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Lacto-Fermented Sauerkraut Recipe

Learn just how easy it is to make this homemade lacto-fermented sauerkraut recipe with only two ingredients and a little bit of time! Turn plain old shredded cabbage into an absolute superfood filled with beneficial bacteria, enzymes and probiotics.

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Fermenting food is probably the easiest food preservation method. Canning, freezing and dehydrating are all great ways to preserve food for long-term storage, but nothing is quite as “fix it and forget it” like lacto-fermenting. The process is so easy – leave fresh shredded cabbage and salt at room temperature for a week or so and then move to the refrigerator. Plus, fermenting food actually makes it HEALTHIER! All of those fancy superfoods at the health food store are great, but they usually come with a hefty price tag. Once you learn how easy it is to make your own sauerkraut, you could have an entire mason jar full of nutrients and probiotics that are great for gut health and your immune system – all for the price of a head of cabbage. 

what is lacto-fermentation?

The process of lacto-fermentation breaks down the sugars in fresh fruits or vegetables into lactic acid, which is what gives fermented foods that tangy flavor. The simplest method of lacto-fermentation is to submerge a food that naturally contains lactic acid bacteria (such as green cabbage) into a brine of water and salt. (Sourdough, kefir and yogurt are also fermented, but a starter culture is used to ensure safety and consistency of flavor.) In lacto-fermented sauerkraut, the good bacteria naturally occurring in the raw cabbage break down the sugars, forming lactic acid and carbon dioxide. This process pushes the oxygen out, making the food more acidic. This is why there are bubbles always floating to the surface in a jar of fermenting vegetables. This encourages the growth of even more lactic acid bacteria and prevents the growth of bad bacteria.

As long as the fruits or vegetables are kept at room temperature, they will ferment. Placing them into the refrigerator or cold storage and sealing them will slow the fermentation significantly. For this homemade sauerkraut recipe, the shredded cabbage is kept at room temperature for about 5-7 days (or longer if you like it more sour) and then moved to a cool place to prevent further fermentation. A jar of lacto-fermented sauerkraut can be stored in a dark place at a cool temperature for one year!

benefits of lacto-fermentation

Fermentation has been used to preserve food for thousands of years because it is easy, very inexpensive and effective. By intentionally overgrowing a food with good bacteria, the harmful bacteria is unable to grow. This is because of the addition of salt. A good quality sea salt prevents the growth of bad bacteria that would lead to mold or spoilage. In this environment, Lactobacillus (a beneficial probiotic) and other good bacteria are able to thrive, making the end product packed with health benefits. 

One of the biggest benefits to making sauerkraut homemade, is that many store-bought fermented foods are pasteurized after fermentation, which kills all live bacteria. It allows for a longer shelf life, but these foods no longer provide the health benefits of live and active cultures.

In addition to being an easy preservation method, fermented foods are easier to digest, so good for gut health, and taste great! The tangy sour flavor of fermented foods provides a delicious layer of flavor when paired with meats or other vegetables.

We still love these Life 9 probiotics when we need an immunity boost, but otherwise we all just take one scoop of sauerkraut as our daily probiotic. It's yummy, and we save a lot of money without having to buy a high-quality probiotic all year long!

​is lacto-fermentation safe?

We’ve all heard about the dangers of preserving food improperly, so people could easily be intimidated right off the bat. But, a message to all of my food preservation beginners out there: this lacto-fermented sauerkraut recipe is a GREAT place to start!! For this reason: I promise you, it will be very easy to tell if something goes wrong. Either (1) you will have mold growth, and you know that the harmful bacteria took over – don’t eat it. Or (2) it will have an off-putting smell so strong that no one could convince you to put it in your mouth and swallow it. It should smell tangy and sour, not rancid and gross. If it stinks – don’t eat it. 

These clues will give you the peace of mind knowing that the food you are fermenting has been done properly and is safe to eat. 

simple ingredients you’ll need-

Cabbage – A medium size head of cabbage is approximately 2 pounds of cabbage and will fill a quart jar. You don’t need to weight your cabbage for exact measurements, it’s ok if it’s a little more/less. Organic cabbage is best in order to avoid pesticides and chemicals used in conventional farming.

Sea salt – The ratio I like to use is 1.5 Tablespoons of salt for every medium size head of cabbage.

equipment you’ll need

  • Food processor – A food processor with a shredder blade makes shredding the cabbage super easy. A cheese grater works too or just a sharp knife.
  • Large bowl – To hold the shredded cabbage while the salt draws out the water.
  • Cabbage pounder – (or wooden spoon) For pressing the shredded cabbage and salt down into the mason jar.
  • Quart jar – Your cabbage will ferment in a quart mason jar. You can double the recipe and ferment in a half gallon jar, or half the recipe and ferment in a pint size jar.
  • Glass fermentation weights – These are not necessary, but very helpful for holding all of the shredded cabbage under the brine.
  • Fermentation lid – I love these fermentation lids that I got on Amazon. They are inexpensive and are much easier than trying to remember to unscrew a mason jar lid to release the gasses.

how to make this easy lacto-fermented sauerkraut recipe

1. Start by discarding any outer leaves of the cabbage that look dried out or bruised. Remove one whole fresh cabbage leaf and set it aside for later.

2. Remove the core, and finely shred the rest of the head of cabbage. My food processor has a shredder blade that works really well to shred cabbage, or you could use a cheese grater. You could also just shred the cabbage by cutting it up with a large knife.

3. Place all of the shredded cabbage into a large bowl and sprinkle salt over the top. Use clean hands to massage the salt into the shredded cabbage. This will draw out the moisture. Let the cabbage sit for 10 minutes to let the salt draw out the rest of the moisture. 

4. Pack the cabbage into the glass jar and press down with a cabbage pounder or wooden spoon to remove as much of the air as you can. 

5. Take your reserved cabbage leaf and press it over your shredded cabbage to cover it (you can tear off a portion of the leaf, you probably won’t need the whole thing). Pour any extra brine from the bowl over the leaf, leaving about an inch of space at the top of the jar.

6. Place a glass fermentation weight on top of the cabbage to hold all of the sauerkraut under the brine. Cover with a fermentation lid and mason jar ring. This will allow the air bubbles to escape while fermenting, but will keep fruit flies and bugs out.

7. Leave the jar at room temperature and out of direct sunlight for 5-7 days. Then replace the fermentation lid with a plastic wide mouth mason jar lid and store in the fridge or cold storage room. This homemade sauerkraut will keep for up to a year!

tips and notes for homemade raw sauerkraut

– The amount of salt can be adjusted depending on how salty you like it. Do not use less than 2 teaspoons of salt per head of cabbage, but feel free to use more if you like a salty sauerkraut.

– The fermentation time can also be adjusted if you prefer the the sauerkraut to be more or less sour. If you’re trying it for the first time, you might want to taste it after 3 days and decide if you want to stop the ferment or let it keep going. The longer you let it go, the more health benefits there will be in the end product.

– Iodine tends to inhibit the beneficial bacteria in cultured vegetables. Therefore, do not use iodized salt for fermenting. I recommend a high-quality sea salt for this recipe.

– Play around with the flavors! Mix it up by adding fresh dill, fresh garlic, fresh onions, caraway seeds, etc!

– This is a great recipe all on its own, but our favorite way to eat it is with some locally sourced beef or chicken. My kids love it with hot dogs, of course.

try these other fermented recipes

printable lacto-fermented sauerkraut recipe card

small child helping make this lacto-fermented sauerkraut recipe by packing sauerkraut into a mason jar

Lacto-Fermented Sauerkraut

Yield: 1 quart of sauerkraut
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Additional Time: 5 days
Total Time: 5 days 10 minutes

Learn just how easy it is to make this homemade lacto-fermented sauerkraut recipe! Turn plain old shredded cabbage into an absolute superfood filled with beneficial bacteria, enzymes and probiotics.

Ingredients

  • 1 medium head of cabbage
  • 1.5 Tbls sea salt

Instructions

  1. Start by discarding any outer leaves of the cabbage that look dried out or bruised. Remove one whole fresh cabbage leaf and set it aside for later.
  2. Remove the core, and finely shred the rest of the head of cabbage. My food processor has a shredder blade that works really well to shred cabbage, or you could use a cheese grater. You could also just shred the cabbage by cutting it up with a large knife.
  3. Place all of the shredded cabbage into a large bowl and sprinkle salt over the top. Use clean hands to massage the salt into the shredded cabbage. This will draw out the moisture. Let the cabbage sit for 10 minutes to let the salt draw out the rest of the moisture. 
  4. Pack the cabbage into the glass jar and press down with a cabbage pounder or wooden spoon to remove as much of the air as you can. 
  5. Take your reserved cabbage leaf and press it over your shredded cabbage to cover it (you can tear off a portion of the leaf, you probably won't need the whole thing). Pour any extra brine from the bowl over the leaf, leaving about an inch of space at the top of the jar.
  6. Place a glass fermentation weight on top of the cabbage to hold all of the sauerkraut under the brine. Cover with a fermentation lid and mason jar ring. This will allow the air bubbles to escape while fermenting, but will keep fruit flies and bugs out.
  7. Leave the jar at room temperature and out of direct sunlight for 5-7 days. Then replace the fermentation lid with a plastic wide mouth mason jar lid and store in the fridge or cold storage room. This homemade sauerkraut will keep for up to a year!

Notes

- The amount of salt can be adjusted depending on how salty you like it. Do not use less than 2 teaspoons of salt per head of cabbage, but feel free to use more if you like a salty sauerkraut.

- The fermentation time can also be adjusted if you prefer the the sauerkraut to be more or less sour. If you're trying it for the first time, you might want to taste it after 3 days and decide if you want to stop the ferment or let it keep going. The longer you let it go, the more health benefits there will be in the end product.

- Iodine tends to inhibit the beneficial bacteria in cultured vegetables. Therefore, do not use iodized salt for fermenting. I recommend a high-quality sea salt for this recipe.

- Play around with the flavors! Mix it up by adding fresh dill, fresh garlic, fresh onions, caraway seeds, etc!

pin this recipe for later

pinterest graphic for lacto-fermented sauerkraut recipe

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