Hearty detox cabbage soup diet recipe is less than 100 calories per serving and made with metabolism boosting ingredients! This comforting soup is also known as the popular Dolly Parton Diet or TWA Stewardess Diet. Whatever you want to call it, it is light, great for weight loss and a flat belly, detoxing and packed with nourishing vegetables and spicy miso flavoring!
Try my Purple Cabbage Soup, Rainbow Chard Soup, and Creamy Mushroom Onion Soup next.
Quick Look
- 🕒 Prep Time: 10 minutes of chopping
- 🌡️ Cook Time: 20-30 minutes on the stove, or 4-6 hours in the slow cooker
- ⏳ Total Time: About 40 minutes the stovetop way
- 🍽️ Serving: 4 servings
- ⚡ Calories: 81kcal, less than 100 calories per serving!
- 🌶️ Flavor Profile: Savory cabbage and garden vegetables in a bright, spicy miso broth
- ✋ Difficulty: Easy, as simple as my cabbage juice
Quick Answer
Chop the cabbage, celery, onion, and carrots, then add all the ingredients to a slow cooker and cook for 4-6 hours on low. Or make it on the stovetop: add all the ingredients to a large pot on medium high heat, cover when it starts to bubble on the sides, turn the heat down to medium low, and cook for 20-30 minutes or until the carrots are soft. Serve garnished with fresh parsley.
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Cabbage is actually one of the healthiest foods to eat (organic)! It takes more calories to digest than the leaves have themselves, which is a great benefit to kick start any weight loss diet. Our ultimate favorite way to eat cabbage is in this savory cabbage soup diet recipe!
Check out the Soup Video Tutorial
Growing up my mom was always a fan of sauerkraut. But I remember hating the smell and it was not until I was older that I began to favor vinegary cabbage. I remember coming home and the house was overpowered by the pungent odor and we would walk right back out that door! When you have kids it is like Karma hits you then. My kids do the same things to me that I did to my mom... boy is payback a funny thing because now as an adult I can't get enough sauerkraut and cabbage. My kids don't like sauerkraut but they sure do gobble up a whole bowl of this detox cabbage soup recipe!
Most fad diets are easy to get burned out on. Adding this soup to your weekly regimen can help speed up the metabolism thanks to high amounts of cabbage and celery. The ingredients in cabbage soup are all natural, healing, filling, and detoxing! When the body is detoxed from free radicals and unwanted toxins it is able to lose weight more easily, have more energy, feel lighter, happier and experience more of life! I only say this from experience with the foods we eat:-). Pair it through the week with my detox water recipes and an apple cider vinegar drink.
Why This Recipe Works
Click to see the technique science
- Cabbage and celery burn more than they give. It takes more calories to digest both vegetables than the plants actually have in them, which is why this soup is a weight loss classic.
- The spicy miso broth is the flavor secret. Most cabbage soups taste thin. One to three tablespoons of white miso paste gives this one an abundance of savory depth.
- Apple cider vinegar brightens and balances. It helps reduce heartburn, can aid in weight loss, assists in healthy blood sugar, and carries antioxidant properties.
- Two cooking methods, same soup. The slow cooker builds flavor over 4-6 hours with hardly any dishes to scrub, while the stovetop has it ready in 20-30 minutes.
- 81 calories that actually fill you up. Fiber packed vegetables and broth fill you up longer, so the soup cuts calories without leaving you hungry.
- Lemon aids hydration. A splash of lemon juice balances pH levels in the body and keeps the broth tasting fresh.
Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Hardly any dishes. Slow cooker soup is so easy. Literally all you have to do is chop and toss all those fresh veggies in the bowl! TOTAL win, win!
- Kid approved. My kids don't like sauerkraut but they sure do gobble up a whole bowl of this detox cabbage soup recipe!
- 10 wildly healthy plant based vegetables and herbs. Diets are fads. Eating foods like this healing soup is a way to live freely, with sustainable energy that allows you to do the passions and things you love in life!
Key Ingredients
- Green cabbage - packed with fiber and a great source of choline, phosphorus, vitamin B2, magnesium, calcium, selenium, iron, pantothenic acid, protein and niacin.
- Celery - burns more calories than it takes to eat. Packed with fiber!
- Onion and carrots - onion is packed with vitamin C to help improve immunity, and carrots are packed with vitamin A, great for eyesight.
- Chicken, vegetable, or beef broth - carries electrolytes and sodium to hydrate the body, plus fills you up.
- Apple cider vinegar - helps reduce heartburn and acid reflux, can aid in weight loss, and carries antioxidant properties.
- Miso paste - use 1-3 tablespoons of white miso paste. For vegan diets you can find vegan miso to use as an alternative.
- Diced tomatoes, lemon, and seasoning - tomatoes are high in vitamin C, lemon balances pH levels and aids in hydration, and herbs are packed with vitamins and minerals such as iron.
As always, please see recipe card below for full ingredient list.
Substitutions and Variations
- Add more vegetables. Some versions also contain green beans and bell peppers, so feel free to add them in as well if you like them in soup.
- Keep it really clean. Leave out the miso and use vegetable or chicken broth alone. But honestly, the spicy miso broth is what gives this soup its abundance of extra flavor!
- Gluten-free and Celiac. Miso usually contains gluten, so make sure the paste is also gluten-free. This recipe has been updated to accommodate gluten-free and vegan lifestyles.
How to Make the Cabbage Soup Diet Recipe
Full ingredients & instructions are in the recipe card below. There are two ways to make this cabbage soup diet recipe.
1Chop the vegetables. Chop the cabbage, dice the celery and onion, and slice the carrots into thin coins. Mince the garlic.
2Slow cooker method. Add all of the ingredients to the slow cooker and let it cook on low for 4-6 hours. Hardly any dishes to scrub after this meal!
3Stovetop method. Add all the ingredients to a large pot on medium high heat. Cover when it starts to bubble on the sides, turn down the heat to medium low, and cook for 20-30 minutes or until the carrots are soft.
4Serve. Garnish with fresh parsley and serve warm. After you've cooked the soup, leftovers are even more delicious and perfect for lunch the next day!
Recipe Tips and Tricks
- Season the miso to taste. Start with 1 tablespoon of miso paste and add up to 3 tablespoons for a deeper, spicier broth.
- Check the miso label. Most miso contains gluten, so for Celiac and gluten-sensitivity make sure the paste is gluten-free, or use the vegan miso alternative.
- Make it ahead. Leftovers are even more delicious the next day as the miso broth flavors deepen overnight.
- Do the diet sensibly. It is always important to consult with a doctor first to make sure you are getting proper caloric intake before starting any diet. Eat the soup 2-3 times per day with other allowed foods like protein, fruit, and vegetables, for only about a week at a time.
- Round out your plate. Eggs, fish, tofu, and quinoa are excellent protein sources to eat while on a cabbage soup diet, and for a heartier meal you can also add in brown rice.
Serving Ideas and Suggestions
Cabbage soup diet recipes are very appealing to anyone trying to detox and lose weight. And now that the holidays are soon to appear, this cabbage soup is great to embrace the cooler weather, lose weight and/or start the new year! Serve it with a detox chopped kale salad (if doing the diet, skip the dressing and just add lemon juice to taste).
Keep the cleanse going between bowls with a glass of cranberry juice detox water, a green machine detox drink to jumpstart your day, or a colorful detox beet juice for nourishing the blood.
Mornings on the diet pair beautifully with lemon water or quick apple cider vinegar shots, and a light chickpea salad makes a great allowed-foods lunch alongside a bowl.
Cabbage Soup Diet Recipe FAQs
Cabbage soup diet recipe helps you lose weight because it cuts the amount of calories consumed, but still fills you up with fiber, nutrients and liquid.
If consumed in large quantities with a low carbohydrate diet, you can lose up to 10 pounds in a week. Choose foods like protein, fruit and vegetables, and skim milk. Fruit juice and sugary drinks should be avoided, or choose unsweetened fruit juices in moderation.
Eat up to 2-3 times per day with other allowed foods. It is always important to consult with a doctor first to make sure you are getting proper caloric intake before starting any diet recipe.
Do the diet for only 1 week or seven days. After that start to add a normal diet and you can start again after two weeks.
Coffee and tea are allowed. Avoid alcoholic beverages and you can also enjoy fruits, except banana.
Cabbage has 2 grams of net carbs per cup shredded, so you can eat a lot of this soup and cabbage alone without falling out of ketosis.
Other Recommended Detox Recipes
I hope you enjoy this Cabbage Soup Diet Recipe! Tried it? I'd love to see your creations! Follow along with me on Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook, YouTube and Twitter for a feature and more recipe inspiration! And don't forget to rate the recipe in the recipe area and leave a comment below.
Cabbage Soup Diet Recipe
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Ingredients
- ½ green cabbage chopped
- 1 cup celery diced
- 1 cup onion diced
- 1 cup carrots sliced into thin coins
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 4 cups vegetable broth (or chicken broth)
- 2 cups tomatoes diced
- 1 teaspoon oregano dry
- ½ teaspoon pink Himalayan salt
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1 bay leaf dry
- 2 tablespoons gluten-free and vegan miso paste (or start with 1 tablespoon and add up to 3 tablespoons or to taste).
- 2 tablespoons parsley fresh, optional for garnish
Instructions
Slow Cooker
- In a slow cooker add all the ingredients. Cook for 4-6 hours on low. Serve right away garnished with fresh parsley.
Stovetop
- Add all the ingredients in a large pot and turn the heat to medium high. When it starts to bubble on the sides, cover and turn the heat down to medium-low heat. Cook for about 20-30 minutes or until the carrots are soft.
Lynn says
Awesome soup, so flavorful, delicious and flavorful!
A definite keeper.
Danielle Fahrenkrug says
Lynn, I am so glad you enjoy this recipe! Thank you for commenting and rating the recipe:-).
Michelle says
I am allergic to tomatoes, mushrooms, and soy. I'm currently making this soup without out these ingredients. I hope it taste as good as it looks. If not do you have any suggestions for substitutes for these ingredients?
Danielle Fahrenkrug says
Hi Michelle! You can use regular broth and add a splash of rice vinegar and substitute the vegetables for chopped zucchini and yellow squash which will absorb other flavors. How did your version turn out?
Jill Black says
So delicious! Healthy comfort food!! Mmmmm. Thanks again Danielle!!!
Danielle | Delightful Mom Food says
So glad you like this soup Jill, and thank you for your rating! xx
Catherine says
How would I could this in an instant pot? Thanks!
Danielle Fahrenkrug says
For the instant pot, there are two ways. Either add all of the ingredients and click the setting for "soup" for a quick version. Or for more flavor sauté the vegetables first with 1 tablespoon of olive oil for about 5 minutes on the "saute" setting while stirring frequently. Then turn that off, add the remaining ingredients, mix and set the setting to "soup".
Nicole says
I can’t wait to try this recipe but I can’t seem to find dry miso soup packets or paste in my area. I have found miso broth. Will this work? Should I omit the vegetable broth? What are your suggestions? My mouth is watering in anticipation! 😀
Danielle | Delightful Mom Food says
Hi Nicole! Yes, just use the Miso Broth in place of Vegetable Broth and the miso packet (if you are not Celiac as it has gluten). Let me know what you think and I would love for you to come back here and rate the recipe:-). Enjoy!
Trenae says
This looks amazing! My only concern is I have high blood pressure and I’m wondering how I can lower the sodium content.
Danielle at Delightful Mom Food says
To lower the sodium, use low sodium broth and instead of 2 soup packets use only 1 packet or 1 teaspoon to 1 tablespoon of miso paste (amount to desired taste so start with 1 teaspoon). The paste contains about 330mg of sodium per tablespoon and is less sodium than the packets.
Blake says
This is fantastic! Question should the slow cooker be on medium or high for the 6 hours of cook time! I am so excited to dig into this, I doubled up on the recipe the slow cooker is practically overflowing 🙂 The only thing I changed is instead of the himilayan sea salt I've added ghost pepper sea salt to spice it up even more as I love that heat!
Danielle at Delightful Mom Food says
Great idea to double up! Leave it on medium for 6 hours:-) Enjoy!
Ian says
Greetings from Ireland, Danielle.
Superb recipe thanks. Never thought cabbage soup could taste that good, and such healthy ingedients.
My 16 year old daughter loved it too, but still working on her vegetable-shy 13 year old brother! I'll try some more of your recipes on him. Looking forward to making them.
Danielle at Delightful Mom Food says
Hi Ian! I am so glad you and your family enjoy the soup! It's always exciting when the kids eat their vegetables. Love to hear when you make more of my recipes!:-)
Jen R says
Can you make this on the stove top?
Danielle at Delightful Mom Food says
Yes, you can easily do make this recipe on the stove top. Just put the ingredients in the pot and turn it to high. When the broth heats up turn it down to a simmer and simmer covered for about 20-30 minutes or until the carrots are soft.
Jeanette says
Trader Joe’s no longer carries the Miso Soup. What do you suggest using?
Danielle at Delightful Mom Food says
Miso soup can be found at any Asian Market, or local grocery store. If you can't find that I suggest using 1-2 Tablespoons of miso paste. Start with one and taste it, then add more to desired taste.
Matthew Woods says
Hello Danielle, love the soup. I doubled my recipe. I have question
I am counting calories and would like to know what is a serving of this soup?
Danielle at Delightful Mom Food says
This soup serves 4 with less than 90 calories per serving! I recently changed my recipe plugin which counts calories in the recipe, so previously it showed 157 per serving.
courtney says
is 157 for 1 cup? or what is the serving size?
Danielle at Delightful Mom Food says
It's the entire pot divided into 4. I believe it ends up being about 2 cups.
Teresa Figueira says
I cant find miso soup or paste, any suggestions ? Also can we add green beans ?
Thank you
Danielle Fahrenkrug, Certified Health & Nutrition Life Coach says
Yes, you can add green beans and if you can not find miso (usually in the ethnic section), just use vegetable broth or even bone broth for protein.
Amanda says
I love a nice detoxing, veggie filed cabbage soup! Love the suggestions of miso, apple cider vinegar, and lemon. I also added a cheese rind for extra umami. It's on the stove now can't wait to dig in.
Danielle @ Delightful Mom Food says
Amanda, that is fabulous! So glad you are making this cabbage soup recipe and what a great addition to add the cheese rind! I have issues with this soup that I usually tend to eat more than one bowl full, it's so good!
Christy says
Thanks! I plan to make this tomorrow. I have a new found obsession with cabbage! And this looks so tasty.
Christy says
What would you suggest to substitute the miso? I try to avoid soybean.
Danielle @ Delightful Mom Food says
Christy, if you are trying to avoid soybean skip the miso and add these ingreients in addition to the recipe: 1 Tablespoon of chives, 2 Tablespoons of Rice Vinegar (in addition to the apple cider vinegar), 1/2 teaspoon of black pepper, 1 more teaspoons of Himalayan salt, 1/2 cup of chopped mushrooms. If you are fine with clam sauce, add 1/3 cup to add that "miso" taste. But it is still good without that.
Danielle @ Delightful Mom Food says
One more ingredient I would add is nutritional yeast for omitting soy and tofu. It will also give that miso flavor and add a little extra punch. 2 Tablespoons of nutritional yeast. Plus it is packed with energizing B Vitamins! xx
Michele says
I could not find miso powder soup packets.
Asian store gave me paste. I believe paste is more concentrate, so I used 1 i/4 oz of paste vs. wha I saw online for powder packets 1.05 oz
hoping this works
Danielle @ Delightful Mom Food says
Michele, I have not used the paste. Try a small amount (1 teaspoon then work up to 1 tablespoon) and just add to desired taste. So glad you are making this cabbage soup recipe and thank you for commenting.