Walnut Free Garlic-Herb Sauerkraut
Tangy, garlicky, and fragrant with fresh thyme and rosemary, this homemade fermented kraut is a serious upgrade from anything you'd pull off a grocery store shelf. The process is beautifully simple — just cabbage, sea salt, garlic, and a handful of fresh herbs — making it naturally free from nuts of any kind without any substitutions required. Massaging the cabbage until it releases its own brine is oddly satisfying, and watching the fermentation bubble away over the following days feels like kitchen magic. The garlic mellows and deepens as it ferments alongside the herbs, giving you a complex, savory flavor that pairs with everything from sausages to grain bowls to a simple fried egg. Patience is the only real skill involved here; the kraut tells you when it's ready, typically somewhere between one and two weeks depending on your kitchen temperature and how sour you like it. Once it hits that perfect tang, it goes straight into the fridge where it'll keep for up to three months — though it rarely lasts that long.
About FigFig is a food discovery app that helps you find foods and recipes that fit your dietary needs. Whether you have food allergies, intolerances, or follow a specific diet, Fig makes it easy to eat with confidence.
Learn more →Ingredients
8 servings
- 1 medium head green cabbage (about 2 lb), outer leaves reserved
- 1 tbsp fine sea salt (non-iodized)
- 4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
- 4 sprigs fresh thyme
- 2 sprigs fresh rosemary
- 1 bay leaf
Instructions
- 1
Remove 2–3 outer leaves from the cabbage and set them aside. Quarter the cabbage, remove the core, and shred it as thinly as possible — about 1/8-inch ribbons — using a chef's knife or mandoline.
- 2
Weigh the shredded cabbage in a large mixing bowl. Add the sea salt at a ratio of 1.5–2% of the cabbage's weight (the 1 tbsp listed is calibrated for 2 lb / 900 g of cabbage). Toss well, then massage and squeeze the cabbage firmly with clean hands for 8–10 minutes, until it releases a significant amount of liquid and the shreds become limp and translucent.
Want the full recipe?
Create a Fig account for step-by-step instructions, access to our full recipe library, and more!