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Home » Canning » Homemade Sauerkraut

Published: Nov 7, 2015 · Modified: Mar 12, 2021 by Kathy · This post may contain affiliate links

Homemade Sauerkraut

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A glass jar filled with fermented cabbage.

Homemade Sauerkraut - Making your own sauerkraut is possible to do at home.

Sometimes I truly surprise myself....making this sauerkraut is a complete and total surprise.  

Don't get me wrong.  This didn't happen accidentally.  I knew I was making homemade sauerkraut.  I even planned it out.  The complete and total surprise comes from the fact that I've never liked sauerkraut.

 In fact I always made horrible faces whenever someone would simply mention the word sauerkraut.

My mom is a  sauerkraut fan and buys it from the grocery store from time to time.  My husband also loves sauerkraut! I didn't like it.  I wouldn't touch it.  I wouldn't even buy it for my dear sweet husband!

Sauerkraut in a small crock.

Then slooooowly things started to change.  My brother made the first batch of homemade sauerkraut.  He stated it was quite good and unlike anything you could buy in the store.  I was not convinced.  

Then we were given a couple of old ceramic crocks from Rod's grandmother, along with her recipe for sauerkraut!  No way was I going to use it, but the crocks looked great in our living room!  Finally my sister decided to make it!  What was going on here?

 I decided to get on the band wagon and  start reading up on this strange fermented cabbage.  I became intrigued....but still wasn't going to be a fan!  No Way!!!

Green cabbage on a cutting board sliced into long strips.

For this batch, I used a huge cabbage. It weighed 3 pounds.  You can use any size cabbage you want.  You are only limited to the size of your container.  

I used one of the old sauerkraut crocks that came from my grandparents.  You can find new crocks here. 

Sliced cabbage in an old crock.

Table of Contents
How do I make sauerkraut?
Other Food Preservation Recipes
Homemade Sauerkraut

How do I make sauerkraut?

  1. You start by cutting up all your cabbage.
  2. Once your cabbage is cut, you begin layering it into your crock.  Between each layer, you sprinkle salt.  I used canning salt because it doesn't have any additives like a non-caking ingredient or iodine.
  3. The absolute hardest part was getting all the cabbage into my crock.  The picture above shows just half the cabbage.  I had read that a 3 pound cabbage could fit into my crock, but it was full at just half way! The trick, pushing it down.  I had to use my fist and push, and push, and push..... you get the idea.  Finally I was actually able to get all the cabbage into the crock.  Then the waiting begins.
A crock full of shredded cabbage.
Cabbage after a few days in the crock.

Check your cabbage every couple of days.  Slowly the liquid will start to be released from the cabbage.  You want your cabbage covered with this liquid after two to three days days.  If it hasn't you will need to create a brine (water and salt) to cover the top.

My cabbage had drastically decreased in size after two days, but it took three days for the liquid to reach the top.  I then added a weight to keep the cabbage from floating up. I used a glass dish with a quart jar filled with water to give it some weight.  The entire top of the crock was kept covered with a clean dish towel.

Weighting down the sauerkraut with a quart glass jar filled with water.

At the beginning you do need to check your crock every couple of days and remove any scum that may appear.  You can see in the pictures some whitish bubbles.  I removed those bubbles each time I saw them.

You also want to check for mold or discoloration.  Mine did not have an issue with mold or discoloration.  Wild Fermentation states it isn't a problem and can simply be removed.

Looking down into an old crock filled with liquid and shredded cabbage.

Your sauerkraut is ready whenever you think it tastes good.  The longer it keeps, the stronger the taste.  I kept mine going for 4 weeks.  

Once done, I simply transferred the kraut into clean quart canning jars and put into the fridge.  I decided not to seal the kraut in jars. You can, and it will keep for a long time in your pantry, but heating it kills all the probiotics that naturally occur in homemade sauerkraut.

 The only problem...I have 8 quarts of sauerkraut in my fridge!  I'm not certain how quickly we can eat all that kraut!

Homemade sauerkraut in glass jars.

My husband says the sauerkraut is great.  And I must admit, I do like it!  There is a nice crunch to the cabbage still and a tang from the fermentation.

 I eat it as a small side salad.  I'm still not certain I could slather a hot dog with sauerkraut, but I definitely don't make faces at this delicious homemade sauerkraut!  

So tell me.....Do you love sauerkraut?

Homemade sauerkraut. in a glass jar.

Other Food Preservation Recipes

  • Dried Pears
  • Freezing Raspberries
  • Freezing Rhubarb
  • How to Roast Peppers
  • Canning Pickles
  • Canning Apple Pie Filling

Don't forget to PIN for later! A glass jar filled with fermented cabbage.

If you make this recipe, I’d love to hear about it! Leave a comment below and snap a picture and tag me on Instagram @beyondthechickencoop

If you loved this recipe you'll LOVE all the others in this category. Check out all my canning recipes here!

A glass crock overfilling with sauerkraut.

Homemade Sauerkraut

Kathy
Homemade sauerkraut.
5 from 17 votes
Print Recipe Pin Recipe Save Saved!
Prep Time 1 hour hr
Total Time 28 days d
Course Side Dish
Cuisine American, German
Servings 8 Quarts
Calories 3 kcal
Prevent your screen from going dark

Ingredients
  

  • 3 pound Cabbage
  • 2 Tablespoons salt (non-iodized)

Instructions
 

  • Chop up cabbage
  • Layer into a ceramic crock or other food grade container.
  • Sprinkle salt between layers.
  • Push each layer down so the cabbage is compacted.
  • Cover with a clean cloth, check daily to make certain liquid starts to cover all cabbage.
  • Place a clean weight on top. Keep covered with cloth.
  • Check every few days to remove and scum or mold.
  • You can begin tasting kraut after a week. The longer it keeps, the stronger it gets.

Notes

My sauerkraut took about 4 weeks to ferment. Store in glass jars in the refrigerator. This recipe can be adjusted using a smaller cabbage or a much larger one. 

Nutritional Disclaimer:

Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and should only be construed as an estimate rather than a guarantee. To obtain the most precise nutritional information in a provided recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the exact ingredients you are using when preparing the recipe using your preferred nutrition calculator.

Nutrition

Serving: 0.25cupCalories: 3kcalCarbohydrates: 1gProtein: 1gFat: 1gSaturated Fat: 1gSodium: 111mgPotassium: 18mgFiber: 1gSugar: 1gVitamin A: 10IUVitamin C: 4mgCalcium: 4mgIron: 1mg
Keyword homemade sauerkraut, how to make sauerkraut, sauerkraut, sauerkraut recipe
Tried this Recipe? Tag me Today!Mention @BeyondTheChickenCoop or tag #beyondthechickencoop!

 

 

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Rachelle @ Beer Girl Cooks says

    November 10, 2015 at 7:28 pm

    Oh my! No! I do not like the sauerkraut! I do not like it here or there I do not like it anywhere! I do love that you gave it a try and made it in your special crocks though. My mom always made pork and sauerkraut on New Years Day and made us take at least one bite for good luck. I wasn't willing to risk the consequences of not doing it, but that one bite was all I would have for the year. Now, what in tarnation are you going to do with all that sauerkraut? 🙂

    Reply
    • Kathy says

      November 10, 2015 at 7:39 pm

      I've got two quarts in the mail headed your way! You never know....you might like them in a jar, you might like them from afar! I don't want to mess with your New Year's luck! You must have a bite!!!

      Reply
  2. Ashley | Spoonful of Flavor says

    November 10, 2015 at 4:36 pm

    I've actually never made homemade sauerkraut but I buy cabbage often and definitely need to try this soon!

    Reply
    • Kathy says

      November 10, 2015 at 6:09 pm

      I hope you give it a try!

      Reply
  3. Manali @ CookWithManali says

    November 10, 2015 at 12:53 pm

    I have never even heard of this but I like cabbage so I think I will like it! 😀

    Reply
  4. annie@ciaochowbambina says

    November 10, 2015 at 8:26 am

    5 stars
    Oh my...you've inspired me! I've always been a take-it or leave-it kind of girl...but with homemade, I'd be take-it all the way!

    Reply
    • Kathy says

      November 10, 2015 at 7:15 pm

      Yep...you'd better take it with this kraut!

      Reply
  5. allie @ Through Her Looking Glass says

    November 10, 2015 at 7:39 am

    5 stars
    Dear Kathy, Well I'm so glad you jumped on that bandwagon. Finally. Because your sauerkraut looks amazing and I can't believe how easy is is to make. Also how short the ingredient list. Rod's grandmother had a good thing going! Good luck on eating 8 quarts!!!

    Reply
    • Kathy says

      November 10, 2015 at 6:10 pm

      Easy to make...just need to invest a little time!

      Reply
    • Kathy says

      November 10, 2015 at 7:16 pm

      It took me a while, but once I finally decided it wasn't that bad, I was all in!

      Reply
  6. Cheyanne @ No Spoon Necessary says

    November 09, 2015 at 9:02 am

    5 stars
    Oh my gawsh, I used to HATE sauerkraut too! But my husband has always loved it, so I think I came around from just giving it a try so many times, eventually my palate gave in and decided if you can't beat em, join em! 😉 I have never tried to make it myself though! This looks amazing! My husband will go nuts over this, my dear! Thanks so much for sharing!! Cheers!

    Reply
    • Kathy says

      November 09, 2015 at 8:13 pm

      So funny how everyone has such different tastes...and how tastes can change over time!

      Reply
  7. David @ Spiced says

    November 09, 2015 at 8:28 am

    8 quarts of kraut! That is amazing. I have to admit that I'm not a huge fan of kraut. I might need to test that theory again soon...I've discovered a couple of things lately that I used to dislike. So maybe kraut is next on the list. And my wife wouldn't have one bit of trouble with 8 quarts of kraut...she loves the stuff!

    Reply
    • Kathy says

      November 09, 2015 at 8:13 pm

      Yep...8 quarts is a ton of kraut....even for my kraut loving husband!

      Reply
  8. Katie Crenshaw says

    November 09, 2015 at 5:17 am

    5 stars
    We love sauerkraut in our household! My grandfather is German, so we have grown up eating it in meals. We love it on hotdogs and sausage dogs. My grandmother makes a German potato, sausage, and kraut dish that it is great in. My favorite meal is Bundle Kraut, which is cabbage filled with rice and meat, then rolled up and tied, and then cooked in kraut! It is so good! I will have to try your homemade Sauerkraut recipe in these dishes!

    Reply
    • Kathy says

      November 09, 2015 at 5:40 am

      Wow....there's a whole sauerkraut world out there that I didn't even know existed. And I thought it only went on top of hot dogs!

      Reply
  9. Laura ~ Raise Your Garden says

    November 08, 2015 at 4:57 pm

    Well, I live in an area where "Kraut" is famous. Everyone eats Kraut here! It's quite popular. So shhhh, don't tell anyone here that I've never had it. Let alone made it! But I love your idea of making it yourself and the more I read about fermented foods, the more I need to get on board. I do love cabbage though so I need to give this a whirl. And everyone in my extended family LOVES their "Kraut". Time to try!!!

    Reply
    • Kathy says

      November 09, 2015 at 5:39 am

      The secret's out now, Laura! You are going to have to try some sauerkraut!

      Reply
  10. Meghan | Fox and Briar says

    November 07, 2015 at 5:51 pm

    5 stars
    I am like you, I have never liked sauerkraut! But I do bet that the homemade version is a million times better than store bought. And that is so cool that you got to use those vintage family crocks for this recipe! Love that!

    Reply
    • Kathy says

      November 07, 2015 at 9:39 pm

      Yep....a million times better!

      Reply
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A glass jar filled with fermented cabbage.
The author holding a chicken.

I'm Kathy, a busy working mom who loves to cook from scratch, grow a garden, and raise farm animals. Take a look around and find all my recipes, gardening tips, and country living antics.

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