My favorite vegan sauerkraut recipes & uses (2024)

FAQs

What is sauerkraut good to eat with? ›

Sauerkraut can be added to soups and stews; cooked with stock, beer or wine; served with sausages or salted meats, and is especially good with smoked fish, like hot-smoked salmon.

As long as the initial ingredients, such as cabbage and salt, and any additional components used during fermentation are vegan, the sauerkraut remains vegan-friendly. So, whether you're a vegan or simply a sauerkraut enthusiast, you can enjoy this fermented delight without any concerns about its vegan status.

Sauerkraut is incredibly nutritious and healthy. It provides probiotics and vitamin K2, which are known for their health benefits, and many other nutrients. Eating sauerkraut may help strengthen your immune system, improve your digestion, reduce your risk of certain diseases, and even lose weight.

Add sauerkraut to a Reuben sandwich, mix it into tuna, egg, chicken, or potato salad, or eat it straight from the jar.

Improve Digestion

One serving of sauerkraut has two grams of fiber — a nutrient known to aid with digestion. For people with constipation, fiber increases the weight and size of their stool and softens it, making it easier to pass. For people with diarrhea, fiber can absorb excess water and solidify their stool.

Brimming with beneficial bacteria, sauerkraut may be the secret ingredient to balance your gut microbiota, but only if you consume it at the right time. The best time to eat sauerkraut for gut health is during or before a meal since stomach acid, and enzymes can aid in breaking down food and killing harmful bacteria.

Depending on your taste, onions, bacon, juniper berries, caraway, and/or cream can be added to and cooked with the Sauerkraut. In many parts of Germany, pork ribs or pork cutlets are cooked in the Sauerkraut to give it a smokey flavor. The pork absorbs the liquid and becomes very soft and juicy.

According to Everyday Health, store-bought sauerkraut is often saltier than homemade versions, making it more than acceptable to dilute the product with water. That said, if you're trying to limit your sodium intake or simply aren't a fan of super salty flavors, then feel free to rinse the shredded cabbage.

Juniper berries and caraway seeds add beautiful flavor, but they also are anti-fungal and help to keep mold, yeast, and other microorganisms from growing that could ruin your developing kraut's flavor.

What vegetables go well with sauerkraut? ›

Probiotic-rich foods are a delicious way to include more beneficial bacteria in the diet. Even without eating dairy, vegans can enjoy an array of fermented foods and drinks that boost their gut health and overall well-being.

The probiotics and vitamins in the sauerkraut help remove toxins from the liver and regenerate new, healthy liver cells.

If you are refrigerating your sauerkraut, it should stay fresh for about four to six months after opening. It's important to know when you're using it and sealing it after each use because if new bacteria come in contact with it, it can immediately become spoiled.

It's up to you. If you're new to fermented foods, start off with a forkful a day to allow your gut to get used to the probiotics and fibre. Work your way up to two forkfuls a day over a month or so or simply enjoy it once or twice a week as a side to your main course.

About 70 percent of your immune system is in your gut, which means you want to consume things that promote gut health. Eating raw sauerkraut is one of the best ways to do this, and it also contains vitamins K, C & B, calcium, magnesium, dietary fiber, folate, iron, copper, manganese, and potassium.