Cinnamon Free Orange-Garlic Sauerkraut
Sauerkraut gets a serious upgrade here, swapping out the usual plain-and-pungent profile for something bright, aromatic, and genuinely exciting. Thinly shredded green cabbage is massaged with sea salt until it releases its own natural brine, then layered with sliced garlic, fresh orange zest, grated ginger, and a touch of turmeric before fermenting low and slow at room temperature. The result is a tangy, golden-hued kraut with citrusy lift and a gentle warmth that makes it far more versatile than anything you'd pull off a grocery store shelf — and completely free of the spice blends that so often sneak unwanted flavors into store-bought ferments. Because every ingredient is whole and straightforward, there's no guesswork about what's actually in the jar. The fermentation process itself is beginner-friendly: you're watching for bubbles, pressing the cabbage down daily, and tasting as you go until it hits that perfect balance of tang and crunch, usually somewhere around day three to five. Pile it onto grain bowls, tuck it into sandwiches, or serve it alongside roasted meats — the orange and garlic combination plays well with almost everything. Once it's sealed and refrigerated, the flavor keeps deepening, so the jar just gets better as the week goes on.
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Learn more →Ingredients
8 servings
- 1 small head green cabbage (about 2 lb), outer leaves removed
- 1 tbsp fine sea salt (non-iodized)
- 4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
- 1 tbsp fresh orange zest (from about 1 large orange)
- 1 tsp fresh ginger, finely grated
- ½ tsp ground turmeric
Instructions
- 1
Quarter the cabbage through the core, then cut out and discard the core. Slice each quarter crosswise into thin shreds about 1/8-inch thick. Reserve one of the large outer leaves before discarding the rest.
- 2
Transfer the shredded cabbage to a large mixing bowl. Sprinkle the sea salt evenly over the cabbage, then massage and squeeze firmly with both hands for 8–10 minutes, until the cabbage has released a significant amount of liquid and feels limp and wet — the brine should pool visibly at the bottom of the bowl.
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