Quick Homemade Sauerkraut {only 2 Ingredients}
You won’t believe how easy it is to make your own quick homemade sauerkraut! I discovered how to make this a few months ago and now I always have homemade sauerkraut on hand! It is so easy and a great addition to avo toast, sandwiches, nourish bowls, burritos and more! All you need is 2 ingredients and about 10 minutes of prep time! It is a great way to sneak in some gut friendly fermented food that tastes great, is super cheap and easy to make!
What ingredients do I need for my quick homemade saurkraut?
All you need for this recipe is a head of cabbage and some sea salt, that’s it! This is truly such a fun and easy recipe!
How to make quick homemade sauerkraut
Slice up your cabbage! I usually use green cabbage but any variety will work for this recipe! Peel off the first two layers of your cabbage to limit and dirt contamination or pesticides! Slice your cabbage into quarters, remove the core then slice as thinly as possible.
Weigh your cabbage using a kitchen scale! Add your sliced cabbage to a large bowl and measure its weight. This is how you determine how much salt to add. You need 2% of the cabbages’ weight in salt so if your cabbage weighs 1000g, multiply 1000g x 0.02 = 20g – you would need 20g of salt.
Measure your salt in a small bowl then add it on top of the sliced cabbage.
Massage your cabbage/salt mixture for about 5-10 minutes until the cabbage has wilted and the juices have been released.
Add to a large jar. After you’ve massaged the cabbage add it to a large jar, ensuring there is enough space for some expansion. Since fermentation comes with some gases the cabbage will rise slightly, so make sure the container is not too small! Push the cabbage down with your hands and make sure to add in all of the juice from the cabbage! This is the brine that will ferment the cabbage over time! Next, place a piece of plastic wrap on top then something small to weigh it down such as a small lid to a jar. Then screw the lid on.
Let your cabbage sit for 2-3 weeks to ferment on the counter in a cool, dark place if possible! You can eat it before this, it is totally up to you and what flavor you prefer! Just make sure to burp your jar daily so that it does not explode! Simply open the lid to let some of the gas escape!
How to store your quick homemade sauerkraut
Once your sauerkraut has fermented to the taste you like store it in the fridge to stop the fermentation. Fermentation loves warm and dark places so putting it in the fridge will stop the process. You can store it in the fridge for up to 6 months, if it lasts that long!
Why should I eat sauerkraut?
Sauerkraut is a fermented food, meaning it provides beneficial bacteria for you gut and increases the good bacteria in your gut microbiome! Dr. Will Bulsiewicz, the author of Fiber Fueled, recommends eating fermented foods every single day, and this is such an easy way to do so! Fermented foods contain probiotics which are beneficial for gut health, so try to get a serving in every day! Some other fermented foods include kimchi, miso and tempeh!
How to eat your quick homemade sauerkraut
Add it to your sandwiches for a tangy flare! My favorite way to eat sauerkraut is by putting it on top of my avocado toast! It replaces the need for lemon and gives the toast such a delicious flavor! You can also make a homemade Reuben sandwich! Sauerkraut is famously used on Reubens!
Alongside your normal meals! I love adding my sauerkraut on the side of tofu scrambles, a just egg breakfast, or alongside a meal of tofu, greens & potatoes! It can really lighten up any meal you add it to and gives it a tangy freshness!
Eat it right out of the jar! I often do this if I don’t feel like having the sauerkraut with a meal. That way you still get the benefits of the food! Think of it like a pill you have to take every morning to help with your gut health!
Add it to your vegan burgers or hot dogs! It can be a great addition that will catch your friends off guard! Definitely add in some Dijon mustard as it goes great with sauerkraut!
Some tips from Steph
Make sure to burp your sauerkraut to ensure the jar doesn’t explode or just make sure not to screw the lid on too tight so the gas can naturally escape! Alternatively you can get some fermenting jars which keep the pressure perfectly so you don’t have to worry about it!
You can eye ball the salt if you don’t have a kitchen scale, although the scale is the best option to ensure you don’t make the sauerkraut too salty! For one large cabbage use 2 tbsp of salt. Start with this then if the cabbage is too salty then adjust for next time, and remember that cabbage comes in many different sizes so take this into account!
Make another batch right after your first batch is done fermenting! This is what I do to ensure that we always have sauerkraut in the house! I like my sauerkraut fermented at two weeks. So by starting another one right as the first batch has finished fermenting, this means I will have another one ready two weeks later, which is about how long it takes my boyfriend and I to finish one jar!
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Quick Homemade Sauerkraut {only 2 Ingredients}
Ingredients
- 1 large Head of Cabbage any color, I used green
- 2% of the cabbages' weight in salt or roughly 2 tbsp, see instructions
Instructions
- Peel off the first two layers of your cabbage to limit dirt contamination and pesticides! Then slice your cabbage into quarters, remove the core then slice it up as thinly as possible.
- Transfer your sliced cabbage to a large bowl and measure its' weight using a kitchen scale. This is how you determine how much salt to add. You need 2% of the cabbages' weight in salt so if your cabbage weighs 1000g, multiply1000g x 0.02 = 20g – you would need 20g of salt.
- If you do not have a scale start by adding 2 tbsp of salt per head of cabbage. See how the saltiness is for you once the batch has fermented and adjust for next time! It will vary since all heads of cabbage are different sizes.
- Measure out the salt in a small bowl then add it on top of the cabbage.
- Massage your cabbage/salt mixture for about 5-10 minutes, until the cabbage has wilted and the juices have been released.
- Add the massaged cabbage to a large jar, ensuring there is enough space for some expansion. Since fermentation creates gases the cabbage will rise slightly, so make sure the container is not too small!
- Push the cabbage down with your hands and make sure to add in all of the liquid from the cabbage! This is the brine that will ferment the cabbage! Next, place a piece of plastic wrap on top of the cabbage and place a small object on top of that to weigh it down. I use a small lid from a small jar as a weight.
- Let your cabbage sit on a shelf in a cool, dark place to ferment! You can ferment it up to 3 weeks, or as little as 3-4 days. It just depends on how you like your sauerkraut to taste.
- Make sure to burp your jar daily so that it does not explode! This lets out some of the gas created during the fermentation process. Simply open the lid to let the gas escape. Alternatively you can use a fermenting jar!
- Once your sauerkraut is fermented to your taste (I like mine after 2 weeks of fermentation) store it in the fridge for up to 6 months! No need to burp once the sauerkraut is in the fridge.