Sauerkraut salad isn’t just for cookouts or potlucks anymore — it’s the colorful, crunchy side dish that brightens any plate in every season. Tangy, fresh, and loaded with nutrition, this easy salad keeps beautifully for days in the fridge, making it perfect for meal prep or quick weeknight dinners.
Made from crisp cabbage that’s been fermented into sauerkraut, this recipe adds a lively punch of probiotics, fiber, and vitamins — all dressed in a simple sweet-and-sour marinade that lets the vegetables shine. Every bite delivers a balance of zing, crunch, and color that pairs as easily with grilled brats as it does with roasted chicken or a sandwich at lunch.
Sauerkraut has long been known as one of the world’s original “superfoods.” It’s rich in vitamins C and K, low in calories, and naturally supports gut health — all while bringing bold flavor to your table. Whether you’re eating clean or just love a side with personality, this kraut salad is an easy way to add freshness and flair to everyday meals.
Sauerkraut salad may seem like an unlikely idea. Wait, isn’t sauerkraut something that goes on bratwurst? The answer is yes! However, when you combine sauerkraut with crispy, colorful veggies and one surprise ingredient in a tangy marinade, something amazing and magical happens.
Sauerkraut is finely cut raw cabbage that has been salted and fermented. It has a long shelf life and a distinctive sour flavor, resulting from the lactic acid formed when bacteria ferment the sugars in the cabbage leaves. It is one of Germany's best-known national dishes.
Here’s your language lesson for today! The word sauerkraut comes from the German words “sauer” and “kraut,” meaning sour cabbage. The word “sauer” in German also means acidic, so the German term for “cabbage fermented by lactic acid” is perfectly descriptive.
This all may make you think sauerkraut originated in Germany. But in fact, it’s another invention of the Chinese! Two thousand years ago, they fermented cabbage in rice wine!
Sauerkraut is made from cabbage, the same vegetable that stars in coleslaw. But when cabbage is fermented to become sauerkraut, it becomes something more. It’s versatile and tastes great, but sauerkraut is well known as a “superfood.” In fact, it’s one of the top-ranked foods recommended for a healthy diet.
Sauerkraut is low in calories and loaded with folate, vitamin B6, riboflavin, thiamin, and vitamins C and K. If you want the highest nutrition and maximum benefits of probiotics, select fresh sauerkraut from the refrigerated section. Probiotics are destroyed during the heat processing of kraut. In addition, choose sauerkraut made without vinegar. Cabbage and salt should be the only ingredients listed.
Everything in this salad is fresh, raw, colorful, and delicious! It’s a thing of beauty to watch it come together. First, I dumped the bag of fresh refrigerated sauerkraut, undrained, into a large bowl.
I used red, green, and yellow peppers, plus chopped carrots to add punch. The surprise ingredient? A crisp apple, unpeeled and chopped, is the lone fruit in the mix, but it sure adds a bright touch of flavor!
To my eyes, this kraut salad was becoming an artful composition! Celery added more crunch, and sweet onion helped marry all the flavors. Use red onion if you like for even more color!
Now, make a simple dressing of sugar, vinegar, oil, salt, and pepper. I heated the vinegar and oil on the stove and stirred until the sugar dissolved completely. Then I added the oil, salt, and pepper, cooled it, and poured the dressing over the veggies.
This kraut salad improves as it marinates in the fridge. For maximum flavor, wait a day or two before you eat it. (I know, it’s tempting!) But remember, it will stay crisp and fresh in the refrigerator for two weeks or more. It’s a great side dish, perfect with brats or pulled pork. You might even use it as a topping for burgers, brats, or hot dogs!
I doubled the recipe when I made it because the kraut came in a 32-ounce bag. It was a holiday weekend, and I wanted to share it. If there were any leftovers, we’d still have lots of time to enjoy them at home!
A crisp, tangy, colorful salad that's loaded with fresh veggies! So good and so good for you!! Make it anytime, and it's extra good in the summer when fresh garden produce is abundant! It's perfect for picnics because there's no mayo!
We love salads, and they really add so much to mealtime. Every time I have a great salad with dinner, I think I should have one at every meal! Here are a couple of our favorites.
🥒Danish Cucumber Salad Our whole family loves this Danish-style cucumber salad, and it works with any menu, any time of the year, because it's crisp and crunchy, a little bit sweet, and a little bit salty. Around our house, this dish is affectionately known as "cukies."
🧀Old School Cottage Cheese Salad. An iconic salad bar favorite from the golden age of steakhouses. Still a favorite today.
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Love, GB (Betty Streff)
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I doubled it as well so not to waste ingredients. Looks just like the picture! Can't wait to taste it in 24 hours! The prep time was much longer than stated with all the chopping.
This is delicious. Maybe use slightly less sugar next time. Can I freeze leftovers?
I’m delighted to hear you like the salad! I was away from my computer yesterday so I emailed you directly instead. I would hesitate to freeze the leftovers but I haven’t tried. It will stay fresh in the fridge for two weeks I think. I’ll look at it again when I’m home. Hope you are having a great holiday weekend.