Fermented Food

How to Make Sauerkraut at Home: Easy Recipe for Beginners

By Matt L. October 20, 2016 Updated September 30, 2026 3 min read

A jar of sauerkraut covered with a yellow cloth and a band

At a glance

To make sauerkraut, shred firm cabbage, mix it with 2–2.5% salt by weight (NCHFP: 3 tablespoons per 5 lb, or about 20–25 g per kg), pack it tightly so its own juice covers it, weigh it down and ferment at 70–75°F (21–24°C) for 3–4 weeks, or taste from week 1 if you like it crunchier. Then refrigerate.

Salt: 3 tbsp per 5 lb cabbage (NCHFP) – about 20–25 g per kg.
70–75°F: fully fermented in about 3–4 weeks; 60–65°F: 5–6 weeks.
Below 60°F it may not ferment; above 75°F it may turn soft.
Top-up brine if needed: 1½ tbsp salt per quart of water.
Fully fermented kraut keeps several months refrigerated.

Ferment profile

Origin: Central and Eastern Europe
Fermentation: Lactic acid
Main microbes: Leuconostoc mesenteroides early, then Lactobacillus species
Live cultures: Depends on preparation
Alcohol: None / trace

Recipe: Homemade Sauerkraut

Makes: About 1 litre (1 quart)
Hands-on: 30 min
Fermentation: 3–4 weeks at 70–75°F (21–24°C); taste from week 1
Salt: About 2–2.5% of the cabbage weight (NCHFP: 3 tbsp per 5 lb)
Temperature: 70–75°F (21–24°C)
Difficulty: Easy

Equipment

Large bowl
Sharp knife, mandoline or grater
1-litre (1-quart) jar or small crock
Weight (small jar, glass weight or brine-filled bag)
Cloth and band, or an airlock lid
Kitchen scale

Ingredients

1 kg (about 2.2 lb) firm green or Savoy cabbage (weighed after removing outer leaves and core)
20–25 g (about 1–1½ tbsp) canning, pickling or other non-iodized salt
1 tbsp caraway seeds (optional)
1 carrot, grated (optional)

Method

Remove the outer leaves, rinse the cabbage, quarter it and cut out the core. Shred or slice it thinly (about ¼ inch).
Weigh the cabbage and put it in a large bowl with the salt (20–25 g per kg) and any caraway or carrot.
Mix and squeeze with clean hands for 5–10 minutes, until it's limp and juicy.
Pack it into the jar a handful at a time, pressing down hard, until the juice rises over the cabbage. Leave a few inches of space at the top.
Add a weight to keep the cabbage under the brine. If it isn't covered after a day, top up with brine (1½ tbsp salt per quart of water).
Cover with a cloth or airlock lid and keep at 70–75°F (21–24°C). Check 2–3 times a week and skim any scum.
Taste from about a week. When it's as sour as you like – fully fermented takes about 3–4 weeks – close the jar and refrigerate.

Sauerkraut is just shredded cabbage and salt. Massaged and packed tightly, the cabbage releases its own juice, and lactic acid bacteria that are already on the leaves turn it sour over a few weeks. The only things you really need to get right are the amount of salt, keeping the cabbage under its brine, and the temperature. The recipe card above follows the tested proportions from the US National Center for Home Food Preservation (NCHFP); below it is the caraway kraut we first made and photographed in 2016.

The Salt Ratio

NCHFP uses 3 tablespoons of canning or pickling salt per 5 lb (about 2.3 kg) of cabbage – roughly 2–2.5% of the cabbage’s weight (NCHFP). In grams, that’s about 20–25 g of salt per 1 kg of shredded cabbage. Weigh the cabbage after removing the outer leaves and core.

Too little salt lets spoilage organisms and mold get a head start and gives soft kraut.
Too much salt slows fermentation and makes the kraut harsh.
Canning or pickling salt is the standard; iodized table salt is safe too, though its anti-caking agents can cloud the brine (NCHFP). Spoon measures vary between fine and flaky salts, so weigh it: our salt and brine calculator gives the grams for any weight of cabbage.

How Long to Ferment Sauerkraut

Temperature	Time (NCHFP)
70–75°F (21–24°C)	About 3–4 weeks
60–65°F (16–18°C)	About 5–6 weeks
Below 60°F (16°C)	May not ferment
Above 75°F (24°C)	May become soft

Many home fermenters start eating sauerkraut earlier, after one to two weeks, when it’s tangy but still crunchy. Fully fermented kraut, kept tightly covered in the refrigerator, keeps for several months (NCHFP) – see how long sauerkraut lasts. For a shelf-stable jar, NCHFP’s boiling-water times are in canning sauerkraut and fermented pickles.

Keeping It Under the Brine

Pack the cabbage down hard so its juice rises over it, and keep it there with a weight – a smaller jar, a glass weight, or a zip bag filled with brine. If there isn’t enough juice to cover it after a day, top it up with brine made from 1½ tablespoons of salt per quart (about 1 litre) of water (NCHFP). NCHFP also advises checking two or three times a week and removing any scum that forms when you use jars as weights.

Variations

Caraway (the classic): 1 tbsp caraway seeds per head – our 2016 version also had grated carrot and garlic.
Red cabbage and beetroot: a deep purple kraut – we made one in 2016 too.
Carrot and ginger: grate in a carrot and a thumb of ginger.
Turmeric: a little fresh turmeric and black pepper.
Apple and juniper: a grated apple and a few juniper berries.
Different cabbages: firm green or Savoy cabbage works well; red cabbage gives a pink-purple kraut.

For Korean-style cabbage, see our kimchi recipe and sauerkraut vs kimchi.

Troubleshooting

White film or scum: usually kahm yeast; skim it off and keep the cabbage submerged. Fuzzy or colored mold, a rotten smell or slimy kraut means discard (NCHFP).
Soft kraut: too warm (above 75°F), too little salt, or air pockets.
Not enough brine: press harder, wait a day, then top up with brine.
Too salty: give it more time, or rinse before eating.

Sauerkraut Nutrition

Per 100 g, canned sauerkraut has about 19 kcal, 2.9 g of fiber and 661 mg of sodium (USDA FoodData Central); homemade kraut varies with the salt you use. Raw, unpasteurized sauerkraut also contains live lactic acid bacteria; canned or heated kraut doesn’t.

Prefer to buy it? See the best sauerkraut brands and the best time to eat sauerkraut.

From our kitchen

Our original sauerkraut recipe, first published here in 2016, was a Savoy cabbage kraut with carrot, garlic and caraway: 1 Savoy cabbage, 1 carrot, 4 garlic cloves, 1½ tablespoons of salt and a tablespoon of caraway seeds.

We removed the outer leaves, quartered the cabbage, grated it and the carrot into a large bowl, stirred in the finely chopped garlic, then massaged in the salt and caraway. We packed it into a jar, pressing down hard with a wooden spoon until the juice covered it, covered the jar with a thin cloth and a rubber band, and left it out of the sun for about 2 weeks, pushing the cabbage back under the brine every other day and tasting as it went. When it was sour enough, we sealed it and moved it to the fridge. We also made a red cabbage and beetroot version.

Our 2016 salt – 1½ tablespoons for a medium cabbage – lines up with the NCHFP ratio. What we’d change today: a weight on top instead of stirring every other day, which lets air in.

Ingredients for sauerkraut: a Savoy cabbage, carrot, garlic, salt, caraway seeds, a box grater and a glass jar — Our 2016 ingredients: Savoy cabbage, carrot, garlic, salt and caraway.

Grating a carrot into a bowl of grated cabbage — Cabbage and carrot grated into a bowl.

A spoonful of caraway seeds — A tablespoon of caraway seeds.

Salted cabbage and carrot at the bottom of a glass jar — Packing the salted cabbage into the jar.

A jar packed with shredded cabbage, carrot and caraway — Pressed down until the juice covers it.

A lidded jar of finished sauerkraut with carrot and caraway — The finished kraut.

A clip-top jar of deep purple red cabbage and beetroot sauerkraut — Our red cabbage and beetroot kraut.

Frequently asked questions

How much salt do I need for sauerkraut?

NCHFP uses 3 tablespoons of canning or pickling salt per 5 lb of cabbage – about 2–2.5% by weight, or 20–25 g per kg.

How long does sauerkraut take to ferment?

About 3–4 weeks at 70–75°F (21–24°C), or 5–6 weeks at 60–65°F, according to NCHFP. Many people start eating it after 1–2 weeks when it's tangy but crunchier.

Do I need to add water to sauerkraut?

Usually not – salted, well-massaged cabbage makes its own brine. If it isn't covered after a day, top it up with brine made from 1½ tablespoons of salt per quart of water.

Why is my sauerkraut soft?

Usually because it fermented too warm (above 75°F), had too little salt, or had air pockets. Pack it tightly and keep it cooler next time.

Is the white film on my sauerkraut mold?

A flat white film is usually kahm yeast; skim it off and keep the cabbage submerged. Fuzzy or colored growth is mold, and the batch should be thrown away.

Can I use red cabbage?

Yes. The method is the same and it makes a deep pink-purple kraut. Mixing in beetroot deepens the color.

Do I need a special crock?

No. A wide-mouth glass jar with a weight works well for small batches. Crocks are handy for larger ones.

How long does homemade sauerkraut last?

Fully fermented sauerkraut kept tightly covered in the refrigerator keeps for several months, according to NCHFP.

Sources

National Center for Home Food Preservation. Sauerkraut. Link
National Center for Home Food Preservation. Causes and possible solutions for problems with fermented pickles. Link
USDA FoodData Central. Sauerkraut, canned, solids and liquids (SR Legacy 169279). Link