Easy Beet and Cabbage Sauerkraut
Beet and cabbage sauerkraut is a simple ferment that combines cabbage, naturally sweet beets, garlic, and onions for a rich flavored, beautifully colored kraut. With just salt and time, this easy recipe creates a probiotic-rich side that’s as nourishing as it is delicious.
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One thing I’ve learned about fermenting foods ever since creating my first easy vegetable pickle/ferment – is that once you start you will want to make more with different vegetables!
It’s just so easy to make and the vegetables turn out so delicious that it’s just a bonus that they are good for gut health. Whether it’s a fermented corn relish that you can use with tacos and sausages, fermented jalapeños to top everything from burgers to tostadas, or a mild sauerkraut that you can add to salads and sandwiches, you will find that you can use fermented foods to add flavor to so many things.
The ferment I find myself making the most regularly, though, is sauerkraut. While it takes the most time to ferment, it lasts a long time and is the easiest for me to add to my daily salads.
So I’ve been experimenting with different flavors and when the garden started producing beets, I knew I had to try a beet and cabbage kraut. I love the naturally sweet flavor of beets (like, really love them – these traditionally pickled beets are another daily salad staple!) and knew that their flavor would only make the kraut that much better.
And did it! Not only did it create a wonderful flavor, it also created a beautifully colored sauerkraut that looks great with foods. It’s turned out to be a fun addition to my daily ferments.
Recipe Ingredients
Ingredient Notes
Like most ferments, the ingredients are simple:
- Shredded cabbage. Want a shortcut? Purchase bags of shredded cabbage!
- Grated beets. You need to use raw beets for this ferment as precooked beets will break down too much with the fermenting time.
- Salt. Salt is a must-have ingredients in all ferments, it is what helps keep the bad bacteria at bay while allowing the good bacteria to form. It also keeps the food crunchy and provides that pickled flavor.
- Other ingredients. I’ve added onions and garlic to this ferment since they are favorites of mine. You could also add spices like ginger or caraway if those sound good to you.
SALT TIP
If you’re worried about salt in your diet and would like to minimize it as much as possible, you can go down to the smallest amount needed to keep the ferment healthy (if that’s lower than the recipe you’re following). According to this Cultures for Health article, 1-3 tablespoons of salt is the rule for a medium head of cabbage (or 1 tablespoon of salt for every 1 3/4 pounds of vegetables) so you could use the minimum, 1 tablespoon, and should still get a good ferment. Experiment with the salt level you prefer, but don’t go lower than the minimum amount.
How to Make Beet and Cabbage Sauerkraut
Here are a few helpful visual instructions – the full instructions with exact ingredients can be found in the printable recipe card below.
Step 1: Mix all ingredients in a large stainless or ceramic bowl (don’t use plastic). Use a potato masher to crush the ingredients as you mix them well.
Step 2: Cover the bowl and let sit 30 minutes. If you remember, stir and crush at the halfway mark (I don’t always and it’s okay). You should see the mixture releasing juices.
Step 3: Transfer the cabbage-beet mixture into a wide-mouth quart jar. It’s easiest to use a canning funnel to do this.
Step 4: Pack down the vegetable mixture using the wooden spoon (or a special cabbage pounder if you have one). Be very firm with this – you want to pack it tight enough that the juices cover the vegetables in the end.
TIP: Transfer the cabbage-beet mixture in stages, pressing each amount down firmly before adding more. This is the best way to get the mixture packed in as tightly as possible.
Step 5: Add a glass weight to the top of the vegetable mixture (I’ve tried different weights and this is the easiest to remove from jars). Press down to make sure that all the vegetables are below the juices. (Some people use a cabbage leaf to press down the top instead of a weight.)
Step 6: Add an air lock fermenting lid and let sit for about 7-10 days. While I prefer regular sauerkraut to ferment for 2 weeks, this was a good flavor after about a week. After it’s done, remove the air lock lid and replace it with a regular storage lid.
PREFERRED FERMENTING LID
I’ve been using the Easy Fermenter Lids (there’s also a starter kit with a pump) for many years now – they’ve become popular enough that now that there are many knockoffs on Amazon. I do not know about these, so am still recommending the OG Easy Fermenter Lids. They used to have a website and be available other places, but now seem to be only available on Amazon (sadly, maybe that’s what happens to a small company that gets undercut with foreign copycat products…).
Storage
After fermenting at room temperature, store this in the refrigerator with a regular storage lid for up to 6 months (and probably a year as this has been a traditional way to preserve cabbage for centuries).
Ways to Eat Sauerkraut
Sometimes we make things like sauerkraut and aren’t sure how they would fit into our regular meals. You only need a couple tablespoons for the probiotic health benefits. Here are some ways I enjoy eating kraut (and other fermented foods):
- Topping a green salad. This is how I eat it mostly on my daily lunch salad.
- Inside a toasted cheese or meat sandwich. The classic reuben is a deli lunch staple, but I’ve found kraut is wonderful in any grilled or toasted sandwiches.
- Inside a regular sub-style sandwich.
- As a topping for tacos and tostadas. This is especially good with fish tacos!
- Served alongside sausages or sliced beef. A little kraut with a slice of meat is SO good.
I hope you enjoy this beet and cabbage sauerkraut – if you make it, be sure to leave a rating and review so I know how you liked it!
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Easy Beet and Cabbage Sauerkraut Recipe
Equipment
- large stainless steel bowl, or other non-plastic bowl
- large wooden spoon or cabbage crusher
- 1 quart wide-mouth mason jar
- 1 air lock fermenting lid like Easy Fermenter Lids
Ingredients
Instructions
- Mix all ingredients in a large stainless or ceramic bowl (don’t use plastic). Use a potato masher to crush the ingredients as you mix them well.
- Cover the bowl and let sit 30 minutes. If you remember, stir and crush at the halfway mark (I don’t always and it’s okay). You should see the mixture releasing juices.
- Transfer the cabbage-beet mixture into a wide-mouth quart jar. It's easiest to use a canning funnel to do this. Pack down the vegetable mixture using the wooden spoon (or a special cabbage crusher if you have one). Be very firm with this – you want to pack it tight enough that the juices cover the vegetables in the end.
- TIP: Transfer the cabbage-beet mixture in stages, pressing each amount down firmly before adding more. This is the best way to get the mixture packed in as tightly as possible.
- Add a glass weight to the top of the vegetable mixture. Press down to make sure that all the vegetables are below the juices. (Some people use a cabbage leaf to press down the top instead of a weight.)
- Add an air lock fermenting lid and let sit for about 7 days. You can go as long as 10 days – taste to see if you like the flavor. After it's done, remove the air lock lid and replace it with a regular storage lid.
- After fermenting at room temperature, store this in the refrigerator with a regular storage lid for up to 6 months (and probably a year as this has been a traditional way to preserve cabbage for centuries).
Nutrition
Your Questions Answered
Yes. You can place the jar on a plate (to catch any overflows) and then use a regular mason jar lid. You’ll have to “burp” it 1-2 times a day to release gasses. Still use a weight (or large cabbage leaf) to keep the kraut submerged in the liquid.
You may also have to deal with mold that develops. Some scrape it off the top and others don’t use it if its there – it would be your call. (And one of the reasons I love these lids!)
Yes, especially if you’re using an air lock lid. As long is there is no mold, it’s fine.
Yes, you can ferment it as long as you want! If it’s only the saltiness, you could add a small amount of distilled water to the ferment before storing in the fridge to make it more to your taste (the ferment slows way down in the fridge, so it’s okay at that point for the salt ratio to be lower).
More Healthy Ferments to Try
- Easiest Pickled Fermented Vegetables Ever – How to Ferment Carrots, Cauliflower, and More
- 5-Minute Foolproof Fermented Corn Relish Recipe
- Super Easy Fermented Pickled Jalapeños Recipe
This is easy and so delicious! I plan to make it regularly so as to always have it on hand, a new staple in our refrigerator. And so far, I’ve mostly just been eating it straight up … it’s that good!
Oh, that’s how I feel too, Lauren – straight off the spoon sometimes, ha! So glad you like this – thanks for reviewing. 🙂
Jamie, do I grate the raw beets or shred fine? In the picture the beets look shredded. Thank you.
Barb
I just grated on a regular grater – it doesn’t matter, if you want them a finer grate you can do that.