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Tools / Sauerkraut and brine salt calculator

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Sauerkraut and brine salt calculator

Grams of salt for your weight of cabbage, or for a brine of a given strength. Works in this browser; nothing is sent anywhere.

Dry-salted (sauerkraut)
1000 g of cabbage at 2.25% needs 22.5 g of salt.
Brine (whole or cut vegetables)

How the numbers are worked out

  • Sauerkraut: grams of salt = grams of trimmed cabbage × percentage ÷ 100. Clemson Extension recommends 2.25–2.5% 1; below 1.7% kraut tends to go soft 2, and over 2.25% one guide links to pink kraut 3, so 2.25% is a safe middle
  • NCHFP’s tested proportion is 3 tablespoons of canning salt per 5 lb of cabbage, which is in the same range 4
  • Brine: grams of salt = litres of water × 1000 × percentage ÷ 100. NCHFP’s top-up brine is 1½ tablespoons of salt per quart of water 5; by our conversion that is about 2.8% with pickling salt
  • For pickles and vegetables other than sauerkraut, follow the brine strength in a tested recipe 5

Weigh salt rather than measuring it by spoon: salts differ in crystal size, so a spoonful of one salt weighs more than a spoonful of another.

Sources

  1. Clemson Cooperative Extension HGIC: Want to ferment vegetables? Start with sauerkrautFinal salt concentration of 2.25–2.5%; proper fermentation lowers the pH to 4.6 or below; do not use aluminium, copper, brass, galvanised or iron containers. Accessed 2026-10-09.
  2. Oregon State University Extension: Sauerkraut problems and solutions (SP 50-745)Soft kraut from too little salt (below 1.7%), uneven salting, high temperature or air pockets; slimy kraut is discarded; rotten surface layers are removed; discard if large amounts of mould are visible. Accessed 2026-10-09.
  3. NC State Extension: Pickle and pickle product problemsSlimy and mouldy pickles and pink kraut are unsafe; a white film of yeast on the brine surface is not harmful; too much salt, over 2.25%, can cause pink kraut. Accessed 2026-10-09.
  4. National Center for Home Food Preservation: Sauerkraut5 lb cabbage to 3 tablespoons canning or pickling salt; pack until juices cover; keep 1–2 inches under brine; 3–4 weeks at 70–75 °F (21–24 °C), 5–6 weeks at 60–65 °F (16–18 °C), may not ferment below 60 °F and may soften above 75 °F; remove scum 2–3 times a week; done when bubbling stops; keeps several months refrigerated. Accessed 2026-10-09.
  5. USDA Complete Guide to Home Canning, Guide 6: Fermented foods and pickled vegetablesTop-up brine of 1½ tablespoons salt per quart of water, boiled and cooled; canning or pickling salt; jars are acceptable but give more spoilage losses; a brine-filled food-grade bag as weight; discard pickles that turn soft, slimy or smell disagreeable. Accessed 2026-10-09.

Numbers on this page come from these sources. Where sources give a range, we quote the range rather than a single figure.