Cabbage has a reputation: comforting, rustic, and very, very gassy. But is it actually worse than onions? What about broccoli? And how does it stack up against gentler options like carrots and spinach?
On our cabbage page, we give it an 8/10 digestibility score. This article puts that into context by comparing cabbage with carrots, spinach, onions, and broccoli—so you can decide when cabbage belongs on your plate.
Cabbage vs carrots
Winner for digestibility: Carrots (usually less gas)
Both cabbage and carrots share an 8/10 score, but they feel different in real life:
- Carrots: High water content, simpler fibers, and less tendency to create large gas volumes when cooked soft.
- Cabbage: More fermentable fibers and sulfur compounds that your gut bacteria love to turn into gas.
If you want a root vegetable that’s easy on the gut, cooked carrots usually beat cabbage. Cabbage can still fit, but as a smaller side portion.
Cabbage vs spinach
Winner for digestibility: Spinach (9/10)
Spinach tends to be one of the gentlest greens:
- Spinach: Tender leaves, moderate fiber, and quick digestion, especially when cooked.
- Cabbage: Crunchier texture and more fermentable fiber, which means more gas potential.
If your goal is to add green vegetables without stirring up a storm, spinach is usually a better everyday default than cabbage.
Cabbage vs onions
Winner for digestibility: Depends on your trigger (fiber vs FODMAPs)
Onions and cabbage both have 8/10 scores, but cause trouble in different ways:
- Cabbage: Gas-prone because of total fiber and fermentation volume.
- Onions: Gas-prone primarily because of fructans (FODMAPs), which are a specific IBS trigger.
In practice:
- If you’re FODMAP-sensitive, onions are often worse.
- If you’re just volume and fiber sensitive, big servings of cabbage may feel rougher.
Many people find that small amounts of well-cooked cabbage are easier than onion-heavy dishes, but it’s highly individual.
Cabbage vs broccoli
Winner for digestibility: Cabbage (8/10 vs 6/10)
Broccoli is usually the more aggressive vegetable:
- Broccoli: Very high in fiber and sulfur compounds, often causing strong gas and bloating.
- Cabbage: Still gassy, but often a bit easier—especially when cooked soft and eaten in smaller portions.
If broccoli reliably wrecks you, you might still tolerate a small scoop of well-cooked cabbage in a mixed dish.
Where cabbage fits in a gut-friendly rotation
Thinking in terms of tiers can help:
- Tier 1 (gentlest): Cooked spinach, cooked carrots, potatoes, sweet potatoes.
- Tier 2 (moderate): Cabbage and onions in small, cooked portions.
- Tier 3 (hardest): Large servings of broccoli, kale, and other brassicas.
In this framework, cabbage isn’t the villain—it’s a sometimes food you reach for when your gut is relatively calm and portions are controlled.
Quick ranking: cabbage vs its peers
For many people with a sensitive gut, the lived-experience ranking looks like this:
- Easiest: Spinach, carrots.
- Middle: Cabbage, onions (in small cooked portions).
- Hardest: Broccoli and large portions of other brassicas.
The bottom line
Cabbage isn’t automatically the worst vegetable for digestion—but it’s also not the easiest. It sits in the middle, more challenging than spinach or carrots but often easier than broccoli, especially when cooked well and eaten in moderate amounts.
If you like cabbage, you probably don’t need to avoid it completely. Treat it as a food that belongs in careful portions on calm days, and let gentler vegetables carry more of the daily load.
Your gut will tell you how often and how much cabbage makes sense. Use that feedback, not just generic rules, to decide where cabbage fits in your own rotation.
Related reading: For a deeper look at cabbage alone, see Cabbage and Your Gut: Comforting, Gassy, or Both?