Easy Sauerkraut Recipe - The Seasoned Mom (2024)

FAQs

Why do you put vinegar in sauerkraut? ›

Vinegar is an acidic medium commonly used in commercial pickles, sauerkraut and condiments to give the final product a sour, tangy flavor.

The most widely used ratio of 2.00%–2.25% weight of salt to weight of cabbage gives the best results. This means you add 2g to 2.25g of salt for every 100g of finely sliced cabbage in your recipe.

Cook with cider, apple juice, white wine, or beer

As previously mentioned, you can bathe your canned sauerkraut in white wine, beer, apple cider, or apple juice. But aside from bathing, you can cook those liquids with the sauerkraut to ramp up the flavor.

Cabbage, salt, and sugar (plus some time) are all that's required to make a standout homemade sauerkraut recipe.

It is delicious! My only suggestion is to always rinse sauerkraut using warm water and drain well. I've also made this recipe using white wine and beef broth instead of sherry and chicken stock.

Round cabbage (also called white cabbage or simply cabbage) is the best cabbage for making sauerkraut. The cabbage is dense with smooth leaves and weighs on average around 2 kg. Light green cabbage will give you the best results!

Using too little salt not only softens the cabbage but also yields a product lacking in flavor. Too much salt delays the natural fermentation process.

The rule of thumb when it comes to sauerkraut is to just keep tasting the sauerkraut until the taste is to your liking. The sauerkraut itself should be safe to eat at every stage of the process, so there is no real 'fermentation time'.

Sea salt works well, or rock salt. Watch out for the salt labelled 'pickling salt', it often has anti-caking agents in it which can negatively affect your fermentation. If you're not sure, read the ingredients, there should just be one! A fine grind of salt is required for this type of pickling.

Potato salad: Sauerkraut is an appealing addition to both classic and German potato salad. Give it a try at your next gathering. Egg salad: Add new dimension and crunch to classic egg salad with the addition of sauerkraut. Bagel and lox: Sauerkraut adds a caper-like zing to a bagel with smoked salmon and cream cheese.

What is the tastiest way to eat sauerkraut? ›

Sauerkraut can be added to soups and stews; cooked with stock, beer or wine; served with sausages or salted meats, and is especially good with smoked fish, like hot-smoked salmon.

If your sauerkraut is too sour, there are several things you can do to balance out the flavor. One option is to rinse the sauerkraut under cold water to remove some of the acidity. You can also add a little sugar or honey to the sauerkraut to offset the sourness.

Some people like to flavor their sauerkraut with herbs such as dill or caraway seeds. You can also add other veggies such as carrots, garlic, or ginger.