Making your own sauerkraut sounds intense, but honestly? It’s just cabbage, salt, and a jar. No fancy crocks or bubbling science experiments required. All you need is a little patience! I’ll show you all the steps (there aren’t many) and you’ll be shocked how easy it is.
Homemade Sauerkraut in a Jar
The result is tangy, crunchy, gut-happy goodness that tastes a million times better than any of those canned grocery store brands. Once you try it, you’ll wonder why you didn’t start fermenting years ago.
Pile it on hot dogs, toss it in grain bowls, or just fork it straight from the jar. It’s cheap, easy, and secretly makes you look like a kitchen wizard.
Traditional Sauerkraut Recipe Ingredients
- Trimmed green or red cabbage
- Pickling salt
How to Make Sauerkraut
- Core and shred the cabbage. I recommend using some kind of shredding attachment on a food processor or a stand mixer to get fine, uniform shreds. You can also use a knife if you want.
- Transfer the cabbage into an extra-large bowl and add the salt. Stir well, then let it stand at room temperature for 2 hours. It should start releasing its liquid by then.
- Pound the cabbage using a potato masher, a meat pounder, or a heavy-bottomed glass. Really bruise it to release more of its liquid. Pack the cabbage firmly into two sterilized quart-sized jars. There should be enough juice in the jars to cover the cabbage, but if there isn't enough, add a little water.
- Cover with a lid and screw band. Don't tighten them firmly, just until you feel resistance. Place the jars on a tray or a plate to catch any juices that will escape. Store where the temperature remains fairly steady, between 60 and 70°F.
- Check the sauerkraut after 24 hours. The cabbage should still be completely immersed in the liquid. If you need to make more brine, dissolve 1 ½ tablespoons of pickling salt in 1 quart of water. Pour enough in brine to keep the cabbage submerged.
- Check the sauerkraut every few days and skim off any foamy stuff that appears on the surface. Bubbles should begin to rise to the surface, indicating that fermentation is taking place.
- Start tasting the sauerkraut after 2 weeks. The flavor should change from salty to pickled. The fermentation can take anywhere from 2 to 6 weeks depending on the temperature. You may want to rinse it off before eating if it still tastes very salty (it does to me). Only rinse off what you plan on eating right then.
- Store finished sauerkraut in the fridge for several months.
Homemade Sauerkraut Recipe tips
- If the sauerkraut still tastes pretty salty, try rinsing a little off first, but not more than you plan on eating right then.
- Use a potato masher, a meat pounder, or a large, heavy-bottomed glass and smash that cabbage! You really want to release as much moisture from the cabbage as you can.
- If it tastes more salty than pickled, then it’s not ready yet. Be patient!
How to Use Homemade Sauerkraut
And, do me a favor and grill up your favorite sausage or brat and eat it with a side of sauerkraut and some whole-grain mustard -- that's a real German/Austrian culinary experience right there.
How to Store Homemade Sauerkraut
Sauerkraut will last in the refrigerator for several months! It was so nice to have the real stuff after ahem . . 10 years without.
If you notice any fuzz, or it starts smelling moldy or yeasty, you should probably start a fresh batch!
other recipes
Have some extra sauerkraut? Try adding it to this delicious potato salad!
Hot German Potato Salad with Sauerkraut
By the way, there are a lot of health benefits from eating fermented foods like sauerkraut, miso, kimchi, and sourdough. Good fermentation = good bacteria for the gut!
If you make one of my recipes, I'd love to see! Post it on social media and tag me at @perrysplate or #perrysplate so I can send you some love!
Frequently Asked Questions
For a sauerkraut with more depth and flavor, try adding traditional spices like pepper, caraway seeds, juniper berries, and mustard seeds.
You could also add different vegetables or fruits.
Rinsing sauerkraut is not necessary, but if the cabbage is a bit too salty for your taste, you can rinse the amount you plan to eat during that meal.
Fermentation can take 2-6 weeks depending on the temperature it’s kept at. Room temperature of 60°–70°F (15°–21°C) is recommended.
Pickling salt (Plain, finely ground salt) is required. Make sure to use a salt that has no added iodine or anti-caking agents.
Refrigerated sauerkraut will stay fresh for approximately six months as the cold environment prevents bacteria growth.
Fermented foods are great for your gut health, and good gut health means your immune system is supported too!
Sauerkraut in a Jar
Making homemade sauerkraut is easy! All you need is a bunch of cabbage, pickling salt, and a couple of quart-sized mason jars.
Ingredients
- 5 pounds trimmed green or red cabbage
- 3 Tablespoons pickling salt
Instructions
- Core and shred the cabbage. I recommend using some kind of shredding attachment on a food processor or a stand mixer to get fine, uniform shreds. You can also use a knife if you want.
- Transfer the cabbage into an extra-large bowl and add the salt. Stir well, then let it stand at room temperature for 2 hours. It should start releasing its liquid by then.
- Pound the cabbage using a potato masher, a meat pounder, or a heavy-bottomed glass. Really bruise it to release more of its liquid. Pack the cabbage firmly into two sterilized quart-sized jars. There should be enough juice in the jars to cover the cabbage, but if there isn't enough, add a little water.
- Cover with a lid and screw band. Don't tighten them firmly, just until you feel resistance. Place the jars on a tray or a plate to catch any juices that will try (successfully) to escape. Store where the temperature remains fairly steady, between 60 and 70 degrees F.
- Check the sauerkraut after 24 hours. The cabbage should still be completely immersed in the liquid. If you need to make more brine, dissolve 1 ½ tablespoons of pickling salt in 1 quart of water. Pour enough in brine to keep the cabbage submerged.
- Check the sauerkraut every few days and skim off any foamy stuff that appears on the surface. Bubbles should begin to rise to the surface, indicating that fermentation is taking place.
- Start tasting the sauerkraut after 2 weeks. The flavor should change from salty to pickled. The fermentation can take anywhere from 2 to 6 weeks depending on the temperature. You may want to rinse it off before eating if it still tastes very salty (it does to me). Only rinse off what you plan on eating right then.
- Store finished sauerkraut in the fridge for several months.
Recommended Products
As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.
-
Ball Mason 32 oz Wide Mouth Jars with Lids and Bands, Set of 12 Jars. -
KitchenAid KE008OHAQA Classic Wire Masher, One Size, Aqua -
Slicer Shredder Vegetable Cutter Attachment - Electric Salad Makers fit all KitchenAid Stand Mixers - 3 Slicing Blades and Blades Cover - Silver and Black -
Cuisinart FP-8GMP1 Elemental 8-Cup Food Processor, Gunmetal -
Roots & Branches Home Canning Funnel, Fits Wide Mouth & Regular Mason Jars, Red
This post may contain affiliate links. Any purchases made by using these links won't cost you any extra and helps keep my content free. These links may be Amazon links as I am part of the Amazon Associate Program.
Cookbook Queen says
This definitely looks WAAAAY better than the store bought stuff!!
Hungry Native says
Looks delicious! I have never tried the Quart Method, we have one of those water sealed, fermentation crocks! We pretty much have a crock going at all times. Thanks for a great post!
Lauren says
I've never had sauerkraut before.....and the only way I've seen people eat it is as a hot dog topping. Enlighten me, Natalie! How else would I eat this?
Natalie says
In Austria it's usually eaten as a side dish along with some sausages, spicy mustard, and dumpling-things called knoedl. The sausage-sauerkraut-mustard combo is classic. It tastes kind of pickle-y so it's great on sandwiches (Ruebens!), hot dogs, potato salad and that sort of thing.
Becky says
@Lauren,
I like to make sauerkraut pizza out of homemade sauerkraut. I also like to make half mashed potatoes and half sauerkraut as a meal.
Annette says
Love, love, love sauerkraut (served a mission in Munich 27 years ago. Oh to be as young as you again). Have never tried making my own but think I'll have to give this a try! Thanks!
Natalie says
Good to hear!! They actually combined our mission with the Munich one while I was over there, but I never got to serve in Germany. Munich is beautiful!!
Kelsey says
Yay for Austrian food! This recipe looks great; I'm a big fan of sauerkraut. I'm a little concerned about the logistics of the pounding, though. Was there a lot of salty cabbage liquid flying around as you pounded? Did you just pound it in the bowl? I can see that working with the bottom of a jar (as long as it's not a glass bowl), but I'm trying to picture how you would use a meat pounder. Seems like you would have to pour the cabbage out into a jelly roll pan or something first...
Natalie says
Actually, no there isn't a lot of liquid. I don't recall any of it flying around, either. I think the meat pounder would be held like a knife and you'd just stab the top of it into the bowl... ? I don't have a meat pounder, so I used an empty jar.
Maria C says
This looks great! I have a question about the lids for the jars. Do you use the standard canning jar lids? How tight should it be? Any other suggestions? Thanks!
Maria C says
Oh I'm sorry, I see it in the recipe now. I must be brain-dead this morning!
Natalie says
Great - glad you figured it out :)
Megan Pence says
As a Czech-girl - I stand 110% behind your "krautification" :) Fantastic!
Natalie says
Krautification! I love it! I didn't know you were Czech. We met a lot of Czechs in Austria, and they were so nice!
Jolene (www.everydayfoodie.ca) says
This is similar to making kimchi which I made last week! Love fermented foods :-)
Marsha @ The Harried Cook says
I adore sauerkraut but I have never tried making it myself! This sounds awesome... Thank you for this recipe :) I think I'll try this with some red cabbage!
Jodi says
I have a recipe from an older German family friend- no joke the recipe calls for 100lbs of cabbage and 2lbs of salt, says to punch it down real hard, and to cover it with a clean heavy rock.
I think your recipe is more up my alley:)
Flo says
@Jodi, my Dad and I made Sauerkraut every year in a very large crock, we sliced it with a cabbage slicer, mashed it with the same wooden stick part of the kraut tool, adding salt as we added each layer of cabbage (about a fist full at a time) lol! by the time the crock was full, taste as you go, we had enough juice to cover the cabbage, put a wooden insert on top. A couple of canning jars full of water and cleaned the top of the cabbage every week. So much fun, havent made it since he's been gone! Start a Memory!
Natalie Perry says
I love that you have that memory of you and your dad cooking together! <3
Diana says
Hey there,
Todd makes this every couple of weeks. He wants me to try it and I never do. Yours looks good and I may have him try this. He makes his own vinegar so he is really into stuff like this.
Take care~
Diana
Two Barking Dogs says
I am definitely trying this.
I saw a receipt that told you to "burp" it every couple of weeks to let the gas escape. What do you think?
Natalie says
I think that's fine. If you're tasting every week or so after a couple of weeks, then it'll get the "burping" it may need. :)
Chris says
Just had to give this a thumbs up. Finally tore into our first jar this evening and the kids loved it. Thanks for a great recipe and good instructions. Now I have to make several gallons to satisfy everyone!
Ami says
Do I need to use a glass jar? Can I use a plastic bucket with a lid?
free psn codes list says
You solve puzzles and fight trolls and, every now and then,
you get a level boss to get around, but none of these are super challenging.
They are quoted as saying their mission is to build "peace through economic stability. It will enable want you to download games, packages, music, videos and much more for nothing from the PSN store every week as per your prerequisites.
Marshall Reagan says
I make it and put hot peppers in it because I like it spicy . I keep a jar in the fridge to eat on whenever I want a bite or two of something to hold me until the next meal. it is good for your gut.
Natalie Perry says
Adding hot peppers is a fabulous idea.
Subarktika says
Been several years since I made kraut and couldn’t remember some details of how I make it, like how did I shred it, the food processor or the attachment for the Kitchen Aid mixer (probably both). Also some idea of how many quart jars I need for the quantity of cabbage I have (3 very large heads). Your article answered both questions.
Natalie Perry says
Happy to help!
Edie says
Parents had several 50 gallon crocks that they beat with what looked like a caveman club! BEST SAUERKRAUT EVER!! House smelled for weeks, but we absolutely enjoyed it. Never had store bought till I married and moved away. Now I can taste the memories. Thank You!
Natalie Perry says
50 gallons!! That's a lot of sauerkraut!