How to make sauerkraut

4.86 from 7 votes

Sauerkraut, a traditional German food high in vitamin C and healthy probiotics. It's a simple recipe that requires only 2 ingredients: cabbage and salt.

Prep Time40

Total Time40

Course: How to, Side Dish

Cuisine: German

Diet: Vegan

Servings:

Calories: 47kcal

Author: Iosune

Ingredients

1 head green cabbage 3.3 pounds or 1.5 kilos
1.5 tablespoon salt I usually use sea or Himalayan pink salt, but any salt will do

Instructions

Cut the cabbage into quarters and slice it into thin strips.
Combine the cabbage and salt in a large mixing bowl. Let it stand for 10 minutes.
Massage and squeeze the cabbage and salt together with your hands, kneading it thoroughly to break up the cellular structure of the shredded cabbage. It will become watery and limp and will also release its juice. This will take 5 or 10 minutes or until the cabbage reduces its volume by half.
Pack the cabbage into the jar as tightly as you can, pressing with your fist or a spoon, and add the liquid it released. If the cabbage isn’t completely submerged in it, you can make some brine dissolving 1.5 teaspoons of sea salt in one cup of water (250 ml) and add enough to completely cover the cabbage.
Close the jar and set aside at room temperature out of direct sunlight for about 4 weeks. Then transfer it into the fridge.
Serve it as a side dish with recipes like seitan, vegan meatloaf, tofu stir fry, or cauliflower steaks. It would also work great as a salad ingredient on quinoa salad or any other kind of salad.
Keep it in an airtight container in the fridge or the freezer for up to 6 months.

Notes

Feel free to use any other type of cabbage.
Some people use different spices and ingredients to give the sauerkraut more flavor.
Remember to sterilize the jar you will be using by boiling it before you make this recipe. You could also divide it into smaller jars if you don't have a large one.
I'd recommend you use a Fido jar because they keep the oxygen out. If you don't, you should add a layer of olive oil at the top of the ferment, or place something heavy over the cabbage to help hold it under the brine.
I usually use sea salt for this recipe.
It's very important that you completely submerge the cabbage, otherwise, the sauerkraut will get spoiled. Feel free to add something on top of the cabbage so it doesn't float.

Nutrition