Classic Sauerkraut Salad

Sweet and tangy sauerkraut mixed with chopped vegetables and coated with an easy salad dressing makes a cold side dish or a delicious topping for brats and sausages called Classic Sauerkraut Salad.

This post is sponsored by the Glass Barn, Indiana Soybean and Corn Farmers but all thoughts and opinions are my own.

Easy Sauerkraut Salad Recipe

This sauerkraut salad is super easy to mix up and stores well in the refrigerator for a few days. It’s a great make-ahead topping for grilled or air fried sausages and brats.

This recipe is diverse because it’s got the stand alone sweetness that easily makes it a side dish similar to coleslaw, but it also has enough sauerkraut texture to enjoy as a topping on sausages. Sweet sauerkraut salad compliments bitter mustard to give more contrasting flavors to traditional grill out sausage topping flavors.

Sauerkraut salad reminds me of making peppers and onions to serve with sausage, but it’s better because of the sweet dressing. We often make Air Fryer Sausage, Peppers & Onions or Instant Pot Sausage, Peppers and Onions. Sometimes we will serve these meals with sauerkraut. This recipe combines the best of both worlds!

I love the idea of serving sauerkraut salad since it can be made ahead of time and the basic version already contains peppers and onions. If you want to dress up the sauerkraut salad, simply add up to a cup of other chopped veggies of your choice.

A Unique Sauerkraut Recipe

People that love Kielbasa or Smoked Sausage and Instant Pot Sausage & Sauerkraut will likely want to top their Italian sausage or brats with sauerkraut salad. Others may enjoy having a small dish as an appetizer or side dish along with their meal.

Sauerkraut salad is perfect for people that want to partake in the tradition of enjoying Pork and Sauerkraut on New Years Day, but they’re not sure they want to embrace the full sauerkraut flavor. The sweet dressing really tones down the sauerkraut and makes it a great dish to start with if you want to learn to eat fermented foods like sauerkraut.

Classic sauerkraut salad, Cucumber Salad and Almond Chicken Salad are all great for picnics and potlucks in the summer. Right now we’re looking forward to kicking off a new year that is hopefully better than what we’ve experienced in 2020, but in the future my husband dreams of taking some Italian sausage and this salad to the Indy 500. Packing a picnic lunch and heading to the races is on his bucket list!

Sauerkraut Salad Dressing

Mix white vinegar, vegetable oil and sugar together to make sauerkraut salad dressing. The ingredients are easiest to whisk together before pouring over sauerkraut and vegetables and stirring in.

Sauerkraut should be rinsed and then any excess moisture squeezed out so that the salad dressing can soak in as the salad is refrigerated overnight.

The sweet dressing reminds me of our classic Broccoli Cauliflower Salad and super yummy Carrot Salad with Celery & Mangos.

How to Make Sauerkraut Salad

The first step is to rinse and drain the sauerkraut. Allow sauerkraut to drain while you chop the veggies.

Once the veggies are prepared squeeze any remaining liquid out of the sauerkraut. Put the drained sauerkraut in a large mixing bowl and add the vegetables. Mix them all together.

In a smaller bowl whisk together the white vinegar, salad oil or vegetable oil and sugar together. Be sure to keep whisking until the sugar no longer falls to the bottom of the bowl and all of the ingredients are mixed well.

Tips for Making Sauerkraut Salad

• Use a strainer to rinse sauerkraut and then use hands to squeeze excess moisture off of sauerkraut. This allows the salad dressing flavors to better soak in.
• Green bell pepper can be substituted for red, orange or yellow bell pepper which will also make the salad more colorful and a bit sweeter.
• Your favorite flavor of onion may be used in this salad.
• Feel free to add in carrots, apples, broccoli, cauliflower, cucumbers or the veggie of your choice.

More Delicious Recipes with Sauerkraut:

• Pork and Sauerkraut Roll-Ups are wrapped in bacon and my sauerkraut loving husband’s absolute favorite pork and sauerkraut meal.
• Instant Pot Pork Chops with Sauerkraut, Apples & Bacon combines lots of flavors and makes for a more mild sauerkraut flavor like this salad recipe.
• Air Fryer Sausage, Potatoes and Sauerkraut is a quick and simple lunch for one or two people that’s super easy to make.

Printable Classic Sauerkraut Salad Recipe