Fermented Red Cabbage Sauerkraut Recipe

Fermenting vegetables is a tasty and VERY inexpensive way to incorporate probiotic-rich foods into your diet, and this BEAUTIFUL Red Cabbage Sauerkraut is one of our favorites. For only the price of a head of red cabbage, you can make your own sauerkraut that has so many health benefits and is great for gut health.

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I wish I had known sooner just how easy it is to ferment vegetables. For a long time, I was just making this Lacto-Fermented Green Cabbage Sauerkraut and didn’t really stray far beyond that. Recently, I have been fermenting so many other things! My family has enjoyed the variety, and I am so glad that they are getting some really nutrient dense foods that hardly cost any money or time. If you have been in the health food world for a while, you know healthy things can come with a higher price tag. High quality probiotic supplements can cost a small fortune, especially for a larger family. Fermenting vegetables is a great way to incorporate a substantial probiotic boost that only costs a few dollars!

how to ferment vegetables: the basics

The fermentation process, put simply, is the breakdown of a substance into a simpler substance. This breakdown is usually performed by yeast, bacteria, or other microorganisms. In this case, red cabbage is converted to sauerkraut as bacteria break down the sugars and form lactic acid. Salt and limited air creates desirable conditions for the lactic acid bacteria to grow between 60°F and 70°F.

I have been learning a lot about the process of lacto-fermentation, and I was surprised by how simple it really is. For sauerkraut, specifically, all you need is shredded cabbage, salt, the proper environment, and time. 

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 red 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 beneficial 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 with red cabbage 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.

health benefits of eating sauerkraut

Naturally fermented raw sauerkraut is really healthy! It is rich in probiotics (gut-healthy beneficial live bacteria) as a result of the fermentation process. 

A healthy gut is crucial to a strong immune system, so it’s important to eat a variety of probiotic rich foods full of good bacteria. This Red Cabbage Sauerkraut is a great option along with this Lacto-Fermented Sauerkraut which is very similar but made from green cabbage. Raw milk yogurt and raw milk kefir are also great to incorporate into your diet regularly.

Red cabbage (also called purple cabbage) in particular is a good source of vitamin C and minerals like iron and copper. And it’s also beautiful! Look at that color!

is fermenting vegetables 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 an easy way 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. 

everything you’ll need

ingredients

• Cabbage – A medium size head of cabbage is approximately 2 pounds of cabbage and will just about fill 2 quart size mason jars. You don’t need to weigh 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

• 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 couple quart mason jars. 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 weight – These are not necessary, but very helpful for holding all of the shredded cabbage under the brine.
• Fermentation lid  or pickle pipe– I love these fermentation lids that I got on Amazon. They are inexpensive and are much easier than trying to remember to burp a mason jar lid to release the gasses.

how to make red cabbage sauerkraut

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

2. Remove the core, and finely shred the rest of the head of cabbage. A food processor with a shredder attachment works really well to finely shred cabbage, or you could use a cheese grater. You could also just shred the cabbage by cutting it up finely 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 32 oz mason jars 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. Gently press 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 making this homemade red cabbage sauerkraut recipe

– 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, peppercorns, coriander seeds, etc!

– This is a great recipe all on its own as a side dish, 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

• Lacto-Fermented Sauerkraut
• Fermented Raw Milk Kefir
• Raw Milk Yogurt in the Instant Pot
• Raw Milk Greek Yogurt

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