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

How do you make Dr Michael Mosley's sauerkraut? ›

Dr Michael Mosley's sauerkraut recipe

"Slice up a red cabbage, two onions and some fennel, and tip in a bowl. "Add a teaspoon of coriander seeds and black peppercorns, and 1.5 tablespoons of salt. "Mix with your hands for a few minutes and allow to rest for 30 minutes to an hour.

What can I eat with sauerkraut to make it taste better? ›

Sauerkraut can be added to soups and stews; cooked with stock, beer or wine; served with sausages or salted meats, and is especially good with smoked fish, like hot-smoked salmon.

How do you make sauerkraut easier to eat? ›

The best way to eat sauerkraut is to enjoy it as a side dish or topping. It can be served cold or hot, and can be added to salads, sandwiches, burgers, or even tacos. It can also be used as a topping for pizza or nachos. Sauerkraut can also be cooked with other ingredients such as sausage, bacon, onions, and potatoes.

Does sauerkraut trigger insulin? ›

Fermented foods such as kimchi and sauerkraut contain health-promoting compounds, including probiotics, minerals, and antioxidants. Research associates these compounds with improved blood sugar and insulin sensitivity ( 33 , 34 ).

How to eat sauerkraut for weight loss? ›

Sauerkraut can be used in many ways. It can be used as it is, as a part of vegetable or meat meal, in the form of a soup, etc. This diet plan can be repeated on a monthly basis as it is extremely healthy and efficient in losing weight.

What does sauerkraut do for your bowels? ›

Sauerkraut also has a high fiber content that helps with constipation by making stools softer, and simultaneously increasing its mass and volume. This bulkiness makes for easier passage through the digestive tract and quicker elimination.

Should I eat sauerkraut in the morning or at night? ›

To benefit from consuming sauerkraut, you are recommended to maintain the consistency of quantity and consume it regularly. Sauerkraut can be eaten at any time of the day but consuming it early in the morning is considered the best time.

Does sauerkraut burn belly fat? ›

Sauerkraut's low calorie, high fiber, and high probiotic content may help prevent weight gain and promote the loss of unwanted body fat.

What is the healthiest brand of sauerkraut? ›

The healthiest brand of sauerkraut is one that is made with organic cabbage and is unpasteurized. Some popular brands include Wildbrine, Farmhouse Culture, and Bubbies.

How do Germans eat sauerkraut? ›

Depending on your taste, onions, bacon, juniper berries, caraway, and/or cream can be added to and cooked with the Sauerkraut. In many parts of Germany, pork ribs or pork cutlets are cooked in the Sauerkraut to give it a smokey flavor. The pork absorbs the liquid and becomes very soft and juicy.

Do eggs and sauerkraut go together? ›

Sauerkraut and Eggs is a fabulous combination and so good for you! Sauerkraut is a fermented food and very popular in Austria.

What is the best time to eat sauerkraut? ›

Studies suggest incorporating sauerkraut into a well-rounded breakfast or as a component of fibre-rich lunches and dinners still offers gut-friendly benefits. Pairing it with prebiotics like onions, garlic, bananas, and Jerusalem artichokes can further aid probiotic colonization and growth in your gut.

What happens if you don't put enough salt in sauerkraut? ›

Using too little salt not only softens the cabbage but also yields a product lacking in flavor.

Should sauerkraut be crunchy or soft? ›

It will soften a bit over time, but it will always be a bit crunchy. If you like to make it less crunchy, use a mandoline style slicer set at 1/8-inch or less. It is nearly impossible to hand-cut such a fine shred. The sauerkraut will soften if you cook, but it will lose the enzymes and beneficial bacteria.

How to make sauerkraut probiotic at home? ›

Leave the jar of cabbage in salt brine in your kitchen cabinet for 5 days to 2 weeks (exposed to as little light as possible). The hotter the room temperature, the faster your cabbage will ferment. One week is the standard amount of time it usually takes me to successfully make probiotic sauerkraut.

Should you rinse sauerkraut before eating? ›

According to Everyday Health, store-bought sauerkraut is often saltier than homemade versions, making it more than acceptable to dilute the product with water. That said, if you're trying to limit your sodium intake or simply aren't a fan of super salty flavors, then feel free to rinse the shredded cabbage.

What is the best salt for fermenting sauerkraut? ›

However, do check your salt doesn't contain chemical anti-caking agents which might affect the fermentation. Try fine sea salt, or Diamond Crystal Kosher salt.

Should sauerkraut have vinegar? ›

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.

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