Discover the goodness of Czech cuisine with this delicious Kyselica sauerkraut soup. A nutritious treat that can even replace a full lunch. Let's get cooking!
➜ About the Kyselica recipe
Kyselica is a thick, white soup made with sauerkraut, potatoes, sausage, and sour cream that is popular in the Czech Republic's eastern region of Wallachia (Valašsko). Legend has it that Kyselica used to be served to men as a hearty breakfast to give them strength for a day's work in the forest.
MY TIP: Try also the classic Czech sauerkraut soup called Zelňačka!
➜ Pronunciation
Curious about how the Czech name Kyselica is pronounced? I recorded a short audio clip of the Czech pronunciation - I am a native speaker, so you can hear it firsthand!
➜ Ingredients
To make homemade Wallachian Kyselica soup from scratch, you will need the following:
- White sauerkraut; if you can't find Czech sauerkraut in your area, a great alternative is a German or Polish sauerkraut (you should be able to find it at a local European deli). These two types of sauerkraut are the closest in taste to Czech sauerkraut.
- Yellow potatoes; e. g., Yukon golds. Any all-purpose potatoes or less starchy potatoes work well in this recipe. Avoid starchy potatoes, as they tend to fall apart when overcooked.
- Smoked sausage
- Smoked bacon; wet-cured, fully cooked
- Yellow onion
- Sour cream; fat content about 15-18%
- Lard; or unsalted butter
- All-purpose flour; for thickening the Kyselica soup
- Whole milk; lukewarm
- For seasoning: salt, caraway seeds, bay leaves, allspice
✅ See the recipe below with step-by-step photos and many helpful tips. Scroll down for the full printable recipe in both US cups and metric measurements.
Kitchen equipment: Prepare two saucepans, one small and one large. Next, a frying pan to fry the onions, sausage, and bacon.
➜ How to make Kyselica soup
STEP 1: Peel and chop the onion. Cut the sausage into slices. If the sausage is in an artificial casing, peel it first. Use a peeler to remove the skin from the potatoes and cut them into pieces about 1 inch (2.5 cm) thick. Dice the bacon as well.
STEP 2: Place the sauerkraut in a larger saucepan with its juices and pour a cup of water over it. Add half a teaspoon of caraway seeds, two bay leaves, and about 8 berries of allspice. Cover and bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to one-third. Simmer gently for about 20 minutes so that the kraut is tender.
STEP 3: Meanwhile, pour 3 cups of water into a smaller saucepan. Add salt, half a teaspoon of caraway seeds, and the diced potatoes. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to one-third. Cover and cook gently for about 10 minutes, until the potatoes are almost tender.
TIP: Test for doneness by piercing the potatoes with a fork. The potatoes should be almost soft but not falling apart.
STEP 4: Heat the lard or butter in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chopped onion and fry for about 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Add the sausage slices and bacon cubes. Cook for another 5 minutes until golden brown. Set aside.
STEP 5: When the potatoes are done, add them to the saucepan with the cooked kraut, along with the water in which they were cooked.
STEP 6: Whisk a tablespoon of flour in the lukewarm milk so that there are no lumps. Stir the milk and flour mixture into the soup.
STEP 7: Add fried onions, sausage and bacon. Mix well. Cover and simmer over low heat for about 15 minutes. Stir from time to time as the flour tends to settle to the bottom of the saucepan and form lumps.
STEP 8: Finally, remove from the heat source and stir in sour cream. Do not cook anymore. Season to taste with salt and possibly ground black pepper.
➜ Serving
In the Czech Republic, this hearty and strengthening soup used to be served as a breakfast soup for those engaged in physically demanding work.
In modern days, Kyselica soup, served with crusty rye bread, replaces the whole lunch. You'll be full until the evening!
When eating the soup, look for the allspice berries and bay leaves. The spices are traditionally left in the soup, but you can try fishing them out of the soup and setting them aside.
➜ Storage
If you have leftover soup, cover it with a lid when completely cooled and store it and the pot in the refrigerator. It will keep for 4-5 days.
If you don't have room for the pot in your refrigerator, you can transfer the Kyselica soup to an airtight container.
Reheating: Heat the required amount of soup in a pot on the stovetop. The soup will probably thicken overnight. If this is the case, add a tablespoon of water and stir.
➜ Useful tips
- Do not cook potatoes in the same saucepan as sauerkraut. The potatoes would not soften, you have always to cook them separately.
- Recipes for Kyselica soup varied from village to village in Wallachia. Mushrooms, beans, or even prunes were sometimes added.
More sauerkraut recipes:
Tried this recipe?
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📖 Recipe
Wallachian Kyselica Soup
Tap or hover to scale
Ingredients
Cooking sauerkraut
- 1 pound sauerkraut Czech, German or Polish style
- 1 cup water
- ½ teaspoon caraway seeds
- 2 bay leaves
For the Kyselica soup
- 3 medium potatoes
- 8 allspice
- 4 ounces smoked sausage
- 3 ½ ounces smoked bacon
- 1 medium onion
- ¾ cup sour cream 15-18% fat content
- 1 Tablespoon lard (or unsalted butter)
- 1 Tablespoon all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup milk lukewarm
- ½ teaspoon caraway seeds
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 3 cups water
Instructions
- Get prepared: Peel and chop 1 medium onion. Cut 4 ounces smoked sausage into slices. If the sausage is in an artificial casing, peel it first. Use a peeler to remove the skin from 3 medium potatoes and cut them into pieces about 1 inch (2.5 cm) thick. Cube the 3 ½ ounces smoked bacon as well.
- Cook sauerkraut: Place 1 pound sauerkraut in a larger saucepan with its juices and pour 1 cup water over it. Add ½ teaspoon caraway seeds, 2 bay leaves, and 8 allspice berries. Cover and bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to one-third. Simmer gently for about 20 minutes so that the kraut is tender.
- Meanwhile, pour 3 cups water into a smaller saucepan. Add 1 teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon caraway seeds, and the diced potatoes. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to one-third. Cover and cook gently for about 10 minutes, until the potatoes are almost tender.
- Heat 1 Tablespoon lard in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chopped onion and fry for about 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Add the sausage slices and bacon cubes. Cook for another 5 minutes until golden brown. Set aside.
- When the potatoes are almost tender, add them to the saucepan with the cooked kraut, along with the water in which they were cooked.
- Whisk 1 Tablespoon all-purpose flour in ¼ cup milk (lukewarm) so that there are no lumps. Stir the milk and flour mixture into the soup.
- Add fried onions, sausage and bacon. Mix well. Cover and simmer over low heat for about 15 minutes. Stir from time to time as the flour tends to settle to the bottom of the saucepan and form lumps.
- Finally, remove the soup from the heat source and stir in ¾ cup sour cream. Do not cook anymore. Season to taste with salt and possibly ground black pepper.
Notes
- The basic recipe makes 6 portions.
- SERVING: Serve Kyselica soup preferably with a slice of crusty bread, as a breakfast soup or a light lunch.
- Do not cook potatoes in the same saucepan as sauerkraut. The potatoes would not soften, you have always to cook them separately.
- If you have leftover soup, cover it with a lid when completely cooled and store it and the pot in the refrigerator. It will keep for 4-5 days.
- Reheating: Heat the required amount of soup in a pot on the stovetop. The soup will probably thicken overnight. If this is the case, add a tablespoon of water and stir.
Sarah Kolpek Melton says
Kyselica soup soup sounds great. I also wish to find a German, Polish or Czech store that has Hungarian paprica. I am from Lexington ky my grandma taught me how to make all sorts of recipes. I was thinking Cincinnati Ohio or
Louisville ky may have have spices. Looking for poppyseeds to make coffee cake my grandma use to have a manual grinder to use to make a paste then cook it. I look forward to making sourcrout kyselica. Thanks for your recipes, take care Sarah
Sarah Kolpek Melton says
I haven’t made
Kyselica soup but I am a good enough cook to know it will be great once I find cream at % listed. And a Eastern European deli to
Buy smoked sausage and smoked bacon. There is an Aldi’s Trader Joe’s Whole Foods ,fresh market , good foods coop and a farmers market downtown starting this spring. Time to start searching .. thanks again sarah
Petra Kupská says
Thank you, Sarah, for your insight! I love it when my readers add a touch of their own experiences to the recipes.
Katie Newman says
I haven’t made your Kyselica soup, though it seems like it would be in my flavor profile! I'm curious about how dominent the sauerkraut is in this, as my husband won't eat sauerkraut -- nothing sour or bitter for him! I'm writing today to inquire about the bowl in the photo! I love the flower rim on the black background. Is this an old piece? Is there a chance that I might be able to purchase something like this?! It really appeals to me. A search using Google Lens suggests that the piece may be from the Chodovia pottery... I'd love to learn the history of your bowl, how long you've had it, etc.! Thanks, Katie
Tracy Slintak says
Is Czech bacon smoked? The closest I can find in the US is called pork belly here. Just wondering if your bacon has a smoky flavor or not.
Petra Kupská says
Czech bacon isn’t usually strongly smoked, it’s more about the rich, salty flavor. Your US pork belly is a great stand-in.
Karen Kisenwether says
My Grandma was from Czechoslovki and made the most delicious sausage and pork dishes with sauerkraut. She would say never forget the caraway. She made a bean and sauerkraut soup around Christmas with caraway and would toast them in a fry pan for the best flavor. I love Czech cooking and the pastries and nut and poppyseed rolls at Christmas.Can not wait to try your recipe for this soup. As a child we lived in the home next to Grandma. I went over her house everyday after school to help with supper to learn how to make all her dishes.I am thrilled and so happy to teach all my family these dishes I learned from her.She was the greatest! Her food was amazing and I make all her recipes every week.Craving her pierogy with potato and cheese and the sauerkraut ones.The next dish I crave. And yes I can still hear Grandma saying make shure you get all that liquid out of the sauerkraut! "I remember Grandma"!!!
Thank you so very much for your wonderful recipes. I have made so many of them and we loved every one of them.❤️💐🌷🪻
Alice Coghlan says
This went so so with my family perhaps as it was the first time I used homemade sauerkraut. They prefered the very similar zelenacka - is the only difference the milk and flour in this? I was thrilled to be able to grab for 75 crowns in Lidl before I flew back to Ireland the right sedlacka sausages which cost twice that here. I'm wondering if the thing I may not have got right is getting all the water out of the sauerkraut to be honest it had almost gone dry but should I have rinsed it? Is there sauerkraut and fermented foods on this site as I'd love your advice on them Petra as for my Czech husband these were the foods he remembers with the most fondness and it's a great way to use up flat beer.