Eastern European · side, sauce

Classic German-Style Sauerkraut with Caraway

Classic German-Style Sauerkraut with Caraway — from Backyard Chef's cooking video Watch how it’s made · 15:27

Video by Backyard Chef on YouTube · Open on YouTube

45 min · plus 1–3 weeks fermentingMakes 25 × ¼ cup (40 g)10 kcal a portion
  • Low carb (1.3 g net carbs) but not keto: 5% of the energy is from fat, and keto meals get about 60% or more
  • Vegan
  • Gluten-free ingredients
  • Nut-free

Contains: none of the common allergens in the listed ingredients. Check labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes.

Just cabbage, salt and caraway, soured by natural lactic-acid fermentation with no vinegar or sugar: about 10 kcal and 1 g fibre a ¼-cup serve. It is salty (about 320 mg sodium a serve), so a forkful goes a long way.

Printable PDFA4

The printable card is ink-friendly, fits on one page and has a QR code back to this recipe.

Ingredients 3

Method

Tap a time to watch that step in the video.

  1. Peel off two clean outer cabbage leaves and set aside. Cut out the core and slice the cabbage thinly. 0:41
  2. Layer the shredded cabbage in a bowl with the 20 g salt and the caraway seeds, finishing with salt on top. Leave 20–25 minutes until it wilts and releases liquid; squeeze lightly if you like. 2:45
  3. Pack it into a clean glass jar a handful at a time with all its liquid, pressing hard to remove air pockets until the brine rises over the cabbage. If it doesn't, top up with a 2% brine (1 tsp salt dissolved in 1 cup cooled boiled water). 5:13
  4. Cover with the reserved leaves and weigh down with a water-filled zip bag or small jar so everything stays under the brine. Rest the lid on loosely (not tight) so gas can escape, and stand the jar in a tray in case it overflows. 9:01
  5. Ferment at cool room temperature (18–22°C) and taste after 5–7 days; leave it up to 3–4 weeks for a stronger sour flavour (about 3 weeks in a cold kitchen). 10:21
  6. When it tastes right, pack into clean jars, press it under its brine, close the lids and keep in the fridge. 11:15

Tip. Makes about 1 kg, roughly 25 quarter-cup serves (our estimate). Keeps 3–6 months in the fridge as long as it stays under its brine. For a variation, mix grated carrot in with the cabbage.

The method is a summary in our words — the video shows every step.

One portion, ¼ cup (40 g), gives you 1 of 25

Energy10 kcal40 kJ
Protein0.5 g1% of a day
Fibre1 g4% of a day
Carbohydrate2.4 g1.3 g net · 1.3 g sugars1% of a day
Fat0.1 g0 g saturated0% of a day
Sodium320 mg14% of a day

Where the energy comes from one serve

  • Net carbs 64%
  • Protein 25%
  • Fat 11%

For comparison, low-carb eating usually gets under 26% of its energy from carbs, and ketogenic eating under 10%. Why this is here

Vitamins & minerals % of a day, one serve · tap for more

Vitamin K High25%

30 µg a serve, mostly from green or white cabbage (100%). Needed for blood clotting and bones. Leafy greens and herbs are very rich in it. If you take warfarin, keep your intake steady and talk to your doctor.

Vitamin C Source16%

15 mg a serve, mostly from green or white cabbage (100%). An antioxidant needed for collagen, immunity and iron absorption. Long cooking destroys some, so raw herbs, citrus and capsicum help.

Show the other 13
Folate4%

17 µg a serve, mostly from green or white cabbage (100%). Needed to make DNA and new cells — especially important before and in early pregnancy. Legumes and leafy greens are rich sources.

Vitamin B63%

0 mg a serve, mostly from green or white cabbage (99%). Helps turn food into energy and make brain messengers. Chickpeas, fish, poultry, potatoes and bananas are good sources.

Potassium1%

70 mg a serve, mostly from green or white cabbage (98%). Balances sodium to help control blood pressure and keeps muscles and nerves working. Beans, potatoes, leafy greens and fruit are rich sources.

Calcium1%

17 mg a serve, mostly from green or white cabbage (95%). Builds bones and teeth and helps muscles and nerves work. Dairy, calcium-set tofu, sardines with their bones and some greens supply it.

Iron1%

0.2 mg a serve, mostly from green or white cabbage (91%). Carries oxygen in your blood. Iron from plants absorbs better with vitamin C in the same meal — lemon, tomato or capsicum.

Magnesium1%

5.1 mg a serve, mostly from green or white cabbage (95%). Takes part in hundreds of reactions — energy, muscles, nerves, blood sugar and bones. Nuts, seeds, legumes and whole grains are good sources.

Zinc1%

0.1 mg a serve, mostly from green or white cabbage (93%). Needed for immunity, wound healing, taste and growth. Meat, seafood, legumes, seeds and whole grains supply it.

Vitamin A0%

2 µg a serve, mostly from green or white cabbage (99%). Keeps eyes, skin and the immune system healthy. Orange vegetables and dark greens give beta-carotene, which the body turns into vitamin A.

Vitamin D0%

0 µg a serve. Helps you absorb calcium for bones and supports muscles. Few foods have much — oily fish, eggs, UV-exposed mushrooms, fortified milks. Sunlight is the main source.

Vitamin E0%

0.1 mg a serve, mostly from green or white cabbage (96%). An antioxidant that protects cell membranes. Nuts, seeds and plant oils such as olive oil are the main sources.

Vitamin B120%

0 µg a serve. Keeps nerves and blood cells healthy. Found almost only in animal foods and fortified foods (some plant milks, nutritional yeast), so vegans need a reliable source.

Selenium0%

0.1 µg a serve, mostly from green or white cabbage (91%). Part of the body's antioxidant enzymes and needed for thyroid hormones. Seafood, eggs, meat and Brazil nuts are rich sources.

Omega-30%

0 g a serve. Omega-3 fats support the heart and brain. Oily fish give EPA and DHA; walnuts, flax, chia and canola give ALA, which the body converts only a little.

Estimated from the ingredient list with USDA FoodData Central values; % of a day uses the food-label daily values. How this works

You might also like

Browse all 953 recipes

Recipe and video by Backyard Chef; the method summary, nutrition estimate and diet notes are Notbroken’s. General information about food, not dietary advice.