With this super easy and totally tasty Instant Pot Sauerkraut & Sausage recipe, you can have something delicious on the table in no time! Follow me, Chef Jenn, as I show you how to make these dump-and-go Instant Pot Sauerkraut everyone will love!
Everyone is pressed for time these days, making staying on your keto diet a challenge. But, with this tasty keto Instant Pot dump-and-go recipe, you can get it set up and be eating in hardly any time.
And, this recipe is easily scaled to feed more people. I used one jar of sauerkraut and four bratwurst sausages, about a pound. This easily served four of us for dinner.
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What is Sauerkraut?
Sauerkraut is nature’s gift to keto. Not only is sauerkraut a nutritional powerhouse that’s loaded with all sorts of goodness, but it is totally keto.
Sauerkraut is thinly shredded cabbage that’s then fermented. The nutritional benefits of sauerkraut are amazing, and if you rinse it before eating, you can remove a lot of the nasty vinegar flavor without sacrificing the nutrition. And, if you’re wondering if cabbage is keto, check this post out.
Sauerkraut and sausage go hand-in-hand, and this tasty recipe is one that everyone will love!
How To Cook Keto Sauerkraut & Sausage
Gather your ingredients:
Good bratwurst sausage – you want a good, meaty and not too fatty sausage for this recipe
Sauerkraut – by the can or by the jar, drain it and squeeze it to remove most of the liquid. I’ll even give it a quick rinse (and another squeeze) to remove much of the sourness. Believe me, there’s still plenty of flavor.
Onion – about 1/2 a yellow or white onion, sliced
Garlic – two or three cloves should do it
Bay leaf – I toss one in because it adds great flavor
Water or chicken broth – you need a cup of liquid to keep it from burning
Salt and pepper – that’s it!
It all goes into the Instant Pot! Add the water first, then the drained and squeezed sauerkraut, then finally, the seasoning and sausage.
Oven Directions
No Instant Pot? No worries! This easy-peasy dish can also be made in the oven. Here’s how:
- Drain and squeeze your sauerkraut.
- Slice the onion and mince the garlic. Toss them with the saurkraut and add the salt, pepper, and bay leaf.
- Layer the sauerkraut on the bottom of an oven-safe casserole dish.
- Drizzle 1/2 cup of water over the top of the sauerkraut (or use Chicken Broth for extra flavor).
- Place the sausage on top, cover with foil, and bake at 350-F for about an hour.
- Enjoy!
CheF Jenn’s Tips
- Use a good quality bratwurst sausage that’s not too fatty. Read the ingredient label to watch for hidden starches or sugars.
- Change up the flavor by using Italian sausage or even smoked sausage.
- Add a tsp of caraway seeds to the sauerkraut if you like – they add a lovely burst of flavor.
- This Instant Pot Sauerkraut & Sausage recipe can easily be doubled for keto meal prep or to freeze for another meal.
- This dish is perfect for keto meal prepping. It is easy to make, makes about four servings, and heats easily for lunches or dinners.
What to Serve with Instant Pot Pork & Sauerkraut Recipe
This isn’t the prettiest recipe I’ve ever made, but it sure has plenty of flavor. You can jazz up the look of your plate with a colorful veg like Swiss Chard with Garlic, or go simple with Zucchini Noodles.
Is This Keto Instant Pot Sauerkraut & Sausage Recipe Freezable?
Yes! This easy Instant Pot pork and sauerkraut dish will do just fine in the freezer.
To freeze, chill the cooked dish overnight in the fridge. Then, portion it into single-serve (or however servings you need) portions and place it in freezer-safe plastic bags or containers.
I prefer to use plastic bags (which I recycle when finished). This allows me to press out excess air, which we all know is bad when freezing.
Air can cause freezer burn on food, which is still safe to eat, but the flavor and appearance will be off a bit.
To reheat, simply thaw it overnight in the fridge, then heat it in a covered oven-safe dish or i the microwave until heated through.
Frequently Asked Questions
Including coming to pressure and the natural release time, this recipe will take you about 40 minutes from start to finish.
Heck ya! It’s not just loaded with tons of nutritional benefits, but it is super low in carbs and high in fiber. Ringing in at about 2 net carbs per cup of sauerkraut, you can munch guilt-free on this delish dish.
The answer to this depends on your personal preference. Some brands I need to rinse and drain, if only because the flavor is SOOOO strong. Other brands, aren’t quite so strong and the flavor is mild. My rule of thumb is this: if you can eat it straight from the jar or can, you don’t need to rinse it.
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Step By Step Process
Instant Pot Sauerkraut & Sausage
Ingredients
- 32 ounce jar sauerkraut
- 1 pound pork sausage
- 1/2 onion sliced
- 2 cloves garlic chopped
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 cup water
Instructions
- Drain and rinse the sauerkraut. Give it a light squeeze to remove most of the water. You don't want it bone dry. Mix the sauerkraut with the onion, bay leaf, garlic, salt and pepper.
- Put 1 cup of water in the bottom of the Instant Pot.
- Add the sauerkraut in a single layer on the bottom of the IP.
- Cut the sausage into chunks and place it on top of the sauerkraut.
- Seal the IP. Cook it on Pressure Cook high for 15 minutes.
- Natural release for 10 minutes, then manual release. Enjoy!
Nutrition
A Note on Nutritional Information
Nutritional information for this recipe is provided as a courtesy and is calculated based on available online ingredient information. It is only an approximate value. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site cannot be guaranteed. Erythritol carbs (sugar substitutes) are not included in the carbohydrate counts as they have been shown not to impact blood sugar, and they have zero calories and zero carbs. Net carbs are the total carbs minus fiber.
Want More Tasty Keto Recipes?
I’m always cooking and developing new recipes but these are some of my all-time favorites:
- Beefy vegetable soup
- This roasted cauliflower dish that’s got oodles of flavor
- A meaty hash for breakfast
- Chicken taco casserole
And if you’re having trouble counting carbs, check out this net carb calculator.
Always great to find new Keto recipes to make in the Instant Pot
Any excuse to have more sauerkraut for me! I don’t know why I’m addicted. Excited to make this.
This is awesome! One of my favorite meals made in the Instant pot. Yay!
It is a pretty easy and tasty dish! So glad you like it!
Trying to eat more fermented foods. This recipe is super helpful for that!
You left out the bay leaf in your instructions. It’s listed as one of the ingredients.
Oops! So I did! Nice catch 🙂 All fixed up! Thanks for letting me know! ~Jenn
Made this for the family and it was a hit!
So glad you all liked it!
Step 4 says cut the sauerkraut into chunks and place it on top of the sauerkraut. Obviously that’s a typo, and you cut the sausage into chunks. I’m preparing this now, it looks delicious!
Easy.
I added a few red potatoes.
This was absolutely delicious! Simple, quick and easy, too. If you are not Keto, it pairs really well with potatoes. I didn’t add salt as I wasn’t sure how salty the sauerkraut was. I just salted it at the table. I did add the full amount of pepper and that was a nice addition.