Jump to Recipe Jump to Video Print Recipe

Sauerkraut slaw, or salad, is a great way to add probiotics to your diet. It’s a simple and quick dish that you can whip up at the last minute.

Sauerkraut is a popular ingredient in Polish cooking so it’s no wonder that a sauerkraut slaw – or is it salad? – is a popular side dish. It’s a very simple recipe and it’s quick to make. It’s often an afterthought dish for me when I realize at the last minute that I’m missing a side.

If you love sauerkraut, you will be impressed with how delicious this side dish is. The sauerkraut is the star of the dish here so it is prominent, front and center in all its sour glory. Because we are using cold sauerkraut for this dish we are not really altering its flavour, just enhancing it.

Sauerkraut is really good for you so of ocurse this slaw is also super healthy. It is a great source of probiotics and vitamin K and is great for digestion. It’s definitely an acquired taste but I highly encourage you to give it a try.

Preparing Sauerkraut Slaw

Ingredients

Sauerkraut: Sauerkraut is made by finely slicing raw cabbage, covering it with salt and letting the fermenting process take its course. Once the cabbage starts releasing its juices, the jars are sealed. Before the sealing, some may add wine or spices to flavour the sauerkraut.

Carrot: This root vegetable is slightly sweet, bright and filled with vitamin A and fibre. Baby-cut carrots are just smaller pieces cut from a larger carrot.

Onion: Onion is a very common vegetable that is used both raw and cooked in food preparation. It has a sharp flavour raw that often sweetens once cooked. There are many varieties of onions, some that are milder than others. We use the common onion or yellow onion in this recipe.

Oil: I use olive oil for this recipe because of its mild flavour. Olive oil is the fat extracted from olives. The least processed is extra virgin olive oil, which I use in this recipe.

How to Make Sauerkraut Slaw

I get my sauerkraut at a European store so it may look a little different than what you find in your local grocery store. Not to worry, it will taste just as delicious when we’re all done.

The sauerkraut I use is fermented with shredded carrots so I do not add fresh carrots to my slaw. I find that the sauerkraut in my local grocery store is saltier so the fresh carrots really balance it out well. With all of that said you can skip the carrots and save yourself some grating.

The sauerkraut will be submerged in a liquid. We want to strain the sauerkraut from this liquid for this slaw. BUT don’t waste the liquid. It’s so delicious and healthy to drink!!

I suggest you have a taste of the sauerkraut once it’s strained and determine if it is too sour for you or not. If it is too sour

, rinse it in the strainer under cold water just a little bit. Taste again, and continue until you’ve achieved your desired flavour.

Add the sauerkraut to a medium bowl.

Next, grate the carrot, if you’re adding some, and peel and dice the onion. Add the veggies to the sauerkraut.

Finally, add the oil, salt, pepper and a little bit of sugar if you want to tame the sour flavour further.

Stir everything together until well combined.

Serving Sauerkraut Slaw

I love this salad or slaw on the side of boiled or mashed potatoes. The potatoes balance the strong flavour of the sauerkraut slaw so well.

I don’t always eat this salad as a dinner side. Very often I eat it on its own as a snack. It’s surprisingly filling!

Let us know in the comments if you have any questions. And if you like this recipe be sure to leave us a five-star rating below.

Are you looking for dinner ideas? Check out our recipes: