Instant Pot Sauerkraut and Sausage recipe. Make some Kielbasa and Sauerkrat for good luck in the New Year, sped up with pressure cooking.
Need some good luck in the new year? Don’t forget your pork and sauerkraut!
Sauerkraut is a love it or hate it vegetable, and I LOVE IT. One of my first food memories is buying a Polish Boy from a street vendor in downtown Cleveland. With everything, of course, including a heap of sauerkraut on top.
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Jump to:
- Ingredients for Sauerkraut and Sausage
- How to make Sauerkraut and Sausage in the Instant Pot
- What kind of sausage can I use in this recipe?
- Substitutions
- Storing Sauerkraut and Sausage
- Frequently Asked Questions
- What should I serve with Sauerkraut and Sausage
- Pressure Cooker Kielbasa and Sauerkraut
- Related Posts
- 💬 Comments
Growing up, my wife dreaded her Grandma's annual tradition of sauerkraut for the new year. My love of those hot dogs, loaded with sauerkraut, almost derailed our relationship before it started. She couldn’t believe I loved those “smelly dogs”. Luckily for me she got over it, and now, thanks to recipes like this one, she actually enjoys her annual sauerkraut.
Here I’m using a different Polish sausage - Kielbasa, smoked and garlicky - to flavor the sauerkraut. This helps the “hate it” crowd by infusing sauerkraut with pork fat and smoky sausage to cut the sour flavor.
If you're looking for more pork in your new year's good luck, try my Instant Pot Pork and Sauerkraut with pork ribs. Or, if you need some Southern style good luck, have Instant Pot Black-Eyed Peas or Instant Pot Black-Eyed Peas and Collard Greens to ring in the New Year.
Ingredients for Sauerkraut and Sausage
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 pound kielbasa or smoked sausage, cut into ½-inch thick rounds
- 1 onion, diced
- 1 apple, peeled, cored and diced (preferably Granny Smith)
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ½ teaspoon caraway seeds (optional)
- ½ teaspoon juniper berries (optional)
- ½ cup dry white wine (preferably Riesling)
- 2 pounds sauerkraut, drained and rinsed
- 2 cups chicken broth (preferably homemade chicken broth, or low sodium store bought)
How to make Sauerkraut and Sausage in the Instant Pot
Brown the sausage in 2 batches
In an Instant Pot or other pressure cooker, heat the vegetable oil using Sauté mode-high until the oil starts to shimmer. (Use medium-high heat with a stovetop PC). Add half the sausage, cut side down, covering the bottom of the pot in a loose layer. Brown the sausage on one side, about three minutes, then remove to a bowl with a slotted spoon, leaving behind as much of the fat as possible. Add the rest of the sausage and brown on one side, about 3 more minutes, and move it to the bowl with the rest of the sausage.
Saute the onion, apple, and spices, then everything in the pot
Add the onion and apple to the pressure cooker pot, and sprinkle with the salt, caraway seeds, and juniper berries. Saute until the onion and apple soften, about five minutes, occasionally scraping the bottom of the pot with a flat-edged wooden spoon to loosen any browned sausage bits. Add the wine to the pot, bring to a simmer, and simmer for one minute, scraping the bottom to loosen any browned bits stuck to the bottom of the pot. Add the sauerkraut, chicken broth, and the bowl of browned sausage plus any accumulated sausage juices. Stir until everything is well mixed.
Pressure cook on high for 12 minutes with a Natural Release
Lock the lid on the pressure cooker. Cook at high pressure for 12 minutes in an Instant Pot or other electric PC, or for 10 minutes in a stovetop PC. (Use Manual, Pressure Cook, or Pressure Cook-custom in an Instant Pot, and set the cook time for 12 minutes.) When the cooking time is over let the pressure come down naturally, about 15 minutes.
Serve
Transfer the sauerkraut and sausage from the pot to a platter with a slotted spoon. Serve and enjoy!
What kind of sausage can I use in this recipe?
Any kind of smoked sausage works well in this recipe. I prefer Kielbasa, for its garlicky and smoky flavor. Regular smoked sausage is good, and cajun Andouille will give you some extra kick. I have a local butcher that smokes Hungarian, Slovene, Slovak, and Polish sausages, and they are all fantastic in this recipe.
Substitutions
- Spices: I like caraway seeds and juniper berries in my sauerkraut, but it's fine if you can only find one or the other. Another good pairing is coriander and cumin seed, for more of a Mediterranean flavor to your kraut.
Storing Sauerkraut and Sausage
If you store sauerkraut and sausage in an airtight container, it will last for a couple of days in the refrigerator or for up to 6 months in the freezer. If you're worried about the probiotics in sauerkraut, I'm sorry, but they're all gone by the time you're done pressure cooking. Eat your sauerkraut uncooked if you are looking for probiotics. (Source: Cleveland Kitchen Sauerkraut Company)
Frequently Asked Questions
- No pressure cooker? No worries. Cook everything in a dutch oven with a lid. Follow the instructions until step 3. For step 3, cover the pot, bring it to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for an hour.
- No juniper berries? Skip them entirely, or replace the white wine with ¼ cup of gin. Juniper is one of the major flavors in gin.
What should I serve with Sauerkraut and Sausage
I like to serve my Sauerkraut and Sausage with mustard, a green vegetable, and a salad. Potato salad, like my Instant Pot Mustard Potato Salad is also a great side dish for this meal.
Print
Pressure Cooker Kielbasa and Sauerkraut
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 6-8 1x
Description
Pressure Cooker Kielbasa and Sauerkraut recipe, for good luck in the New Year.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 pound kielbasa or smoked sausage, cut into ½-inch thick rounds
- 1 onion, diced
- 1 apple, peeled, cored and diced (preferably Granny Smith)
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ½ teaspoon caraway seeds (optional)
- ½ teaspoon juniper berries (optional)
- ½ cup dry white wine (preferably Riesling)
- 2 pounds sauerkraut, drained and rinsed
- 2 cups chicken broth (preferably homemade chicken broth, or low sodium store bought)
Instructions
- Brown the sausage in 2 batches: In an Instant Pot or other pressure cooker, heat the vegetable oil using Sauté mode-high until the oil starts to shimmer. (Use medium-high heat with a stovetop PC). Add half the sausage, cut side down, covering the bottom of the pot in a loose layer. Brown the sausage on one side, about three minutes, then remove to a bowl with a slotted spoon, leaving behind as much of the fat as possible. Add the rest of the sausage and brown on one side, about 3 more minutes, and move it to the bowl with the rest of the sausage.
- Sauté the onion, apple, and spices, then everything in the pot: Add the onion and apple to the pressure cooker pot, and sprinkle with the salt, caraway seeds, and juniper berries. Saute until the onion and apple soften, about five minutes, occasionally scraping the bottom of the pot with a flat-edged wooden spoon to loosen any browned sausage bits. Add the wine to the pot, bring to a simmer, and simmer for one minute, scraping the bottom to loosen any browned bits stuck to the bottom of the pot. Add the sauerkraut, chicken broth, and the bowl of browned sausage plus any accumulated sausage juices. Stir until everything is well mixed.
- Pressure cook on high for 12 minutes with a Natural Release: Lock the lid on the pressure cooker. Cook at high pressure for 12 minutes in an Instant Pot or other electric PC, or for 10 minutes in a stovetop PC. (Use Manual, Pressure Cook, or Pressure Cook-custom in an Instant Pot, and set the cook time for 12 minutes.) When the cooking time is over let the pressure come down naturally, about 15 minutes.
- Serve: Transfer the sauerkraut and sausage from the pot to a platter with a slotted spoon. Serve and enjoy!
Equipment
Buy Now → - Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Pressure Cooker
- Cuisine: Eastern European
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TL Almo says
I made this tonight with mashed potatoes & did everything in the recipe except used gin in place of the juniper berries like you mentioned & it was sooo good! We all loved it & we're very excited we have leftovers for tomorrow. Great comfort food! Will make again... thanks for sharing 🙂
Mike Vrobel says
You’re welcome, glad you enjoyed it!
Ryguy says
First recipe comment ever cause uh, this was awesome. I couldn't find juniper berries and I added a few cloves of garlic in the mix and ITS INSANELY GOOD. Leftovers maybe even better, I don't know.
Sandi says
Awesome! I'm going to make this for company in the fall. The apple adds a bit of sweetness. If you don't like saurkraut before, you'll like it after this recipe.
Diane says
Five stars in spite of the juniper berries 😉 not a fan of anything gin so I left them out. Same with the caraway, just don't have any on hand.
I used smoked Slovenian sausages and bagged kraut. I prefer it baked, but precooking the sausages approximates the flavor without heating up the kitchen.
Miranda says
I cant wait to try this! Thank you so much for sharing!
DT says
Is it possible to cut the recipe in half, quantity-wise?
Joan says
WOW, I loved this the first time, fixed it a 2nd time, and am about to fix this a 3rd. No one in my family likes sauerkraut, but they do now. I will say that I tried it the 2nd time with some Andouille sausage instead of kielbasa; I really love the spices; and the family rated it a 9 out of 10....
THANKS for this recipe. I LOVE my pressure cooker and anytime I can get a recipe that I normally cook for hours that works in the PC, I'm truly happy.
Diane says
This sounds very good. For my take on it I put in a bag of kraut, some fresh sausage, an apple and some hard cider. High pressure for 15 minutes. Removed the sausage and put in a bag of frozen spaetzle. Set it to slow cook for a few minutes to cook the spaetzle while I cut up the sausage. Served with a generous dollop of sour cream. Which also tames the krautness for the haters.
Michelle says
I've made this recipe 3 times now and my family just loves it! I throw in a few small new potatoes and it doesn't even affect the cooking time! Thanks so much for the go to easy week night meal!
Mike V says
You're welcome!
susanb says
This recipe was great. The treatment left the sauerkraut really mellowed out. I would serve with a crusty bread to sop up the soupiness of this dish. unexpectedly mellow!
Mike V says
Crusty bread is a great idea - thanks for the kind words!
Shelley S says
Our family uses a good seedless Polish rye bread.
And yes, great recipe!
I looked up your recipe because I didn't know the IP cooking time. My family has always made almost the exact same recipe, adding a good bunch of new potatoes, I'd but never used gin or wine. We didn't have gin in the house, but the wine made a fantastic addition! I do drop the caraway seed because I dislike it.
I also use a bagged vs jar or canned variety of sauerkraut I find in the refrigerated deli case in my store. It's near the refrigerated Klausen pickles. Our family used to make sauerkraut from scratch, and this is as close to that as I've ever had.