Love sauerkraut? This easy 2-ingredient homemade sauerkraut is not only delicious, it’ll save you money, too. And it’s perfect for paleo, whole30, GAPS, and more!

Love sauerkraut? This easy 2-ingredient homemade sauerkraut is not only delicious, it'll save you money, too. And it's perfect for paleo, whole30, GAPS, and more! #paleo #gapsdiet #lactofermented #fermentedfood #traditionalfood #sauerkraut #homemade #cabbage #whole30 #lowcarb #keto #vegan #2ingredients

Confession time.

Before I begin this post, I’ve got to be honest with you: I’ve never really liked sauerkraut. Even though my family is mostly German, German Chocolate Cake is about as nationalistic as I get. My husband, on the other hand, loves sauerkraut.

Because of my blatant dislike for kraut, I refused to spend money on it at the grocery store. That’s right, even though my husband could eat it every day, I selfishly deprived him… Until last year. 
 
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When my family went on the GAPS Diet, one of the first requirements was to drink kraut juice. Yep, it’s about as tasty as it sounds. [i.e. not really tasty at all, but rather like medicine should taste, I suppose] Now, there was no way I was going to buy tons of sauerkraut, just for the juice.
 
The only natural option left: make it myself.
   
Thus this easy 2-ingredients homemade sauerkraut was born. And I love it.
 
And my husband is very happy.
 

homemade sauerkraut profile top

Homemade sauerkraut.

 
If you’ve never made kraut before, please don’t let the sorta long instructions below chase you away. It really is super easy. Really. But before you get started, let’s go over just a few things…
 
First off, lets talk size. Most store-bought kraut is going to be shredded. I have no idea why. You don’t have to shred it if you don’t want to. My family likes it sort-of diced. Whatever floats your boat, y’all!
 
Next let’s talk salt. Friends, please don’t let friends use regular table salt for this recipe. Or for any recipe really. If regular table salt is all you have, get something else. Redmond real salt, sea salts, and Himalayan salts are the best. Basically, if your salt is devoid of color, it’s devoid of nutrition, so why bother? I like Himalayan salts the best.
 
Love sauerkraut? This easy 2-ingredient homemade sauerkraut is not only delicious, it'll save you money, too. And it's perfect for paleo, whole30, GAPS, and more! #sauerkraut #homemade #fermented #cabbage #paleo #gapsdiet #guthealth #keto #lowcarb #whole30

In the recipe card I’ve linked to some of the products from my affiliate partners that I like to use. Purchasing through these links won’t cost you anything extra. Thanks!

Easy 2-Ingredient Homemade Sauerkraut

Free of grain, gluten, eggs, dairy, sugar.

Ingredients

  • 1 head of cabbage, as fresh as possible
  • 1 tablespoon Himalayan salt, or other colored salt

You’ll also need

Instructions

Chop or shred cabbage. Place in a large ceramic or glass bowl (don’t use metal or plastic!) and sprinkle with salt. Stir with your hands or a wooden spoon until all the cabbage has been coated with the salt.

Let the mixture sit for about 1/2 hour. This allows the salt to pull the juices out of the cabbage. 

After 1/2 hour or so (you can let it sit for hours), knead the cabbage with clean hands. Keep kneading until the juice begins to drip down to the bottom of the bowl (about 5 minutes). You might not get tons of juice, that’s ok.

Pack the wilted cabbage down into your canning jars. Don’t just dump it in the jars, really jam it in as well as you can. Make sure there’s at least an inch between the top of the cabbage and the rim of the jar. Depending on the size of your cabbage, you should get about 2 1/2 quarts of homemade sauerkraut.

Divide the cabbage juice from the bowl between the jars, then fill them with filtered water until the cabbage is covered.

Using one of the clean, outer leaves of the cabbage, press the cabbage below the surface of the water. You might need to weight it with a clean rock or something to keep it below the water level, but I don’t usually have to.

Screw your lid on tightly and set the jar in a dark place for at least three days to ferment.
Transfer to the fridge and enjoy with your bratwursts and lederhosen! Just kidding. 😉

Raias Recipes - https://raiasrecipes.com

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Need more yummy fermented foods in your life? Of course you do! Who doesn’t, really? Here are some of my family’s favorites!