Lettuce vs. Cabbage: 7 Ways Lettuce and Cabbage Are Different

Lettuce is a leafy green vegetable that’s part of the Asteraceae family in the Lactuca genus. There are many varieties of lettuce, with the most common types of lettuce being Romaine lettuce, leaf, iceberg/crisphead, red leaf, and butterhead. You can use lettuce as the base for salads and a filling for sandwiches, wraps, and burgers.

Cabbage is a leafy vegetable in the Brassicaceae family. Cabbage is part of the Brassica genus, the same plant family as cauliflower, broccoli, collard greens, kale, Brussels sprouts, and other cruciferous vegetables. Common varieties of cabbage include green cabbage, red cabbage, savoy, and napa/Chinese cabbage. You can steam, sauté, or cook cabbage in a soup or stew. You can also pickle cabbage to make kimchi or sauerkraut or use it to make coleslaw.

Lettuce and cabbage may look similar, but there are differences in taste and texture:

• Appearance: Green cabbage is sometimes mistaken for iceberg lettuce, but for the most part, cabbages and lettuce have a distinct look. Cabbage tends to be round with a short stem, and its rigid outer leaves are tightly wrapped around each other. Lettuce is more oblong in shape and its outer leaves are soft and easy to remove from the stem. Lettuce also contains higher amounts of chlorophyll, so they tend to be a more intense green.
• Water content: Cabbage has less water content than lettuce. Lettuce contains ninety-five percent water, while cabbage is ninety-two percent water. Both veggies are mostly water, which means they are low-calorie vegetables.
• Taste: Lettuce is mild in flavor, and cabbage is sharp and peppery in taste. This is why lettuce leaves are often eaten raw in salads, while cabbage is usually cooked.
• Texture: Lettuce stems are crunchy, and the leaves are soft. Cabbage is crunchy in its entirety, so it holds up better in cooking and pickling.
• Growing conditions: Lettuce is an annual plant and is grown in warm conditions. Cabbage is a biennial plant and grows in colder environments.
• Culinary uses: While you can eat both cabbage and lettuce raw, cooks usually steam or cook cabbage.
• Nutritional value: Cabbage and lettuce are nutritious vegetables high in dietary fiber. They also contain the same amount of protein and are high in antioxidants. They each have different vitamins and minerals; for example, butterhead lettuce contains vitamin A, vitamin K, calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, and iron. Green cabbage contains vitamin C, vitamin K, calcium, potassium, phosphorus, and magnesium.

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