Sauerkraut Recipe

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is a chef, food photographer, cookbook author and blogger.
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You can find my simple sauerkraut recipe in this post.

This isn’t about pickling the white cabbage.

Today we cook commercially available cabbage to make a fine side dish.

Sauerkraut is internationally regarded as one of the best-known German national dishes.

The cabbage side dish delights the palate and goes well with many dishes.

Let us now show you the simple preparation step by step.

I wish you good luck!

1. Recipe Sauerkraut

Let’s start right here with the instructions, you will find more tips and ideas for your special cabbage after the recipe.

You can send me cooking questions and kitchen gossip directly via the comment function at the bottom of the page.

Sauerkraut

Cooked, photographed and written down by chef Thomas Sixt.

Servings 4
Calories 343
Total Time 0 Min.
Preparation Time 10 Min.
Cook Time 70 Min.

Simple guide for cooking traditional sauerkraut.

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4.99 from 483 ratings

Sauerkraut recipe image
Sauerkraut recipe Image © Thomas Sixt

Ingredients

200 g bacon
1 KG Sauerkraut – Pickled Cabbage
370 ml apple compote
200 ml dry white wine

Spice Bag

1 tbsp majoram
4 Pieces juniper berries
3 Pieces cloves
2 Pieces bay leafs

taste

primal salt
black ground pepper
brown can sugar

Instruction

Ingredients for sauerkraut
Sauerkraut ingredients being prepared in the kitchen.

Prepare ingredients

Get the ingredients ready.

-> Unwrap the bacon and put it in the pot.

Variant mild cabbage:

Place the cabbage in a sieve and wash under cold running water.

Strong cabbage variant:

Put the cabbage straight from the packaging into the pot.

Open tea strainer with spices
The tea infuser ball with herbs and spices

Prepare spices

Prepare the spice bag or tea strainer:

–> Put marjoram, cracked juniper berries and cloves in the tea strainer.

In the video I show you the variant with a coffee filter.

Boil sauerkraut in a pot
Cook the sauerkraut in the pot.

Cook Cabbage

Prepare the Cabbage in the pot:

–> Add the apple compote.

–> Insert bay leaves and spice bags or tea strainer.

–> Pour in the wine and bring to the boil.

Sauerkraut recipe image
Sauerkraut recipe Image © Thomas Sixt

Finishing

Simmer the sauerkraut gently for 1-1.5 hours.

Season the cabbage with salt, pepper and a little sugar.

Sauerkraut closeup with bacon
Homemade sauerkraut close-up with bacon. © Thomas Sixt

Serve

Arrange and serve the cabbage with or without bacon.

Video

Cooking tips for preparing sauerkraut:

Here you will find more ideas for variants and additions.

Vegetarian or vegan without bacon:

–> Prepare the cabbage without bacon, add freshly fried smoked tofu cubes at the end.

Add onions:

–> At the beginning you can finely dice two shallots or a large onion and sweat them in the pot.

Add apples:

-> For a sauerkraut with apple, you can also cook pieces of apple in the sauerkraut.

Champagne cabbage:

–> Refine the sauerkraut with champagne towards the end of the cooking time.

Cooking sauce from sauerkraut:

–> Add the broth to the cabbage in the pot and later pass it through a sieve.

–> Boil the sauce, add cream, thicken with cold-mixed cornstarch.

2. Nutrition Facts And Calories

3. Tips For Washing Sauerkraut

You can make the taste of the cabbage strong or subtle.

Taste the cabbage when it comes straight out of the package.

–> If the cabbage tastes very sour, I would recommend washing the cabbage in a sieve under cold running water.

–> If the cabbage tastes delicate or if you want to prepare a strong cabbage, do not wash it.

Advantages and disadvantages of washing the cabbage:

–> The cabbage tastes finer when washed and fresh cabbage loses lactic acid bacteria, it is more digestible.

–> The unwashed cabbage tastes stronger, contains more lactic acid bacteria and is less digestible.

Sauerkraut tips from the star kitchen:

We have refined the cabbage with plenty of apple compote and always tasted it sweet and sour.

The cabbage was allowed to gently simmer in the cauldron for 12 hours overnight.

I recommend organic sauerkraut or fresh cabbage from the barrel.
It should be mild and not too acidic.

Sauerkraut shopping tip from chef Thomas Sixt

4. Tips For Oktoberfest Sauerkraut

I worked as a cook at the Oktoberfest more than 25 years ago.

The cabbage was prepared very strongly without apple compote with a lot of bacon.

Cumin is a regional ingredient and is not always used.

As a Bavarian, I prefer the cumin in the coleslaw .

Knuckle of pork recipe picture 2
Knuckle of pork recipe image © Thomas Sixt
Bavarian Roast Pork Recipe Image © Thomas Sixt
Bavarian roast pork recipe Image © Thomas Sixt

5. Tips For Canned Sauerkraut

Canned cabbage is not necessarily any worse in taste than fresh or bagged cabbage.

The general rule:

–> Fresh sauerkraut contains active lactic acid bacteria.

Therefore, in the past, the cabbage was only taken out of the barrel in portions and then prepared.

–> Preserved sauerkraut available in cans or bags is pasteurized and therefore preserved.

In the pasteurizer, the fermentation of the cabbage is interrupted by heat.

Modern systems are set to optimally preserve vitamin C and produce an easily digestible and long-lasting cabbage.

–> I usually wash the canned cabbage after trying it.

Process it directly if you like it.

6. Tips For Preserving Sauerkraut

You can put the prepared cabbage into clean jars and then preserve it.

Here follows the brief instructions:

-> Bring the cabbage to a strong boil in the pot.

-> Wash the jars with vinegar and rinse with hot water.

-> Pour in cabbage and almost cover with liquid.

-> Close the jars tightly, be careful hot!

-> Fill deep baking tray with water.

-> Put the jars on the baking tray in the oven.

-> Boil down the jars at 100°C for 1-1.5 hours.

-> Take the jars out of the oven and let them cool down.

The cooked cabbage can be kept for more than 3 months.

Boiling down sauerkraut makes the cabbage durable.
Boiled down and preserved sauerkraut in jars and in the pot.

7. More Vegetable Side Dish Recipes

Comments, Cooking Questions and Answers

4.99 from 483 ratings

Below you can write to me directly.
Please don’t forget the star rating on the recipe, 5 stars means you liked it!

  • Hello Thomas,

    perfect german sauerkraut…. it’s not too sour and not too sweet either, very good.

    Thanks for your cooking tips.

    Love greetings Elle

    Reply

    • Hello Ella,

      🙂 so you liked it… I’m glad!

      Best regards Thomas

      Reply

  • Sauerkraut is real German food 🙂 Good to learn how to prepare. Thanks, Cory

    Reply

    • THX for your Feedback! Greetings Thomas

      Reply