German · Main · Easy
Sauerkraut
Crunchy, tangy fermented cabbage. A probiotic powerhouse that costs almost nothing to make.
The whole recipe in 60 seconds
Sauerkraut, in 5 ideas
- Salt ratio is everything: 2 percent of the cabbage weight.
- Massage until the cabbage releases its own brine.
- Keep everything submerged, air is the enemy.
- Taste after a week, ferment to your preferred tang.
- The fridge slows it down once it tastes right.
What you need
Ingredients
- 1 large green cabbage (about 1.5kg)
- 30g sea salt (2 percent)
- 1 tbsp caraway seeds
- 1 tsp juniper berries (optional)
- 1 tsp black peppercorns
- 2 bay leaves
How to make it
Directions
- Shred the cabbage finely and toss with the salt.
- Massage hard for 10 minutes until it releases enough brine to cover itself.
- Pack tightly into a clean jar with the caraway and juniper, pressing out air pockets.
- Weight it down so the cabbage stays submerged and cover loosely.
- Ferment at room temperature 1 to 3 weeks, tasting until tangy, then refrigerate.
Money saver. A whole cabbage makes jars of sauerkraut for the price of one small store tub.