Homemade Sauerkraut Recipe (Kvashenaya Kapusta) (2024)

This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy.

My mom has been making this homemade sauerkraut since I can remember. It is a classic Ukrainian/Russian tradition and it’s way easier than you might think! Did you know you could make a fantastic salad with it? It’s strangely delicious.

If you’ve tried a Slavic Kvashenaya Kapusta or Kysla Kapusta (our version of sauerkraut), you already know that there is nothing like a homemade sauerkraut. You can use it in anything that you’d put sauerkraut in (this is sauerkraut after all). Try it in the braised cabbage with beef … yum! I have two salad ideas detailed here, just for you. Because I like ya!

*A Note on the Cabbage:buy the ones that are light in color and NOT bright green (the light color indicates that it is a “late” in the year cabbage which works best for this recipe).
*The ones at the farmers market in Fall are best. Also, if you are using a soup pot for the fermenting process,don’t use aluminum.

Ingredients for Homemade Sauerkraut:

2 medium/large cabbages (2 1/2 kg or about 5 1/2 lbs) *See cabbage note above
2-3 medium carrots, grated
2 Tbsp fine sea salt
1 Tbsp sugar

Two ways to serve homemade Sauerkraut as a salad:

#1 Mom’s Classic Sauerkraut Salad:

1/2 small purple Onion, finely diced
2 Tbsp Sunflower Oil (preferred for more flavor), or olive oil

#2 Sauerkraut Apple Salad:

1/2 small purple Onion, finely diced
1/2 Apple (any kind; I used gala), diced
1/2 tsp sugar
2 Tbsp white grapes or dried cranberries
1-2 Tbsp extra light olive oil (not extra virgin)

How to Make HomemadeSauerkraut:

1. Remove the outermost leaves of the cabbage, cut it into quarters and shred cabbage finely (use a mandolin to do this if you know what’s good for you ;)). (discard the core, or trim it and eat it – it’s very tasty and good for you!). Grate the carrots.

2. In a large silver bowl, place cabbage, carrots, 2 Tbsp sea salt and 1 Tbsp sugar and scrunch and knead it together really well for the juice to be released from the cabbage (4-5 min). You don’t want it to be super juicy, just enough to cover the lettuce when you really pack it down in a jar.

Scrunch it…

And scrunch it good…

See the juice? All a result of good scrunching.

3. Fill a glass jar with the cabbage mixture and pack it in very tightly so that the juice from the cabbage covers the cabbage completely. You want a jar big enough to be filled only about 2/3 full so it has room to expand

4. Make a press over the top of the cabbage by pushing down with a plate (or the lid from a large sour cream container). Top with a small jar of water, a super clean rock or whatever else would make a good weight. Place the lid on the jar but do not tighten (this is just to keep bugs out). Its a good idea to keep the bottle in the sink or over a dish since there is risk of it overflowing (this is also why we only fill it 2/3 full; it grows!). Let stand at room temp for 4 days or until sour. It will stop fermenting/rising when it’s done

5. While it sits at room temperature, once each day: poke a few holes through the cabbage with the back of a wooden mixing spoon to release the gas that this process produces and pack the cabbage down tightly. I skipped a day with the poking and it was no big deal. If you are making a bigger batch, the poking process is more important to let the gasses escape.

6. After 4 days, refrigerate until ready to serve. Can be stored for a few weeks if kept very cold. Did you notice how the cabbage grew? Compare it to the photo in step 3.

And in the fridge it goes. Whoa is that our roasted salsa? Oh yes!

To serve, drain the amount of cabbage that you would like to eat by firmly squeezing out the excess juice with your hands. Add in your salad ingredients, mix well and serve. Easy peasy!

Enjoy!