When I’m in a pinch for time and crave the flavors of sauerkraut, this is the recipe I turn to. Our quick and easy sauerkraut takes just over an hour, and it’s ready to eat!
This quick sauerkraut, inspired by traditional German sauerkraut (which can take weeks), has a slightly sour taste and crunchy texture. I love fermented sauerkraut, but our quicker recipe is the solution for when you want to enjoy homemade sauerkraut today.
We genuinely love it, and we hope you do, too. I love it with pork, especially my skillet pork chops, these apple-stuffed pork chops, or this pork tenderloin with apples.
Key Ingredients
- Green Cabbage: When choosing green cabbage, look for a head that feels heavy for its size and has a firm texture. Avoid any heads that look dried out or discolored. I love green cabbage for this recipe, but purple cabbage will work.
- Onion: I love the onion since it almost melts into the cabbage. I use a yellow or sweet onion.
- Salt and Spices: This is a German-inspired recipe, so we use salt, caraway seeds, a juniper berry, an allspice berry, and a bit of sugar (less than a teaspoon).
- Apple Cider Vinegar and Apple Cider: These create the perfect balance of sweet and tangy. It’s the combination of apple cider and vinegar that makes this sauerkraut so delicious with pork recipes!
How to Make Quick Sauerkraut
To make it, massage shredded cabbage with salt and spices and set aside for 30 minutes. We use classic spices like caraway seeds, juniper berries, and allspice to keep the flavor more traditional. I love the caraway seeds in this recipe!
After sitting with the salt and spices for 30 minutes, here’s what the cabbage looks like. It’s released some of its juices, wilted a bit, and looks floppy.
Cook the cabbage, all the juices from the bottom of the bowl, and spices with onions, apple cider vinegar, and apple cider for 30 minutes.
Bring everything to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Cook the cabbage, covered with a lid (and, if you have it, a piece of parchment paper set directly on top) for 30 minutes. The parchment paper keeps the cooking environment nice and moist.
Serve or allow to cool and keep in the refrigerator for up to two weeks. Of course, it is delightful immediately, but if you can, let the sauerkraut cool and sit in the fridge for a few hours (or overnight) so that the flavors bloom.
Use our quick and easy sauerkraut as you would the fermented sauerkraut. It keeps in the fridge for up to two weeks! It gets better over time.
Quick Fresh Sauerkraut
- PREP
- COOK
- TOTAL
This quick homemade sauerkraut recipe is the solution for when you want to enjoy sauerkraut today. Inspired by traditional German sauerkraut (which can take weeks), this fresh homemade sauerkraut takes just over an hour before it is ready to eat!
You Will Need
1 large head green cabbage, nearly 2 pounds
1 medium yellow onion, thinly sliced, about 2 cups
1 ¾ teaspoons fine sea salt
2 teaspoons caraway seeds
1 juniper berry, lightly crushed
1 allspice berry, left whole, see notes
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1 ¾ cups apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup apple cider
1/2 cup water
Directions
1Quarter and core the cabbage, then thinly slice crossways. You should have close to 12 cups (3 quarts) of sliced cabbage.
2Add the cabbage to a large bowl with 1 ½ teaspoons of salt, the caraway seeds, juniper berry, and allspice berry. Massage the salt into the cabbage and let it stand for 30 minutes.
3Five minutes before the cabbage is ready, heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Stir in the onions, and cook until translucent, about 5 minutes. Be careful not to brown the onions — if you notice that they begin to take on some color, reduce the heat slightly.
4Add the cabbage, its liquid, and all the spices from the bowl to the pot with the onions. Stir in the sugar, apple cider vinegar, apple cider, and water.
5Bring to a boil and cook for 5 minutes. Reduce the heat to a simmer and place a sheet of parchment paper on top of the cabbage. Cover the pot with a lid and simmer for 30 minutes. The parchment paper helps to maintain a moist environment for the cabbage. You can make this without it, but keep an eye that the liquid in the pot does not evaporate.
6Season with the remaining 1/4 teaspoon of salt, and then allow to cool. Transfer to jars and refrigerate. Keep in the fridge for up to two weeks.
Adam and Joanne's Tips
- Caraway seeds taste nutty with hints of anise and citrus. They are common in German dishes, such as sauerkraut. Find them in the spice aisle of most grocery stores.
- Juniper berries have a piney taste with hints of citrus. Find them in the spice aisle of grocery stores or online.
- Allspice berries taste like a combination of cloves, cinnamon, and nutmeg. We found whole allspice berries less common in the grocery spice aisle, but Chef Richard recommends buying a “pickling spice blend” instead. McCormick “Mixed Pickling Spice” contains allspice berries, which we purchased and picked out 3 berries for this recipe.
- The nutrition facts provided below are estimates.
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Great recipe. I’m going to make it for the second time today.
We are so glad you love it 🙂
Can this be canned?
If you have a pressure canner, you can use it for this recipe. However, we do not have instructions for canning this.
This sounds so yummy, my whole family lives sauerkrout. Will be trying this very soon!!! And also the homemade mayo, thank you for the inspiration!
Thanks, Jennifer! We are thrilled you enjoy our recipes.
I enjoy reading and trying your recipes. I usually make sauerkraut for its healthy probiotics, enzymes, etc. and I would think cooking it would destroy these. I would consider your recipe as a tasty cabbage dish. Thanks.
Thanks, Dana! You are correct, this recipe will not develop the same probiotics as the fermented version, but it is still incredibly healthy thanks to the cabbage and vinegar.
Can red cabbage be substituted for the red
Hi Monica, Yes, red cabbage will work nicely.