Confession time.
Before I begin this post, Iโve got to be honest with you:ย Iโve never really liked sauerkraut.ย 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.

Homemade sauerkraut.

In the recipe card Iโve linked to some of the products from my affiliate partners that I like to use. Purchasing through these links wonโt 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
Youโll also need
- canning jars, either quart or pint-sized (I like to use wide-mouth quart size)
- canning lids (the metal disks with rings)
Instructions
Chop or shred cabbage. Place in a large ceramic or glass bowl (donโt 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.ย
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, thatโs ok.
Pack the wilted cabbage down into your canning jars. Donโt just dump it in the jars, really jam it in as well as you can. Make sure thereโs at least an inch between the top of the cabbage and the rim of the jar.ย 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 donโt 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. ๐
Need more yummy fermented foods in your life? Of course you do! Who doesnโt, really? Here are some of my familyโs favorites!
Oooh! This looks so easy! I've always been nervous to pickle or can anything as much as I love the concept. I can't wait to try making your recipe!
I hope you like it, Yuliya! I was a little nervous to try myself, but it's super easy!
I love homemade kraut– so simple and delicious!
I need to make this. I've long wanted to try making my own!
Great post and you do make it looks so easy…so why am I still buying my fermented veggies!?
I agree, Ariana! Thanks for stopping by. ๐
I hope you enjoy it! It really is easy! ๐
Haha. It really is as easy as it looks, not to mention it's SO much cheaper than buying it. ๐ You should give it a try….
Oh my goodness, I couldn't imagine having to drink kraut juice – I would gag. Sauerkraut I like though!
Thanks for sharing (and for linking up to the SHINE Blog Hop).
Wishing you a lovely weekend.
xoxo
I love homemade sauerkraut. I'm got a batch with kohlrabi going right now, and as soon as I find time I'm going to make a couple of jars with cabbage.
Yeah, it's not that fun. :p But I would rather take it that some medication with who-knows-what in it! Thanks for stopping by, Jennifer! ๐
Sounds good, Dave! Thanks for stopping by! ๐
I'm with you. I never liked kraut until I learned how to "hide it in plain sight". I chop it into my Chopped recipes. I've wanted to make it myself for a long time. Thank you so much for this recipe. Will be trying it. Saw it over at "Real Foods" linky. I'm new so I haven't linked up yet. Nice to meet you! ๐
Nice to meet you too, KC! ๐ I hope you like the sauerkraut!
I've never made sauerkraut and we love it.. looks simple. thanks for bringing it to foodie friday.
Glad to share, Diane! If you already love it, you should give making it a try. It really is simple and it saves a lot of money! ๐
You've never really liked sauerkraut? Really?? I love it!
Thanks for sharing the recipe at Marvelous Monday on Smart Party Planning ๐
Haha, I'm glad you like it, Catherine! ๐ I was never really a fan of pickled or fermented things before I started cleaning up my diet. ๐ Thankfully I enjoy it now, since it's so healthy!
I looooooooove kraut. I've been eating it since I was a kid. I'm hoping to can some this year. Pinned and shared. Thank you for linking with us at The Yuck Stops Here. Hope to see you this week for the new party! Please grab a party button if you have not done so already.
Thanks so much, Chrystal!
This looks so good! I love the fresh big chunks it makes! I am so trying this, PINNED! Stopping over from tasty Tuesdays! I am so glad that I did!
Cathy @ three kids and a fish
Thanks for stopping by, Cathy! I love the big chunks too, much better than the stringy things in the store-bought kind. ๐
We just love homemade Sauerkraut, this looks fantastic! Thank you so much for sharing your awesome post with Full Plate Thursday. Hope you are having a great week and come back soon!
Miz Helen
Thanks, Helen! ๐
Great post! I have never made my own but this looks easy. Thanks for sharing at the Bloggers Brag Pinterest Party.
Thanks for stopping by, Kim. ๐ It is super easy, you should totally give it a try!
I used to hate kraut too until I traveled to Germany for a year and a half and learned to like it. Now I love it! I am thrilled to tell you that I am featuring this as one of my favorites on The Yuck Stops Here this week! Come by to pick up your "I've Been Featured" button any time you can. CONGRATS & HUGS!
I can't wait to try this recipe. I always look for new ideas and love kraut. Thank you for sharing with the Clever Chicks Blog Hop! I hope youโll join us again next week!
Cheers,
Kathy Shea Mormino
The Chicken Chick
http://www.The-Chicken-Chick.com
Glad to share, Kathy! I hope you like the sauerkraut! ๐
I've never tried to make sauerkraut and I didn't think it was so simple. Thanks for sharing your tutorial on Merry Monday.
I've never made sauerkraut before but this looks easy! Thank you for sharing at Real Food Friday!!! YOU are featured this week at Mary's Kitchen. Looking forward to seeing what you share this week.
Glad to share, Erlene! I hope you give it a try, it's pretty tasty… ๐
Thanks so much, Mary! ๐
Sauerkraut's such a healthy food, full of goodness, and this recipe's not hard at all! Thanks for stopping by and sharing this on Five Friday Finds! I'm looking forward to what you share this week. ๐
It is incredibly healthy and easy to make! Thanks for stopping by, CJ!
Thanks so much, Cheryl! I'm so glad I like it now, too! ๐
Great post! I would love it if you joined and contribute your awesome posts at my link party at City of Creative Dreams, starts on Fridays ๐ Hope to see you there at City of Creative Dreams Link Party.
Thanks! I'll come check it out! ๐
Looks delicious! Thank you so much for linking up at Tasty Tuesday! Your recipe has been pinned to the Tasty Tuesday Pinterest board! Please join us again this week!
Thanks so much! ๐
Thank you for sharing this homemade sauerkraut at City of Creative Dream's City of Links on Friday! I appreciate you taking the time to party with me. Hope to see you again this week ๐
Thanks for stopping by! ๐ I'll try and make it over again. ๐
Hello there,
I just wanted to say how grateful I am for another fellow follower of Jesus, who is not ashamed to share that with the world! What a blessing to see your joy for life and your family, and what a blessing they have been given by the Lord granting you to be their mother ๐ I know how hard that is to believe sometimes b/c we fail quite often, and start to believe the lies of satan that we are not good enough for them or we don’t have that much of a purpose. But from one mother to another, I hope that encourages you to hear that you are such a blessing to them, and are fulfilling one of the most important purposes ever : raising the next generation, who will hopefully be God-fearing and mindful of His temple – our bodies, to take the best care of it as possible. As a mother who is also trying to accomplish this with my children, its really encouraging to see there are other wonderful mothers out there who “get it”, how important it is to take care of ourselves in order to live in health, and be the best we can be to serve Him and to be an example of health, in all aspects- spiritually, mentally, physically, etc. Thank you for sharing, and may the Lord richly bless you and your family!! ๐
P.S. – I just put the lids on my 2 quarts of sauerkraut, sticking them in a dark place, and going to anxiously await when we can sink our teeth into that mouth watering concoction thats so amazing for us. How empowering it is to know your doing something so good for yourself, so simply, and yet tastes so good at the same time! My husband is very excited too, and that’s really saying something ๐
Thank you so much, Jenell! How encouraging! ๐ I pray every day for his wisdom, patience, and strength to be the mother and wife He wants. I will pray the same for you, as well. He never disappoints if we run to Him! ๐
I hope you and your family enjoy your sauerkraut! Please don’t hesitate to let me know if you have any issues. Ferments are fairly easy, but they can be stinkers sometimes. ๐
Love this sauerkraut
I’m so glad! Thank you for letting me know, Joseph!
This looks great! Thank you for sharing your recipe for kraut, I have been perusing around looking for a good recipe that I think my kids would like – and your personal experience helped me decide on yours! I will report back when I make it and let you know how it went! Thank you again for sharing!
This does look simple! Do you ever add any other spices to the ferment after the kraut is done? I love adding some heat to the ferment. Thanks for sharing!
I don’t usually add any other spices, ’cause I’m kinda a ‘plain Jane’ when it comes to ferments. ๐ I do sometimes add in carrots, though, my kiddos love that!
So easy to make it yourself! Perfect solution!
Yes! It’s so easy and so much cheaper than buying it.
There’s simply nothing that comes close to sauerkraut in terms of benefits! Queen of all ferments ๐
Yes!
Couldn’t be easier!!! Now I’m off to check out your pickle recipe! YUM!
Yay! I hope you enjoy them, too! ๐
Raia,
Is this recipe able to be canned water bath or pressure canner after fermented.
I would like to make large batches b
I’ve never tried either, but I don’t see why it wouldn’t work. Please let me know if you try it!
Dear Raia, I’ve just come across your wonderful website for which I thank you from the bottom of my heart. I’m about to embark on this healing journey and your experience, advice and recipes are invaluable.
Welcome and I hope you find many recipes you can use as you heal!