Homemade Sauerkraut (Beginner Friendly!)
- PREP 170hrs
- TOTAL 170hrs
This homemade sauerkraut recipe is perfect for beginners and tastes delicious, with traditional German spices like juniper and caraway. We have provided ingredient amounts by weight for safety and the best results. Use a kitchen scale to weigh your ingredients for this fermented sauerkraut recipe.
Equipment: We recommend using one sanitized half-gallon jar with an airlock and glass weight (see article). If you do not have an airlock, you must vent the gas daily during fermentation, which requires you to open the top to release gas and then close it again.
Timing: You will need 1 ½ hours of preparation time, and then the sauerkraut ferments at room temperature for 1 week.
You Will Need
For the cabbage
1000 grams cabbage, sliced 1/4-inch thick, from large head of cabbage at least 2 ¾ pounds
20 grams pickling, kosher, or sea salt, not iodized salt
4 peppercorns
3 allspice berries
3 juniper berries
1 ½ teaspoons caraway seeds
1 teaspoon (4g) sugar
For the brine (2% solution)
650 grams water
13 grams pickling, kosher, or sea salt, not iodized salt
Directions
Make the brine: Combine 13 grams of salt with 650 grams of water and stir until dissolved. The salt may take a minute to dissolve but should do so eventually. You can heat the water to help the salt dissolve quicker, but then cool the brine back to room temperature before pouring over the cabbage. Set aside.
Add the cabbage, peppercorns, allspice, juniper, and caraway seeds to a large, non-reactive mixing bowl.
Sprinkle 20 grams of salt evenly over the cabbage mixture. Toss well with your hands to combine. Cover with a tea towel, and let sit for 30 minutes.
Remove the towel, and thoroughly crush the mixture with your hands for 2 to 3 minutes. The volume will decrease dramatically. Cover with a tea towel again, and let stand for another 30 minutes.
Remove the towel, and add the sugar. Crush with your hands for about 1 minute.
Transfer the cabbage mixture and all the liquid it creates to a sanitized jar. Use the end of a rolling pin or muddler to press the mixture into the jar.
Add a fermentation weight (optional). Cover the mixture with the brine (ensure it is completely covered), and add the lid — we recommend using an airlock.
Set the jar inside a bowl to catch any liquid that seeps out. Leave it this way, on the counter at room temperature (see notes), for one week. If you do not use an airlock for the lid (recommended), you must vent the gas daily (open the top to release it, then close it again).
After one week, swap the airlock for a standard lid and store it in the refrigerator for 4 to 6 months. Ensure the sauerkraut stays submerged in the brine.
Adam and Joanne's Tips
- How to sanitize the jar: Fill a large pot with water and bring to a boil. Add your jar, and boil for 5 minutes.
- Use 1-quart jars: We use 1/2 gallon jars, but you can use two 1-quart jars for this recipe. You will need more brine, so make 1.5x the brine shared above or 975 grams water and 19.5 grams salt. You will have some leftovers, but this guarantees you will have enough 2% brine.
- Ideal temperature for fermenting: Ferment your sauerkraut at room temperature (around 70 °F / 21°C). Cooler temperatures may slow fermentation slightly and warmer temperatures may cause issues.
- Allspice berries: We found whole allspice berries less common in the grocery spice aisle, so we recommend buying a “pickling spice blend” instead. McCormick “Mixed Pickling Spice” contains allspice berries. I just removed 3 to make this recipe.
- Nutrition facts: The nutrition facts provided below are estimates. We have used the USDA database to calculate approximate values.