How to Cook Sauerkraut in a Crock Pot

How to Cook Sauerkraut in a Crock Pot
Written By
Natalie Smith
Natalie Smith
Published: Jun 7, 2011
Updated: Aug 26, 2022
1 minute read

Tangy sauerkraut seems to be made for the crock pot. The sauerkraut cooks slowly, releasing its savory liquid and flavoring all of the other ingredients in the crock pot. Cooking sauerkraut in a crock pot is as simple as rinsing the sauerkraut and putting it in the slow cooker. The crock pot does the rest of the work. Whether you cook your sauerkraut alone or with other vegetables or meat to make a complete meal, the whole family will love this tender and highly flavored dish.

Step 1.

Place the sauerkraut in a large bowl and fill the bowl with water. Soak the sauerkraut for five minutes.

Step 2.

Drain the sauerkraut into a colander. Rinse the raw sauerkraut under cool water. Press on the sauerkraut with your hands to extract the water. Repeat the soaking and rinsing twice more. This will rid the sauerkraut of any dirt as well as soften it for cooking.

Step 3.

Place the sauerkraut in the crock pot and add the the water or the wine. Cover the crock pot and cook the sauerkraut for eight hours on the "Low" setting or four hours on "High."

Advertisement

Step 4.

Remove the sauerkraut with a slotted spoon and serve it hot. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Things You Will Need
  • 3 lbs. sauerkraut

  • 2 cups water or dry white wine such as Chardonnay

  • Salt and pepper to taste

  • Slotted spoon

Natalie Smith

Natalie Smith is a technical writing professor specializing in medical writing localization and food writing. Her work has been published in technical journals, on several prominent cooking and nutrition websites, as well as books and…

Sponsored
The Nest Logo

The Nest is the go-to guide for newlyweds — relationships, home, money and building your life together.

Property of TechnologyAdvice. © 2026 TechnologyAdvice. All Rights Reserved

Advertiser Disclosure: Some of the products that appear on this site are from companies from which TechnologyAdvice receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site including, for example, the order in which they appear. TechnologyAdvice does not include all companies or all types of products available in the marketplace.