How to Make Sauerkraut

Published on Tuesday, September 8, 2009, by Roxanne Webber / Edit Post

Sauerkraut is a great beginner fermentation project that you can do without any special equipment. We based our method for this distinctively sour fermented cabbage dish on that of fermentation guru Sandor Ellix Katz (read CHOW’s interview with him). Homemade sauerkraut is pleasantly crunchy and tangy, and the science-project aspect of fermenting it yourself is hard to resist. Use it to top sausages and hot dogs, stuff it into a Reuben sandwich, or braise it with spices like juniper and bay leaves for a hearty side dish.

Here’s how to make your own sauerkraut:



  • 1. Shred five pounds of firm, fresh green cabbage (about two heads) in a food processor. It will need to be done in batches—dump each batch into a large bowl as you go, sprinkling with a total of three generous tablespoons of kosher salt, and mix it all together well. You can use a little more or a little less cabbage; just be sure to use a scant two teaspoons of kosher salt per pound of cabbage.


    2. Pack the cabbage and any juices it has released into a crock a little at a time, pressing the cabbage down tightly with your fist as you go. If you don’t have a crock, you can use a food-safe plastic bucket; just be sure you have at least five inches of clearance above the cabbage to allow for foaming/bubbling during fermentation.


  • 3. Place a clean plate over the cabbage that fits fairly snugly within the opening of the crock or bucket. Place a clean container of water (a large Mason jar works well—it should weigh a minimum of five pounds) on the plate to weight down the cabbage, and throw a clean towel over the top of the crock to keep out any dust.


    4. Check back frequently during the first day to be sure the cabbage is releasing enough juices (the salt will pull water from the cabbage to create a brine). Press on the plate/weight if necessary, and/or add more weight if the liquid doesn’t start to cover the top of the cabbage. After about six to eight hours, there should be at least an inch of juice/brine above the plate. If there isn’t, you can top off your cabbage with cooled brine composed of one and a half tablespoons of kosher salt per quart of water.


  • 5. Store the crock in a spot with a temperature around 70 degrees Fahrenheit—not colder than 65 degrees or hotter than 75 degrees. Check it every few days, skimming any scum off the top. The fermentation will cause natural bubbles and foam to form—that’s OK. Rinse the plate and weight off well each time before putting them back. Keep an eye on the brine level; you may have to add more if it’s evaporating (see step 4 for proportions). Keep a good inch of brine above the plate as the fermentation proceeds.


    6. Start tasting the cabbage after about a week, and ferment it to the level of tanginess that you like, anywhere from one to four weeks. Some people prefer the milder cabbage-y taste of young kraut, while others like a more fermented flavor.


  • 7. When the cabbage is fermented to your liking, transfer it and its brine to clean jars, leaving about a half inch of headspace, and refrigerate. The sauerkraut should last a few months refrigerated under brine. You can also heat-process and can your sauerkraut for storage, but that will kill the health-beneficial microorganisms.

Roxanne Webber is an associate editor at CHOW.

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POST A COMMENT |32 Comments

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  • Be sure to use bottle water or water that has been boiled and cooled. Also use non-iodized salt.

    I add the salt to the water instead of to the cabbage in order to better control the salinity of the brine. I use one tablespoon of water to one pint (two cups) of water.

    You can also add other vegetables to the cabbage, sliced cucumbers, onions, carrots, and sour apples. Almost any vegetable...+READ

    Be sure to use bottle water or water that has been boiled and cooled. Also use non-iodized salt.

    I add the salt to the water instead of to the cabbage in order to better control the salinity of the brine. I use one tablespoon of water to one pint (two cups) of water.

    You can also add other vegetables to the cabbage, sliced cucumbers, onions, carrots, and sour apples. Almost any vegetable will work. Adding red cabbage will give your kraut a pink-or off-red color.

    You can make no-salt sauerkraut by using rice wine (sake) instead of salt. Add one cup of rice wine to each three cups of water.

    The function of the salt or wine is to prevent the wrong bacteria from taking over before the bacteria that comes with the vegetable takes over. There are several stages of different bacteria during the fermentation. That is why it is not smart to use the juice from older sauerkraut to help start a new batch. They should all start with fresh water.-COLLAPSE

  • How can you tell if the sauerkraut is good? I'm concerned that it wasn't fully submerged under water. I started it on Friday night and tonight is 2 days. When I pushed it down the kraut with my hands, the cabbage was a lot more compressed but my hands smell off. I tried a piece and there was a significant tang to it and it bubbled on my tongue. This is my first batch. What do you think - good or...+READ

    How can you tell if the sauerkraut is good? I'm concerned that it wasn't fully submerged under water. I started it on Friday night and tonight is 2 days. When I pushed it down the kraut with my hands, the cabbage was a lot more compressed but my hands smell off. I tried a piece and there was a significant tang to it and it bubbled on my tongue. This is my first batch. What do you think - good or bad?-COLLAPSE

  • I'm excited to try this but I'll have to wait til I'm out of residence - my roommate puts up with enough mad food experiments already! My boyfriend's family is German and Dutch so I'm hoping he'll be receptive :)

    For anyone who needed to look up the temperatures like I did (would it be so hard to include conversions in articles?):
    70F = 21 degrees Celsius
    65F = 18 deg C
    60F = 15.6 degrees...+READ

    I'm excited to try this but I'll have to wait til I'm out of residence - my roommate puts up with enough mad food experiments already! My boyfriend's family is German and Dutch so I'm hoping he'll be receptive :)

    For anyone who needed to look up the temperatures like I did (would it be so hard to include conversions in articles?):
    70F = 21 degrees Celsius
    65F = 18 deg C
    60F = 15.6 degrees Celsius

    So they're basically telling you to keep it at room temperature.-COLLAPSE

  • take kraut stright from the crock put in freezer bags sqeeze out air and freeze good till you make your next batch. ive been making sauerkraut for 40 yrs.

  • Thanks for the response, Roxanne - the really pungent odor has kind of dissipated - we're on day 6. Now I can smell it if I pull the towel off, but not when I am just walking by!!!! Can't wait to taste it!

  • Hi jeanmarieok--

    Per our method above, we recommend fermenting between 65 and 70 degrees Fahrenheit. I wouldn't recommend the colder temp of your garage, per USDA/University of Minnesota Extension Service information which states that "At temperatures lower than 60° F, kraut may not ferment." I usually put my crock on the counter by my kitchen window and just leave it cracked to try and mitigate...+READ

    Hi jeanmarieok--

    Per our method above, we recommend fermenting between 65 and 70 degrees Fahrenheit. I wouldn't recommend the colder temp of your garage, per USDA/University of Minnesota Extension Service information which states that "At temperatures lower than 60° F, kraut may not ferment." I usually put my crock on the counter by my kitchen window and just leave it cracked to try and mitigate the funkiness. Hope this helps and good luck!

    tommyskitchen-- Glad to hear you had success!

    -Roxanne of CHOW-COLLAPSE

  • Help, please - I am in day 4 of the sauerkraut process. I added brine, and have been skimming twice a day - but haven't really had much foam/scum. Just a lot of small bubbles everywhere. So it seems like everything is working really well. The only problem is, my entire house is starting to smell like fermenting cabbage. What will happen, do you think, if I put it out in the garage, where it's...+READ

    Help, please - I am in day 4 of the sauerkraut process. I added brine, and have been skimming twice a day - but haven't really had much foam/scum. Just a lot of small bubbles everywhere. So it seems like everything is working really well. The only problem is, my entire house is starting to smell like fermenting cabbage. What will happen, do you think, if I put it out in the garage, where it's about 60 degrees? Can I put it out there during the day, maybe, and bring it in at night ? Any other suggestions are welcome!-COLLAPSE

  • I agree, NO canning! The texture and taste will suffer. Just like the pickles my mom used to make years ago, and I still make.

  • Canning this will destroy the beneficial bacteria. Putting the kraut in jars and storing in your fridge is the best storage method.

    The smell varies depending on which freelancing bacteria take refuge in your cabbage, but you should instinctively be able to tell the difference between stinky and rotten. Adding a little unpasteurized miso or some probiotics can ensure you have good bacteria, but...+READ

    Canning this will destroy the beneficial bacteria. Putting the kraut in jars and storing in your fridge is the best storage method.

    The smell varies depending on which freelancing bacteria take refuge in your cabbage, but you should instinctively be able to tell the difference between stinky and rotten. Adding a little unpasteurized miso or some probiotics can ensure you have good bacteria, but it's less adventuresome.

    No scum is a good thing.

    This general method is what I use for kim-chi, for which I coarsely chop the cabbage.-COLLAPSE

  • Well, 3 weeks later and it's done!

    An update on the smell - As long as I skimmed the scum regularly it was OK - When I let it build up over a few days, THAT'S where the real smell came into play.

    The taste is nice and bright, and is much more crunchy than store-bought. My lunch today was fresh sausages and kraut with a bit of sweet hot mustard - Perfect!

    The Canner is going now - Will...+READ

    Well, 3 weeks later and it's done!

    An update on the smell - As long as I skimmed the scum regularly it was OK - When I let it build up over a few days, THAT'S where the real smell came into play.

    The taste is nice and bright, and is much more crunchy than store-bought. My lunch today was fresh sausages and kraut with a bit of sweet hot mustard - Perfect!

    The Canner is going now - Will can some and refrigerate some and compare. I expect the canned kraut with have less color and crunch but we shall see.

    Can't remember how many heads I used, but turned out to be 17.5 LBS of cleaned shreaded cabbage and it came about 3/5 of the way up a 5 gallon pickle crock - Perfec with room for plate and weight. I'm guessing it will fill 12 quarts but then again I've always sucked at Math.

    Tommy-COLLAPSE

  • cholderby - I just about Gagged this morning when going into the basement to skim. I suggest you wait!

    Another day or two and mine will be perfect ) If the Wife doesnt kick me out first!)

  • I'm newly pregnant and a little quesy so this question really matters to me...how strongly does it smell while fermenting? I love sauerkraut but if it smells strongly for seven days...well I'll have to wait until next year.

  • I've gotta try this some time. But I have to admit, I prefer the cabbage in long ribbons rather than really finely chopped.

  • Reading all of this makes me wish more than ever I could make the sauerkraut I used to. However, today it was yet again 94 degrees here in Corpus Christi, Texas. Heat index of 104 degrees. This is NOT normal!

  • Thanks for the response Roxanne- Have not tasted yet, wanted to waiting for the alloted time,

    Although I have found a tiny spot of mold on there this morning - Will skim, clean, etc - I hope that counts as "Scum" and it's a good thing!

  • Hi tommyskitchen--

    As long as it's bubbling, you're getting fermentation on the cabbage. (I've had batches with no scum too, so that's OK.) Just keep your brine level up, make sure it's not too cold (sounds like you have this together), and give it a bit more time. Have you tasted it yet?

    -Roxanne of CHOW

  • I have tried this and it has been 12 days already - I get bubbles but no scum. I was very careful to weight and measure correctly, and my temp is constantly at 70. Vessel is a 5 gallon ceramic pickle crock, like the one pictured only larger.

    I did have to add cooled brine in the beginning, and it smells when I lift the towel, but not a whole lot.

    Have I done something wrong since there is...+READ

    I have tried this and it has been 12 days already - I get bubbles but no scum. I was very careful to weight and measure correctly, and my temp is constantly at 70. Vessel is a 5 gallon ceramic pickle crock, like the one pictured only larger.

    I did have to add cooled brine in the beginning, and it smells when I lift the towel, but not a whole lot.

    Have I done something wrong since there is no scum and smell (I can't believe I just wrote that!)-COLLAPSE

  • fine shreds give the nicest texture, and it IS STINKEY while fermenting. A good project for late fall when you can keep it out on an unheated back porch. It smells a bit like old tennis shoes, but doesn't taste that way when finished.

    There used to be times when you could find oversized, mandoline-like kraut-cutting tools in everyone's basement.

  • Diamond Crystal Kosher salt to be precise.

  • I used kosher salt and it was fine.

  • My grandparents shred it all by hand on an antique three bladed sliding slicer (mandolin). It's supposedly what was used by ancestors from Germany and it gives the longer shredded pieces. They actually ferment in large jars and after 50 years of great results I can't argue. :)

  • The fine shreds would be more in the traditional European style; the thicker slices are more typical of commercially sold kraut in the US.

    I do prefer the texture of the finer shred that is achieved with a food processor (and by European build devices designed specifically for this purpose) but it _is_ certainly strictly a matter of personal preference.

  • It's been years since I've make sauerkraut, but did indeed use my grandmother's crock! Here in Corpus Christi, TX, it really doesn't get and stay cold enough at one time. Go for it - you will not regret it. There is nothing like homemade sauerkraut.

  • kosher salt is to thick a grain you should be using finer grained pickling salt for this also most kosher salts contain anti caking agents which you dont want in your kraut. check the ingredients on the box. and if you are serious about it and want to spend the money do a google search for harsch crocks for a good pickeling crock.

  • Having grown in the Soviet Union, where making one's own sauerkraut is a necessity, not a fun foodie project, I have to warn all would-be sauerkrauters that the... umm... smell while it ferments can be a little off-putting. Especially if you live in a small apartment and can't put your crock outside of smelling range.

  • When I made sauerkraut last year I used it to make choucroute garnie.

  • You really have to love simple food that is fun and so much better than store bought. What a great fall project. Now bring on the brats & beer!

  • My boyfriend does it in ribbons (slices) of cabbage rather than finely shredded like this. It is really a matter of preference!

  • I am so excited to try this! I went to a nutrtionist who recommended eating sauerkraut daily. This sounds so much more delicious than what you get at the store.

  • Okay the shred on that food processor is WAY WAY WAY too fine. I would not use a food processor at all, but rather just cut nice 1/4 to 1/8 inch ribbons of cabbage with a knife.

    Any non-reactive container is fine. I used a 2 gallon pickle jar that I got from a local deli, worked great.

  • Crocks are traditional. Heavy five gallon plastic food service buckets work just fine.

  • Do you need a special crock, or would any non reactive container work?