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The festive season calls for homemade gifts like this apple spiced sauerkraut. It’s simple to make and packed with flavor from finely sliced apples, cabbage, ginger, and spices. The sweetness of the apples balances the cabbage’s natural sharpness, while caraway seeds and juniper berries add a subtle spiced note that feels right for the holidays.
Sauerkraut isn’t just delicious, it’s also one of the easiest fermented foods to make at home. Fermentation boosts gut health, supports digestion, and helps strengthen the immune system, making it a smart addition to cold weather meals. Once ready, this apple spiced sauerkraut keeps for weeks in the fridge and develops more depth as it sits.
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It’s ideal for gifting in jars or serving as a holiday side. Try it with roasted vegetables, sandwiches, or a vegan charcuterie board. Its crisp texture and tangy-sweet flavor brighten heavier seasonal dishes and add a homemade touch to any festive table.
Prep your apple spiced sauerkraut
Ingredients
- 1 head of white cabbage
- 1 ½ tablespoons of sea salt or pink Himalayan salt
- 3 apples finely sliced
- 1 tbsp of fresh grated ginger
- 1 tbsp of juniper berry
- 1 tbsp of caraway seeds
Instructions
- Pull 3 outer leaves off the head of the cabbage and set aside. Shred the remaining cabbage in a food processor, mandolin or chop with a sharp knife. Add it to a big bowl.
- To the same bowl add the apples, ginger, juniper berries and caraway seeds. Sprinkle with sea salt. Mix and massage vigorously the sea salt into the cabbage for about 5 minutes.
- Set the cabbage aside and let it sit for about 1 hour so the sea salt has time to draw out the liquid and make the cabbage soft.
- Massage the cabbage mixture again with your hands for another 5 minutes until liquid comes out when squeezed.
- Pack the cabbage in the Kilner jar tightly with your hands. Push it all the way down until it submerges in its own juices (this is the brine).
- Repeat this until there is about 1½ inches of space from the top of the jar
- Roll up the leaves and place them in the jar to push the cabbage under the brine.
- Screw on the jar loosely so gas can escape as fermentation takes place. Place the jar in a dark and warm place for 7 to 10 days. Make sure to place a plate under the mason jar in case some liquid spills out.
- During fermentation the sauerkraut will bubble a little and become cloudy, that’s totally normal! Once it’s ready to be eaten remove the rolled up cabbage leaves on top and throw it in the compost before eating.
- Store the sauerkraut in the fridge for 2-3 weeks.
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