Kimchi-Style Fermented Sauerkraut

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Whether you’re an avid kimchi-lover or you’ve never had it, you are going to love this kimchi-style sauerkraut! It combines the spicy, salty, umami flavors of kimchi with the crunch and lightness of sauerkraut. Plus, it’s lacto-fermented, offering loads of gut benefits.

I used to think I didn’t like kimchi – I have no idea what I was thinking!

After I was invited to a “kimchi party” where each member brought a variety of veggies and we all made a unique jar of kimchi to take home, I was hooked. The homemade kimchi that I made at the party was absolutely addictive, and before I knew it, I was scrambling to make another batch!

I’ve been experimenting with different kimchi recipes for the past couple of years since then, and I’ve finally settled on one that I will gladly make again and again. 

It doesn’t use the traditional kimchi process of soaking the cabbage in salt water, rinsing it, and mixing it with a rice flour and gochugaru paste, but rather uses a method more similar to homemade sauerkraut and other lacto-fermented vegetables, such as fermented dill pickles. 

This kimchi also uses savoy cabbage, which I would describe as a cross between napa cabbage and regular green cabbage. It provides a little more crunch than napa cabbage but has a much more tender, pleasant texture than green cabbage. 

If you like fermented foods, you are going to love this kimchi-inspired sauerkraut. It is salty, spicy, tangy, and truly addicting!

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Why You’ll Love This Recipe

Flavorful: This kimchi-style sauerkraut has all of the spicy, sour flavor of a good kimchi. It is delicious on its own and adds a splash of flavor to any dish!

Preserve your veggies: One of the many benefits of fermentation is that it preserves fresh vegetables for up to a year! You can grow your own carrots, radishes, and cabbage, then preserve them by making this fermented kimchi.

Gut benefits: Another benefit of fermented veggies — they are full of live, active probiotics that feed your gut microbiome.

Customizable: As long as you follow the basic salinity rules, you can use whatever veggies you want in this recipe! Get creative and use what you have in the fridge.

Ingredients

• Savoy cabbage: I’ve tried napa cabbage and green cabbage in this recipe, and I strongly prefer it with savoy cabbage! It is textured and tender like napa cabbage, but it doesn’t get so mushy when it’s fermented. You can substitute any type of cabbage, though.
• Carrots: Give the kimchi a nice, crunchy texture, because they don’t soften as much as the other ingredients.
• Radishes or turnips: I usually use white turnips because I often have a lot of them, but the more traditional choice would be daikon radishes or Korean radishes. Any of them will work!
• Green onions: Also called scallions, these add a lot of oniony flavor to the kimchi.
• Garlic and ginger: Fresh is best and will provide the most flavor! In a pinch, dried will also work.
• Gochugaru: Gochugaru is made of dried Korean chili flakes. I get mine at Whole Foods (look for Mother-in-Law’s brand) or at Mountain Rose Herbs.
• Salt: Any sea salt will work, but don’t use iodized table salt.
• Water: You want dechlorinated water — this can be filtered or distilled, or you can let it sit out for a couple of days so the chlorine dissipates.

Equipment Needed 

• Kitchen scale: Weighing your ingredients is recommended to get a precise salinity and prevent mold and bacteria growth in your ferments.
• Jar: I really like the Weck 1-liter tulip jars for this recipe, but you can also use a quart mason jar.
• Fermentation weight: Glass fermentation weights help to keep everything submerged under the brine, which is critical to preventing mold from ruining your kimchi.
• Fermentation lid: This is optional, but it can be helpful for keeping bacteria out while still allowing gas to release. You can also set a lid on your jar without the band or use a Weck jar without the gasket and clamps.

How to Make Kimchi Sauerkraut

Step 7. Store: Once the kimchi sauerkraut reaches your desired flavor, switch to an airtight lid and transfer the jar to the fridge. You can remove the fermentation weight, but make sure your cabbage remains covered by the brine to prevent mold. 

Kimchi vs. Sauerkraut

Kimchi is a very broad term in Korean cuisine — it can mean a variety of vegetables prepared in a variety of ways, the most common being lacto-fermentation.

The most well-known type of kimchi is baechu-kimchi, which is salted and fermented napa cabbage with gochugaru, green onions, ginger, and other ingredients. That’s what this recipe is inspired by!

Sauerkraut, on the other hand, is always lacto-fermented cabbage. While it can have other ingredients, sauerkraut most often has just two ingredients: cabbage and salt.

This kimchi-style sauerkraut uses a similar brining process that we use for homemade sauerkraut, but it includes some ingredients you usually see in kimchi, like green onions, gochugaru, root vegetables, ginger, and garlic. It has a very similar flavor to kimchi, but it’s more crunchy and a bit simpler to make!

Tips for Making Kimchi Sauerkraut

• I recommend using organic ingredients whenever possible.
• This recipe uses 2.5% salinity. If you want to use different vegetables, just swap them out gram for gram with other vegetables in the recipe.
• Store your kimchi sauerkraut in the refrigerator once it’s done with the initial ferment. It will last around a year if everything remains submerged under the brine.
• It’s important to have everything submerged under the brine while it’s fermenting to prevent mold from growing. You can put a whole cabbage leaf over the top to hold down floaters if needed. If you find mold on your kimchi, unfortunately, it’s recommended to toss it and start over.
• During the first few days of fermentation, the jar will likely overflow. I recommend keeping it on a baking tray or bowl to catch the liquid that spills out.

FAQs

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🌶️ Enjoy the tangy, salty joy of fermented foods with this easy recipe! If you try this kimchi-style fermented sauerkraut and love it, I’d love it if you come back and leave a review. Thanks for visiting!