Homemade sauerkraut is one of the easiest and best things you can make for yourself. I made the jar above the week before I knew we were going to have hot dogs so that I could enjoy the benefits of all the good probiotics fermented cabbage has to offer. Some consider it a superfood when eaten straight out of the fermenting jar!
I have placed a video of me making homemade sauerkraut at the bottom of the page. I hope it inspires you to get started making your own right away.
The picture below is sauerkraut with a little shredded carrot included. This allows you to use it as a side dish with dinner. Just add a little mayo to it for a creamy tangy coleslaw.
How Long Does it Take to Ferment Sauerkraut/Cabbage
The longer a jar of fermented cabbage sits, the more sour it will taste. I like it salted just right and left alone for 7 days before putting it in the refrigerator door to slowly keep the probiotics brewing. I start eating it as a condiment with meals (about 1/4 cup at a time) at any point after refrigerating.
Other people enjoy a much longer ferment, up to 3 weeks. I always think the longer it is out at room temperature, the longer something has to go wrong and cause mold to form on the jar or the top of the cabbage if it isn’t submerged completely in it’s own cabbage juices.
Is Homemade Sauerkraut Better than Store Bought?
Homemade sauerkraut will always be better than anything you can buy at the store. If you are planning on cooking it with a meal, store bought will work just fine. The homemade fermented cabbage we are making are for the probiotic benefits our guts will get from consuming it. We can eat it like a condiment to get a nice boost of vitamins and minerals as well. 1/4 cup of homemade sauerkraut has 175% of your daily needs for Vitamin C.
Common Questions People Have About Making Homemade Sauerkraut
Of course you are going to have questions when you first get started fermenting your own cabbage or making sauerkraut as it is commonly called. Everyone has to start somewhere so if there are any questions you might have about this process once you’ve read the questions below, please ask it in the comments near the bottom of this page. We also welcome comments if you feel you have something to add to the content of this page.
Here are the FAQ:
Is it safe to make your own sauerkraut at home? Yes! It is safe to make sauerkraut at home using a fermenting technique that people have been using since the beginning of time to preserve their harvest of food.
What are the negatives of sauerkraut? It does contain lots of salt so if you are watching your sodium intake, be sure to consume the homemade sauerkraut in small amounts. Using it as a condiment for meat is a great way to bring out flavor that you didn’t even know was there without it.
Is sauerkraut still probiotic if you cook it? No. If you are making homemade sauerkraut, you won’t want to cook it as a dish, because all of the great benefits of the probiotics for your gut health will be lost to the high heat. That is why we like to make homemade sauerkraut in small batches with no special equipment. I made a video showing how I make it. You can find it towards the bottom of the page. Canning it also causes the probiotics to die off in the heat of the processing.
What kind of salt is best for sauerkraut? Something pure and finely ground. The salt we use is canning salt, but sea salt also works. If you are not sure about the salt you have, read the ingredient list. It should only say, salt.
What happens if you don’t put enough salt in sauerkraut? If you don’t put enough salt in while fermenting cabbage, you will likely end up with a product that simply lacks flavor. I always taste it before stuffing it into the jar to see if I need to add more or if the taste pleases me. It should taste salty but not overly salty.
What happens if you use too much salt in homemade sauerkraut? Too much salt will cause the fermentation to take much longer. Learning what just the right amount tastes like will help you in the future to add just the right amount of salt.
Fermenting Equipment
So you still don’t trust yourself to make this with no special equipment? Check out the neat things for fermenting I found on Amazon below: Don’t forget if you buy one of these products through these links, Amazon will share a portion of their profit with us. It really helps to keep the farm going.