By Emily Dawson, Food Blogger, Recipe Developer, PhotographerPublished on 2 June 2026

200+ recipes developed and tested in her home kitchen before publishing on British Kitchen Hub.

Reviewed against our editorial standards.

Bubble and Squeak Recipe without potatoes

Jump to recipe15 mins prep25 mins cook4 servings

Bubble and Squeak Recipe without potatoes is a delicious twist on the traditional British favourite. Combine cabbage and sprouts with softening onion & carrot, then bind the mixture with swede (or cauliflower if you prefer), for cakes that hold their shape when pressed into gritty patties to fry.

Prep

15 mins

Cook

25 mins

Servings

4 servings

Difficulty

Easy

All the fry-up comfort, none of the spuds—this is bubble and squeak without potatoes. Mix cabbage and sprouts with softening onion & carrot, then bind the mixture with swede (or cauliflower if you prefer), for cakes that hold their shape when pressed into gritty patties to fry.

Why This Recipe Works

Swede (or cauliflower) grown locally for body without potato
Measuring our heat high and pressing thin yields a proper golden crust
Utilizes leftover roast veg or made from scratch
No gluten when you read stock and mustard labels

Serving

Best eaten hot from the pan. Like our shaped cakes keep in the fridge for 2 days—re-crisp on a dry frying pan, not microwave.

Bubbling and Squeaking Cabbage, No Potatoes (How to guide)

Shred and soften the greens—Sauté the diced onion and carrot in butter, add well-drained shredded cabbage and sprouts until soft; evaporate as much moisture as possible.
Squeeze and bind—If you give the veg a chill, wring out in a tea towel and add to some mashed swede with mustard & seasoning before shaping into patties
Chill and shape—Mould the dough into solid disks, refrigerate on a plate until they can maintain their shape, then fry.
Fry until golden—Cook over medium heat until both sides are crispy and brown; place directly onto a plate.

Potato-free bubble and squeak with cabbage

None of the potatoes — just all the fry-up comfort is bubble and squeak without potatoes. So onion and carrot soften then get mixed with a combination of cabbage and sprouts, bound together so that when the cakes are pressed into patties ready to fry they hold their shape using some mashed swede (or cauliflower if you want). Designed for British kitchens with times adjusted to accommodate leftover roast veg or a fresh batch — serve it up with fried eggs, bacon, or cold meat and you have yourself one proper English brunch/lunch/dinner/supper.

How to Make Bubble and Squeak Recipe without potatoes (Step-by-Step)

Shred and soften the greens

Sauté the diced onion and carrot in butter, add well-drained shredded cabbage and sprouts until soft; evaporate as much moisture as possible.

Squeeze and bind

If you give the veg a chill, wring out in a tea towel and add to some mashed swede with mustard & seasoning before shaping into patties

Chill and shape

Mould the dough into solid disks, refrigerate on a plate until they can maintain their shape, then fry.

Fry until golden

Cook over medium heat until both sides are crispy and brown; place directly onto a plate.

5 from 1 vote

Bubble and Squeak Recipe without potatoes

is a delicious twist on the traditional British favourite. Combine cabbage and sprouts with softening onion & carrot, then bind the mixture with swede (or cauliflower if you prefer), for cakes that hold their shape when pressed into gritty patties to fry.

Equipment

Large saucepan or cast-iron frying pan.
Mixing bowl
Chopping board and chef's knife
Clean tea towel or muslin
Fish slice or palette knife

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Instructions

The thinnest slicer for cabbage and Brussels; onion — cubed, carrot (yes, we also add carrots into our sauerkraut) small cubes.
Heat a large pan over medium and melt the butter with 1 tbsp oil. Saute onion and carrot, saute for 5 minutes or until softened.
Sprinkle with salt, add cabbage and sprouts. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally for 8–10 minutes or until tender but firm. After that discovery wipes and dispose of game weight Water for 2 — three Minutes straight.
Place the vegetables in a bowl and allow to cool for 5 minutes. Collect in a tea towel and twist it out — go hard on the squeezing.
Return veg to the bowl. Add the mashed swede (or cauliflower), mustard, nutmeg if using, parsley and a good grind of pepper. Taste and adjust salt.
Divide into 8 equal portions. Shape into firm 8 cm round by about 2cm high patty. Lay on a plate to rest for 15 minutes (or, covered and in the fridge, up to overnight).
In a big non-stick or cast-iron pan, warm a French fries slim movie of oil over medium-high warmth. Working in batches, fry the patties 3–4 minutes per side until deep golden and crisp around edges.
Drain briefly on kitchen paper. Serve as warm fingers with fried eggs and bacon or cold with pickles to make a ploughman's lunch; leftover roast beef plus brown sauce is also good.

Frequently Asked Questions

Reasons for potato-free bubble and squeak

Cooks are dainty about potatoes on doctor's orders or simply have roasts stuffed with greens and tubers butting out. The cakes are bound using either swede or cauliflower, yet retain the classic squeak-in-the-pan texture.

Could I have had a roast Sunday vegetables the day before, am i allowed that?

Yes. If you have leftover roast cabbage, sprouts or carrots (or parsnips), finely chop them up; warm through to dry out the veg a little and squeeze if they are wet then mix with approx 250 g mashed swede or cauliflower before shaping and frying.

Cakes collapse—what goes wrong?

Usually too much moisture. Firmly wring the cooked veg in a tea towel, use thick-mid runny mash and chill until made into patties before frying them from both sides but only flip when bottoms have set and golden.

What is the shelf life of bubble and squeak?

Raw formed patties are then frozen on a tray and bagged for up to 2 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight, then fry again for crisp crust (the microwave just won&39;t make it crunchy).

Is this recipe gluten-free?

And the underlying recipe itself is 100% gluten free. This includes looking at labels for English mustard, stock from leftover veg and brown sauce; if these are put on your plate too, ensure they have the Certified GF logo.

Notes

Binder swap

If you would like your breakfast light, use well-drained cauli mash (mashed swede is the traditional potato-free UK bubble and squeak binder — make sure to drain it very good).

Leftover roast route

About 700 g roast veg with the addition of +250–a300g buttered swede (to serve up to about ~8 patties, adjust salt as needed)

Serving ideas

Fried egg, fried bacon and a plate of cold meat with piccalilli (or served up with roast chicken instead of potatoes). The tradition here seems to be for cool cakes — Ploughman's lunch.