This Czech-style braised sauerkraut is deep in flavor, glossy, creamy, and with just enough juice around. It’s cooked with onion and bacon and is served as a side dish for famous Czech meals like vepřo knedlo zelo.
Czechs and Sauerkraut
Sauerkraut is very common in the Czech Republic. I live in a mountainous area in northern Bohemia, near Jizera and Krkonoše (Giant) Mountains.
Life in the foothills was not easy in the past. People were dependent on crops, which grew in the poor fields. The cabbage was doing very well there.
In autumns, people pickled shredded cabbage in big crocks to ensure they had enough food for the upcoming long winter. They ate fermented sauerkraut either raw or cooked as a healthy side dish.
You’ll find many recipes using sauerkraut in Czech cookbooks. My favorite is a filling and satisfying Zelňačka soup with klobása (kielbasa).
Sauerkraut is also popular in our neighbor to the west, Germany. The word sauerkraut comes from the German words Sauer = sour or in Czech kyselé / kysané, and kraut = cabbage, in Czech zelí.
MY TIP: Try out this sweet and sour cabbage (another real Czech thing!)
Ingredients
Czech braised sauerkraut is characterized by its creamy texture and sweet-sour taste. The heavy lifting is done by crushed caraway here.
- Sauerkraut; use white sauerkraut cabbage (bílé zelí)
- Pork lard; to sauté onion as an initial step
- Onion; finely chopped
- Smoked bacon; cut into ⅓-inch pieces
- Caraway seeds; crushed – use caraway, do not confuse it with cumin. Also learn, how to grind spices by hand
- Granulated sugar; to sweeten the sour taste
- Salt
- All-purpose flour; to make braised sauerkraut creamy
- Water; when required
✅ You’ll find the exact amount of ingredients below in the recipe card, which you can also print out.
Instructions
Sauerkraut, according to this recipe, is slowly cooked with onion and bacon. The good news: everything is done in just one pot!
STEP 1: Before you start cooking: Peel the onion and chop it finely. Drain the sauerkraut; reserve the brine for later. If the sauerkraut contains big pieces, cut it up into smaller ones. Dice bacon into ⅓ inch cubes.
STEP 2: In a pot, melt the pork lard over medium heat. Add the chopped onion and fry until the onion is translucent. (photo 1) Stir occasionally to prevent the onion from burning. It takes about 5-8 minutes. Add the crushed caraway seeds and stir. (photo 2)
STEP 3: Throw in the cubed bacon, fry for 5 minutes while stirring. (photo 3) Add the sauerkraut and mix. (photo 4) If the reserved brine is not too sour, you can add about ½ cup. If the brine is too acidic, add ½ cup water to it. Or make a compromise and add ¼ of the brine plus ¼ of water to the sauerkraut.
Lower the temperature, cover the pot with a lid and let the sauerkraut braise for 15 minutes.
STEP 4: After 15 minutes, stir in sugar. (photo 5) Add flour and mix. (photo 6) Cook on low heat for a further 15 minutes. Braised sauerkraut will thicken and get a nice glossy look.
STEP 5: Season the finished sauerkraut with salt and sugar to your liking.
Serve warm as a side dish for traditional Czech meals like Vepřo knedlo zelo or sekaná meatloaf. My husband loves to eat this braised sauerkraut right off the pot 😉
Cook’s Tips
- The total time required to braise the sauerkraut should not exceed 30 minutes to avoid overcooking.
- You don’t need to rinse sauerkraut or soak it in the water before cooking. However, if the flavor is too sharp, you can rinse sauerkraut in a colander under streaming water. This step removes some of the sour taste.
- Bacon is a thing in this recipe! You can omit it, but the sauerkraut won’t have the final taste which is expected.
- Czech braised sauerkraut must be creamy. The creaminess is given by adding an adequate amount of water and thickening with flour.
Pronunciation
I recorded a short audio clip on how to pronounce the Czech word "dušené kysané zelí" (braised sauerkraut).
More Czech sides:
- Houskové knedlíky – famous Czech bread dumplings
- Šťouchané brambory – crushed potatoes
- Bramboráky – fried potato pancakes
- Braised red cabbage – sweet & sour taste
- Braised kohlrabi recipe
Still hungry? Browse the category with Czech side dishes!
Tried this recipe?
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Braised Sauerkraut – Czech Dušené kysané zelí
Ingredients
- 1 lb (450 g) sauerkraut
- 2 onions
- 3 oz (85 g) smoked bacon
- 1 Tbsp pork lard or vegetable oil
- 1 tsp crushed caraway seeds
- ¼ cup (50 g) granulated sugar
- 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
- salt
- water as required
Instructions
- Do before you start cooking: Peel onion and chop it finely. Drain sauerkraut; reserve the brine for later. If the sauerkraut contains big pieces, cut it up into smaller ones. Dice bacon into ⅓ inch cubes.
- In a pot, melt pork lard over medium heat. Add chopped onion and fry until the onion is translucent. Stir occasionally to prevent the onion from burning. It takes about 5-8 minutes. Add crushed caraway seeds and stir.
- Throw in cubed bacon, fry for 5 minutes while stirring. Add sauerkraut and mix. If the reserved brine is not too sour, you can add about ½ cup. If the brine is too acidic, add ½ cup water to it. Or make a compromise and add ¼ of the brine plus ¼ of water to the sauerkraut.
- Low the temperature, cover the pot with a lid and let the sauerkraut braise for 15 minutes.
- After 15 minutes, stir in sugar. Add flour and mix. Cook on low heat for a further 15 minutes. Braised sauerkraut will thicken and get a nice glossy look.
- Season the finished sauerkraut with salt and sugar to your liking.
- Serve warm as a side dish.
Notes
- Makes about 4 yields.
- Total time for braising sauerkraut should not exceed 30 minutes to avoid overcooking.
- You don’t need to rinse sauerkraut or soak it in the water before cooking. However, if the flavor is too sharp, you can rinse sauerkraut in a colander under streaming water. This step removes some of the sour taste.
- Bacon is a thing in this recipe! You can omit it, but the sauerkraut won’t have the final taste which is expected.
- Czech braised sauerkraut must be creamy. The creaminess is given by adding an adequate amount of water and thickening with flour.
DISCLAIMER: Because I come from Central Europe, my recipes are based on metric units such as grams or milliliters. Check out how I convert metric units to the U.S. system:
Conversion chart
Steven Barta
My grandmother used to make the most wonderful Czech family dinners when I was a kid. I am now in my 70s and have missed this food so much over the years. Unfortunately her recipes were lost after she passed away. I am happy to report that my daughters are great cooks and they have an interest in discovering our family culinary heritage. Thanks to your website this will now become a reality!
Petra Kupská
Ahoj Steven, thank you for your kind comment remembering your grandmother's kitchen! You're right, Czech food is very tasty and I'm so glad your daughter is keen to continue this tradition. If you have any questions about Czech recipes, don't hesitate to contact me. Have a nice spring time and many greetings from the Czech Republic!
Gayle
SO delicious and such an easy to follow recipe. I made it for my Czech mother-in-law and Polish father-in-law as a side for Thanksgiving and they loved it! Thank you!
Petra Kupská
Thank you so much for the feedback comment and I'm glad you liked the sauerkraut! 🙂
Daniela
Thank you Petra for this recipe. I do not remember my mom ever putting in bacon in hers so I never do either, but I did this time. I served it with Chlupaty Knedliky and it was delicious. Thank you!!!
Petra Kupská
You are very welcome! 🙂 In the Czech Republic, there are several recipes on how to prepare braised sauerkraut. In our family, it was usually made as a festive meal for the weekend; it used to be a part of the "knedlo vepřo zelo" dish. My dad usually cooked the sauerkraut, and, indeed, he always added bacon to the cabbage. One of my readers wrote to me that it is common to add bacon to sauerkraut, especially in Germany. We live just a short distance from the German border, so it is quite possible that German cuisine here in the border region has a partial influence on our Czech gastronomy. Anyway, I am happy that the sauerkraut was a success! Many greetings from the Czech Republic, Petra
Julia
Hi Petra!
I live in California (in the Bay Area) but my maternal grandmother was from the Czech Republic. Growing up, we always had knedlíky and zeli at our Thanksgiving dinners and it was the highlight of the meal. I am hosting my family for Thanksgiving this year (it is this Thursday the 25th) and I had to include these dishes, of course! 🙂 I was so appreciative to find your recipe and website.
A question for you - would you recommend making this day of, or is it good made ahead and reheated?
Thank you!
Petra Kupská
Ahoj Julia, thanks a lot for your comment! I'm probably late in replying, for which I apologize. As for the braised sauerkraut, it can easily be made a day ahead and then reheated. I usually reheat cabbage in a pan; I find the food tastier than if I put it in the microwave. I hope you enjoyed Thanksgiving and that you and your guests enjoyed the Czech food! Greetings from Bohemia, Petra
Margi
My sister and I are 3rd generation Czechs in the U.S. but keep the food tradition alive. After decades of having no consistent recipe for sauerkraut in our families, I found this one to use for our Thanksgiving dinner this year. This is fantastic!! The only alteration I made was to use 1 tablespoon of flour so as to have medium thickness. Thank you so much for sharing! We miss the Czechs -- our Mom spoke the language but alas did not teach it to us. But we have the pleasure of visiting Czechoslovakia in the mid-1980s with her. Thank you!
Petra Kupská
Ahoj Margi, thank you so much for your kind comment. It's great that you still try to keep Czech traditions; you have my respect! Sauerkraut is one of the staples of Czech cuisine. When my parents made homemade sauerkraut, we kids would then trample down the shredded cabbage into big stoneware pots. We used to make stewed sauerkraut to go with roast meat 🙂 Flour for thickening is a good tip; this is how sauerkraut is prepared mainly in Moravia (eastern part of the Czech Republic). I send warm greetings from Bohemia and... vesele Vanoce! Petra
Margi
Happy St Nicholas Day Petra!
Petra Kupská
Oh, many thanks! 🙂 On the eve of St. Nicholas, a trio of characters - St. Nicholas, an angel, and the devil - walk around Czech families. Children say a poem and receive a packet of sweets or a few pieces of coal (depending on how bad they have been). This tradition is unique to the Czech Republic, and everyone is both excited and scared for the visit of the trio 😉
Adelle
I'm 100% Czech. My mom made pork roast and sauerkraut. However, I've never made the dumplings except with Bisquick. What is your recipe for the dumplings? Did I miss it? I'm going to make this dish.
Petra Kupská
Hi Adelle, thank you for your comment! Unfortunately, I don't know what Bisquick is because I live in the Czech Republic. But I'm happy to recommend a recipe for yeast dumplings, you can find it here: Bread dumplings
Good luck with the meal preparation!
Walter Matera
Petra,
About fifty years ago, when I was a young Enlisted, there was a tiny restaurant outside the gates of Presidio San Francisco called, oddly, the Vienna Schnitzel Haus. It served a generalized MittelEuropa home cooking that was just wonderful. I don't think that it had either the braised sauerkraut or the roast pork shoulder but the bread dumplings were outstanding. It was the headquarters for the local Free Czech Movement and it wasn't uncommon for a pair of GI's to be the only English speakers in the place. George is probably long dead now but he left me and my late wife with grand memories of the place. Your recipes make me want to rekindle them.
Petra Kupská
Ahoj Walter,
Thank you very much for your comment. A history that goes back fifty years, what beautiful memories! I find them very interesting because I have a better idea of how Czech or even European cuisine was offered far away from the Czech Republic.
I'm glad you like my recipes.
Joe
I made this recipe on the first day of real fall weather with the "Easy Goulash Soup with Ground Beef". We also had bread with butter on the side. Very tasty and a very cozy meal.
Darcy
My other half is from Prague, I made this version for her and she was in heaven - apparently her Grandma never made it this good. I am making it again and going to serve it with my favorite Czech dish -Svickova. Thanks for this!!!
Petra Kupská
Thank you, Darcy, for your nice comment, and I'm delighted you enjoyed the dish!