This homemade sauerkraut recipe is an easy way to get gut healthy probiotics in your daily diet. Enjoy it as a side to a meal or add it to your favorite sandwich.
Now more than ever we are seeing the importance of gut health to our overall well-being. Probiotics play a big role in the state of our gut.
You could spend $50 a month or even more on supplements, or you could incorporate fermented food into your daily diet instead!
Making your own batch of sauerkraut is a great way to reap probiotic benefits. It only takes about 15 minutes of hands on time and a little patience waiting for it to ferment in a salty brine.
Some of our favorite ways to enjoy this fermented food are adding it to a cold cut sandwich wedged between two slices of sourdough rye bread, on top of a grilled hot dog on a sourdough hot dog bun, or in sauerkraut soup with sausage. Your gut and taste buds will thank you!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Easy and delicious – All you need are two simple ingredients – salt and cabbage – to make this tangy, crunchy dish.
Inexpensive – True fermented raw sauerkraut at the grocery store is pricey. Making a large batch yourself is a fraction of the price.
Packed with gut-healthy probiotics – When salt and cabbage are massaged together and allowed to sit for a few days, lactobacillus bacteria (the good kind also known as probiotics) starts to populate. Regular consumption of fermented foods have been shown to have many health benefits, including improved digestion, increased immunity, and reduced inflammation (source).
Ingredients
Salt – Choose sea salt, kosher salt, or pink Himalayan salt. Do not use iodized salt as it can affect fermentation.
Cabbage – I typically use green cabbage, but you can use other varieties. I also try to buy organic cabbage if I can.
A full ingredient list with exact amounts can be found in the recipe card below.
Tools You May Need
Fermentation kit – You can get away without one, but if you plan to do a lot of fermenting, this really comes in handy!
Glass jar or fermentation crock – I usually just use a large mason jar, 1/2 gallon or quart jars work great.
Homemade Sauerkraut Variations
You can add in a variety of ingredients to add flavor to your sauerkraut. Here are a few of our favorites:
- Caraway seeds
- Juniper berries
- Dill
- Shredded fennel or fennel seeds
- Beets – Also try my fermented beets recipe.
- Garlic – Try my fermented garlic recipe.
How To Make Homemade Sauerkraut
Step 1: With clean hands, pull off a few of the outer leaves of the cabbage and set aside for the last step.
Next, core the cabbage and cut it into pieces small enough to fit in your food processor. If you do not have a food processor, just cut it into shreds or grate with a box grater. If you do have one, this part will go a little faster.
Step 2: Put the shredded cabbage in a large bowl and sprinkle the top of the shredded cabbage with the salt.
For 5 pounds of cabbage, use 3 tablespoons of salt. I had 3.5 pounds, so I used 2 tablespoons.
Work the salt in with your hands until it starts to produce a juicy brine. You may have to work it for several minutes before you have enough brine to move onto the next step. You can also use a wooden spoon to do this.
Step 3: Next, put all the cabbage and the brine into a clean jar (you could use a fermentation crock, half gallon, or quart jars). Punch it down until all the cabbage is submerged beneath the brine.
Fold up the cabbage leaves you reserved earlier and place on the top to keep all the cabbage down beneath the brine.
Step 4: Place a fermentation weight on top of the folded cabbage and press it down until all of the cabbage is submerged in the brine. Place a lid on loosely or add a fermenting lid.
Step 5: Leave it out on the counter at room temperature for 5 days-3 weeks, preferably out of direct sunlight. It will just become more pungent as it sits. If this is your first time trying homemade sauerkraut, it may be better to ferment it for less time.
Step 6: Remove the weight and folded up cabbage leaves, screw the lid on the jar and store in the fridge.
Tips For Making Homemade Sauerkraut
- If not using a fermentation lid, be sure to burp the jar (open the lid every day while fermenting to release air bubbles) and to make sure the cabbage stays below the surface of the brine. If any cabbage is above the liquid, it will be exposed to oxygen and possibly mold, so that is why it is so important to keep it under the liquid.
- You may want place the jars on a pan or baking dish just in case the brine spills over.
- I love using glass fermentation weights, but if you don’t have any you can use clean rocks in a sealed ziplock bag, as long as the bag is able to be fully submerged beneath the brine.
- Those who are new to sauerkraut may want to try fermenting for 3 days at first before any longer fermentation period. Taste your sauerkraut after the initial 3 – 5 days and stop fermenting or continue on longer based on your taste preference.
- A food processor makes this process really simple, if you don’t have one you can just chop it as finely as possible.
- Not using enough salt may cause harmful bacteria to grow. The point of the salt is to keep the unwanted bacteria out and only allow the good bacteria to flourish. For every 5 pounds of cabbage, use 3 tablespoons of salt.
Recipe FAQ’s
Sauerkraut is sliced cabbage that has been fermented. Regular sauerkraut from the store may not have been fermented as long or has been canned, killing a lot of the beneficial lactic acid bacteria. In my opinion, the best sauerkraut is homemade.
It can take 5 days to 3 weeks for sauerkraut to ferment. It will depend on the environment and temperature during the fermentation process. Warmer conditions speed up the fermentation.
Once fermented and when properly prepared and stored in a dark cool place (like the refrigerator), the shelf life of finished sauerkraut is around 6 months.
Look for any signs of mold growth, even color throughout, and that it still looks edible. Make sure to keep the storage lid tight in refrigeration storage (after the fermentation process).
Use your nose to see if it still smells as it should. It shouldn’t smell off and make sure the texture is still good, and not mushy. Lastly, give it a little taste to make to make sure it tastes good.
You can eat fermented kraut warm or cold, but for probiotic purposes you should eat it cold since heating it can destroy the beneficial bacteria. Here are a few ways to enjoy it straight from the fridge:
– As a side to lunch or dinner. It is especially good on nights we serve my homemade meatloaf recipe or sourdough fried chicken.
– As a topping to a salad, sandwich, or hot dog.
– As an additional topping to a freshly baked sourdough pizza. It may sound odd, but I promise it is really yummy.
– Served with easy salmon croquettes.
More Fermented Foods From The Farmhouse Kitchen
If you try this recipe and love it, I would love it if you could come back and give it 5 stars! Tag me on Instagram @farmhouseonboone.
How To Make Sauerkraut
Equipment
- 1 Glass Fermentation Weights optional
Ingredients
- 3 heads cabbage, about 5 pounds
- 2-3 tablespoons salt
Instructions
- With clean hands, pull off a few of the outer leaves of the cabbage and set aside for the last step.
- Next, core the cabbage and cut it into pieces small enough to fit in your food processor. If you do not have a food processor, just cut it into shreds or grate with a box grater. If you do have one, this part will go a little faster.
- Put the shredded cabbage in a large bowl and sprinkle the top of the shredded cabbage with the salt.
- For 5 pounds of cabbage, use 3 tablespoons of salt. I had 3.5 pounds, so I used 2 tablespoons.
- Work the salt in with your hands until it starts to get produce a juicy brine. You may have to work it for several minutes before you have enough brine to move onto the next step. You can also use a wooden spoon to do this.
- Next, put all the cabbage and the brine into a clean jar (you could use a fermentation crock, half gallon, or quart jars). Punch it down until all the cabbage is submerged beneath the brine.
- Fold up the cabbage leaves you reserved earlier and place on the top to keep all the cabbage down beneath the brine.
- Place fermentation weight on top of the folded cabbage and press it down until all of the cabbage is submerged in the brine. Place a lid on loosely or a add a fermenting lid.
- Leave it out on the counter at room temperature for 5 days-3 weeks, preferably out of direct sunlight. It will just become more pungent as it sits. If this is your first time trying homemade sauerkraut, it may be better to ferment it for less time.
- Remove the weight and folded up cabbage leaves, screw the lid on the jar and store in the fridge.
Notes
- If not using a fermentation lid, be sure to burp the jar (open the lid every day while fermenting to release air bubbles) and to make sure the cabbage stays below the surface of the brine. If any cabbage is above the liquid it will be exposed to oxygen and possibly mold, so that is why it is so important to keep it under the liquid.
- You may want place the jars on a pan or baking dish just in case the brine spills over.
- When fermenting sauerkraut, the ideal temperature is a room around 65-70 degrees Fahrenheit.
- I love using glass fermentation weights, but if you don’t have any you can use clean rocks in a sealed ziplock bag, as long as the bag is able to be fully submerged beneath the brine.
- Those who are new to sauerkraut may want to try fermenting for 3 days at first before any longer fermentation period. Taste your sauerkraut after the initial 3 – 5 days and stop fermenting or continue on longer based on your taste preference.
- A food processor makes this process really simple, if you don’t have one you can just chop it as finely as possible.
- Not using enough salt may cause harmful bacteria to grow. The point of the salt is to keep the unwanted bacteria out and only allow the good bacteria to flourish. For every 5 pounds of cabbage, use 3 tablespoons of salt.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Hi Lisa,
Thank you so much for this simple, easy, and excellent recipe! I’ve made it several times, but this last time we had a sudden and unexpected upturn in the outdoor temperature and after only three days of fermenting I unfortunately noticed some mold on top of the cover leaves. I’ve seen kahm yeast and this was definitely not kahm, it was a small, white, puffy spot about the size of a dime. I yanked out the top leaves and found another smaller spot on the layer under the leaves. I cleared off that layer and stuck the whole jar in the refrigerator. It didn’t smell, look slimy, or taste bad and yes, I tasted it! I figure if anyone gets sick it should be me so I always taste test these things first. I didn’t get sick but I haven’t touched it since. Should I throw or go with it?
I personally throw the top cabbage leaves and a layer under them, and then eat it, if there is mold on the top leaves. I’ve never noticed mold under the leaves, though. So, of course use your own discretion!
Hi Lisa,
While massaging the cabbage a foam produced rather than a liquid. Once in the jar, there were pockets of air throughout. I let it sit for a few days (just to see) and it produced a vinegar smell but I just didn’t feel comfortable eating it. My first thought is pouring a brine over the cabbage before massaging in but it would be great just to sprinkle salt on top. Any advice on achieving a liquid instead of foam?
Thank you for creating Farmhouse on Boone, you are my cooking teacher! : )
I have personally never experienced this. Sorry!
Just made this last night and I’m excited to see how it comes along.
Wonderful! This recipe is a staple in our house.
Do you cover with cheesecloth or paper filter while on counter?
I usually use a silicon fermentation lid. You can also just use a normal canning lid, but make sure to “burb it” on occasion.
Hi! Big fan since 2018-made the sauerkraut before and wanted to know why or why not you do not use salt with iodine. I really couldn’t remember which one to buy. Thank you.
Hi Heather. Iodinated salt can inhibit beneficial bacteria growth. I use pink Himalayan or sea salt.
If I were to add caraway seeds, then how many t/T per head of cabbage?
I just eyeball it, but probably a half T per head-ish
I love making homemade sauerkraut for my family. I’ve found we like the flavor quite a bit better if I add 1/4 cup of juice from the Bubbies sauerkraut per 5 lbs of cabbage. It jumpstarts the fermentation and gives it a really good flavor.
Oh that is a great idea.
Hi Lisa, after you ferment the kraut on the counter and it’s ready, can you water pack seal it in jars?
Hi Pam, I’m assuming you mean to can them? I wouldn’t recommend doing that because they you will kill all the beneficial bacteria.
What if I notice mold around the cabbage leaves? Is it all destroyed or can I salvage it?
I personally throw them and a layer under them, and then eat it. But of course use your own discretion!
Just a heads up that your half gallon jar affiliate link isn’t active. The others seem to work. Thanks for linking to what I need. I can get to fermenting and not over-researching.
Thank you! I will have to get that fixed.
I am making sauerkraut for the first time today. I shredded it in a food processor. I put the shredded cabbage in the jar with the brine and put cabbage leaves and a weight on top.
However, there are some shredded pieces floating in the water above the weight. Should I try to remove them? I don’t want them to get moldy.