heat and spices through the dish
- Great for make-ahead - this recipe is great if you need to make a large batch ahead of time and freeze or keep in the fridge!
⭐ Origin Story
You might have seen vegetarian "combos" at Ethiopian restaurants referring to yetsom beyanetu, (i.e. "a fasting of every kind"). There is a high prevalence of Orthodox Christians in Ethiopia (and Eritrea). Therefore, a vast majority of the country fasts (without meat and animal products) for a good chunk of the year. Result? Delicious vegetarian dishes, rich in protein and legumes!
Interested in creating your own Ethiopian vegan platter at home? Check out my recipes for Misir Wot (Ethiopian red lentil stew), Shiro Wat (Ethiopian chickpea stew), and Gomen Wat (Ethiopian spiced greens).
📋 Traditional Atkilt Wot Ingredients
Ingredient Notes & Tips
- I've found that green cabbage (i.e. the one you normally find in a grocery store) works best for this recipe. However, I have seen this made with Napa cabbage before too!
- Cast iron tends to distribute the heat more evenly, and works great for cooking hearty vegetables like carrots and potatoes. I've found it also helps infuse the broth better without burning the spices. Let me know if you decide to use a different pan.
- If you want to make it a bit spicier, you can add in a habanero pepper and/or jalapeno pepper, but this is not traditionally done.
♨️ How to make Atkilt Wot (Ethiopian Cabbage)
First, add the fat and once it's hot enough, add the spices to infuse oil with the spices
The traditional recipe uses something called Nit’ir Qibe (pronounced Nitter Kibbeh) - which is essentially spiced, clarified butter. However, this takes quite some time to make (similar to my confit garlic).
So, in the interest of making this a quick recipe, I've used a shortcut instead by infusing olive oil. You can also use a fattier vegan oil like avocado oil!
Bonus: taking this shortcut makes this Ethiopian cabbage recipe vegan!
Then, sauté the vegetables and bring them together, one step at a time.
First, add the onions to the fat and sauté until it turns translucent (or brown, depending on the type of onion you use).
Then, you want to add the root vegetables first because it takes a while for them to cook down, whereas overcooking the cabbage will result in a mushy texture.
So, I typically try to add the root vegetables (i.e. potatoes and carrots) first, followed at the very end by the cabbage.
👩🏽🍳 FAQs and Tips
No, not inherently. If you prefer your stew-like dishes to be spicy, you can add a habanero pepper like I usually do. Or if you prefer them to be hearty with a kick, but not terribly spicy, just leave them out!
You could. But the recipe as written only takes 30 minutes, so in some ways, it's simpler to make this on stovetop than in an Instant Pot. But if you want to use an Instant Pot, infuse the oil first using the sauté function, then add the root vegetables followed by the broth and pressure cook for 2 minutes. Release the pressure, add cabbage and sauté for another minute. You're all set. Serve and enjoy deliciousness.
🍴 Serving & Storage Suggestions
Traditionally, Atakilt Wat is eaten with injera (a sour crepe made of a grain called teff). Working on a recipe for that - coming soon!
However, in the meantime, you can eat this Ethiopian cabbage recipe with any flat bread (like a solid homemade naan) or even a nice cumin-infused rice (I know, I'm Indian, can you tell?) But my favorite way of eating it? Just ladle it in a bowl and dig in. No carbs needed!
Storage, freezing and reheating - you can store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for about 4 to 5 days. Or, alternatively, you can also portion into smaller airtight containers and freeze for up to 3 months! All the vegetables used here are quite hearty. Just make sure to thaw for 30 minutes before reheating on the stove.
Have a lot of cabbage? Check out these other vegan cabbage recipes:
Or check out this list of 50+ amazing vegan / vegetarian cabbage recipes.
If you enjoyed this recipe, try these other hearty African / Indian recipes:
Did you make this recipe?! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Please leave a comment and a star rating and let me know how it went! We love hearing from you, thank you so much
📖 Recipe
Ethiopian Cabbage
Ingredients
For Infused Oil
- 2 tablespoon olive oil, can substitute avocado oil
- 1 teaspoon garlic paste, or minced garlic
- 1 teaspoon ginger paste
- 2 teaspoon turmeric powder, divided
- 1 teaspoon cumin powder
For Ethiopian Cabbage Stew:
- ½ red onion, diced (medium size)
- 3 carrots, diced (medium size)
- 1 potato, diced (medium size)
- 1 cup water, or vegetable broth - see note for color differences
- ½ cabbage, medium head (chopped finely)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper, freshly ground
Instructions
- In a cast iron skillet or Dutch oven, heat olive oil on medium flame
- After about 30 seconds, add garlic paste (or minced garlic), ginger paste, 1 teaspoon of turmeric, and cumin powder - be careful to add before the oil gets too hot, otherwise it will splatter!
- Saute for 30 seconds to infuse the oil - when done, it should look dark throughout
- Now, add the chopped onion and saute for about 1 minute until the onion gets brown
- Then, add carrots, potatoes, water and turmeric and mix well to infuse with spices
- Cover and cook for 10 minutes on medium flame. Then, open and check if the carrots and potatoes are cooked by piercing them with a fork. If not, cook for a few more minutes until they're soft.
- Then, stir in the cabbage, add salt and pepper (to taste) and cook covered again until the cabbage is properly cooked, but not too long that it becomes mushy (I've found this takes roughly 5 minutes)
- Serve hot with rice or flatbread!
Video
Notes
- Cabbage tastes delicious even when it's cooked minimally - cooking for 5 minutes softens the cabbage but still leaves a bit of the crunch
- Using vegetable stock or broth instead of water will result in a deeper color than a bright yellow (than if you just use water and turmeric) - both are totally okay
- If going the more traditional route, instead of olive oil, use a clarified butter like ghee, and add spices to it. Then, use 2-3 tablespoon of infused clarified fat instead. This is a vegan recipe, so I've used olive oil - using a clarified fat like ghee will make the recipe vegetarian but not vegan.
Nutrition
Note: This recipe was originally published on February 3, 2020 and updated on September 19, 2020 with FAQs and more tips.
If you try this recipe, let me know! Leave a comment, rate it, and tag #urbanfarmie on Instagram or @urbanfarmie on Pinterest!
I make a similar Jamaican cabbage so this was a nice twist. I'm cooking for a family of 8 so I'm always on the hunt for new recipes. So glad to have stumbled upon your site. New subscriber 🙂
Thanks so much, Tyra! Glad you liked it 🙂 Let me know if you're ever looking for specific recipes and thanks for subscribing!
This is an excellent recipe. I tweaked it a little and added berbere and mekelesha spices.
Love this recipe, so easy and delicious! It's become a staple in our home and we love making Atkilt Wot!
Thank you so much Lakshmi! I'm so glad that it's a staple in your house 🙂
Easy and delicious! Thanks!
So glad you liked it!
This is delicious!!
I quote often cook Ethiopian recipes. I’ve even made the bread so we can eat with our hands. Yummy
That's awesome - I love injera! 🙂
What is a substitute for ginger paste?
Hi Paulina, allspice is the most commonly found replacement (or ginger powder if that's easier) but you can also use lemon grass or galangal for similar flavor profiles if those are available!
Loved the recipe
2nd time making this dish. Used sweet potatoes this time. We’ll see how we like it soon. Looks pretty
it’s my second time making it. simple and delicious. thank you
Amazing, so glad to hear!!
Delicious dish. Flavors are bright and clean. Now how about putting out a foolproof way to injera. Ethopian food especially vegetarian dishes are spectacular. Injera is a critical bread to serve with any nothing else will do. Getting that sour, stretchy heavenly bread is hard to get right. The batter, cooking time and release from the pan are really, really trick. Any suggestions?
I'm working on a recipe for injera! The best version so far has involved a 96-hour fermentation (!) so I'm trying to see if I can mimic the fermentation process in a slightly shorter time frame. Stay tuned please! Thank you 🙂
Just made this tonight! Very good. Much better than Western cabbage recipes I've made.
What would u suggest for a little more protein keeping it vegan? Maybe chick peas?
Chickpeas would work great in this recipe! I would suggest using cooked chickpeas, added alongside the cabbage!
Literally, I just made this, and it is delicious. My sister is visiting from Chicago, and she absolutely loves it. Thanks for sharing!!
Thank you so much! So glad you liked it!
Hello,
Thanks for highlighting Ethiopia food. I am from Ethiopia (born and raised) but currently reside in the east coast. As you stated this cabbage dish is a vegetarian dish, most commonly prepared during “fasting.” Only point of clarification I want to make is, because it is a “fasting” dish, often times, it is prepared with olive oil (avocado oil etc..) and not clarified butter, Also for most alicha wat recipes, jalapeños peppers are usually added towards the end of the cooking process for Ethiopia foods to add additional flavor (seeds removed for less heat). This dish truly is a staple at my house and it’s versatile. Usually, when I make at home, I start with diced onions, sautéing the onion (before adding the garlic and ginger paste). Like most cooking, this additional step might slightly differ from how others prepare it (and it tastes as good without).
I came to your site looking for another recipe but came across the title and got pulled me in😀. I typically take this dish to potlucks etc since it’s easy enough. At the, I end up writing out the recipe (for those wanting to cook Ethiopian food). Thanks for posting it!
Yummy!
I loved this and so did my hubby. The kids ate it (not going to shay they loved it because they are kids and moan about all veg! But they did eat it without complaints so!!!)
Anyway we really did enjoy it. I served it with some flat breads and spiced chicken drumsticks.
A really yummy dish that feels warm and comforting even though it is nice and healthy.
This was SO delicious! I added double the amount of cumin to the infused oil because I love lots of cumin with cabbage. I served mine with grilled chicken and was so happy to have leftovers for the next day. My boyfriend and I will definitely be making this again.
I made this for dinner last night and my husband and I both loved it! It's so simple and didn't leave us feeling weighed down. I followed the recipe exactly and the spices are perfect!
This was delicious!! The entire family loved it! Making it again next week.
This is coming together right now on the stove, but I wanted to come tell you how AMAZING it smells! I added some sliced smoked sausage to it (to appease the meat-eating fam), but I can't stop sneaking bites of the veggies as it cooks,
I love how quickly and delicious this was! It perfumed the house with the best smells and it was awesome with chicken and rice! Will definitely be making this all the time - thanks for the recipe!
What a unique and flavorful way to enjoy cabbage beyond my usual German-influenced recipes. Yum!
I buy cabbage all the time but have never prepared it like this before. Loved all the spices and flavor! It was devoured.
Thanks Shruthi for this wonderful Ethiopian cabbage. It is my new comfort food! It is so hearty, cozy and incredibly delicious!
This was all about the infused oil for me! So flavorful and easier than I thought. A delicious side - served with curried beef.