Plenty of fermented foods in the supermarket have been heat-treated after fermenting, which kills the live bacteria – and many “pickles” were never fermented at all. The good news: a few simple checks sort them out, and there are live-culture options in every category. Below are 14 picks, each based on what its maker states (we checked every one against the maker’s own website in September 2026; we didn’t lab-test them), plus the label checks that work for any brand. Formulations change, so always read the current label.
How to Tell If a Fermented Food Has Live Cultures
- Look in the refrigerated section. Live-culture sauerkraut, kimchi, pickles, kombucha and kefir are sold chilled. Shelf-stable jars and cans have usually been heat-treated.
- Read the words. “Raw”, “unpasteurized”, “naturally fermented” or “live and active cultures” are good signs; “pasteurized” after fermenting, or “heat-treated”, means the bacteria are dead.
- Yogurt has its own rule. Under the FDA’s yogurt standard, a “live and active cultures” claim requires at least 10 million live bacteria per gram at manufacture, and yogurt heat-treated after culturing must say it does not contain live and active cultures (FDA). For other foods, such claims are the maker’s own.
- Check for vinegar. Pickles and sauerkraut with vinegar in the ingredients are usually vinegar-pickled rather than fermented.
- Watch the sugar in flavored kefir, yogurt and kombucha – choose plain or low-sugar versions.
Kefir
- Lifeway Plain Kefir – best widely available. Sold in most US supermarkets; the maker lists 12 cultures and claims about 50 billion CFU per cup (Lifeway).
- Kalona SuperNatural Whole Milk Kefir – most traditional. Organic, grass-fed, non-homogenized milk with 14 listed cultures (Kalona).
- Green Valley Creamery Lactose-Free Kefir – for lactose intolerance. Made with added lactase and sold as lactose-free (Green Valley).
More in our best kefir brands ranking.
Yogurt
- Siggi’s Plain Skyr – high protein. Five listed cultures; 16 g protein per 150 g nonfat cup with no added sugar (Siggi’s).
- Nancy’s Organic Whole Milk Plain Yogurt – most named probiotic strains. Lists strains including BB-12 and LA-5, and publishes a probiotic count (Nancy’s).
- Stonyfield Organic Whole Milk Plain Yogurt – organic everyday yogurt. Six listed cultures including BB-12 (Stonyfield).
More in our best yogurt for gut health guide.
Sauerkraut
- Cleveland Kitchen Classic Sauerkraut – easiest to find. The maker says its products are raw and unpasteurized, never heat-treated (Cleveland Kitchen).
- Wildbrine Organic Green Sauerkraut – organic. Described by the maker as raw; cabbage, sea salt and garlic (Wildbrine).
- Farmhouse Culture krauts – flavor range. The maker says its krauts are raw, unpasteurized and contain live probiotics (Farmhouse Culture).
More in our best sauerkraut brands guide.
Kimchi
- Mother-in-Law’s Kimchi. The maker says all its kimchi is raw and unpasteurized and keeps fermenting in the jar – which is why jars can bulge or overflow when opened (Mother-in-Law’s).
- Cleveland Kitchen Kimchi. Covered by the maker’s statement that its products are raw and unpasteurized (Cleveland Kitchen).
Buy kimchi from the refrigerated section and check for “raw” or “unpasteurized”. See how long kimchi lasts.
Kombucha
- Brew Dr. Kombucha. The maker describes its kombucha as containing live and active cultures that need constant refrigeration (Brew Dr.).
Choose refrigerated kombucha, check the sugar per bottle, and remember all kombucha contains a little alcohol. See how long kombucha lasts.
Miso
- Miso Master Organic Miso. The maker refers to its miso as unpasteurized and says to refrigerate it as soon as you get it home (Great Eastern Sun).
For live cultures, add miso to soup off the heat. See how long miso lasts.
Pickles
- Bubbies Kosher Dill Pickles. Naturally fermented and sold refrigerated; the maker names its pickles (and relish) as raw (Bubbies).
Most shelf-stable pickles are vinegar pickles with no live cultures. See fermented vs pickled.
Why Eat Them?
In a 10-week Stanford trial, healthy adults who built up to about six servings a day of fermented foods – yogurt, kefir, kimchi, sauerkraut, kombucha and others – gained gut microbiome diversity and had lower levels of inflammatory markers (Wastyk et al., 2021). Variety seems to matter, so rotating between several of the foods above makes sense. See how much fermented food per day.
Who Should Be Careful
- MAO inhibitors: aged and fermented foods can contain tyramine; ask your doctor.
- Severely immunocompromised people: ask your medical team before eating live-culture foods.
- Histamine intolerance: fermented foods can trigger symptoms; start small.
- Sodium: sauerkraut, kimchi, miso and pickles are salty – check the label if you watch your salt.
