Basic two-ingredient sauerkraut — cabbage and salt
4
Units:
Prep: 15 min
Ingredients
- 1 medium green cabbage (~2 lb)
- 1 tbsp fine sea salt (2% of cabbage weight)
The simplest fermented vegetable on earth: just cabbage and salt. Salt pulls water from the cabbage through osmosis, creating its own brine. Over days or weeks, lactic-acid bacteria transform the crunchy strands into tangy, probiotic-rich sauerkraut.
Instructions
- Shred cabbage: Remove the outer leaves of the cabbage, quarter it, and shred thinly.
- Salt: Toss the shredded cabbage with salt (about 2% of cabbage weight) in a large bowl.
- Massage: Squeeze and massage the cabbage with your hands for 5-10 min until it releases enough liquid to submerge itself.
- Pack: Pack the cabbage tightly into a clean glass jar, pressing down so the brine covers the cabbage completely.
- Weigh down: Place a small jar filled with water or a dedicated fermentation weight on top to keep everything submerged.
- Ferment: Cover loosely (with a cloth or airlock lid) and ferment at room temperature 1-4 weeks. Taste weekly.
- Refrigerate: Once tangy and crunchy to your liking, cap tightly and move to the fridge.
Tips
- Use non-iodized salt (sea salt, kosher salt, pickling salt) — iodine inhibits fermentation.
- Weigh your cabbage first and use 2% salt by weight for the most reliable results (about 1 tbsp per 2 lb head).
- Keep cabbage below the brine at all times; anything floating above can mold.
- Tangy and crunchy after 1 week is usually ready; sour and softer means longer fermentation.
Created: 3/23/2026, 2:39:57 AM diyfreetraditional
Large bowl, glass jar (1 qt), kitchen scale, fermentation weight or small jar of water