Carbohydrate derivatives of cyanidin, a class of anthocyanin pigments, are major component of red cabbage, which is responsible for the characteristic reddish color. The color of cyanidin derivatives is quite stable against heat, and here we aimed to identify the chemical component of glucoside-derivatives of cyanidin which is responsible for the thermal stability. By comparing the thermal stability of color from unmodified cyanidin and cyanidin-3,5-diglucoside with the color of cyanidin derivatives from red cabbage, we found that the glucoside modification confers the thermal stability. We believe that our finding will contribute to the preparation of heat-resistant anthocyanin pigments for food coloring and other applications.