Simple Homemade Sauerkraut Recipe: The Ancient Superfood Your Gut Will Love

One of my favorite summer activities is visiting the Dubuque Farmer’s Market, Iowa’s original and longest-running market, dating back to the 1840s. I like to go right at 7 a.m. — not just to beat the heat and the crowd, but to get my hands on the freshest produce. From crisp lettuce to heirloom tomatoes in every shade imaginable, certain stands feel like a culinary dream.

This time however, I was on a mission to find organic cabbage to make homemade sauerkraut.  The two times I’ve made it in the past, I used cabbage from my own garden, but since my current batch is not yet ready to harvest, I decided to make it with local produce instead. In addition to two beautiful cabbages, I also bought a few tomatoes, corn, and cucumbers. The food always seems more vibrant than what I can find at the grocery store, and is usually much tastier too. There also tends to be a lot more variety, which allows me to try new things - like Cherokee purple tomatoes or an orange one that tasted surprisingly sweet (pictured below).

Once home with my fresh bounty, I got to work preparing my cabbage for the fermentation process that would eventually turn it into delicious and nutritious sauerkraut.

What is Sauerkraut & Where is it From?

The word “sauerkraut” is German for “sour cabbage,” which is shredded cabbage that has been fermented by lactic acid bacteria. If you’ve never tried to before, the idea might not sound very appetizing, or even hygienic, but the practice of fermenting cabbage originated a very long time ago — likely in ancient China over 2,000 years ago!  Laborers building the Great Wall are believed to have eaten fermented cabbage preserved in rice wine.

The technique made its way to Europe, where it became a dietary staple for many, especially those living in colder climates where fresh produce wasn’t always available in winter. Germans, Slavs, and other European cultures adopted and refined the method. Over time, sauerkraut became a central part of their diets.

Sauerkraut is the Ancient Superfood Your Gut Will Love

Before refrigeration, fermentation wasn’t just trendy — it was an essential part of survival. Fermented foods like sauerkraut were critical, especially during long winters or sea voyages. However, our ancestors weren’t just preserving cabbage: they were cultivating probiotics, the beneficial bacteria that help keep our digestive systems in balance. Fermented foods were found in nearly every traditional culture, like kimchi in Korea or kefir in the Caucasus.

In today’s world, it seems like I can’t go even a few days without getting targeted with advertisements for probiotics or gut-healthy supplements. My instinct when it comes to supplements is that whatever I am being sold can usually be found in nature, and for a lot cheaper.  I understand the appeal of a pill or supplement is that it is quick and easy, but I am not convinced that the body is even able to fully absorb and realize the benefits that the company is claiming in the first place.

Few realize that one of the most powerful digestive aids has been around for thousands of years — and probably walk right past it every time they go to the grocery store. Sauerkraut holds secrets our ancestors knew well: how to preserve food, support immunity, and nourish the body from the inside out.

Modern science is now catching up to what traditional cultures seemed to instinctively understand. Eating Sauerkraut comes with a lot of benefits because it is:

• Rich in probiotics: Supports a healthy microbiome, aiding digestion, immunity, and mood regulation.
  
• High in fiber: Helps feed beneficial gut bacteria.
  
• Packed with vitamins: Particularly vitamin B, C, and K2.
  
• Anti-inflammatory: Fermentation increases antioxidant levels.
  
• Immune-boosting: With 70% of immune cells in the gut, a healthy microbiome is key.

The Simple Way Make Sauerkraut at Home

Making sauerkraut at home might seem tricky because it requires just the right environment for good bacteria to thrive, but it’s actually quite easy. Once you try it, you'll never want to go back to store-bought versions. Here’s my recipe for a basic sauerkraut. The best part?  All you need is cabbage and salt!

 

Step-by-Step Instructions with Pictures

Gather all your ingredients and tools on a clean surface: cabbage, salt, large bowl, cutting board, knife, and a kitchen scale.

Cut the cabbage into quarters, remove the core, and finely shred it with a knife.

Place the shredded cabbage in a large bowl and measure the weight in grams.

Calculate the exact amount of salt to add based on the weight of your cabbage.  It is important to be as precise as possible to create the perfect saltiness level for fermentation. The formula I have successfully used is 2%. So for example, if you have 1,430 grams of cabbage, you would want to add roughly 29 grams of salt. 

Massage the salt into the cabbage; I like to use a wooden tamper but you can do this with your hands too.

Let sit for 1 hour to help release the cabbage’s water content. You can see that the volume has decreased in the bowl.

Pack the cabbage tightly into your mason jar, pressing it down firmly with your fist or a tamper regularly each time you add more. 

Pour any liquid (i.e., brine) from the bowl into the jar. The cabbage must be fully submerged under the brine to avoid mold.

Place a small jar (filled with water) or a fermentation weight on top of the cabbage to keep it submerged. Cover the jar with a clean cloth secured with a rubber band or use a fermentation lid.
Leave the jar at room temperature (ideally between 65–75°F or 18–24°C) out of direct sunlight. I keep mine inside a dark cabinet.  Fermentation time can vary, but you’ll start noticing tangy aromas after a few days. Start tasting around day 5. It’s typically ready in 1–3 weeks, and you can stop when it reaches your preferred level of sourness.

This is what mine looked like after just a few days!

Making sauerkraut is a small act of kitchen alchemy — transforming a simple vegetable into something tangy, probiotic-rich, and full of tradition. Whether you're new to fermentation or a seasoned sauerkraut lover, I hope this inspires you to give it a try with your next batch of local cabbage — or better yet, with cabbage from your own garden!

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If you try the recipe, please let me know how it turns out!  Have you tried sauerkraut before?  Let me know in the comments!