How to Make Sauerkraut (Beginner's Method)
Two ingredients, one jar, and a few weeks. The simple salt-and-cabbage method for crisp, tangy homemade sauerkraut.
Sauerkraut is the best first ferment: it needs only cabbage and salt, and the cabbage makes its own brine. Here's the whole method.
What you need
- Cabbage (green cabbage is classic), shredded
- Salt, plain and non-iodized, about 2% of the cabbage's weight
- A wide-mouth jar, a glass weight, and a one-way airlock lid
The steps
- Shred the cabbage finely and weigh it.
- Salt it: use roughly 1 tablespoon of fine salt per 1.5 to 2 lb of cabbage, our salt guide has the exact ratios.
- Massage the salted cabbage for a few minutes until it wilts and releases a pool of its own brine.
- Pack it tightly into the jar, pressing down so the brine rises above the cabbage. Leave a couple of inches of headspace.
- Weigh it down so no cabbage floats above the brine, then fit the airlock lid.
- Wait, at cool room temperature out of direct sun, for 1 to 4 weeks.
- Taste from about day 5. When it's sour enough, screw on a normal lid and refrigerate.
Keep it under the brine. Every problem with sauerkraut traces back to cabbage floating above the surface, where mould grows. The weight and the airlock are what make it foolproof.
Troubleshooting
A little cloudiness and bubbling is normal and good. Fuzzy mould on top means something floated above the brine, skim it and check your weight, or start over if it smells putrid rather than sour. For bigger batches, a water-seal crock takes over from jars.
Sources
- National Center for Home Food Preservation: tested method and salt ratios for sauerkraut.
The verdict
Shred, salt to 2%, massage, pack under the brine, weight, airlock, and wait. That's sauerkraut, and once you've made one jar you can ferment almost anything.
Sauerkraut is cabbage plus about 2% salt: shred, salt, massage until it makes its own brine, pack it under that brine with a weight, fit an airlock, and ferment 1 to 4 weeks. Keep everything submerged, taste from day 5, and refrigerate when it's sour enough.
Frequently asked questions
How much salt do you use for sauerkraut?
About 2% salt by weight, roughly 1 tablespoon of fine salt per 1.5 to 2 lb of cabbage. Salt draws out the brine and keeps the ferment safe, so weigh it rather than guessing. Too little salt risks a soft, off ferment.
How long does sauerkraut take to ferment?
Usually 1 to 4 weeks at room temperature, faster when warmer, tasting as you go until it is as sour as you like, then moved to the fridge to slow down. Keep the cabbage under the brine the whole time.
Why is my sauerkraut soft or slimy?
Common causes are too little salt, too warm a spot, or cabbage left above the brine. Keep it submerged, use the right salt ratio and a cool room. For food-safety questions, follow USDA, the NCHFP or your local extension service.
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