Want to improve your gut health? You should start eating more sauerkraut. Much like other cultured foods, such as kimchi and kefir, this simple fermented mixture of shredded cabbage and salt is packed full of probiotics that support the immune system and promote the growth of good bacteria that the gut needs to thrive. While you can make your own sauerkraut with virtually any variety of cabbage, it does require a few days to ferment.
In the meantime, there are plenty of high-quality store-bought sauerkraut brands to choose from. Just be wary of being hoodwinked by a posh label that belies what’s inside the jar like we were. After taste testing 7 store-bought sauerkraut brands and ranking them worst to best, there was one line that hid its lackluster texture behind fancy packaging: Saverne Classic Sauerkraut.
The loser in our ranking, Saverne’s Classic Sauerkraut is described as being organic and artisan on the label, which boasts a classy look and a simple-but-sophisticated typeface. However, once we opened the jar, its consistency didn’t match up with its chic appearance. Instead of being crunchy and firm, the cabbage was soft and didn’t have that appealing snap we were looking for. It was also very finely shredded, which may go some way in explaining why its texture lacked that distinctive bite. Having said that, the flavor of the sauerkraut was fine. It had a muted taste and an understated vibe even though it was quite briny.
Traditional sauerkraut doesn’t contain additives
One thing we will say about Saverne’s Classic Sauerkraut is that it contains only three ingredients; organic cabbage, water, and sea salt, which means there are no hidden nasties and additives in there (some brands can contain preservatives like sodium benzoate and sodium bisulfite). Traditional sauerkraut recipes, however, don’t include a liquid element and are a pared-back combination of two core ingredients; cabbage and salt. This is because the salt draws the natural moisture out of the cabbage to produce its own natural brine, which gives the final product its characteristic tangy and fermented flavor.
We’d recommend that Saverne’s Classic Sauerkraut would be best used in sandwiches where other fresh vegetables could make up for its lack of crunch (we tasted it straight out of the jar in its unadulterated form). Unfortunately, it doesn’t have the crispness that lends other varieties of sauerkraut their satisfying mouthfeel. For example, the winner in our taste test, Cleveland Kraut Roasted Garlic, had plenty of characteristic crunch, making it perfect for topping brats and burgers or serving with sausages. It also had a bold flavor and scrumptious garlicky note that surpassed the other contenders for the top spot. Made of cabbage, raw and roasted garlic, salt, and black pepper, this sauerkraut brand had an inviting aroma too.
