Satisfy nearly every flavor craving — sour, salty, savory, and sweet — with Sauerkraut Salad! This easy dish comes together in under ten minutes and is super satisfying and filling.

You know that feeling when you get your hands on a salad that tastes so good, you think to yourself “now this is how a salad should be.” That’s exactly how you’ll feel with this delicious, crunchy, savory cold sauerkraut salad.
For this dish, we’re mixing together a long list of diced up veggies and topping them off with some zingy sauerkraut and a delicious (slightly sweet) dressing. It comes together in about 10 minutes and requires at least 30 minutes of “chill time” in the fridge. But the longer it sits, the better it tastes!
Reader rating
“This recipe is pretty, delightful and healthy, especially if you use probiotic sauerkraut.” —Cath
Ingredients in cold sauerkraut salad
This salad is packed with everything good — crunchy veggies, savory, sour and salty flavors.
Salad
- Sauerkraut: Start with 4 cups of juicy sauerkraut. Feeling adventurous? Here’s how to make your own!
- Onion: Next you’ll need to dice up 1 medium white onion.
- Celery: For celery, dice up 2 full ribs.
- Bell Pepper: Next, throw in 1 diced bell pepper. Any color works well here!
- Carrot: Follow that up with a diced carrot.
- Pimento Peppers: Lastly for the salad, include 1 4-oz jar of pimento peppers. Strain them before adding to the salad.
Dressing
- Sugar: Sweeten up the salad by including ¼ cup of sugar in the dressing. While sugar may sound odd in a salad, it is crucial in helping to bring balance to this salad (we’ve also reduced the amount of sugar significantly, most sauerkraut salad recipes include over 1 cup of sugar!)
- Oil: Give it an oil base with 2 tablespoons of oil.
- Apple Cider Vinegar: Next, include 2 tablespoons of ACV.
- Dijon: Follow that up with 1 teaspoon of Dijon mustard.
- Salt: Last but not least, ½ teaspoon of salt brings the entire dish together!
How to make this sauerkraut salad recipe
Making this salad is as simple as chopping and mixing. Start by cutting your veggies, and then toss ’em in a bowl with the kraut. Add the dressing, chill, and enjoy!
Step 1: Prep the veggies
Chop all of the vegetables that need chopping.
Step 2: Mix the ingredients
In a large salad bowl, toss together all of the salad ingredients.
Step 3: Create the dressing
In a small bowl, whisk together the dressing ingredients.
Step 4: Combine the salad and dressing
Drizzle the dressing over the salad and toss everything to combine.
Step 5: Refrigerate and enjoy
This salad is best if refrigerated for at least 30 minutes before serving, though it gets better with time!
Optional ingredients to add
So you want to add to your salad, but you’re stumped on what could work! Well, I’ve got some solutions. Like a little heat? Throw in some chopped jalapeños for a kick. Add some refreshing flavor with a chopped cucumber. Or, mix things up by using red onion for extra potency.
More fun salad recipes
Fill up on some more fun salad options that are so loaded, they hardly feel like salads at all!
Ingredients
Salad
- 4 cups sauerkraut 480 g
- 1 medium white onion diced
- 2 ribs celery diced
- 1 green bell pepper diced
- 1 carrot diced
- 1 4-oz jar pimento peppers drained, 113 g
Dressing
- ¼ cup sugar 25 g
- 2 Tbsp oil 30 mL
- 2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar 30 mL
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard 5 g
- ½ tsp salt
Instructions
- Prep: Chop all veggies that need chopping.
- Salad: In a large bowl, toss together all of the Salad ingredients.
- Dressing: In a small bowl, whisk together all of the Dressing ingredients.
- Mix: Drizzle dressing over salad and toss to combine.
- Refrigerate: Best if refrigerated at least 30 minutes before serving, though it gets better with time!
Susan says
I add some radishes in mine. There are not as hot as jalapeños but can still add a bit of a kick. The only draw back is that if all of the salad isn’t eaten day 1 the color is drawn out of the radishes.
margo says
Did anyone notice that 2 TBsp of oil = 15ml, whereas 2 TBsp cider vinegar = 30ml?
Sarah says
Oops typo! Should be fixed now 😀
Cath says
This recipe is pretty, delightful and healthy, especially if you use probiotic sauerkraut. I used chopped zucchini instead of the pimentos, which I didn’t have. I love recipes that I can make ahead so all I have to do at mealtime is pull it out of the fridge.
Amber Reiner says
Is the sauerkraut supposed to be drained of the juice, or leave the juice in? The recipe doesn’t say…
Sarah Bond says
I strain it from the juice, but don’t press it out 🙂
rose says
Do you know if honey is a suitable substitute for sugar for this recipe?
Sarah Bond says
I haven’t tried it here, but I think it would work well! 😀
doug says
I am trying to enjoy sauerkraut, but by itself I do not like it. Great on sausages but I am focused on health.
Do you rinse the sauerkraut to reduce the salt? It is so salty as it is.
I will try it as it sounds good this way, but I am thinking about hypertension as well.
Thanks
Doug
Sarah Bond says
You could rinse it to remove some of the sour flavor and salt, for sure! Or combining it with foods to help balance out the flavors.
Nancy Pearson says
Hi Sarah I make a lot of kraut, and appreciate how well it works with in this recipe the dressing and fresh veggies. Thank you for posting it! I’ve made this twice for my community garden’s Weed & Feed events, getting rave reviews and requests for the recipe. I’ll send them all your way!
Sarah Bond says
I’m so happy to hear it, Nancy! Thanks for letting me know how it went! 😀
Caterina says
it looks great until you put sugar in it. can you make this a low carb recipe? many people today have switched to a low carb lifestyle with much success.
Karen says
I did this with allulose and it was good. Needed more vinegar, but I prefer a tart vinaigrette.
Kristen says
This looks great. What do you typically serve it with? Brats, sausage, etc.?
Sarah Bond says
Any of the above! I like it with summer BBQ foods 🙂