Ukrainian cabbage rolls in the air fryer are slow-simmered comfort food with soul: tender white cabbage leaves rolled around a juicy filling of minced pork, rice and golden onions. In Ukraine the dish is called holubtsi, and it is one of the country’s great classics. Here the little parcels are packed tightly into a dish, covered completely in tomato sauce with crème fraîche and baked in the air fryer until the cabbage is soft and the rice is tender.
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The work is simple once you have the cabbage leaves sorted, and while the cabbage rolls are in the air fryer, they more or less look after themselves. The reward is a dish that smells of tomato, bay leaf and cabbage and feeds the whole family with just a few inexpensive ingredients.
Table of Contents
Why I love Ukrainian cabbage rolls in the air fryer
Cabbage rolls are traditionally cooked in a pot or in the oven, but the air fryer handles the job surprisingly well when the dish is packed properly. Under the aluminium foil the cabbage leaves steam until tender, while the rice soaks up liquid from the tomato sauce. For the last stretch the dish stays uncovered, so the sauce bubbles and thickens slightly. And you avoid having to switch on the big oven altogether.
I especially love the contrast between the tangy, creamy sauce and the mild filling. Smetana, the soured cream from Ukrainian cooking, is replaced here with crème fraîche (38% fat), which can boil without splitting. A dollop of cold crème fraîche and fresh dill on top ties it all together.
The difference between holubtsi, dolma and Swedish kåldolmar
Holubtsi are rolled in blanched white cabbage leaves and simmered in tomato sauce. That sets them apart both from dolma in vine leaves and from Swedish kåldolmar, which are browned and served with brown gravy and lingonberries. Incidentally, the name holubtsi comes from the Ukrainian word for dove.
My kitchen test of Ukrainian cabbage rolls
I tested the cabbage rolls in my Cosori Dual Blaze, where heating elements both above and below give the dish even heat from both sides. Before I started, I measured the basket so that I knew a dish of about 20 x 20 cm would fit in it with a little air around it. I recommend that you do the same.
At 180 °C the cabbage rolls first had 35 minutes under aluminium foil. Then I removed the foil, spooned sauce over them instead of turning them, and gave them another 10 minutes. The meat thermometer showed 75 °C in the middle of a cabbage roll, and that is also the minimum core temperature you should reach. After 10 minutes of resting in the dish, the sauce had thickened and the rice was tender all the way through. With about 40 minutes of preparation, the dish takes around 95 minutes in total.
Slice the thick rib on each cabbage leaf thinner, holding the knife flat. That way the leaf can be rolled tightly without cracking, and the cabbage rolls keep their shape in the dish.
Tips and tricks from the author: Morten Jensen
Common mistakes and how to avoid them
The first mistake is skipping the thinning of the rib. If the thick rib is not sliced thin, the leaf cracks when you roll it, and the cabbage roll comes open in the sauce. The second mistake is too little liquid. The rice is only boiled for 6 minutes, until half-cooked, and has to absorb the rest of the liquid in the dish, so the cabbage rolls must be completely covered by sauce. Top up with a little boiling water if the sauce does not cover them, but leave about 1 cm free up to the rim of the dish so that it does not bubble over. The third mistake is loose aluminium foil. The fan can lift the foil up against the heating element, so crimp it tightly around the rim before the dish goes into the basket.
How to serve Ukrainian cabbage rolls
Serve 2 cabbage rolls per person with plenty of sauce from the dish. These are my favourite sides:
- Boiled potatoes or mashed potatoes, which soak up the sauce
- A dollop of cold crème fraîche (38% fat) and fresh, chopped dill on top
- Pickled cucumbers, which add acidity and bite to the soft dish
- The rest of the cabbage as a salad or fried in a pan
Storage and reheating
The cabbage rolls can be stored covered in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat them in the air fryer at 160 °C for 10-12 minutes with aluminium foil over the dish, until they are heated through. You can also freeze them in the sauce for up to 3 months. Thaw them in the fridge overnight before you reheat them.
Ukrainian cabbage rolls take a little patience, but the technique is straightforward once the rib has been sliced thin and the dish is packed tightly. Be sure to keep any leftovers, because they taste at least as good the next day.
FAQ
Yes, but only until half-cooked. Boil the rice for 6 minutes and rinse it with cold water. It should still have some bite, because it absorbs liquid from the sauce and finishes cooking in the air fryer.
Yes, you can use half minced pork and half minced beef. In many Ukrainian kitchens, a grated carrot is also fried together with the onions.
Divide the cabbage rolls and the sauce between two smaller dishes and cook the dish in two batches. Always measure the basket first, so that the dish can sit in it with a little air around it.
Recipe
Ukrainian cabbage rolls in the Air Fryer
Cooking Guide
Keep the screen on and follow the recipe step by step while you cook.
Step 1:
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Step 2:
Start the guide and follow the recipe one step at a time.
Cost of the dish
Prices may vary depending on where you shop.
Our estimate is based on average food prices for the current year 2026.
Estimated price for the whole dish:
Airfryer size
All our recipes are tested in a Philips Airfryer 2000 Series NA230/00 – 6.2 L
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Recommended equipment
- 1 Air fryer
- 1 Oven-safe dish - 20 x 20 cm
- 1 Large pot
- 1 Small pot
- 1 Frying pan
- 1 Cutting board
- 1 Sharp knife
- 1 Tongs
- 1 Colander
- 1 Sieve
- 1 Mixing bowl
- 1 Ladle
- 1 Aluminum foil
- 1 Meat thermometer
Shopping list
Ingredients
- 1 pcs white cabbage (About 1 kg, preferably a loose head with large leaves)
- 400 g minced pork (8-12% fat)
- 100 g rice (Round-grain rice or jasmine rice)
- 2 pcs onions (Finely chopped)
- 2 tbsp sunflower oil (For frying the onions)
- 1 tsp salt
- 0.5 tsp black pepper (Freshly ground)
Tomato sauce
- 400 g chopped tomatoes (1 tin)
- 2 dl water
- 2 tbsp tomato purée
- 1 dl crème fraîche (38% fat, replaces smetana and does not split when heated)
- 1 clove garlic (Finely chopped)
- 1 tsp sugar
- 0.5 tsp salt
- 2 pcs bay leaves
Serving
- 1 dl crème fraîche (38% fat, cold, for topping)
- 2 tbsp dill (Fresh, chopped)
How to make it
Preparation
- Remove the tough outer leaves from 1 pcs white cabbage and cut out the core with a sharp knife. Bring a large saucepan of lightly salted water to the boil and add the whole head of cabbage. Boil for 3-4 minutes, then loosen the outer leaves with tongs as they soften. Continue until you have 8 large, whole leaves. This takes about 10 minutes in total. Leave the leaves to drain in a colander.
- Meanwhile, boil 100 g rice in a small saucepan of lightly salted water for 6 minutes, until it is half-cooked. Pour it into a sieve and rinse it with cold water. The rice should still have some bite, as it absorbs liquid from the sauce and finishes cooking in the air fryer.
- Finely chop 2 pcs onions. Heat 2 tbsp sunflower oil in a frying pan over a medium heat and fry the onions for 8-10 minutes, until soft and golden. Transfer them to a mixing bowl and leave to cool slightly.
- Lay the cabbage leaves on a chopping board with the outer side facing up. Slice the thick rib in the middle of each leaf thinner, holding the knife flat, so that the rib is as thin as the rest of the leaf and the leaf can be rolled without cracking.
- Add 400 g minced pork, the drained rice, 1 tsp salt and 0.5 tsp black pepper to the bowl with the onions and mix the filling well.
- Divide the filling evenly between the 8 cabbage leaves, placing it as an oblong mound at the stem end of each leaf. Fold the sides in over the filling and roll the leaf up tightly into a small parcel.
- Pack the cabbage rolls tightly into an ovenproof dish of about 20 x 20 cm that fits in the air fryer basket. Place them seam side down so that they keep their shape.
- Pour the hot sauce over the cabbage rolls so that they are completely covered, and tuck 2 pcs bay leaves down into the sauce. If the sauce does not cover the cabbage rolls completely, top up with a little boiling water. Leave about 1 cm free up to the rim of the dish so that the sauce does not bubble over.
Cooking in the air fryer
- Preheat the air fryer to 180 °C (fan).
- Cover the dish with aluminium foil and crimp the foil tightly around the rim so that the fan cannot lift it. Place the dish in the basket and bake the cabbage rolls at 180 °C for 35 minutes.
- Remove the foil and spoon sauce over the cabbage rolls instead of turning them, as they need to stay seam side down. Bake for a further 10 minutes at 180 °C, until the sauce is bubbling and has thickened slightly. Use a meat thermometer to check that the core temperature in the middle of a cabbage roll is at least 75 °C.
Serving
- Pull out the basket and let the cabbage rolls rest in the dish for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, the sauce thickens and the rice absorbs the last of the liquid.
- Remove the bay leaves. Serve 2 cabbage rolls per portion with sauce from the dish, and top the portions with 1 dl crème fraîche and 2 tbsp dill.
Our notes for the recipe
Measure the basket before you start, so that the dish fits in it with a little air around it. Pour the sauce over while it is hot, so that the dish quickly comes up to temperature and the rice has time to become tender. Crimp the foil tightly around the rim so that it is not sucked up against the heating element. If some of the cabbage leaves are small or split, you can overlap two leaves. Use crème fraîche with 38% fat in the sauce, as it can boil without splitting. The dish is heavy and very hot, so leave it in the basket during the resting time and lift it out with oven gloves. The rest of the cabbage can be used in a salad or fried as a side dish. Variation:
In many Ukrainian kitchens, a grated carrot is fried together with the onions. You can also use half minced pork and half minced beef in the filling. Serving:
Serve with boiled potatoes or mashed potatoes, which soak up the sauce, and ideally some pickled cucumbers on the side. Portion size:
The recipe makes 8 cabbage rolls, so 2 per portion. If your air fryer is smaller, you can divide the cabbage rolls and the sauce between two smaller dishes and cook the dish in two batches. About holubtsi:
Holubtsi are the Ukrainian version of cabbage rolls, made with blanched white cabbage leaves and a tomato sauce with smetana, a soured cream, which is replaced here by crème fraîche. This sets them apart both from dolma wrapped in vine leaves and from Swedish kåldolmar, which are browned and served with brown gravy and lingonberries.
Your notes for the recipe
Nutrition per serving (Guideline)
Important about shelf life and nutrition
Nutrition per serving (guideline): Calculations are based on data from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Shelf life (guideline): Shelf life data is provided, as far as possible, by public institutions, including national food authorities. Our information is therefore only indicative, and it is your responsibility to obtain and calculate accurate information about shelf life and nutrition for all recipes on airfryerkogebogen.dk
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