Ever wanted to know how to make homemade sauerkraut from scratch? Get your sausages, cucumber pickles and mashed potatoes out. This is how to ferment cabbage and turn it into delicious German sauerkraut.
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What is sauerkraut
It's Lacto fermented cabbage. The simplest form of fermentation. Salt is mixed with cabbage and left to ferment at room temperature in an anaerobic environment.
Over time Lactobacillus bacteria turns the cabbage sour, tangy healthy and delicious.
It's loaded with healthy probiotics, fibre, vitamins, enzymes, and minerals. And of course a ton of flavour.
It's a simple side dish for barbecued pork belly, chicken kiev or ribeye steak.
Once you have fermented cabbage you can try to make other fermented foods like cucumber pickles, fermented carrots, koji and sriracha hot sauce.
Useful equipment
Electronic Kitchen Scales
Gyuto Japanese Chefs Knife
Mixing Bowls
Fermentation jars
Fermentation tips
Fermenting cabbage is a very simple process and there are a few basic rules we need to follow.
- Hygiene - Before you start make sure you wash your equipment and fermentation jar or crock thoroughly with soap and water followed by your hands. Keep them clean throughout the process. This is very important as we don't want bad bacteria spoiling our ferment.
- Salinity - Use the correct amount of salt. 2-3% is all it takes. Too little and you risk spoilage because bad bacteria can easily survive. Too much and no bacteria will survive. Including the good lactobacillus, we need to start the fermentation process.
- Air - Keep the cabbage submerged in the brine. Lactic acid fermentation happens in an anaerobic environment meaning without air. Most harmful bacteria can not survive without air.in an acidic slightly salty environment.
- Time - Taste your ferment as it ferments. Fermentation happens quicker in warmer climates than colder ones. Your ferment is ready when you are happy with the amount of sourness you like. Some people like extremely sour cabbage while others prefer a younger less mature ferment.
- Storage - Once you are happy with your sauerkraut you should store it in the fridge so that fermentation comes to a crawl.
Ingredients
- Cabbage - A Healthy unblemished, unspoiled cabbage. You can also use red cabbage or Chinese cabbage.
- Salt - Natural non-iodized fine salt. Kosher salt if you're in the US.
Instructions
- Wash and cut the cabbage finely.
- Place it into a large enough bowl.
- Add 2% salt to the weight of the cabbage and massage it with your hands or pound with a sauerkraut pounder until the cabbage releases its juice.
- Place into a 3L fermentation vessel like a mason jar.
- Press the cabbage down firmly so that it's covered with its own juices.
- Put a piece of plastic wrap or another cabbage leaf on top to ensure no air gets to the cabbage.
- Place a weight on top. This can be a small bag filled with water, ceramic fermentation weights, glass fermentation weights or anything else you can find.
- Close the container or Maison jar with a lid, a lid fitted with an airlock or just a plastic glove. Ferment at room temperature for about 7 days or until you are happy with the level of sourness. When you close it with a lid when using a Mason jar make sure to let out some gas after about 4 days and repeat every 4 days after that if you are fermenting the cabbage for longer.
When it's ready move it to the fridge and store it for up to 3 months. Take note that the fermentation will still continue in the fridge. just at a much slower rate.
So, don't keep it too long and rather eat it within a month or so for the best flavour.
Frequently asked questions
It's best eaten within a month as it can develop some strange flavours as the fermentation slowly keeps going.
A good one should have a sour funky, tangy and slightly sweet flavour. The colour should be white or very pale yellow when done fermenting and the texture should not be mushy.
Traditionally it is made in a crock. Just make sure the cabbage is completely submerged under its own juice and the crock has a lid.
No, the texture will be ruined.
During the fermentation, probiotics are produced. These are live beneficial bacteria that aid in digestion and boosts the immune system. It also contains vitamins C and K in abundance along with magnesium, calcium and a ton of dietary fibre.
If you are fermenting something and you spot mould then throw it out. Something has gone wrong and your ferment is spoiled. Kahlm yeast, however, is harmless and just a by-product of Lacto fermentation and can sometimes look like mould.
Variations
Other ingredients you can add.
- Carrot - Grated finely and added after you have squeezed the cabbage with salt.
- Berries - Small sour berries like red currants works great. Add a few when putting them into the fermentation crock.
- Apple - Grated finely.
- Spice - Whole peppercorn, mustard seeds, allspice and bay leaf are all good to add.
When adding anything else to your fermented cabbage recipe make sure to keep the flavours and combinations simple. You don't want to overload it with flavours.
Also, Keep in mind that the original flavour of food changes dramatically when put through the fermentation process. A sweet berry will not stay sweet but rather become tart and complex flavoured.
Serving suggestions
It's often served with grilled meats and sausages. It balances the richness of such dishes and the enzymes and bacteria present in sauerkraut make those dishes more easily digestible.
- Serve with rich meats like this crispy pork belly on the BBQ or a hearty Viking stew.
- Also delicious with this roasted lamb leg or lamb koftas with a side of buttery mashed potatoes and creamed spinach.
- Great with mustard on a sandwich with grilled sausage or on other toasted artisan bread like flax sourdough, rye sourdough or Borodinsky rye bread.
- It's naturally vegan and can also be served with or in combination with other healthy green vegetables like bok choy, broccoli and spinach.
- Within moderation, it's also keto-friendly and can be served with pan-fried salmon, steak or added to duck and kale stir-fry.
Useful books about fermentation
Koji Alchemy
Miso | Tempeh | Natto
Noma Fermentation Guide
The Art Of Fermentation
Other related ferments
If you like fermenting foods then you will find the following recipes useful.
- Sriracha - Mix with this kraut to make kimchi.
- Cucumber pickles - Lacto fermented.
- Lacto fermented carrots
- Fermented strawberry soda - Naturally fermented summer drink.
- Sourdough starter - Used to make sourdough baguettes among others.
- How to make koji - Edible mould used to make soy sauce and miso.
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Recipe
Homemade Sauerkraut
Ingredients
- 3 kg (6 ⅗ lb) cabbage - cannonball or large smooth round white cabbage
- 60 g (3 ⅓ tablespoon) salt
Instructions
- Wash and cut the cabbage finely.
- Place it into a large enough bowl.
- Add 2% salt to the weight of the cabbage and massage it with your hands or pound with a sauerkraut pounder until the cabbage releases its juice.
- Place into a 3L fermentation vessel like a mason jar.
- Press the cabbage down firmly so that it's covered with its own juices.
- Put a piece of plastic wrap or another cabbage leaf on top to ensure no air gets to the cabbage.
- Place a weight on top. This can be a small bag filled with water, ceramic fermentation weights, glass fermentation weights or anything else you can find.
- Close the container or Maison jar with a lid, a lid fitted with an airlock or just a plastic glove. Ferment at room temperature for about 7 days or until you are happy with the level of sourness. When you close it with a lid when using a Mason jar make sure to let out some gas after about 4 days and repeat every 4 days after that if you are fermenting the cabbage for longer.
Notes
- Wash and clean all equipment and your hands well before starting, to minimise the risk of bad bacteria.
- If you want the cabbage a touch sweeter only add the sugar when it's done fermenting. If you add the sugar before the bacteria will just consume the sugar and speed up fermentation so the sweetness will be lost.
- Keep the cabbage submerged in brine all the time.
- If any strange mould grows on it then throw it out. It's safer to start over.
- When it's ready it will have a nice tangy sourness with no off flavours. If it tastes or smells bad throw it out. Something has gone wrong in the fermentation process and bad bacteria crept in.
Larissa says
Totally forgot about plastic glove hack! Thank you for a great recipe (and many others!)
Charlé Visser says
)) You're welcome! Let me know how the kraut turned out!