19 Exciting Ways To Add More Sauerkraut To Your Life
Fermented cabbage has never been so popular. While those two words don't necessarily sound like they'd equate to a tasty foodstuff, the popularity of sauerkraut and kimchi beg to differ. Sauerkraut is the less spicy of these two cabbage kingpins. Its tart, tangy flavor is a hit with folks worldwide. Aside from having a pleasant taste, it's also one of those foods that your body will love you for eating. Its probiotic effect can promote good gut health, and its abundance of antioxidants and fiber may have potential benefits for your heart and the prevention of chronic diseases, per BBC Good Food.
But like its spicy cousin kimchi, sauerkraut is undeniably distinctive. This can lead some people to feel that it can overpower any dish they're planning to add it to. Before you know it, that jar of sauerkraut has been sitting at the back of your fridge for months, unopened, unused, and taking up space. But there's no need to fear the fermented goodness. When used correctly, sauerkraut can make a dish or situation even more exciting, and allow you to take advantage of all of those health benefits. Let's take a look at all the best ways to get more sauerkraut into your life.
1. Put it in a grilled cheese
If there's one thing a grilled cheese sandwich benefits from, it's something to cut through the creaminess of all that dairy. The popularity of the kimchi grilled cheese is a testament to this, with the sharpness and spice of the Korean cabbage dish providing a counterpart to the unctuous cheese.
But next time you go to make kimchi grilled cheese — or any grilled cheese, for that matter — try using sauerkraut. The tangy tones of sauerkraut work well to counterbalance the cheese and fat in the sandwich and complement the cheesy flavors. As an extra benefit, you'll also get a bonus boost of fiber from all that cabbage. Making a sauerkraut grilled cheese couldn't be simpler, too. Spread a forkful or two of kraut on top of the bottom layer of cheese, top with the second, cheese-covered piece of bread, and grill.
2. Combine it with potatoes
In our opinion, sauerkraut works best when it has more neutral flavors to play against. Things don't get much more neutral than the potato. When combined with potatoes, sauerkraut lifts the starchy vegetable, its acidity helping potato-based dishes seem less heavy. The potatoes, on the other hand, temper the acidity of the kraut. It's a match made in heaven.
For an easy potato-sauerkraut combo, try a potato and sauerkraut gratin. Layer thinly sliced potatoes in a casserole dish, and between each layer, add sauerkraut. When it's fully layered, pour over a cream that's been infused with herbs, spices, and garlic. Top it with cheese if you want things to be ultra-luxurious. Then bake in a hot oven. Including sauerkraut in this substantial dish helps to cut through any heaviness.
3. Add it to salad
If you're making a salad, you likely want to cram it full of the tastiest, freshest ingredients you can find. While fermented cabbage might not be the first thing you think of, sauerkraut is a natural fit in salads that can seriously elevate them. Sauerkraut's probiotic qualities give your salad a gut-boosting edge, and it becomes even more useful when combined with fresh veggies like tomatoes or onions, which are prebiotics. "This is because prebiotics are the food that probiotics feed on to boost your gut health," says registered dietitian Alyssa Pike to Well+Good.
That's before you consider the taste factor, which sauerkraut undeniably supplies. If you want to keep things quick and easy, a simple combo of arugula and sauerkraut makes for a delicious, no-stress salad, with the two foods complementing each other and providing a base for other flavors.
4. Throw it in a side dish
Side dishes are all about contrast. The best side dishes offer a different flavor and texture than the main meal, while also complementing it somehow, making the overall experience more exciting. If you're looking for ways to offer something new in your side dish, add sauerkraut. Its unique flavor is especially good in side dishes that accompany richer main courses like cuts of meat, stews, and stuffed dumplings.
Sauerkraut can also be an unusual way to spice up a holiday table. Apples and sauerkraut make a delicious addition to a Thanksgiving plate, providing a sweet and sour element. Sauté apples and onions until they're soft, and then add in vinegar, mustard seed, sugar, sauerkraut, a bay leaf, and butter. Put the whole thing in a casserole dish, or a slow cooker, and allow it to cook on low for several hours, before serving.
5. Use it in coleslaw instead of regular cabbage
Are you craving coleslaw, but don't have any fresh cabbage to hand? Sauerkraut is the next best thing — and it could make your coleslaw even better. Using sauerkraut instead of regular cabbage gives the coleslaw natural acidity, without the need to add extra vinegar or heavy dressings.
Additionally, using sauerkraut can make the whole thing even more healthy. Its probiotic effects reinforce coleslaw's already-nutritious nature and excellent vitamin A content, according to BBC Good Food. Using sauerkraut instead of coleslaw is probably better suited for lighter slaws, instead of creamy mayo-based recipes. Bear in mind that sauerkraut is usually a little softer than fresh cabbage, so there may be less crunch than you're used to. Adding in some extra fresh carrot, however, can help to bring more crunch factor.
6. Make it into a tasty snack
If game day is coming up, you might be desperately looking for a snack to serve that isn't the same-old boring bowl of chips and salsa. Sauerkraut is here to the rescue, folks. Sauerkraut delivers a flavor punch to any snacks you're serving, from nachos to deviled eggs. Plus, you get to add a boost of goodness to your planned menu, too.
Our favorite choice for a snack that sneaks in sauerkraut is crispy sauerkraut-ham fritters. These amped-up croquettes combine savory, sour, and spicy flavors for a mind-blowing appetizer. You just have to combine cooked potatoes with sauerkraut, chopped ham, green onions, dill pickles for extra acidity, some seasonings, and a binding agent like flour or breadcrumbs. Shape them into balls, coat them with extra breadcrumbs, and deep-fry them until golden and crisp. Dust with cayenne or paprika, and serve.
7. Stir it through your stew
Stews are meant to be hearty and rich — the kind of food that sticks to your bones. But they also need a bit of acidity and sharpness to stop them from being somewhat of a chore to chomp through. Sauerkraut is the perfect way to add this, with a few forkfuls from the fridge added before you cook your stew to balance out the flavors. As well as this, sauerkraut adds additional vegetables to the stew and bulks it out so it can serve more people.
Sauerkraut works best in stews centered around fattier, heavier meats like pork, such as in this smoky pork stew. The kraut is stirred through the stew mixture — which also contains pork shoulder, fresh cabbage, and mushrooms — before everything gently simmers for six hours. Thanks to its long cooking time, the sauerkraut becomes soft and tender.
8. Put it on your pizza
You can put anything on a pizza. This has led to some bizarre toppings out there on pies around the world — from mashed potatoes to crab rangoon. For some people, putting sauerkraut on your pizza might also seem pretty wild. But trust us, it works.
Sauerkraut has actually been used as a pizza topping in parts of the world like Germany for decades, and it makes sense. The tangy punch of sauerkraut cuts through any denser, fattier toppings you might be using, like cheese or spiced sausage, and makes each bite light and vibrant. If your local pizza joint doesn't offer a sauerkraut topping choice, don't sweat it. Just take a bit out of the jar in the fridge, layer it on your slice, and head to flavor paradise.
9. Put it in a burger
People will go to extreme lengths to make their burgers more interesting. But sometimes, what that patty really needed was sitting in the fridge all along. Sauerkraut works similarly to pickles in burgers, as a way to brighten up an otherwise-heavy sandwich with a hit of sourness. The lightly funky flavor of sauerkraut is especially good with the mellowness of beef.
In our opinion, sauerkraut is the perfect topping when a burger is particularly meaty. In these situations, sauerkraut holds its own and makes a monster sandwich somehow taste lighter and fresh. Simply put a forkful of sauerkraut on top of the patty before you crown it with the second bun, in place of the pickle slices you'd normally use. Then, chow down.
10. Blend sauerkraut into a smoothie
Okay, we know that this one sounds kinda crazy. But trust us. One of the key problems with vegetable smoothies is they sometimes taste, for want of a better word, a little grassy. You need something to level the taste out, but you don't want to add in a load of extra ingredients that'll take away from the healthiness of the drink.
Enter sauerkraut. As a vegetable product, sauerkraut is the perfect way to lift your smoothie, giving it a bit of a punch while also adding extra probiotic benefits. Add in some kraut alongside your other vegetables, and blend everything until smooth. If you need to thin things out, add some sauerkraut juice. Not only will it add additional flavor, but has health benefits too. A study published in Phytotherapy Research found that sauerkraut juice may have an anticancer effect on rats.
11. Add it to your sandwich
In our opinion, the quickest way to make a sandwich more interesting is with a spoonful of sauerkraut. That's something that the person who invented the classic Reuben sandwich clearly understood too. The timeless sandwich combines corned beef, sauerkraut, cheese, and dressing to make a taste sensation.
But the thing is, even if you're not making a Reuben, sauerkraut is still an awesome addition to anything you're putting between two slices of bread. Sauerkraut pairs well with other cured meats, like salami, prosciutto, and pepperoni. It's equally as good when prepared with classic deli ham, where it cuts through the meat's saltiness using its sharp vinegar tones. Sauerkraut is also great in roast chicken sandwiches, and can even be an awesome addition to smoked salmon and cream cheese bagels, adding the sourness that capers can often provide.
12. Make a kraut-tini
We're always looking for new twists on classic cocktails, and the kraut-tini might be our favorite yet. This sauerkraut-infused drink is inspired by the dirty martini, which uses olive juice to add additional flavor and diffuse the harshness of the vodka. Using sauerkraut juice has a similar effect, but it also adds a light funkiness that makes the drink much more interesting.
All you have to do is make a martini as you regularly would, and then add in a tablespoon of sauerkraut juice, straight from the jar. Shake it all together with ice, and strain it into a super-fancy glass. If you wish, you can also make your own garnish out of sauerkraut, by spearing some pieces with a cocktail stick. We'll leave that fiddly job to you, though, while we enjoy our drink.
13. Use sauerkraut in a casserole
When casseroles are done right, they don't need anything else accompanying them. But that also means that good casseroles have to hit the mark and cover every aspect of the flavor spectrum. Once you try sauerkraut in a casserole, you won't go back. Sauerkraut brings astringency to a casserole dish that levels out the richer, deeper flavor notes.
Kraut is very good with meat-based casseroles and is an essential part of Gelegtes Kraut, a German casserole dish. Sauerkraut is combined with browned pork and sausage, and cooked cabbage, and then mixed with rice and sour cream. The whole thing is seasoned and put in the oven to bake, with extra kraut on top for good measure, and the result is a piping-hot one-pot dish that's savory, creamy, and sour, all at once.
14. Ask for it on your hot dog
Is there a better combination than hot dogs and sauerkraut? The two are a match made in the stars. Yet somehow, when folks get to the front of the line at the hot dog stand, they skip the kraut entirely and opt for boring old ketchup and mustard. That needs to stop, y'all.
Sauerkraut is the perfect accompaniment to fatty, juicy dogs, with the cabbage working with the savory meat to deliver a dynamite flavor combo. It's a key component in hot dog styles like the Kansas City dog and the Seattle dog, with kraut often going alongside peppers, onions, and even cream cheese in the latter. In truth, though, sauerkraut goes with pretty much any hot dog style you're accustomed to. The best part is that it's easy to work with and won't spill everywhere when you take a bite.
15. Put it on sushi
While this may seem like a left-field suggestion, sauerkraut and sushi go better than you might think. Sauerkraut's tangy flavor profile and its crunchy texture offset the more neutral, soft rice and salty fish well. It's the same principle that makes pickled ginger so tasty with sushi and such an effective contrast.
If you're using regular sauerkraut, it's best to try and find a sweeter brand, as the increased sweetness will offer the best pairing with the saltier, umami flavors. Alternatively, try and seek out a sauerkraut that's specifically tailored for use with sushi. Wildbrine's Organic Arame Ginger Sauerkraut is an awesome choice, with the ginger in its blend supplying the pepperiness that works so well with sushi and raw fish, while the cabbage brings crunch and sourness.
16. Use sauerkraut to top your tacos
Everyone knows that a good taco is all about balance. There's gotta be some crunch somewhere. If you're used to topping your tacos with shredded cabbage or slaw, why not try sauerkraut instead? Trust us, you'll get just as much of that all-important crunch. Plus, the slight acidity that kraut has will brighten up all of the other flavors. It also means you'll need to buy fewer limes to squeeze over the top, as the kraut juice will have you covered.
Sauerkraut works especially well with grilled fish tacos, thanks to the fairly mild flavor of white fish, which lets the sauerkraut taste shine. Assemble your tacos, and simply add sauerkraut where you'd normally put on the shredded cabbage. For a super time-saver, try and find hot or smoky sauerkraut, which will add spice, so you won't have to add as much hot sauce.
17. Mix it into egg salad
Egg salad is a lunchtime classic, but it's pretty easy to make one that's boring and one-note. That's where pickles come in. Pickles are often chopped up and put into egg salad to add a vinegary, slightly tart flavor, that gives the salad a brightness and stops it from being too cloying and creamy.
But next time you come to make a classic egg salad, take out the pickles, and add sauerkraut instead. Sauerkraut has a similar effect to pickles in an egg salad, adding a sourness that contributes to flavor. But it also has a slightly funky edge to it — one that works especially well with the eggs. The texture of the cabbage, meanwhile, adds extra crunch and holds its own against the celery and onion. Just make sure you're chopping up your sauerkraut finely, so you don't get any stringy bits.
18. Brine your chicken with it
If you're a fried chicken pro, you'll know that brining the meat before you dredge it in flour is essential. Brining chicken in a salty, fragrant liquid helps it to stay moist, as well as adding flavor to the meat, giving you an altogether more delicious result.
While a salt solution brine is common, recently people have begun to brine with more adventurous items, like pickle juice and kimchi. We're here to make the case for sauerkraut. Brining fried chicken in sauerkraut has several advantages. Like kimchi and pickle juice, brining it in sauerkraut gives the chicken a more powerful flavor, with the sourness imbuing the meat, along with any spices that may be in the kraut.
19. Make soup with sauerkraut
Cabbage soup has a seriously bad rep. But in Eastern European countries, cabbage-based soups are treasured dishes that are part of many nation's cuisines. In Ukraine, kapustnyak is a common cabbage soup that can be rustled together with just a few ingredients. When made right, it's a real winner.
But you needn't use fresh cabbage to make your own spin on Ukrainian kapustnyak. Instead, use sauerkraut to make a tangier version of this soup. Making kapustnyak is as simple as throwing sauerkraut in a pot alongside some other vegetables like carrot, celery, and onion, and simmering it with some vegetable or meat stock. If you want to bulk it out even more, though, you can add in meats like bacon or sausage.