Easy Sauerkraut Recipes (that save you money!) - Real Food RN (2024)

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These sauerkraut recipes are really good for you! They are packed full of healthy probiotics and fiber. It's also very inexpensive and easy to make.

Easy Sauerkraut Recipes (that save you money!) - Real Food RN (3)

One of my first baby foods was homemade sauerkraut. I ate it while sitting on my Grandpa’s knee. Great memories of eating it with him always draw me to eat more.Plus, this stuff is really good for you! Packed full of healthy probiotics and fiber. It’s also very inexpensive and easy to make. A staple food that we always have in our kitchen. I have made so many variations that I just had to share, but I will start with my basic easy sauerkraut recipe first…

FiveEasy Sauerkraut Recipes

Easy Sauerkraut Recipes (that save you money!) - Real Food RN (4)

This sauerkraut recipe is really good for you! It's packed full of healthy probiotics and fiber. It's also very inexpensive and easy to make.

Ingredients

  • 1 large head of cabbage (or about 4 cups shredded cabbage)
  • 1 tbsp sea salt

Instructions

    1. Cut cabbage into shreds and place into a large bowl.
    2. Add sea salt.
    3. Massage together with your hands until the cabbage starts to weep (it becomes wet).
      Easy Sauerkraut Recipes (that save you money!) - Real Food RN (5)
    4. Add to your fermenting vessel (I use these) and push it down with your fist.
      Easy Sauerkraut Recipes (that save you money!) - Real Food RN (6)
    5. Place a plate on top of the cabbage, and a weight of some sort if you are making it in a bowl or a larger fermenting vessel.
    6. I use a plastic (food grade) bag filled with water as a weight on the cabbage because a plate won't fit into my jar.
      Easy Sauerkraut Recipes (that save you money!) - Real Food RN (7)
    7. Liquid should come off the cabbage and completely submerge the cabbage (this is important as exposed cabbage will mold).
    8. But make sure the cabbage is completely under the liquid.
      Easy Sauerkraut Recipes (that save you money!) - Real Food RN (8)
    9. Alternately, you can use this slick little device.
    10. Let sit on your counter, covered with a towel for as long as you desire.
    11. After a week if it tastes sour and you want to eat it, then eat it! It's ready.
    12. I've let batches go for 6 months.....yep, 6 months. It was delicious! Someone once told me that in Germany if the kraut is less than 2 years old, they call it coleslaw. It gets better with age, like wine and cheese!

      (pictured below is my dill pickle sauerkraut)
      Easy Sauerkraut Recipes (that save you money!) - Real Food RN (9)

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I was invited onto our local news show to demo my sauerkraut making skillz. You can tune in to the replay below

Some more recipe variations:

Liver Detox Sauerkraut Recipe:

Ingredients:

  • 1 head cabbage
  • 2 beets — beets help the liver detox
  • 1 apple
  • 2 Tbsp sea salt

Directions:

  • Shred cabbage, put into large bowl
  • Shred beet and apple in a food processor until its shredded
  • Add to cabbage
  • Add salt
  • Massage until weeping
  • Put into fermentation vessel and ferment the same way as in the Basic Kraut recipe above

Spicy Sauerkraut Recipe:

Ingredients:

  • 4 jalapeños, thinly sliced
  • 1 head cabbage
  • 1 tbsp sea salt

Directions:

  • Follow same directions as above, although you might want to wear gloves when massaging it. Or, just avoid touching your eyes for about 24 hours….ouch!

Heavy Metal Detox Sauerkraut Recipe:

Ingredients:

  • 1 head cabbage
  • 1 bunch cilantro finely chopped — cilantro binds to heavy metals
  • 2 tbsp Hawaiian sea salt (with the charcoal in it) — charcoal binds to toxins and pulls them out of your body — where to find this

Directions:

  • Follow same directions as above

Dill Pickle Sauerkraut Recipe:

Ingredients:

  • 1 head cabbage
  • 1 Tbsp dried (or fresh) dill

Directions:

  • Follow the same directions as above

Watch my video below, where I show exactly how I make my sauerkraut in my kitchen

Watch the video below for more info

What is your favorite variation of homemade sauerkraut? Do you do it differently than I do? I would love to hear about it in the comments below!

CLICK HERE to Pin this Recipe

Easy Sauerkraut Recipes (that save you money!) - Real Food RN (13)

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27 Replies to “Easy Sauerkraut Recipes (that save you money!)”

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  5. Do you think adding activated charcoal to the salt would be an acceptable replacement for the hawaiian salt in the heavy metal detox sauerkraut?

    Reply

    1. Sure, that would work too!

      Reply

  6. What about combining the ingredients of the heavy metal and the liver detox? that way you’ll get both at the same time.

    Reply

  7. I made the sauerkraut today and it is on the kitchen counter. Hope it works. I really need these probiotics. Thanks for sharing and wish me luck with this process. It’s my first time making sauerkraut.

    Reply

    1. Great, let me know how it turns out!

      Reply

  8. These look like great recipes Kate! Thank you for sharing. I really want to try a spicy sauerkraut recipe, so i’m glad that one was included. Do you have any other spicy recipes that don’t use jalapenos? Maybe some other form of pepper or cayenne or something of the sort? Thanks!

    Reply

    1. Hi Billy, You could try adding a less spicy pepper. 🙂

      Reply

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  10. Hi Kate,
    Thanks for the tip on using the plastic bag with water! Duh…don’t know why I didn’t think of it!
    I am a retired Home Ec teacher and have been working with food for about 60 years,

    I have a suggestion though that caught my attention the minute you did it.
    Do you realize you brushed your neck and your hair back with your hands a couple of times before you then plunged them into your cabbage bowl?
    If you are going teach, you need to be exemplary about hygiene!
    Just redo your great video keeping your hands clean and check your other videos.
    When I taught long hair had to be tied back.
    In any commercial or test kitchen, it not only must be tied back but netted!

    And for goodness sake don’t publish the second part of this comment!

    Keep doing healthy things for your family,
    Judy

    Reply

    1. Hi Judy, Wow, so cool that I was able to teach a veteran Home Ec teacher something!! Thanks for the hair tip 🙂 Sometimes I have had to quick film a video when the kids gave me a minute, so the hair tie didnt come into play. I will remember it for next time 🙂

      Reply

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  12. This may be a silly question, but does the cabbage need to be organic?

    Reply

    1. No you can use conventional cabbage

      Reply

  13. Can I use mason jars with the lids and just not seal it and if I do that do. I just leave the door cracked

    Reply

    1. I think that will work, but the lids might rust so keep an eye on that

      Reply

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Easy Sauerkraut Recipes (that save you money!) - Real Food RN (2024)

FAQs

What to add to sauerkraut to make it taste better? ›

Ten Delicious Kraut Additions
  1. Juniper Berries. Small and dark, these little raisin-sized berries pack a flavor punch. ...
  2. Beets. Peeled and grated or thinly sliced, even a tiny bit of beet stains the whole ferment fuchsia. ...
  3. Ginger. ...
  4. Lemon Peel. ...
  5. Dill. ...
  6. Caraway Seed. ...
  7. Fennel. ...
  8. Celery Root (celeriac)

What can you put in sauerkraut so it's not so sour? ›

A couple. tablespoons of brown sugar and a can of beer.

How much caraway seeds to add to sauerkraut? ›

You should always add caraway seeds to sauerkraut before fermentation so the seeds can release and impart more flavor throughout the sauerkraut as it ferments. You can adjust the amount of caraway seeds you add to the kraut depending on your flavor preference. For a lighter flavor start with just 5 grams per quart.

How to get bitterness out of sauerkraut? ›

Sweeten canned sauerkrauts with apples

Even a tart apple is sweeter than the sharp-tasting sauerkraut, and cooking brings out their sugars. The overall effect of the apple is to sweeten and mellow the sauerkraut in a supporting role without overpowering the sauerkraut's own flavor.

Should I add vinegar to my sauerkraut? ›

No need to add any vinegar! Salt alone preserves sour cabbage very well. I add 1/4 cup of shredded carrot for colour. Sometimes, I add a laurel leaf and 1/2 teaspoon of caraway seeds.

Why do I feel good after eating sauerkraut? ›

Sauerkraut promotes healthy gut flora and may increase the absorption of mood-regulating minerals from your diet. Both of these effects help reduce stress and maintain brain health.

What can I mix with sauerkraut? ›

Potato salad: Sauerkraut is an appealing addition to both classic and German potato salad. Give it a try at your next gathering. Egg salad: Add new dimension and crunch to classic egg salad with the addition of sauerkraut. Bagel and lox: Sauerkraut adds a caper-like zing to a bagel with smoked salmon and cream cheese.

What is the healthiest way to eat sauerkraut? ›

The best time to eat sauerkraut for gut health is during or before a meal since stomach acid, and enzymes can aid in breaking down food and killing harmful bacteria. Incorporating sauerkraut into your diet regularly can be beneficial, aiming for at least 1-2 servings per day.

Why put juniper berries in sauerkraut? ›

This recipe is particularly fool-proof, since both juniper berries and caraway seeds are natural mold inhibitors and will help keep your fermentation on track (as well as adding a delicious flavor.)

Can you use too much salt when making sauerkraut? ›

Too much salt delays the natural fermentation process. For every 5 pounds of shredded cabbage, mix in 3 tablespoons of canning salt.

Should you crush caraway seeds? ›

Whole caraway will keep much longer than the ground version, so if you want to use it in its ground form, it's best to grind or crush the seeds yourself.

Is it better for you to eat sauerkraut cold or cooked Why? ›

One important issue to remember is that cooking sauerkraut will kill off the probiotic bacteria that we want to consume. Even after cooking, sauerkraut is a healthy, cabbage-based dish, but it will be missing out on that probiotic boost. So, when possible, try to add your sauerkraut to your dishes uncooked.

Should you drain sauerkraut before eating? ›

Yes, they do, and for a good reason. The main argument for rinsing canned sauerkraut is to reduce its sodium content and make a healthier meal. Luckily, rinsing sauerkraut is quite easy and can be done in the sink with a strainer like any other vegetable.

What is the best way to warm up sauerkraut? ›

To ensure canned sauerkraut is as moist and flavorful as possible, try heating it on the stovetop. This method usually takes about 30 minutes and affords a delicious end result with minimal hassle. Stovetop heating also provides the perfect opportunity to add flavor enhancers to the sauerkraut should you desire.

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