Our homemade sauerkraut soup recipe, made with kielbasa and bacon, is smoky, tangy, and incredibly comforting.
There’s almost always a batch of homemade sauerkraut in our fridge, which is how we stumbled into this soup recipe. And now, our family genuinely can’t stop making it.
It’s cozy, really delicious, and hard to resist going back for seconds. The sauerkraut adds just the right amount of sourness, perfectly balancing the richness of the bacon and sausage.
Key Ingredients
- Sauerkraut: The star of our soup. I love fermented sauerkraut, which you can buy or make yourself (here’s our sauerkraut recipe). Another option is to make our fresh sauerkraut, which tastes incredible, but skips the fermenting time, meaning you can make and enjoy it on the same day. When buying sauerkraut from the grocery store, look for more traditional options with classic spices like caraway.
- Bacon and Sausage: For the bacon, I use thick-cut slices and cut them into lardons (small strips). For the sausage, kielbasa is my favorite, but any smoked sausage will work.
- Onion, Carrot, and Garlic: Roughly chop the onion and carrot, then slice the garlic. No need for perfection here, this is a rustic soup after all.
- Thyme and Paprika: The fresh thyme adds a lot of flavor, but you can substitute it with dried thyme. For the paprika, use sweet paprika to avoid introducing extra smokiness or heat.
- Stock: I use chicken stock or chicken broth, but vegetable broth would work just fine here.
Find the full recipe with measurements below.
My Tips for Making Sauerkraut Soup
Tip 1: Render the bacon and sausage. Flavor builds step by step in this soup. Start by cooking the bacon and sausage until browned and their fat has rendered. Transfer the meat to a plate, but leave the flavorful fat in the pot. This is what you’ll use to sauté the veggies.
Tip 2: Keep things hearty. This is a rustic, filling soup, so there’s no need to finely dice or mince the ingredients. Chop the onion and carrot into bite-sized pieces that can stand up to the sausage slices.
Tip 3: You only need a quick simmer. My favorite part of this sauerkraut soup is the carrots! They turn out so sweet against the sourness of the broth. When simmering, look for the carrots to become tender, and when they do, you can serve. It only simmers for about 15 minutes.
More Rustic Soup Recipes
- Minestrone Soup with Sausage
- Creamy Potato Soup
- Potato and Leek Soup
- Ham and Cabbage Soup – so easy!
- Healthy Cabbage Soup
Sauerkraut Soup
- PREP
- COOK
- TOTAL
This sauerkraut soup recipe turns out a little smoky, tangy, and sour thanks to the sauerkraut. I love using homemade sauerkraut, but store-bought works really well (just choose one that’s been made with classic flavors like caraway seeds). It’s lovely served by itself, with potatoes, or crusty bread.
You Will Need
4 ounces bacon, thinly sliced (113g)
12 ounces kielbasa, sliced ¼-inch thick (340g)
1 medium onion, diced
2 medium carrots, peeled and diced
4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
½ teaspoon sweet paprika
5 fresh thyme sprigs
6 cups chicken stock (1.4L)
2 ½ cups drained sauerkraut (450g)
¼ teaspoon fine sea salt, optional
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Directions
1Cook the bacon: Place a large pot over medium heat. Add the bacon and cook until the fat renders and the bacon is browned and almost crisp. Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon and set aside, leaving the fat in the pot.
2Brown the sausage: Add the kielbasa and cook until lightly browned on all sides, 4 to 5 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside with the bacon.
3Cook the vegetables: Add the onion, carrot, garlic, paprika, and thyme to the pot. Cook, stirring often, until the onion softens slightly, about 3 minutes.
4Simmer the soup: Pour in the chicken stock, then add the sauerkraut. Stir and taste for seasoning, then add salt and pepper as needed. Bring to a simmer and cook, uncovered, until the carrots are tender, 15 to 20 minutes.
5Finish and serve: Stir the bacon and kielbasa back into the soup, discard the thyme sprigs, and season to taste. Ladle into bowls and enjoy!
Adam and Joanne's Tips
- Serving: I love this as-is, but it would be lovely with a spoonful of sour cream and fresh herbs (like fresh dill or parsley) sprinkled over the top.
- Storing: Keep leftover soup in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days or freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge and reheat over medium-low heat on the stove or use the microwave.
- Measuring your sauerkraut: It doesn’t need to be completely dry; some brine is fine. I like to use a spoon and pull the cabbage out to measure it.
- Thyme: I like to tie my thyme with a little twine to make it easy to remove later on. For dried thyme, use ½ teaspoon.
- The nutrition facts provided are estimates.
This soup looked so good so I gave it a try unfortunatey my husband and I were very dissapointed it just did not have much flavor… that being said I am excited about trying other recipes
Hi Cathy, Thanks so much for giving it a try, and I really appreciate you sharing your feedback! This one definitely leans on the smoky sausage, bacon, and sauerkraut for flavor (so choose something that’s already flavorful), but it sounds like it might’ve also needed a bit more seasoning or tang for your taste. A splash of the sauerkraut brine or extra paprika can really wake it up next time. I’m glad you’re planning to try more recipes, I hope the next one’s a winner for you both!
I love the looks of your sauerkraut soup. I am sending my caregiver to the market on Monday to pick up some bacom and kielbasa
to make the delicious looking soup. Thank you. I will send email when completed. Again–thanks. Larry H.
That’s wonderful, Larry. Please let us know what you think once you make it.
yum