Sauerkraut Juice substitute

Substitutes for Sauerkraut Juice with ratios

1. 2Kimchi Brine

   Different taste

   Use the same amount

   Also a live cabbage ferment, so the underlying sourness is genuinely the same.

   What changes

   What changes is everything on top: chilli heat, garlic, ginger and usually a fish-sauce savouriness, which makes a dressing much bolder and tints it pink. Cut other salt in the recipe, because kimchi brine is usually saltier than kraut juice.

   Best for

   marinades, braises, dressings, savoury dishes

   Prep. Spoon off the liquid from a jar of ripe kimchi. Strain through a sieve.

   Excellent in a pork braise or a slaw dressing; wrong in a delicate potato salad.

2. 3Water, White Wine Vinegar and Salt

   Different taste

   Use 6 Tbsp water plus 2 Tbsp vinegar plus ½ tsp salt for every ½ cup

   Covers the two jobs that matter most, acid and salt, using things everyone has.

   What changes

   The difference is real but narrow: vinegar gives a sharper, cleaner, more one-dimensional sourness where lactic fermentation gives a rounder, slightly savoury one, and there is no fermented funk and no live culture at all. In a cooked dish almost nobody would notice.

   Best for

   braises, soups, marinades, rye bread dough

   Prep. Stir until the salt dissolves. Taste and add a further teaspoon of vinegar if it seems flat.

   Apple cider vinegar works too and tastes slightly fruitier, which suits pork dishes.

3. 4Liquid Pressed from a Jar of Sauerkraut

   Close match

   Use the same amount

   This is the actual ingredient, not a substitute, and most people overlook it.

   What changes

   A 500 g jar of kraut yields roughly 1/3 cup of brine once you press it properly, which is enough for most recipes that call for kraut juice.

   Best for

   any recipe calling for sauerkraut juice, dressings, rye dough

   Prep. Tip the kraut into a sieve over a bowl and press hard with the back of a spoon, or gather it in a clean cloth and twist.

   Buy refrigerated kraut if the recipe wants live cultures; canned and shelf-stable kraut has been pasteurised.

4. 5Olive or Pepperoncini Brine

   Different taste

   Use the same amount

   Sour, salty and savoury, so it hits the same broad notes, but both are noticeably saltier and carry a bitter or peppery edge that kraut juice does not have.

   What changes

   Good in a marinade, a savoury dressing or a Bloody Mary; less good in bread, where the bitterness shows.

   Best for

   marinades, savoury dressings, cocktails, pan sauces

   Prep. Strain, and reduce the recipe's salt by about a quarter teaspoon per 1/4 cup used.

   Pepperoncini brine is the milder and closer of the two.

5. 6Buttermilk or Plain Kefir

   Taste and texture differ

   Use the same amount plus ¼ tsp salt per ½ cup

   Only useful where the recipe wants sour liquid in a dough, as in a rye or a soda bread.

   What changes

   It is dairy-sour rather than vegetable-sour, so the tang is softer and creamier, and the added fat gives a noticeably more tender crumb. Add salt, because neither contains any.

   Best for

   rye bread dough, soda bread, batters

   Prep. Bring to room temperature before mixing into a yeast dough.

   Do not use this in a savoury braise or dressing, where the dairy will look and taste out of place.