A goal of mine has been to get more fermented foods into our diets and I think this homemade sauerkraut recipe might be the easiest way! I’ve experimented with a few different fermented foods in the past few months but sauerkraut is by far the simplest.
So easy
2 ingredients
Ready to eat in 5-7 days
And lasts for months
What Is Sauerkraut
Sauerkraut is fermented cabbage. When salt is added to cabbage it draws out the liquid in the cabbage and begins the fermentation process. For some more information on what the fermentation process is and how sauerkraut is beneficial for our health check out this healthline article.
Some popular ways you can enjoy sauerkraut are:
- Piled into sandwiches like my vegan reuben!
- On a plant-based sausage to mimic a traditional bratwurst.
- Add it to pierogi either inside or piled on top.
- Some people mix it into mashed potatoes which I’ve never tried!
- Add it to the top of protein bowls and salads.
- Or… just enjoy some on the side of your meal for the flavour & gut health benefits!
Ingredients For Homemade Sauerkraut
2 ingredients are all you need for this homemade sauerkraut recipe. Cabbage and salt.
You could add extra ingredients like shredded carrot, ginger, or apple. Some recipes call for adding cumin or caraway seeds. Let me know in the comments if you make sauerkraut and if you add any other flavourful ingredients. With that said, this homemade sauerkraut recipe is perfectly delicious with just cabbage and salt!
What kind of cabbage can you use?
- Round green cabbage: the most commonly used cabbage for sauerkraut.
- Red or purple cabbage: a brilliant pop of colour to your meals.
- Taiwanese flat cabbage: this is what I’ve used in these photos!
A finely ground non-iodized salt is best and you can choose from:
- Non-iodized sea salt.
- Kosher salt.
- Himalayan pink salt.
Materials For Homemade Sauerkraut
A couple of fermentation specific materials will make this recipe even easier for you but they are not mandatory. Preferably you will have:
- A sterilized wide mouth glass jar: I use a 32 oz or 1 quart jar.
- A fermentation lid: an airlock lid or pickle pipe come in handy.
- And a weight: a mason jar fermentation weight is perfect.
If you don’t have a fermentation lid or fermentation weight you have options!
A fermentation lid of some kind allows you to mostly forget about your sauerkraut as it ferments. The lid will allow gases that build up in the jar to escape. If you don’t have a fermentation lid you can use a tight-fitting lid or a clamp lid jar and you will have to manually burp the lid twice a day. Briefly take the lid off in the morning and at night to release some of the gas that has built up during the day. Then secure the lid again and leave it alone for the next 12 hours or so.
A fermentation weight ensures the cabbage stays submerged in liquid so that it can properly ferment. I have seen some people use a small 4oz glass jam jar or ceramic ramekin instead of a mason jar fermentation weight.
How To Make Sauerkraut At Home
The hands on process of making sauerkraut at home can take only about 20 minutes of your time!
- Remove any wilted or discoloured leaves from your cabbage.
- Reserve 1-2 large leaves for later.
- Quarter the cabbage and cut out the thick core.
- Slice the cabbage thinly by hand or by using a mandolin slicer.
- Add salt to the cabbage and massage for 5 minutes to soften and release liquid.
If your hands aren’t up to massaging the cabbage for 5 minutes you can cover it with a damp towel and let it sit for up to 2 hours. The salt will soften the cabbage and draw out its liquid making it easier for you to lightly massage when you come back to it.
- Pile the softened cabbage into a jar and press to submerge in its own liquid.
- Add the reserved large cabbage leaves to the top as a barrier.
- Place a weight into the jar and press to cover the weight in liquid.
- Secure a fermenting lid or tight fitting lid and store on the counter out of direct sun.
- Burp the lid to release gas twice a day if you do not have a fermentation lid.
- After 5 -7 days taste your sauerkraut to see if it’s strong enough for you.
How To Know When Sauerkraut Is Ready
Especially if you are manually burping the lid, you will notice that after about 5 days not much gas is building up inside the jar. Instead of hearing a big pop of gas being released when you open the lid, you won’t hear much of anything.
Another sign that your sauerkraut is ready will be that the bubbles in the jar have calmed down. Around day 3 of fermentation you will notice lots of bubbles inside the jar. Once the bubbles have calmed down and hardly any gas is being released, your sauerkraut is ready to enjoy!
- Remove the weight, any fermentation lid, and secure a tight fitting lid on the jar.
- Refrigerate and enjoy for months on end.
- As you draw from your sauerkraut ensure the cabbage stays submerged in liquid.
Your sauerkraut will continue to ferment in the fridge but at a much slower rate. It should last well for up to 6 months in your fridge.
Cost Comparison
This homemade sauerkraut recipe makes 1 litre of sauerkraut and costs me approximately $2.65 Canadian.
The lowest cost I could find for sauerkraut from my local grocery store was $5.79 for 796 ml. My wholesale store sells 1.5 litres of organic sauerkraut for $12.99.
If you have been wondering about organic vs. non-organic cabbage…
Cabbage is often considered one of the “clean 15 vegetables” by the EWG (Environmental Working Group). You can take a look at their Shopper’s Guide on their website. Since cabbage is typically a cleaner vegetable and you will most likely be discarding the first layer of leaves, a non-organic option is considered quite safe. (Feel free to discard the first two layers and reserve the third layer of leaves for the top of your jar).
Another benefit to making sauerkraut at home is that you can wait for cabbage to go on sale. Sauerkraut lasts for so long that you might as well take advantage of making it when the price is low in your area.
Remember to try your sauerkraut on my delicious vegan reuben sandwich and let me how else you enjoy it!
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Homemade Sauerkraut Recipe 5 – 7 Day Ferment
- Total Time: 20 minutes (plus 5 days fermenting time)
- Yield: 1 litre 1x
- Diet: Vegan
Description
This homemade sauerkraut recipe is so simple & ready to eat in just 5 days. Slice your cabbage, add salt, jar, & before too long… enjoy!
Ingredients
- 1 kg cabbage (taiwanese flat cabbage, green cabbage, or red cabbage)*
- 1 tbsp salt (18 grams, non-iodized sea salt, kosher salt, or himalayan pink salt)
*Fresh ingredients you need that are not part of our pantry and freezer tips.
Instructions
- Prepare your cabbage by removing any wilted outer leaves or those that are discoloured.
- Remove and reserve 1-2 leaves which will not be shredded and will be used later.
- If your cabbage weighs more than 1 kg (or 2.2 pounds) you can reserve the rest of it for another recipe. Alternatively, if you would like to ferment more than 2.2 lbs use a ratio of 1 teaspoon salt (5-6 g) per extra pound of cabbage.
- Quarter the cabbage, slice around the thick core to remove it (you can chop it small and add it to another recipe if you’d like) and slice the cabbage thinly by hand or by using a mandolin. The slices don’t have to be extremely thin but shouldn’t be too thick either.
- Add the sliced cabbage to a large mixing bowl and sprinkle with the salt. With clean hands, massage the salt into the cabbage until you start feeling it softening and releasing liquid. You can either continue to massage the cabbage for 5 minutes until it is very soft and lots of liquid has been released OR you can cover the bowl with a damp cloth and allow it to sit for up to 2 hours. The salt will work to extract the juices from the cabbage and after sitting for 2 hours it will be easier to massage. When the cabbage has been softened and a good amount of liquid has gathered at the bottom of the bowl you can proceed to jarring the cabbage.
- Using a sterilized 1 quart (32 oz) wide mouth glass jar (and preferably silicone or wooden utensils whenever handling your cabbage), pile the sliced cabbage into the jar. As you fill the jar, use a tamper or something like the handle end of a wooden mixing spoon to press the cabbage down as compact as possible. As you press the cabbage more liquid will be released. You want the cabbage to always be covered by its own liquid so make sure to really press it down. Leave at least two inches of space between the top of the cabbage and the opening of the jar.
- Place the large reserved cabbage leaves on top of the shredded cabbage as a barrier (fold them as needed). Press everything down again to make sure that the liquid rises above these larger leaves.
- Add a weight to keep the cabbage submerged. I use a mason jar weight but if you don’t have one I have seen others place a 4 oz jam jar or small ceramic ramekin on top. Some people go without a weight but you’ll have to be more diligent to make sure the cabbage stays covered in liquid as it ferments and push it down as needed. Make sure that the weight is also covered by liquid and that there is at least 1 inch of space between the top of the liquid and the lid of the jar to prevent overflow during the fermentation. *See notes if your cabbage has not released enough liquid to cover.
- Ideally, secure with an airlock lid or a silicone pickle pipe. If you don’t have either of these fermenting lids you will have to remove the lid of your jar twice a day to release gases from the fermenting cabbage (a jar with a clamp lid makes this even easier). Preferably avoid metal lids during fermentation if you have plastic.
- Place your jar on your countertop away from direct sunlight and ferment for at least 5-6 days. As a precautionary measure you can place the jar in a larger dish to catch any liquid that might overflow. Even with a pickle pipe you may notice some pressure causing the silicone to bloat and you might have to pinch the pickle pipe to release some liquid. Remember to burp your jar by removing the lid twice a day if you are not using a fermentation lid. *Not overfilling your jar will prevent against any overflow.
- After 5 days you might already notice that there are less bubbles in the jar and less gas being released. Once the bubbles and gases have calmed you can taste the cabbage (preferably handling it with silicone or wooden utensils) and see if you want to leave it on the counter longer to develop a stronger taste. I typically don’t leave mine for more than 7 days but I have seen others leave it for up to 20 days or more.
- Once you are happy with the fermentation, remove the fermenting lid and weight if you are using one and secure a tight fitting lid. Refrigerate the sauerkraut. The sauerkraut will continue to ferment in the fridge but at a much slower pace. As you draw sauerkraut from it make sure that the remaining cabbage stays submerged by liquid. Stored well this sauerkraut will last in your fridge for several months. Try it on my delicious vegan reuben sandwich!
Notes
Approximate Cost: $2.66 Canadian for 1 litre of sauerkraut. The lowest price at my local grocery store is $5.79 for 796 ml. Organic sauerkraut from my wholesale store would cost me $12.99 for 1.5 litres. *Keeping an eye on the price of cabbage and buying it on sale will result in the most savings.
If using red cabbage it can release less liquid than green cabbage. If not enough liquid has come out of the cabbage to keep it submerged you can top it off with a 2% brine. Dissolve 5 grams (or 1 teaspoon non-iodized salt) in 250 ml (1 cup) of filtered water. Add the cooled water to the jar as needed.
It is generally recommended to avoid stainless steel utensils when handling fermented foods. It is thought that the steel can kill the beneficial microbes (I have heard some differing opinions on this but I still avoid steel just in case). Fermentation can eat away at plastic so it is also good practice to not store fermented foods in plastic containers.
I haven’t tried adding additional ingredients to my sauerkraut but I know others add sliced carrots, ginger, or even apple. Sometimes cumin seeds can be added as well. Let me know in the comments if you add additional ingredients!
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Thrifty How-Tos
- Method: Fermented
- Cuisine: Central European
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