Making sauerkraut at home doesn’t have to be a big ordeal. It’s actually very easy to make small batches, requiring only a few minutes of prep time, then stand by and watch as nature takes its course. This old way of preserving food is a fun process to learn. This recipe for Beet and Cabbage Sauerkraut is just lightly fermented, resulting in a kraut that is fresh, crunchy and not overly salty –making it a perfect side “salad” to any meal. Inspired by my friend Tonia, who first introduced me to style of kraut over the summer, I’ve been making this slightly fermented kind of kraut in small batches ever since. For an alternative version, try this Turmeric Sauerkraut!
In this recipe I use purple cabbage and grated beets, which gives it this beautiful vibrant color. But feel free to use just cabbage if you prefer. The refreshing bite is such a welcome accompaniment to dinner, especially with heavier meals, providing good contrast in texture and flavor. It’s also delicious on sandwiches, in tacos, wraps or have a bowl of it on its own. And you really don’t need any special equipment to make this…. a mason jar works just as well as a crock.
The main reason I am in love with homemade kraut is this— it’s incredibly good for our bodies. The simple fermentation process, an ancient way of preserving food, has amazing cancer fighting and immunity building properties, similar to the healthy probiotics in yogurt, but without the diary and fat. As cabbage ferments, it produces live bacteria. These bacteria, or “probiotics” replenish the good bacteria in our bodies and help stop the growth of bad bacteria, boosting our whole immune system. But if you eat sauerkraut that has been pasteurized (usually the store bought kind) the heat in the pasteurization process actually kills these good live bacteria, and so we won’t benefit from the probiotics…and that’s why I like to make it at home. Plus it’s SO easy, and you can flavor it however you like.
Learning the old ways of preserving food, is such a fun and rewarding experience.
Finely slice and grate cabbage and beets. Or use just cabbage…up to you. You need about 4 cups total. I add a ⅛ to ¼ cup of sliced onion, and sometimes minced garlic. This is optional. It will make the smell slightly off putting as it ferments, but once it’s refrigerated, its adds a really delicious flavor.
Place in a bowl and massage with 1 teaspoon salt. Let it sit in the bowl on the counter, mixing occasionally for a couple hours. Add caraway seeds if you like, or a little grated ginger.
Place the cabbage mixture along with all its juices in a mason jar, and pack it down with a muddler or the end of a wooden spoon. Cover it with a cabbage leaf. Pack it down once more. Cover it with a cloth, or just partially close with a lid – you want it to be able to breath a bit. Let it sit on the kitchen counter for 24 hours, in a warm spot, occasionally pressing down on the cabbage, compressing. After 24 hours, if there is not enough liquid to cover the cabbage –in a separate cup, mix 1 teaspoon salt with 1 cup water, and ONLY add enough of the salt water to bring the water level to top of the cabbage (while pressing down on the cabbage). You may not need to use the whole cup of water.
Then leave it on the counter, covered loosely with a lid, over a pan to catch any juices, with a dish cloth placed over it (or place somewhere cool, ideally 65- 72 degrees F) for 3-5 days, or longer if you prefer more fermentation, occasionally pressing down on the cabbage. My personal preference is 4-5 days for a refreshing and crunchy version. After a few days you should start to see some activity, bubbles, with you tap the jar.
After 3-7 days, close it with a lid and put it in the fridge…and don’t worry, it will smell better once it is chilled. Once it chilled, it’s ready to eat. As it rests in the fridge, it will continue to ferment but at a much slower rate. It will taste better and better.
If you try this recipe, be sure to let us know by leaving a comment, rating, and tagging a picture #feastingathome on Instagram.
Cheers, friends!
Beet and Cabbage Sauerkraut
A simple easy, small batch recipe for Beet and Cabbage Sauerkraut that anyone can make using a mason jar. Full of good healthy bacteria!
- Prep Time: 20 mins
- Total Time: 20 mins
- Yield: 3 cups 1x
- Category: sauerkraut
- Method: fermented
- Cuisine: Preserving
Ingredients
- 3 Cups cabbage- finely sliced ( leave one leaf whole, for the top)
- 1 Cup grated beet- (or leave it out and add an extra cup of cabbage, or grated carrot)
- ⅛–¼ Cup sliced red onion – optional
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
Other optional ingredients:
- 1 teaspoon caraway seeds
- 1 garlic clove grated
- 1–2 teaspoon grated ginger
Instructions
- Finely slice and grate cabbage and beets.
- You need about 4 cups total. I add a ⅛ to ¼ cup sliced onion. This is optional.
- Place in a bowl along with any other optional ingredients and massage with 1 teaspoon sea salt. Let sit on the counter, mixing occasionally for 1-2 hours, until cabbage has wilted and released a little water.
- Place cabbage beet mixture and all the juices in a very clean mason jar and pack it down with a muddler, or the end of a wooden spoon. If there is not enough liquid to cover, add just enough water so cabbage -beet mixture is submerged- leaving at least an inch of space at the top of jar. Top with a whole cabbage leaf and press it down once more. Cover with loosely with a lid and place on a pan ( to catch any liquid).
- Then place in a cool dark place ( ideally 65 -72 degrees F ) for 3-5 days. It may take longer to ferment, if it is cooler. I often place mine in the cooler part of my kitchen, covered with a big dish cloth.
- After 3 days, check for activity. When you tap the jar, tiny bubbles should rise to the top, indicating it’s fermenting. Once fermented to desired amount, place it in the fridge. Once its chilled the smell will surprisingly mellow out and it will actually seem edible! So let it chill overnight, discard the cabbage leaf, then give it a taste!
Notes
Do not use pre-shredded cabbage. You need the natural bacteria from a whole cabbage. Farmers market cabbage works especially well.
If you are finding you need to add quite a bit of water to get the cabbage to be submerged, make a brine first. A basic fermentation ratio is 1 1/2 teaspoon salt to every cup water. But you’ve already added 1 teaspoon salt to the cabbage- so you would add ½ teaspoon salt to a cup of water, then only use the amount of water you need to fill the jar. Hopefully this makes sense. 🙂
You can also use canning weights to keep the kraut submerged. Or, use a small ziplock bag, filled with a little water, as a weight, placed over the cabbage in the jar.
Nutrition
- Calories: 45
Keywords: how to make sauerkraut, beet sauerkraut, sauerkraut recipe, easy sauerkraut, easy sauerkraut recipe, cabbage sauerkraut
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I’ve never been much of a fan of traditional sourkraut.. but a beet version I definitely would not mind! This looks so delicious and healthy too!
Hello, saw it last week, made it last Thursday, tasted yesterday and it is soooooo good, perfect side dish to a roasted duck, thank you for the idea/recipe, really like your site, never commented before, but had to now…………….Sonja
Hi, this is my 3rd time posting this comment?! why does it have to be so complicated…………anyways, I never comment, but like you to know that saw this last week, made it last Thursday, tested yesterday and it is very good, perfect side dish to a roasted duck, thanks for the idea/recipe and inspirations………..good luck
Hi Sonja! thanks for the comment and glad you liked!!! Can you help me by telling me what would happen when you were trying to post?
Hi Sylvia, ok, this is my bad, see below it says Reply as: and it was pointing to Google Acct, now because I am not tech savvy, but really wanted to send you a message I have created profile on Google, I don’t have a blog, don’t use any other means in the web world so for whatever reason lost 2 reply’s to you, it was taking some time, it would not post, I was getting frustrated, but did not give up, but now when you asked what was going on I have noticed that you can use the drop down and choose Anonymous……so replying as that, see if it works…………….Sonja
So gorgeous! WOW this is brilliant, red cabbage will no longer be enough in my kraut, going to have to try adding beets next time!
Hi, I made a batch of kraut as per your recipe (4 cups cabbage, no onion). It is now day 4 and it smells terrible. Have I done something wrong?
Nope! As long the cabbage was submerged in the salt brine, it’s OK. Put it in the fridge, cover it and give it a try in a couple days. I find the smell goes away once its chilled.
I’m excited to try this! When you leave it on the counter for 3-4 days, is this still covered with the cloth or loose lid?
Yes, cover. 🙂
lightly.
Can I use regular cabbage for this recipe?
Yes!
Thanks for the receipe! I am attempting to make it now and I have a really stupid question…Do you take the cabbage leaf off for the 3-5 day fermentation process or do you keep it on? Also, when making sure the liquid covers the cabbage, is that the shredded cabbage or the cabbage leaf as well?
Not stupid at all!! Leave the cabbage leaf on…it’s there to hold the shredded cabbage down. The liquid should at least cover the shredded cabbage.
Can this be made and then canned in a hot water bath for VERY future use?
I don’t think this recipe contains the right amount of salt for canning. It’s less salty, so I would check a different recipe for canning.
Hello! I’m about to try this for the 1st time. Do I boil the beets beforehand? Thanks!
Nope, grate them raw!
Uh, so I’m on day 4 of fermenting…and it looks like I have some white stuff, probably mold, on the cabbage leaf and on top of the water. I have the water covering the shredded cabbage and most of the leaf. First time fermenting and I don’t want to give myself food poisoning. Should I toss and try again? Thanks!
Remove the leaf with the white stuff ( is it sticking out of the water? ) and skim the white stuff off the top of the water. It is most likely yeast, not mold. I really think you should be OK, but Please read this for more clarity, it will help!
Hi, I’m planning on making this for Christmas presents, how long will it last for unopened, as I have tons of cabbage and beets ready to pick???
Hi Zoe, so this recipe is not intended for “canning” because of its lower salt content. It’s kept in the fridge, and more of a “fresh kraut” ( the kraut is not boiled) For Kraut Canning recipes for gifts use a recipe like this one at All Recipes
hi sylvia! Ive just started making the kraut, about 2 hours ago. Ive packed into the jar now and pressed down and i have about 2.5 cm of brine above the cabbage, is this too much? Thanks for the recipe, this is my first attempt at making kraut and i liked the look of your sand the other comments. Also after the 3/4 day period when it goes into the fridge, is that when you would transfer to smaller jars with no air opening if you wanted t make a larger batch?
Thanks!
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Hi Sylvia, I always have sauerkraut in the fridge. I use a good quality bucket, grate 6 large cabbages and add 1 teaspoon of Himalayan salt per kg. of cabbage. This is stamped down with a clean section of pole until moisture reaches the surface. An inverted plate is placed over the bruised cabbage with a heavy stone in a plastic bag to add pressure to plate to exclude air. Lid placed on bucket and excess moisture tipped out for 3 days. Left for 2-3 weeks and then placed in container in fridge where it holds out for many months in good condition. I will now try mixing with beet for next batch.
Hi there,
I prepared this beet/cabbage sautkraut recipe 2.5 days ago with one modification. I put a jar of water on top of the cabbage leaf to weigh it down a bit. I lifted the jar this morning and there was a beet coloured syrup that oozed off the bottom of the jar. It had a mother-like consistency but it seems like it would be far too fast for something like that. Do you think it could be from the beet sugar? Have you ever seen something like this before?! Other than that I think it looks ok, but I’d love to hear your feedback on what you think it is and if my kraut is still ok 🙂
It sounds like it is fermenting quite fast, it must be pretty warm in your kitchen? I would place in a cooler spot for a couple days if possible, then in the fridge. Or you could place in the fridge now.
And yes, I think it is OK!!!
So I made this and has been in the fridge about 2 months. When I put it in it was covered in liquid. Just took it out and no more liquid. Doesn’t smell horrible, should I toss it? Any thoughts?
That’s strange! Was there a lid on this? Is there any liquid in the jar at all?
I know this is a little late, but I’ve heard that the cabbage can reabsorb the moisture with the temperature change.
I know this is a little late, but I’ve heard that cabbage to reabsorbs and releases liquid depending on the temperature. That’s probably what happened.
i think it’s a great recipe – I can’t wait until my batch is ready!
Awesome trouble free recipe. The ginger addition makes it quite favorful.
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Awesome trouble free recipe. The ginger addition makes it quite favorful.
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Do you think this would work with steamed beets? I bought a big pack and am not sure what to do with them!
I have never tried it with steamed beets, but my feeling is they need to be raw. Im sorry, I wish I knew more!!!
My impression is that it will work just fine, as long as the cabbage is raw. There should be enough good bacteria on the cabbage to get the ferment going. Cooked beets might seem a bit slimy after they ferment, but that shouldn’t cause a problem with the taste.
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Thanks Jim! Good to know!
When do you add the optional ingredients??
Sorry Tra! I fixed the recipe….you add it with the other ingredients.
Is the apple cider considered an optional ingredient? Or, when is t added? Thanks!
My friend and I made this on a lark and it was such a success and very easy. Highly recommend adding it to your cooking repertoire.
★★★★★
I’m on day 3 and having some browning on the top. Is this normal?
Are you using anything to weigh dow the slaw?
Just the cabbage leaf. Has it gone bad?
No, not at all! Basically it’s browning because it’s sitting on top of the liquid. The cabbage leaf helps keep the kraut submerged in the liquid. You could also weight the kraut down with a ziplock bag of beans or zip lock bag of water. Even if the top of the kraut were browning, it’s probably fine underneath, just scoop it off. 😉
Thank you so much!
Mine has some browning on the top. Is this ok?
Yum. Whats the proper temp to ferment? It did nothing when cool but started to fetment when in a warmer space
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Ideal temp is 65-72 F. It takes little longer when cooler. 🙂
This looks incredible. I love how you photographed it, so simple and so beautiful!
Hi, I plan to make this later this afternoon and I’ve done some research on different salts. Your recipe calls for sea salt. I have sea salt at home but it does have iodine in it. Will this make a difference for the process of fermentation or should I just use what I have on hand and are what happens????
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I think it should be fine!