Mason Jar Sauerkraut Recipe Is So Good for You: How to Ferment Cabbage At Home (2 Ingredients) Vegetables Budget Recipes Gluten-free German Recipes Polish Recipes Vegan Vegetarian Side Dishes

Sauerkraut is cabbage that goes through a fermentation process to become a tangy condiment. Sauerkraut has many health benefits and is packed with healthy vitamins and minerals. Eating fermented foods is good for your gut health, and can add a tangy element to so many dishes.

Making homemade sauerkraut is so easy. Plus, it's a fun German recipe (or is it Polish?) to make with the family. This mason jar sauerkraut recipe only requires two ingredients. You can add caraway seeds or black peppercorns to the sauerkraut, but that is optional and up to you. Here is your shopping list for this low-calorie fermented cabbage recipe: green cabbage and kosher salt.

Here is the equipment you will need to make sauerkraut: 

• quart mason jar or other quart container
• cheesecloth
• twine

Depending on how you like your cabbage – softer or more crisp – the fermenting process can take from three days to three weeks. Play around with your first batch to find out the perfect fermenting time for you.

Serve the tangy sauerkraut as a vegetable side dish with dinner, as a hot dog topping or in recipes calling for sauerkraut.

Fun Fact: While some think sauerkraut is a German ingredient, and others consider it a Polish ingredient, the fermented cabbage actually originated in ancient China. Sauerkraut is, however, a staple in German and Polish cuisines.

Cuisine: German / Polish / China
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Fermenting Time: 3 days to 3 weeks to ferment
Cook Time: 0 minutes
Total Time: 10 minutes plus 3 days to 3 weeks
Servings: 6 (makes 1 quart)

Ingredients

• 4 cups green cabbage, shredded
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon caraway seeds or black peppercorns (optional)

Here's how to make it: 

1. Put the cabbage into a large bowl. Add the salt and caraway seeds or peppercorns, if using. Let the mixture sit for about 20 minutes, massaging the cabbage with your hands every so often to help release the juices.
2. Pack the mixture into a quart mason jar along with all the released juices. Pack tightly. 
3. Cover the mouth of the jar with cheesecloth or a kitchen towel and tie with twine or string. 
4. Place the jar out of sunlight to ferment, which can take up from three days to three weeks. Taste the sauerkraut every few days until you get to desired taste. Store the sauerkraut when fermented to your taste in the refrigerator.

Recipe cooking times, nutritional information and servings are approximate and provided for your convenience. However, 30Seconds is not responsible for the outcome of any recipe, nor may you have the same results because of variations in ingredients, temperatures, altitude, errors, omissions or cooking/baking abilities. Any nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and it is up to the individual to ascertain accuracy. To ensure image quality, we may occasionally use stock photography.

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