Quick Jamaican Steamed Cabbage & Carrot Recipe

Jamaican steamed cabbage goes great with rice and peas, stew oxtail, and plantains. I am so excited to share this recipe with you. It is mouthwatering and so delicious. If you love colorful, flavorful food that’s easy to make, then you’ve come to the right place.

This dish has cabbage, bell peppers, and carrots. It is so healthy and is dear to my heart. I have been making this dish weekly, so I can add it as the most amazing side to my meals. Not to mention, I have added my secret ingredient: wet jerk sauce. This seasoning gives it that authentic Jamaican style that I love.

However, the jerk sauce is totally optional. But if you do, please let me know. Trust me you would really like the taste that it gives to your steamed cabbage.

Why You Should Love This Recipe

Jamaican steamed cabbage is a colourful, flavorful side dish that pairs perfectly with Caribbean meals. You’ll love this recipe because it brings together fresh ingredients like scallions, thyme, and Scotch bonnet to create a simple yet tasty side.

The gentle steaming locks in the natural sweetness of the cabbage and carrots, while the seasoning adds flavor. It’s easy to prepare, smells incredible as it cooks, and offers a perfect balance of savory, spicy, and slightly sweet that we all know and love.

I have seen people add chicken broth or a cup of water to assist with the steaming process. You can do this. What I do: cover the pot on low heat and allow the veggies to spring water.

Ingredients for Jamaican Steamed Cabbage

Here’s everything I use to make my steamed cabbage and carrot. You can adjust the quantities to suit your taste, but this combo gives you that real Jamaican flavor:

Fresh Produce:

• 1 whole cabbage (mine wasn’t too big, so I used the whole thing)
• 1 carrot, sliced (cut it how you like)
• 2 tomatoes, finely chopped
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 1 stalk scallion
• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• Mixed sweet peppers (red, green, yellow—because I love my food colorful)
• 1 teaspoon Scotch bonnet pepper (adjust to your heat level)
• 1 tablespoon fresh thyme

Seasonings:

• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon all-purpose seasoning
• 2 teaspoons dry jerk seasoning
• 1½ teaspoons black pepper
• 1 tablespoon wet jerk seasoning (this adds deep flavor)
• 1 teaspoon pimento seeds

Fats:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil (or vegetable oil)
• 1 tablespoon salted butter

Prep Steps

Before cooking, I prep everything so the process flows smoothly:

Cut your cabbage into strips. You can slice it thin or chunky, whichever way you prefer. If any part looks a bit tough, just remove it. Once cut, wash it thoroughly and set aside in a glass bowl.

Chop your carrot, tomatoes, onion, garlic, scallion, and sweet peppers. I like to keep my peppers vibrant and chunky for that pop of color.

Instructions

Let’s cook this up on medium heat. Don’t turn your stove up too high. You want everything to sauté gently and build flavor.

Sauté the Base

• Heat about 1 tablespoon of olive oil in your pot.
• Once the oil is warm, add your chopped onions. Let them sauté for about 20 seconds.
• Add the garlic next and let it cook for another 15–20 seconds. Stir gently.

Build the Flavor

• Add your chopped carrots and sweet peppers. Stir and let them cook for 20–30 seconds.
• Add the tomatoes and give it a quick stir. Let them soften just a little.

Season and Steam

• Sprinkle in a little of your dry seasoning mix (not all yet).
• Add the washed cabbage to the pot. Pour in any water left in the bowl from rinsing—it helps steam the cabbage.
• Add the Scotch bonnet pepper (I use about 1 teaspoon).
• Mix everything gently so the cabbage starts to soften and absorb the flavors.
• Cover the pot and let it steam for about 6 minutes.

Add Remaining Ingredients

• After 6 minutes, check your cabbage. It should be softer but not fully cooked.
• Add the rest of your seasonings: salt, black pepper, all-purpose, jerk seasoning.
• Stir in the wet jerk seasoning, scallion, thyme, pimento seeds, and the remaining carrot and sweet pepper.
• Add the butter last—it melts into the cabbage and gives it that rich, savory finish.

Final Steam

• Cover the pot again and let everything steam for another 15–20 minutes.
• Check occasionally to make sure it’s not sticking. You want it soft but not mushy, with a little liquid at the bottom.

Once your cabbage is cooked to perfection, it’s time to plate up!

This dish goes perfectly with:

Steamed rice or hard food (yams, green fig, dumplings).

Fried plantain.

Jerk chicken or fish.

Festival or Bammy.

My Tip to Get the Best Jamaican Steam Cabbage and Carrot

I love using red, green, and yellow peppers because they make the dish colorful. Always keep the stove on medium when sautéing the veggies and covered on low for steaming. You do not want to skip the butter since it gives your steamed cabbage that silky texture. Since I did not add any extra water, the liquid at the end is gold. Spoon it over your rice or dumplings.

Storage Notes

Steamed cabbage is best enjoyed fresh, but if you’ve got leftovers, here’s how I keep mine tasting vibrant:

• Fridge: Let the cabbage cool completely, then transfer to a glass container with a tight lid. It keeps well for up to 3 days.
• Reheat: Warm gently on the stovetop over low heat. Add a splash of water or a teaspoon of butter to revive the texture and bring back that silky finish. Avoid microwaving because it softens the veggies too much.
• Freezer: I don’t freeze this dish. The cabbage loses its bite and the peppers go mushy. If you must, freeze in small portions and reheat with fresh peppers stirred in at the end.

This Jamaican steamed cabbage and carrot recipe is simple and full of love. It’s a dish that reminds you of home. It is so yummy.

More Jamaican Recipes

• Delicious Jamaican ToTo Cake Coconut Cake
• Traditional Jamaican Coconut Gizzada Recipe
• Easy Jamaican Bully Beef And Rice Recipe
• How To Make Jamaican Corned Beef And Cabbage?

Quick Jamaican Steamed Cabbage & Carrot Recipe

Recipe by Ren PetersCourse: Uncategorized

Servings

4-6

servings

Prep time

20

minutes

Cooking time

30

minutes

Calories

150

kcal

Jamaican Steamed Cabbage & Carrot This vibrant side dish is a staple in Caribbean kitchens. It is simple, colorful, and full of flavor.

Ingredients

• 1 whole cabbage (mine wasn’t too big, so I used the whole thing)

• 1 carrot, sliced (cut it how you like)

• 2 tomatoes, finely chopped

• 1 medium onion, finely chopped

• 1 stalk scallion

• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

• Mixed sweet peppers (red, green, yellow—because I love my food colorful)

• 1 teaspoon Scotch bonnet pepper (adjust to your heat level)

• 1 tablespoon fresh thyme

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 1 teaspoon all-purpose seasoning

• 2 teaspoons dry jerk seasoning

• 1½ teaspoons black pepper

• 1 tablespoon wet jerk seasoning (this adds deep flavor)

• 1 teaspoon pimento seeds

• 1 tablespoon olive oil (or vegetable oil)

• 1 tablespoon salted butter

Directions

• Heat about 1 tablespoon of olive oil in your pot.
• Once the oil is warm, add your chopped onions. Let them sauté for about 20 seconds.
• Add the garlic next and let it cook for another 15–20 seconds. Stir gently.
• Add your chopped carrots and sweet peppers. Stir and let them cook for 20–30 seconds.
• Add the tomatoes and give it a quick stir. Let them soften just a little.
• Sprinkle in a little of your dry seasoning mix (not all yet).
• Add the washed cabbage to the pot. Pour in any water left in the bowl from rinsing—it helps steam the cabbage.
• Add the Scotch bonnet pepper (I use about 1 teaspoon).
• Mix everything gently so the cabbage starts to soften and absorb the flavors.
• Cover the pot and let it steam for about 6 minutes.
• After 6 minutes, check your cabbage. It should be softer but not fully cooked.
• Add the rest of your seasonings: salt, black pepper, all-purpose, jerk seasoning.
• Stir in the wet jerk seasoning, scallion, thyme, pimento seeds, and the remaining carrot and sweet pepper.
• Add the butter last—it melts into the cabbage and gives it that rich, savory finish.
• Cover the pot again and let everything steam for another 15–20 minutes.
• Check occasionally to make sure it’s not sticking. You want it soft but not mushy, with a little liquid at the bottom.