This Red Cabbage Sauerkraut recipe (or fermented red cabbage) is made with just a few simple ingredients and easy steps yet provides a delicious and tangy kraut that's excellent with every meal.
Shred cabbage: Discard the outer leaves of the cabbage and rinse the cabbage under running water. Cut the cabbage in half, then in quarters, and remove the core. Cut the quartered wedges in half, lengthwise, creating eight wedges. Cut thin ribbon-like strips across these wedges. Or run the wedges through a food processor using the grater attachment.
Weigh cabbage and salt: Using a kitchen scale, weigh out 650 grams of cabbage and add to your bowl. This will be approximately ½ of medium-large cabbage head or 9-½ cups. (See notes how to accurately weigh your ingredients.) Add 16 grams of salt to cabbage and caraway seeds if using.
Massage cabbage: Using clean hands or a fermentation temper, massage the cabbage until it starts releasing liquid. For softer sauerkraut, massage cabbage vigorously. For a crunchier result, massage just enough to combine the salt.
Transfer: If using peppercorns, add them to the bottom of your jar. Then transfer the cabbage and all released juices to a quart-size jar, packing it in very well.
Allow to ferment: Place your fermentation weight on top, pushing the cabbage down to ensure it is fully submerged in the liquid. Loosely cover with a lid and set aside to ferment for several days.
Notes
The recipe makes 1 quart or 16 servings. Serving size is ¼ cup.Helpful tips:
Avoid mold: It's always best practice to sterilize your fermentation jar and weight before proceeding with the recipe. Make sure it's washed well first. To sterilize: fill the jar with boiling water and allow it to sit for 5 minutes before discarding the water.
Get consistent results: Using weight measurements instead of volume will give you consistent results. Cabbage weight will vary by season, freshness, and storage, so using a kitchen scale will garner the best results.
To accurately weigh: Turn on your kitchen scale and set it to weight in grams. Place your prep bowl on the scale and zero/tare it out (this will subtract the bowl's weight, giving you a 0.0 weight). Add cabbage until you reach 650 grams. Zero/tare out the scale again and add 16 grams of sea salt. Remove the bowl from the kitchen scale and proceed with the rest of the recipe.
Proper storage: Set red kraut on the counter away from direct sunlight for up to 21 days to ferment or until to your liking. Afterward, transfer to the fridge and store in an airtight container.
The information shown above is an estimate provided for your convenience by an online calculator. It should not be considered as a substitute for a professional nutritionist's advice. Please see our complete Nutritional Information Disclaimer.