This post contains affiliate links.
This sauerkraut salad satisfies nearly every flavor craving — sour, salty, savory, and sweet! Everything comes together in under 15 minutes, and no cooking is required. With over a dozen five-star reviews, you can guarantee everyone will love this simple side dish.
save this recipe!Sauerkraut Meets Salad
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 tangy, crunchy, and savory recipe.
Most people think of hot dogs and sausages when they hear sauerkraut, but not today! With all of its probiotics and gut health benefits, we should all be serving up this tangy cabbage in as many ways as possible, right?! Enter sauerkraut salad.
For this dish, we’re mixing together a medley of diced veggies and zingy sauerkraut, then topping it all off with a simple vinaigrette. Everything comes together in about 15 minutes, but I recommend letting it chill for at least 30 minutes in the fridge to give it a nice, refreshing flavor.
Reader rating
“Just got done making this recipe. It is absolutely delicious and is one of my keepers. I will be making this all the time so refreshing. ” —Patricia
Grab These Ingredients
This cold sauerkraut salad is packed with everything good — crunchy veggies, savory, sour and salty flavors.
- Sauerkraut: Start with 4 cups of juicy sauerkraut. Feeling adventurous? Here’s how to make your own!
- Fresh Veggies: You’ll need to dice up 1 medium white onion, 2 full celery ribs, 1 diced bell pepper (any color works well!), and 1 diced carrot.
- Pimento Peppers: Include 1 4-oz jar of pimento peppers. Strain them before adding them to the salad.
- Sugar: Balance the tanginess of the salad by including ¼ cup of sugar in the dressing (we’ve reduced the amount of sugar significantly—most sauerkraut salad recipes include over 1 cup!) You can also try honey for an even healthier sweetener!
- 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!
Just Chop And Mix
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: Make The Dressing
In a small bowl, whisk together the dressing ingredients.
Step 4: Combine Everything
Drizzle the dressing over the salad and toss everything to combine.
Step 5: Refrigerate The Salad
This sauerkraut salad is best if refrigerated for at least 30 minutes.
Add These Flavors
So you want to add to your salad, but you’re stumped on what could work! Well, we’ve got As to your Qs.
- Spicy: Like a little heat? Throw in some chopped jalapeños for a kick.
- Veggies: Add some refreshing flavor with a chopped cucumber. Or, mix things up by using red onion for extra potency.
- Cheese: Try crumbled feta, goat cheese, or shredded cheddar for a creamy element.
- Herbs: Add chopped parsley, dill, or cilantro for a fresh, aromatic touch.
Healthier Sauerkraut Salad Recipe (15 Minutes)
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 the Salad ingredients.
- Dressing: In a small bowl, whisk together all 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!
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information calculated by Sarah Bond, degreed nutritionist.
did you make this?Leave a comment below and tag @liveeatlearn on social media! I love seeing what you’ve made!
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.
Did anyone notice that 2 TBsp of oil = 15ml, whereas 2 TBsp cider vinegar = 30ml?
Oops typo! Should be fixed now 😀
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.
Is the sauerkraut supposed to be drained of the juice, or leave the juice in? The recipe doesn’t say…
I strain it from the juice, but don’t press it out 🙂
Do you know if honey is a suitable substitute for sugar for this recipe?
I haven’t tried it here, but I think it would work well! 😀
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
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.
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!
I’m so happy to hear it, Nancy! Thanks for letting me know how it went! 😀
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.
I did this with allulose and it was good. Needed more vinegar, but I prefer a tart vinaigrette.
This looks great. What do you typically serve it with? Brats, sausage, etc.?
Any of the above! I like it with summer BBQ foods 🙂
Any suggestions to increase the protein? Peas? Lentils? Meat?
I typically serve this as a side dish so the main usually provides the protein, but peas or lentils would be a great idea here! Here are all of our high protein recipes, you could find something to pair it with in there!