Brine & Bag
Free tool

Fermentation salt calculator

Salt is the one measurement that decides whether a ferment is safe and crisp or soft and off. Tell it the weight of your vegetables or the volume of your brine, and it works out the salt to the gram.

Your ferment
Method
Salt strength

Sauerkraut, kimchi, most vegetables

Salt to add
20 g

about 1.1 tbsp or 3 tsp of fine salt (0.7 oz)

Weigh it, don't scoop it. The gram figure is exact; the spoon amounts are approximate because coarse and fine salts weigh very differently by the spoon. A kitchen scale is the reliable way to hit your salt percentage.

Mix this salt through the chopped vegetables and massage until they release their own brine, then pack them under it. This is the method for sauerkraut and kimchi.

The 2% salt rule →Airlocks & weights →

Salt by weight, not by eye

Fermentation salt is dosed as a percentage of weight: 2% salt means 20 grams of salt per 1,000 grams of vegetables and water. That percentage is what keeps the right bacteria thriving and the wrong ones out, so hitting it matters. Because salt crystals vary in size, a tablespoon of coarse salt weighs far less than a tablespoon of fine salt, which is why a kitchen scale beats measuring spoons every time. The full reasoning is in our 2% salt guide.

Two methods, two salt levels

  • Salting vegetables (sauerkraut, kimchi): weigh the shredded vegetables, use about 2%, and massage the salt in so they release their own brine.
  • Making a brine (whole pickles): weigh or measure the water and use a stronger 3.5% to 5%, then pour it over to submerge the vegetables.

Which salt to use

Use plain salt with no additives: fine sea salt, pickling salt or kosher salt all work. Avoid iodized table salt and salt with anti-caking agents, which can discolour a ferment or slow the bacteria. Whatever you use, weigh it, then keep everything under the brine with a weight and airlock. New to it? Start with our beginner's guide or a first batch of sauerkraut.

Sources

  1. National Center for Home Food Preservation, fermenting vegetables. Tested salt ratios and brining basics.
  2. Utah State University Extension, fermentation. The role of salt concentration in a safe ferment.