The best sauerkraut recipes without salt and sugar

Sauerkraut without salt and sugar - it is a delicious and dietary snack, benefits for the body and a convenient way to process crops quickly. No special cooking skills or knowledge are required to make it, all ingredients are easy to buy at your local store.

Let us consider in detail the popular recipes for sauerkraut without salt and sugar and learn the secrets of their preparation.

Features of pickling cabbage

For cabbage sourdough, lactic acid is used as a preservative, which is obtained during fermentation. No vinegar is needed for cooking, so the dishes are tender.

Lactic acid retains the elasticity and useful vitamin composition of cabbage, saturates it with a spicy sweet and sour aroma. Large wooden barrels are chosen for sourdough in the country - such a snack will last for a whole year. In a city apartment, enamel buckets or jars are used.

Interesting! Sauerkraut is added to borscht or cabbage soup. The soups are spicy, with a pleasant sourness. You don't have to buy fresh vegetables before every preparation.

Sugar adds extra pounds, and salt retains fluid in the body, so the absence of these ingredients increases the beneficial properties of the product.

Selection and preparation of ingredients

For cooking, choose fresh vegetables with elastic white-green leaves. Sluggish specimens are not suitable. The vegetable is examined from all sides, its shape and appearance of the leaves are checked. If there are black or brown spots, such cabbage is not bought. Compact and heavy heads of cabbage are suitable for fermentation. Experienced chefs recommend choosing medium and late varieties - they have a juicy taste.

For cooking, take clean, fresh water. Better to take a spring or from a well; if there are no such options, filtered or from a bottle. The fermentation process and the shelf life of the product depend on the quality and composition of the water.

Sauerkraut recipes without salt and sugar

We will study the best recipes for sourdough cabbage for the winter, we will learn the features and nuances of their preparation.

Classic recipe

The classic recipe is easy to prepare. This appetizer is served chilled. It goes well with vegetable side dishes, fried potatoes, pilaf, dumplings. Young heads of cabbage are used for cooking.

Ingredient List:

• 1.5 kg of cabbage;
• 300 g carrots;
• 0.5 l of water.

Fermentation process:

1. Grind the head of cabbage on a medium grater or cut into thin strips. Chop the carrots. Combine ingredients in a deep bowl.
2. Stir with your hands, but do not squeeze, otherwise the cabbage will lose juice and become soft.
3. Rinse the jar and transfer the vegetables to it. Pour cold water up to the throat.
4. Pierce the vegetables in different places with a wooden stick so that gases leave the jar.
5. Cover with a clean handkerchief or towel, put a nylon cover on top.
6. Leave at home for 3 days. Pierce with a stick once a day.
7. Close the lid and put in the refrigerator.

With beets

This dish is popular in winter, when there are no seasonal vegetables and fruits for obtaining vitamins and minerals. The snack retains its benefits all year round.

List of ingredients for cooking:

• 1 kg of cabbage;
• 350 g beets;
• 170 m of water.

How to ferment:

1. Rinse the head of cabbage and remove the top leaf layer. Shred into 1 cm squares.
2. Rinse the beets, remove the tail, peel. Grind on a fine or medium grater.
3. Transfer vegetables to an enamel bowl, add water and mix gently with your hands.
4. Organize oppression for 2 days. Leave at room temperature, pierce with a wooden stick once a day.
5. Sterilize the jar, lay out the workpiece and stand for another 2 days, covered with a lid.
6. Close with a nylon lid, store in the refrigerator or cellar.
7. Serve the cabbage on the table chilled, adding vegetable oil, onions, fresh herbs, bay leaves, coriander or other spices to taste.

For cooking, use beets with maroon skin. The varieties Marusya and Detroit are suitable for fermentation. They are distinguished by their juiciness, sweet taste, appetizing colors.

In its own juice

It is recommended to cook the snack in your own juice in wooden tubs or barrels. Vegetables are impregnated with the aroma of natural wood and become crisper. Store the dish in a cellar or basement.

Ingredients:

• 800 g of cabbage;
• 200 g of carrots.

Step by step recipe:

1. Chop the head of cabbage with a long and thin knife. Wrinkle thoroughly with your hands.
2. Rinse the carrots, peel and send to the cabbage. Mash again so that the vegetables give juice.
3. Transfer to a deep container, tamp. When the container is full, press down on the vegetables with a wooden spatula.
4. Arrange oppression for 4 days at room temperature.
5. Pierce every day with a wooden spoon or stick.
6. Close with a nylon lid and put in the refrigerator.

With spices

For cooking, they use different spices - a set of Provencal herbs or a mixture of peppers - depending on personal preference. The standard list of ingredients looks like this:

• 1.2 kg of cabbage;
• 400 g carrots;
• 30 g of cumin;
• 5 bay leaves;
• 20 g ground coriander;
• 5 allspice peas;
• ground black pepper to taste.

How to ferment:

1. Clean the head of cabbage from the top leaves and remove the stalk. Chop on a grater or with a knife.
2. Wash and peel carrots, grate and mix with cabbage. Add coriander, allspice and cumin and stir again.
3. Place a few whole cabbage leaves on the bottom of an enamel bucket or saucepan.
4. Put the workpiece on top, tamp it tightly. Place a bucket in a basin to drain the liquid.
5. Cover and store in a warm place for a week.
6. Arrange in jars and refrigerate.

In brine

Sauerkraut in brine is served as an independent dish. The brine makes it crisp and juicy. This appetizer will appeal to lovers of sweet and sour taste.

Ingredient List:

• 2.2 kg of cabbage;
• 350 g carrots;
• 5 allspice peas;
• 3 bay leaves;
• dill seeds to taste;
• 1 liter of water.

Salting recipe:

1. Chop cabbage with carrots on a grater and transfer to a bowl or plate. Stir and add bay leaves.
2. Cover with clean water, add dill seeds and allspice.
3. Cover the container and store in a warm place. On the second day, pierce with a spatula to release gases.
4. On the third day, put in jars and put in the refrigerator.

With cranberries

This colorful and original appetizer will decorate any table. Small berries-beads give the dish an appetizing appearance and saturate with vitamin C. It is useful to use it in winter and autumn, during the period of flu and colds.

Ingredient List:

• 1.5 kg of cabbage;
• 200 g carrots;
• 200 g cranberries;
• 15 g of dill seeds;
• 4 bay leaves;
• black pepper to taste.

Cooking technology:

1. Wash and sort the cranberries. Peel the cabbage from the top leaves, chop on a medium grater. Peel and chop the carrots.
2. Mix ingredients, add bay leaf and dill seeds, black pepper to taste. Last but not least, berries.
3. Place 2-3 cabbage leaves at the bottom of the plate. Put the workpiece on top, tamp and leave under load for 2 days.
4. Transfer to jars, close the lids and put in the refrigerator.

With mushrooms and apple

Sauerkraut with mushrooms and apples is served as a side dish for meat and fish dishes. The appetizer has a rich, pleasant aroma, ideal for the fall season.

What you need:

• 700 g of cabbage;
• 220 g of champignons;
• 70 g apples;
• 30 g of cumin.

Cooking technology:

1. Rinse the ingredients under cool running water. Chop the cabbage, chop the mushrooms into thin plates, peel the apples and cut into slices.
2. Grind carrots, mix with cabbage, apples and mushrooms. Place under load for 4 days at room temperature.
3. Season to taste with olive oil and pomegranate seeds before serving.

It is recommended to observe the proportions indicated in the recipe. An excess of mushrooms will interrupt the taste of cabbage, the appetizer will be dry.

With honey

Traditional homemade preparations with honey have a delicate sweetish taste.

For cooking you will need:

• 1.4 kg of cabbage;
• 350 g carrots;
• 60 ml of honey;
• 600 ml of water.

How to ferment:

1. Peel the cabbage and carrots, chop and mix. Squeeze with your hands so that the cabbage gives juice.
2. Boil water, cool until warm and add honey (preferably lime). Stir to dissolve.
3. Pour the marinade over the vegetables and leave for two days under pressure.
4. Divide into banks. Garnish with fresh dill or parsley before serving.

Storage features

Cabbage is stored at temperatures from 0 ° C to + 4 ° C. If the temperature is higher, the fermentation process intensifies and the vegetables are acidified; if less, the cabbage turns out to be fresh. Banks are stored in a cellar or basement with an air humidity of no more than 85%. At home, the snack is kept in the refrigerator. Shelf life - up to 1 year. Having opened the jar, it is recommended to eat vegetables in 5-7 days.

Before storing, make sure that the container is free of chips and cracks, which would reduce the shelf life of the product. This applies to any containers: enamel pots, wooden barrels, glass jars.

It is interesting:

Delicious recipes for the winter: crispy pickled cucumbers in jars.

Simple and quick recipes for fermented watermelons.

How to cook pickled eggplant stuffed with carrots and garlic.

Conclusion

To ferment delicious cabbage, they choose firm, compact heads of cabbage. The leaves should be light green, crispy, without black or brown spots. For piquancy, carrots, cranberries, mushrooms, honey, spices are added to the recipe.

Pre-wash the ingredients, wipe dry with a clean towel, prepare dishes and jars. Food without salt, sugar and vinegar is good for health and strengthens the immune system.