How to Make Sauerkraut at Home (Easy and Full of Probiotics)
This sauerkraut recipe requires only three ingredients and is super easy to make. It's delicious, healthy, and incredibly simple to make from scratch!
Course Vegetables
Cuisine American
Keyword Sauerkraut
Prep Time 30 minutesminutes
6 daysdays
Total Time 6 daysdays30 minutesminutes
Servings 3quarts
Author Valya's Taste of Home
Ingredients
Sauerkraut Ingredients
2heads – medium size cabbage
2large – carrots
¼cup– sea salt
Instructions
How to Prep Veggies
Begin by peeling the outer leaves from the green cabbage and setting them aside. These leaves can be used later in the fermentation process to create an oxygen-free environment.
Next, peel your carrots using a standard potato or vegetable peeler. It is essential to wash all your vegetables thoroughly to remove any dirt or foreign particles.
Cut the head of your cabbage in half. Using a shredder or a sharp knife, shred the cabbage into thin slices. Shredding increases the surface area of the cabbage, allowing the brine to penetrate more efficiently.
Similarly, shred the carrots and add them to the bowl containing the shredded cabbage. The carrots add a pleasant sweetness to the sauerkraut and contribute to its overall flavor.
How to Make Sauerkraut
Sprinkle the appropriate amount of sea salt onto your cabbage and carrot mixture. Sea salt acts as a preservative and kickstarts the fermentation process. It is important to toss the mixture well, to make sure that salt is evenly distributed. Massage the salt in using your hands, the end of a wooden spoon, or a kraut pounder.
This step is crucial in creating the brine in which your kraut will ferment. Squeeze the vegetables together until the cabbage becomes limp and begins to release its juices.
Transfer your sauerkraut into a bowl or crock that has a lid that seals tightly. Alternatively, you could use mason jars. Thoroughly pack them down with a wooden spoon. The goal is to eliminate as many air bubbles as possible.
Let the sauerkraut sit on your countertop for approximately 24 hours. This allows the flavors to meld together and fermentation to begin. Your sauerkraut should ferment in an anaerobic environment that allows carbon dioxide to escape without letting oxygen in. An airlock or fermentation crock is useful as well.
How to Refrigerate Sauerkraut
After the initial fermentation period, move your kraut to the refrigerator. Here, it should sit for 3-4 days. The cool temperature slows the fermentation process, allowing the flavors to develop further.
Remove the sauerkraut from the refrigerator and pack it into jars. Make sure that the brine covers the cabbage to prevent mold.
Close the jars tightly with lids and store them in the refrigerator. Your sauerkraut is safe to consume after just one week, but the flavor will continue to develop over several months.