Pure comfort food, aside from the taste, the best part about Keto Ribs & Sauerkraut is smelling it cook! Cooked low and slow, this is a meaty dish that’s infused with flavor. Follow me, Chef Jenn, as I show you all my chef tips and tricks to make this amazing keto sauerkraut & ribs recipe perfectly every time!
I have a LOT of gadgets and appliances in my kitchen, but there are few I use as regularly as my slow cooker, and one of my favorite dishes to make in it is the Slow Cooker Ribs and Sauerkraut.
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If you don’t have a slow cooker (aka Crock Pot), you simply MUST get one.
They are a lifesaver. I have an Instant Pot, too, but I don’t use it nearly as often.
To get that cooked all day in the oven flavor, a slow cooker is essential.
Get one that’s bigger than you think you’ll need, and get one with several different heat settings. There are lots and bells and whistles on today’s Crock Pots, but even a simple one with a low and high setting will do the trick.
Trust me, mine’s a dinosaur and works just fine!
What You’ll Need to Make Keto Sauerkraut and Ribs
To make this hearty and comforting dish, you just need a handful of ingredients and items:
A Crock Pot,
A solid knife for cutting the ribs
A cutting board
Sauerkruat, ribs, garlic, onion, salt and pepper.
How to Make Slow Cooker Ribs and Sauerkraut
Pick good quality and meaty baby back pork ribs.
If you pick the long St. Louis style ribs, they could dry out and there’s a fair bit more fat on those that’ll just grease up your dish.
Regardless of what kind of ribs you buy, trim the visible fat from the ribs, and cut them with your trusty chef’s knife, into sections of two bones.
Next, get a jar or can of sauerkraut. Sauerkraut is fermented cabbage and is loaded with nutrition. Is cabbage keto? Check out this article.
White wine sauerkraut is fine, or go for the fancy refrigerated kind.
No matter what brand or type you use, you MUST drain and RINSE the sauerkraut. There’s nothing fouler than sauerkraut right from the jar – unless you’ve never had any different.
Trust me, you’re about to have something SO different, you’ll never eat it right from the jar again.
Once you’ve drained, rinsed and squeezed most of the water from your sauerkraut, the rest of the recipe is as simple as putting everything into the Crock Pot, setting it, and forgetting it!
Only you won’t be able to forget it, because the amazingly delicious aromas of that slow cooking Crock Pot Sauerkraut and Ribs will drive you nutty!
Chef’s Tips
- Add 1/2 cup of water or chicken broth if things start to look too dry in the slow cooker.
- Stir it halfway through to give everything a good mix.
- Change things up and add bratwurst sausage instead of ribs!
What to Serve with Slow Cooker Ribs & Sauerkraut
You’ve got protein and veggies with this dish, so you really don’t need much more than that. However, the plate would look pretty with a bright green veggie on it. Go for Roasted Broccoli, Zucchini Noodles, or even just a simple steamed spinach.
Are Keto Ribs & Sauerkraut Freezer-Friendly?
Yes!
You can freeze this dish just fine. To freeze it, fully prepare the dish and chill it overnight in the fridge.
Then, portion it into freezer-safe containers or plastic bags. Freeze it for up to three months.
To heat, thaw it in the fridge overnight. Then, heat it in the microwave until warmed through, or put it in an oven-safe dish and cover with foil. Heat it at 350-F until it is heated through.
Like This? Also Try:
- Slow Cooker Southern Green Beans
- Al Pastor Pork Carnitas in the Crock Pot
- Beefiest Beef Stew EVER
- And, be sure to check out my cookbooks page!
Just a few ingredients! 
Drain, rinse, and squeeze sauerkraut, and cut ribs. Everything into Crock Pot! 
Dig in to meaty keto Ribs & Sauerkraut!
Ribs & Sauerkraut (Keto, Low-Carb)
Ingredients
- 32 ounces sauerkraut
- 2 pounds pork baby back ribs
- 1 onion sliced
- 2 cloves garlic chopped
- 1 cup water
- 1 tsp peppercorns
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 bay leaves
Instructions
- Drain and rinse one 32-ounce jar or can of sauerkraut. Squeeze most of the water from it with your very clean hands.
- Trim any visible fat from the ribs and cut them into 2-bone sections, and season them with salt and pepper.
- Peel and slice the onion, and roughly chop the garlic.
- Add the sauerkraut to the bottom of a large Crock Pot. Lay the ribs on top, and sprinkle with the onion, peppercorns, and garlic. Add the by leaves, and 1 cup of water.
- Put the lid on and set the slow cooker to high. Cook on high for 2-3 hours, stirring every 30 minutes or so, until the ribs are fall-off-the-bone tender.
- Adjust the seasoning adding salt and pepper to taste, serve and 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.
I love dishes that use sauerkraut in them so these ribs are getting made asap!
They’re healthy AND tasty! Yum! Hope you enjoy!
I love my crockpot! Can’t wait to make this for dinner!
I agree, a slow cooker is a must have and so it this recipe! Simply delicious!
I’m not super familiar with sauerkraut and I didn’t realize you should rinse and drain it. This is a great tip for someone who has never cooked with sauerkraut before.
Oh yes, the #1 reason people hate sauerkraut is that it is too strong! Rinsing and draining is key!
I never drain or rinse sauerkraut! All the goodness of the fermenting is gone! Nothing more delicious than raw or cooked sauerkraut with the juices! Great for the gut too! 😃
That’s certainly your choice! Bon appetit!
I agree! Sauerkraut is best when not drained or rinsed. It’s not sour if you drain it and rinse it. Silver fleece has the best sauerkraut on the market not too sour but really really good.
Thanks for the tip! I’ll have to look for that brand! ~Jenn
Oh this is a wonderful idea! Sounds so, so good! I will have to try this..perfect meal for the weekends when the games are on!
And it smells soooo good cooking!
I’ve been making this for 40 yrs, ever since one of my best friends made it for me. We’ve always made it with a good size pork roast and don’t bother draining and rinsing the sauerkraut. Before going low carb and when I just want to honor Kim’s memory I eat it the way I did the very first time, a big spoon of white rice, some corn and sauerkraut with juices, meat on the side YUM!!
I love it with a pork roast, too! Thanks for reminding me!
I just pulled up this recipe for the 10th plus time and thought I should leave a comment. This is an awesome recipe! I don’t drain the sauerkraut because I like the flavor. The only extra step/deviation from recipe is I salt and pepper then sear the ribs in a bit of extra virgin olive oil on each side before putting them in the crock. It smells soooo good while it’s cooking all day! Definitely a tried and true wonderful recipe!! Thanks very much Chef Jenn!
What a great compliment, thank you! And I think after a few more times, you might beat me for the number of times I’ve made this dish! It sure does smell amazing cooking – you’re right about that! So glad you love it so much!
when I make this, rather than chicken broth or water I add about a half can of beer (you can use bud light or mich ultra, any low carb beer) and let it cook for another hour or so. It is delicious!!!
Great idea! Thanks for stopping by to share your tip! ~Jenn
I don’t understand what is giving this dish 9 carbs when all the ingredients don’t have any.
Hi there, there are naturally occurring carbs in garlic and onion, and in cabbage, too. The fiber offsets some of those carbs, resulting in this recipe having 4 net carbs per serving, which is really very low for a hearty main dish. Thanks for the comment, and I hope you try this recipe – it really is terrific! ~Jenn