Hi everyone! If you follow me on instagram you have probably noticed my obsession with homemade sauerkraut. I’ve been on a kick with home fermented foods to improve gut health which basically impacts every aspect of life and I thought to myself… “everyone needs to know how to make sauerkraut!”

The homemade stuff is so delicious, so; I want to share the easiest sauerkraut recipe you’ll find in the world. It’s EASY, but it’s important to follow the instructions or you could end up with mold, or some other fermentation issues that will have you on the toilet for a day or two (ask me how I know). I’ve learned my lessons and now done this successfully many many times, and I hope this helps you on your journey to delicious food and the best gut health you can imagine in our great country of overall bad gut health (ultra-processed foods, anyone?).

3 Ingredients

• One head of cabbage
• One large carrot (one carrot per head of cabbage is my favorite mix for color and a little flavor and sweetness)
• Salt (2 Teaspoons for every pound of cabbage, about 1 Tablespoon per head of cabbage).

Equipment you need

This is what you’ll need to make the kraut.

• A large glass jar (about 1.5 heads of cabbage per 2 liter jar. If you have a one quart or liter jar one head of cabbage is fine).
• A couple paper towels
• A rubber band
• A big bowl
• A wooden spoon
• A grater for the carrot
• A vegetable peeler for the carrot
• A knife and cutting board to cut the cabbage

Instructions

1. Start by making sure everything is very clean. Do not use soap on the cabbage but wash the outside of it well and peel off any leaves that look like they have been too beat up. Clean your whole working surface, the jar you plan to ferment in, and the tools you’ll use – and your hands.
2. Peel 1-2 of the large leaves off the head of cabbage, wash them, and set them aside. You will use them to ensure your kraut stays below the brine level in your fermentation vessel.
3. Chop your cabbage: I prefer to use a knife, but some people use a shredder, and others use a food processor. Do what works best for you but I prefer to chop the cabbage with a sharp knife – just get it into as thin slices as you can. It doesn’t matter how LONG they are, just that they are skinny.
4. Put all of your chopped cabbage in a bowl and add the salt.
5. Start massaging the cabbage and salt together for about 5 minutes. The key here is to do a deep tissue massage, not a relaxing soft massage. Really knead the cabbage pieces. If there are thick ones that are more white than green, snap them to “wound” the cabbage and bruise the flesh (I know this sounds very graphic, and honestly, you need to really beat it up). Do this for 5 minutes to start. Set the cabbage aside while you shred your carrot.
6. Shred the carrot: I use the larger side of my cheese shredder and it is perfect. It’s hard to slide it by hand as thin as you want it so I recommend using the shredder.
7. Go back to the cabbage and add the carrot. Mix the carrot in well and continue massaging (beating up) the cabbage. By now you’ll start to notice that the cabbage is getting very WET. That’s the brine coming out of the leaves and that is very good, you want it to get wet. Massage it at least 5 more minutes, 10 if you’re feeling vigorous.
8. Let the cabbage and carrot mixture rest for 20-30 minutes. Some people like to let their cabbage rest much longer but I have found that 20 minutes is fine if you beat up your cabbage well. Shoot for 30 and you’ll be in good shape.
9. Come back to your cabbage, clean your hands again, and it’s time to start putting it in the jar.
10. Adding cabbage to the jar: I like to go one handful at a time. Add in a handful and then take a wooden spoon (I use a cocktail herb muddler tool, it works really great but wooden spoons are perfect too) and hammer the cabbage into the bottom of the jar. You want to really smash it in one handful at a time. Keep adding the cabbage one handful at a time and hammering it down with your tool, and when you’ve filled your jar about half way, you will start to see that when you press down on the cabbage with the spoon or your hand, the brine will start to rise above the cabbage – THIS IS GREAT. Keep adding cabbage and pushing it down below the brine.
11. By the time you get to the top, you should have a good amount of brine above the cabbage. It’s hard to get all of the pieces to stay down and you will surely have some floaters, that’s where the leaf you set aside comes into play.
12. Once you have pushed down all the cabbage with all your strength to get it below the brine, it’s time to fold up the large leaf and shove it into the jar to cover the top. Get the leaf below the brine as well and it will keep all the little floaters down.
13. Add your weight: I have used a stone/rock if you have one the right size, I have also used a shot glass which works just fine, or you can buy some fancy fermentation weights – it depends on how big your jar is.
14. Take a double layer of paper towel and secure it to the top with a rubber band. You want to protect it from bugs and germs but allow it to breath.
15. Label it with the date.
16. Set it somewhere out of direct sunlight to ferment for 2-4 weeks. I put mine right on the kitchen counter, but a dark closet or shelf works great too.

Fermentation time

Here is my recommended fermentation duration depending on the average temperature (fahrenheit) of your house.

• 65-70 degrees: 25-40 days.
• 70-75 degrees: 20-25 days
• You’ll need to do your own research on this one. My sister fermented hers for about 2 weeks at an average temp of around 78 degrees, and her kraut turned out slimy which is a sign of fermentation at too high a temp. You’ve been warned 🙂

Notes on mold and other weird looking things

Weird white stuff: Sometimes your kraut may start growing a little white layer on top. It might look a little jelly-like. If it’s white, and not fuzzy, you should scrape it off during fermentation. It’s not mold, it is a byproduct of the lactic acid bacteria and yeasts.

Mold: If you start seeing growth that is fuzzy, or blue, green, pink, dark colored. Unfortunately you’ve got mold and I recommend tossing your ferment and starting over. This happens if you have other foreign substances in your ferment: if you got some germs in there that the bacteria didn’t like, or if things weren’t clean enough, OR if your cabbage was not fully submerged under the brine. Take notes and try again (and sorry you wont have sauerkraut to eat as soon as you thought).

Signs of fermentation

• Bubbles: if you look closely, you will see little bubbles and air pockets that have grown inside your jar. I love seeing this because it means your kraut is ALIVE and fermenting.
• Foam: In the same them as bubbles, a little foam is a good sign of fermentation.
• SMELL: This is going to be your best friend. If it smells sour, GREAT. If it smells rotten… trust your instinct and throw it away.
• The amount of fermentation and sourness is really up to you. You can let it ferment longer and you’ll get a more sour, full flavor, or you can let it go just a little while and it will be might more mild (if you’re nervous of the taste, start with something more mild).

Storage

One your sauerkraut is as sour as you like it and you want to stop the ferment. Transfer to an airtight container and store in the fridge. I have had no problem storing mine for well over a month if the container is clean and airtight. When stored in the fridge, the cabbage no longer needs to be submerged under the brine. I usually make sure there is a little bit of brine in each container (there’s GREAT bacteria in it).

Some benefits of eating sauerkraut

• Improved gut health (we will talk about this in the workshop)
• Aids in digestion
• Heart health
• Bone health
• Helps to reduce anxiety and depression
• Boosts immune system
• Reduces inflammation

How to enjoy sauerkraut

• My favorite way to eat sauerkraut is on a sandwich (Reuben anyone?), honestly I think it goes well on almost any sandwich.
• Mix it in with other foods like salads, rice, etc.
• I also enjoy eating it with crackers.
• Have it on the side and enjoy it with any meal.