Easy 2-Ingredient Small-Batch Fermented Sauerkraut
Making homemade fermented sauerkraut is one of those old-fashioned kitchen skills that is surprisingly simple once you understand what is happening inside the jar.
Servings: 2 quarts
Calories: 156kcal
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Kitchen Essentials
Ingredients
- 1 Large Head Cabbage about 5 pounds
- 3 Tablespoons Canning Salt Weigh your prepared cabbage and calculate the salt — 2% of the weight of the prepared cabbage
Instructions
- Prepare the cabbage. Remove the outermost leaves from the cabbage and save two large, clean leaves for later. Quarter the cabbage, remove the core, and slice it into thin strips about ⅛-inch wide and no longer than 3 inches.1 Large Head Cabbage
- Weigh the cabbage. Place the shredded cabbage in a large bowl and weigh it. Calculate 2% of the cabbage's weight to determine the amount of canning salt needed.
- For example, 1,000 grams of shredded cabbage requires 20 grams of salt.
- Add the salt. Sprinkle the calculated amount of salt over the cabbage and let it sit for at least 10 minutes. This gives the salt time to begin drawing moisture from the cabbage.3 Tablespoons Canning Salt
- Massage the cabbage. Using clean hands, massage and squeeze the cabbage until it becomes noticeably softer and translucent and there is plenty of liquid collecting in the bottom of the bowl.
- Pack the jars. Using clean tongs or your hands, transfer a few inches of cabbage into each jar. Press it down firmly with a wooden spoon or tamping tool, working out air pockets as you go.
- Continue adding cabbage and tamping it down until the jars are nearly full, leaving enough room for the cabbage leaf and fermentation weight.
- Cover with the cabbage leaf. Take one of the reserved cabbage leaves and trim it so it fits inside the jar with just a little overlap. Place it over the shredded cabbage and gently press it down so the leaf is covered with brine. Repeat for the second jar.
- Add the fermentation weight. Place a clean fermentation weight on top of the cabbage leaf. The purpose of the weight is to keep the cabbage underneath the brine during fermentation.
- Add the lid. Secure a fermentation breather lid and jar ring according to the manufacturer's directions.
- Ferment. Place the jars somewhere cool and out of direct sunlight. Around 70–75°F is a commonly recommended fermentation temperature for sauerkraut. At this temperature, fermentation generally takes about 3–4 weeks, although cooler temperatures can make the process take longer.
- Check the jars regularly during fermentation. The cabbage should remain beneath the brine.
- Taste when ready. After about three weeks, use a clean fork to take a small amount from beneath the cabbage leaf and taste it. If you like the flavor, the sauerkraut is ready. If you'd like it more sour, allow it to continue fermenting and check again later.
- Once it has reached the flavor you like, refrigerate it.
Your Own Private Notes
Notes
What You Need to Make Sauerkraut
- Large head of cabbage
- Canning salt
- Wide-mouth quart jars
- Fermentation weights
- Breather lids
- Kitchen scale
Kitchen Notes
- Weigh the cabbage after shredding. The 2% salt ratio is based on the weight of the prepared cabbage, not the whole head before trimming.
- Use a kitchen scale for the salt. This makes it easy to get the right amount regardless of the size of your cabbage.
- Massage the cabbage well. Don't rush this step. The cabbage should become soft and translucent and release enough liquid to create a good brine.
- Keep the cabbage submerged. The fermentation weight helps hold the cabbage beneath the brine while it ferments.
- Don't worry if fermentation looks different from batch to batch. Temperature and the cabbage itself can affect how quickly you see bubbles and how long it takes to develop the flavor you like.
- Start tasting around three weeks. If you like the flavor, move the sauerkraut to the refrigerator. If you prefer it more sour, let it ferment longer.
- A little brine movement is normal. You may see bubbles or notice the liquid level change during fermentation.
- Use clean equipment. Clean jars, utensils, fermentation weights, and lids help keep unwanted contaminants out of your ferment.
- When in doubt, don't taste it. If the sauerkraut develops a foul odor, slimy texture, or visible mold, discard it rather than tasting it to determine whether it is safe.
- Use a Kitchen Scale. Always weight the cabbage after shredding. This helps with salt accuracy.
- 5 lb cabbage = 2,268 g
- 2% of 2,268 g = 45.36 g salt
- Fine canning/pickling salt ≈ 15 g per tablespoon, so 45 g ≈ 3 tbsp
Nutrition
Calories: 156kcal | Carbohydrates: 36g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 0.2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.1g | Sodium: 10577mg | Potassium: 1063mg | Fiber: 16g | Sugar: 20g | Vitamin A: 612IU | Vitamin C: 228mg | Calcium: 256mg | Iron: 3mg