Make Your Own Sauerkraut: Red or Green

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If you love sauerkraut, you will really love it if you make your own. It’s so easy, just 2 ingredients. It’s better to make your own because you can choose how sour you want it to be, which color cabbage you want to use and any additional flavors you want to add. Red cabbage sauerkraut adds a lot of color to your recipes. Any additional flavors are up to you! It’s your sauerkraut, make it the way you want it.

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What tools do you need to make sauerkraut?

• Kitchen Scale – The ingredients for sauerkraut are most accurately measured by weight. Since fermentation is a scientific process, it’s best to measure accurately. Choose one that converts from grams to ounces. Find a good one here.
• Fermentation kit – Although not absolutely necessary, a fermentation kit will make the process easier. I love this set, it is compatible with any size wide mouth canning jar.
• Quart size wide mouth canning jars – These jars are the perfect size for fermenting 1 pound of cabbage at a time. They are also compatible with my preferred fermentation lids. The wide mouth is large enough to fit a jam jar to hold down the cabbage.
• Sauerkraut Pounder – A wooden tool used to press the cabbage down into the brine.
• Jam jars – These 8 ounce jam jars fit perfectly inside the quart size canning jars. They are used to hold down the cabbage while it ferments. Alternatively, you could use weights for this purpose.
• 8″ Chef’s knife – An 8″ chef’s knife is the best knife for slicing large vegetables like a full head of cabbage. I honestly don’t know how a kitchen could function without at least one 8″ chef’s knife. Find one here.
• Cutting Board – Choose wood or plastic, never glass. Make sure it is large enough to slice a head of cabbage.

Homemade Sauerkraut Ingredients:

1 pound red or green cabbage -chopped or shredded

9 grams (~1.5 tablespoons) kosher salt or sea salt (not iodized- no anticaking ingredients)

Great Sauerkraut additions:

For extra flavor, you can add any of these to your homemade sauerkraut. This is anther reason why it is so much better to make your own sauerkraut.

• Caraway seeds
• Juniper berries
• Shredded carrots or beets (80% cabbage/20% beets or carrots – otherwise the sugar from the beets or carrots can affect the fermentation)
• Garlic
• Ginger
• Lemon peel
• Fresh dill

How to prepare cabbage to make sauerkraut

Slice the cabbage in half with an 8″ Chef’s knife.

Remove the core.

Chop the cabbage any way you like, it’s your sauerkraut! I prefer to dice the cabbage into 1/4 to 1/2 inch squares. This makes the perfect bite size pieces, easy for adding to sandwiches or sausages.

How to make Your Own Sauerkraut:

Weigh your chopped cabbage on a Kitchen Scale. Put the diced cabbage in a bowl, then add 1.5 teaspoons of kosher salt per pound of cabbage.

With clean hands, press and squeeze the cabbage until it is very wet. You should be able to see the water dripping down when you squeeze it. This will take a few minutes.

Transfer the wet cabbage and all of the juice “brine” into Quart size wide mouth canning jars.

Use a Sauerkraut Pounder to press the cabbage down into the brine. The cabbage should all be completely submerged in brine.

Place the jam jars, or fermentation weights inside the quart size jars to hold the cabbage down in the brine.

Screw on the fermentation lids. Let the jars sit on the counter out of direct sunlight for 1-6 weeks. I usually date the jars. The ideal temperature for fermentation is between 60-70 degrees F. After a couple of days you will begin to see bubbles forming in the jars. This is the fermentation taking place. Check for desired sourness after 7 days. Continue checking every couple days or at least weekly after that. Once you have your desired sourness, put an airtight cap on it, and place it in the refrigerator. The fermentation lids I used have an air tight seal that can be closed when the fermentation vent is removed.

Is Sauerkraut Healthy?

Yes! Cabbage alone is very healthy. It is a good source of Vitamin C and Vitamin K. Cabbage is also good for you because it is a great low calorie high fiber food. Fermentation adds the benefit of probiotics which are good for gut health. Sauerkraut has many health benefits, it is anti-inflammatory, a great anti-oxidant, and may even protect against cancer. Some people experience upset stomach or diarrhea from eating sauerkraut. If you are new to sauerkraut it would be best to start with a small serving, you can increase your serving size when your body adjusts to it.

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