I don’t know if I’ve told you yet, but I’m obsessed with bratwurst. Every time I eat it, it doesn’t matter how often I eat it, I swear it’s the best thing I’ve ever tasted. I also love sauerkraut. So I don’t know why it took me so long to make this classic Bratwurst recipe with juicy bratwurst, tangy sauerkraut, sweet apples, and savory onions all simmered together in a flavorful broth. It’s absolute perfection. It’s really easy, and the leftovers are so good, so this bratwurst and sauerkraut recipe is an instant winner in my book.
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What is Bratwurst?
Bratwurst is a fresh, German-style sausage made with pork, and sometimes veal or beef. It’s incredibly juicy and flavorful, and tastes great whether cooked over an open grill, roasted in the oven, or cooked in a skillet.
In Germany, you’ll find several different types of bratwurst depending on the region, but in the U.S. you’ll usually either find regular bratwurst or beer bratwurst (or “beer brats” for short). Both types will work fine in this recipe.
You’ll find bratwurst in the fresh meat department of your grocery store, near Italian sausage. Johnsonville brats are pretty common in most major grocery stores, but I also enjoy ALDI’s store-brand bratwurst.
Ingredients for Bratwurst with Sauerkraut
Here’s what you’ll need to make this simple but classic bratwurst recipe:
- Onion and Garlic: These simple aromatics create a savory base that contrasts perfectly with the sweet flavor of the apple.
- Cooking Oil: A little cooking oil helps the onion and garlic sauté and soften without burning.
- Apple: A little bit of sweetness from an apple balances the acidity of the sauerkraut and gives this dish a cozy autumn flavor. Make sure to use a sweet apple, rather than a tart variety like Granny Smith.
- Bratwurst: The juicy and rich bratwurst create balance with the light and tangy flavor of the sauerkraut.
- Sauerkraut: A classic cabbage kraut adds bulk to this meal and helps keep the cost low while providing tons of flavor and belly-filling power.
- Seasoning: A simple mix of caraway seeds, paprika, and pepper add just enough flavor without overpowering the brats or kraut.
- Chicken Broth: Simmering the ingredients in chicken broth infuses even more flavor, gives the dish tons of depth, and provides just enough salt.
What Kind of Sauerkraut Should I Use?
I used a German-style sauerkraut purchased in a jar (ALDI’s Deutsche Küche brand) for this bratwurst recipe, but you could use fresh refrigerated sauerkraut as well. Flavored sauerkraut, like garlic or jalapeño, would also be really awesome in this dish. The only type of sauerkraut that I would suggest avoiding is red cabbage sauerkraut only because the color would likely bleed throughout and turn everything kind of blue-ish.
How to Serve Bratwurst and Sauerkraut
There are two main ways that I would serve bratwurst in sauerkraut. First, serve it up in toasted buns with a delicious grainy mustard, and maybe some German Potato Salad on the side. Second, on a plate with the sauerkraut as a bed and a side of either mashed potatoes or potato salad. And while you’re at it, grab a cold German Beer to go with the meal! :)
Bratwurst and Sauerkraut
Servings 5Ingredients
- 1 yellow onion ($0.28)
- 1 apple* ($0.41)
- 2 cloves garlic ($0.16)
- 1 Tbsp cooking oil ($0.04)
- 19 oz. bratwurst (5 links) ($3.49)
- 24 oz. sauerkraut ($1.69)
- 1/4 tsp caraway seeds (optional) ($0.02)
- 1/4 tsp paprika ($0.02)
- 1/4 tsp freshly cracked pepper ($0.02)
- 1 cup chicken broth ($0.13)
Instructions
- Slice the onion and the apple, and mince the garlic.
- Add the cooking oil to a large deep skillet or wide pot. Heat over medium. When the pan and oil are hot, add the bratwurst. Cook on each side until well browned (it does not need to be cooked through at this point). Remove the browned bratwurst to a clean plate.
- Add the sliced onions, apples, and garlic to the pan and sauté for about 5 minutes, or until the onions are soft.
- Drain the sauerkraut and add it to the skillet, along with the caraway seeds, paprika, pepper, and chicken broth. Stir to combine with the apples and onions. Nestle the browned bratwurst down into the sauerkraut.
- Place a lid on the pan and allow the broth to come up to a simmer. Lower the heat slightly and continue to simmer the bratwurst in the sauerkraut and broth for 20 minutes, or until the bratwurst is cooked through. Serve hot.
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Equipment
- Deep Stainless Steel Skillet
Notes
Nutrition
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How to Make Bratwurst and Sauerkraut – Step by Step Photos
Slice one yellow onion and one apple, and mince two cloves of garlic. Use a sweet variety apple, like Gala or Fuji.
Add a tablespoon of cooking oil to a deep skillet or wide pot and heat over medium. Once hot, add five links of bratwurst (about 19oz.) and cook on both sides until well browned. The bratwurst does not need to be cooked through at this point. Remove the sausage to a clean plate.
Add the onions, apples, and garlic to the skillet.
Sauté the onions, apples, and garlic over medium for about five minutes, or until the onions are soft.
Drain the sauerkraut and add it to the skillet along with ¼ tsp caraway seeds, ¼ tsp paprika, ¼ tsp pepper, and 1 cup chicken broth. Stir to combine and dissolve any browned bits off the bottom of the skillet.
Add the Bratwurst back to the skillet and nestle it down into the sauerkraut. Place a lid on the skillet and allow the broth to come to a simmer. Once simmering, lower the heat slightly and continue to simmer the bratwurst for about 20 minutes, or until it is cooked through.
Serve this bratwurst recipe hot with a bun or without, with some grainy mustard and a cold beer!
Didn’t have apples on hand so I used applesauce instead. Was delicious and so easy to make.
I love this so much! I’m vegetarian, so I used impossible bratwursts and beer instead of chicken broth. It makes the sauerkraut so delicious. Thank you!
So Good!! I made this last night. Such great flavors! I didn’t have chicken broth so I used beer. Delicious!! I’ll definitely make this again.
Yummy
I’m of German heritage and sausages are a core dish in German life. This dish was excellent and will make it again. Simple to make and tasty. The sauerkraut was very good with the spices which I had in the house fortunately. Wouldn’t change a thing….
A totally unique and tasty recipe! I love sauerkraut period but this recipe is so tasty and unique that it has quickly become my favorite side for bratwurst!
I can’t wait to try!
Just love this recipe, highly recommend!
Oh my word! I liked sauerkraut before but this makes me love it! This recipe mellows the sauerkraut and just makes it so….yummy! You have to try it to believe it.
Wonderful preparation and ingredients for brats. Did not have good fresh brats, used Johnsonville precooked brats and did not have caraway seed, used fresh dill and fresh celery. Made as described and voila, superb. Will be made again after chasing down some fresh locally made brats and caraway seeds. Who’s got it better???? No body… Thanks for the recipe Beth.
Made this recipe New Year’s Day and my family loved it so I’m making it again this week. Easy and delicious. I added extra apple slices. Thanks.
Made this tonight and it was very quick and easy. Added just a touch of brown sugar to the sauerkraut. Everyone in my family enjoyed it! Thank you
I’m not a normally a sausage and sauerkraut fan, but this was delicious! A quick and easy way to cook raw sausage, this dish was full of flavor.
Easy and delicious! With some instant mashed potatoes on the side, no sweat. Bought chicken brats from the farmer’s market that pair perfectly.
We made our own sauerkraut this year and I’m always looking for new recipes. This was delicious and I will definitely make it again. I did use fennel seeds since I didn’t have caraway seeds but other than that I stayed true to your recipe.
I used beer in place of the chicken broth and kept everything else as instructed.
This recipe is super easy and 100% yummy!
Referred to this recipe for dinner to cater to our German exchange student. She said it was perfect. I had everything but the caraway seeds, and we served it with mashed potatoes (from scratch, not instant potatoes).
Wow, so easy and delicious. Did not have apples, it still was very good.
Loved this! Followed recipe with no changes. Will certainly make again.
How would you make this for larger group? We are taking a lunch to the nursing home (Octoberfest) and feeding about 64 residents. Is there a way to make in a roaster?
Unfortunately, I’ve never cooked such a large quantity, so I’d need to test it out before offering a recommendation.
Very good, simple, and quick to make. Sons and I enjoyed it. I didn’t have an apple and had to substitute bouillon for the broth but it still was very good. We had it on toasted hot dog rolls. Sons said to save the recipe.
Super easy and delicious! I tried both suggested serving types- one with the bratwurst on a brioche bun, and one with a bunless bratwurst alongside mashed potatoes. Both were fantastic!
OMG! I loved loved LOVED this dish. The bratwurst was so juicy and tasty. The onions absorbed the broth and sexiness. The apple was a great addition for more sweetness. I recommend the caraway seeds because it added a rye bread flavor and worked very well. Super straightforward dish. Man if I had a German beer along with it! Get outta here.
I never thought about adding apples to this dish. But a green apple sounds really good. I also get the brats from Aldi (cheddar brats) but I use fermented sauerkraut which is full of probiotics. I serve mine on a bed of fried onions and peppers with a couple of cloves of garlic and yellow mustard.
Thank you! Absolutely delicious!
From a person who was turned off by the flavor of sauerkraut almost 60 years ago and haven’t eaten since, this recipe is absolutely delicious! Don’t change a thing, just make it as described. I will be passing this on to friends and keeping it handy in our recipe file “favorites” tab.
This was a good method for making bratwurst and sauerkraut with minimum fuss. I used the Kuhne brand and my German Mom complained that it wasn’t sour at all. She was right. Next time I won’t drain the liquid and will add less chicken broth. That may have thinned out the sauerkraut taste too much. Good recipe though.
I have a question about the bratwurst & sauerkraut recipe. The kind I’m used to is actually already cooked, I believe…like Johnsonville. Do I still follow the recipe the same? I guess I’d just brown the brats then?
Hi, there! Since we haven’t tested this recipe with pre-cooked bratwurst, I don’t feel comfortable giving you any suggestions that I can’t promise will be equally successful. Since pre-cooked brats are typically much smaller than uncooked ones, they will likely be very overcooked if following the steps as written. You can find the right kind in any grocery store — depending on the store, they may be located in the meat section rather than near the hot dogs. They will definitely have some at the deli counter. Here’s a link to what we’d suggest using, for a visual (also by Johnsonville): https://www.kroger.com/p/johnsonville-original-bratwursts/0007778200787?fulfillment=PICKUP&searchType=default_search
I hope that helps! ~Marion :)
Made this for my family for New Year’s Day and it was a big hit! I did substitute a light beer for the chicken broth and I’d say good decision.
Sounds good, the light beer sounds better than chicken broth. But,I don’t know 😄
I used a beer and a chicken boullion cube
This is easy to put together. I am cooking in the oven because I’m watching football. 375 degrees for 30 minutes. I also cut some small golden potatoes in 1/2 and played them cut side down. Looks awesome and cooking all by itself. Yum.
This is an excellent recipe, but using a can of beer instead of the chicken broth kicks it up a notch… or two!
Our family loved this recipe! We ate it with sweet potato oven fries and homemade sauerkraut, and it was just a great, hearty autumn meal. I used a yellow apple and it paired great with the sausages. Will definitely make it again.
I love this recipe. I made it using golden delicious apple the first time since that’s what I had on hand. The second Time I did use the Gala apples it did balance the flavor out just like you stated.
Very good!
I am making this the minute I finish making this comment. Have read several recipes. Not several, lots! And yours looks the best. I can’t wait. Having it with mashed potatoes. Thank you ! Signing up for your emails too.
Can this be frozen? Thanks.
Anything can be frozen, so yes.
What brand of sauerkraut is best? It’s hard to find a good sauerkraut where I live. Thanks
Beth just uses store brand. For this recipe it was Aldi’s. XOXO -Monti
I tend to avoid the kraut one finds put up in tin cans, opting rather for the refrigerated sort. Claussen makes a nice, crispy one, put up in glass jars, and usually found in the cold cuts case. There are also some nice krauts put up in plastic bags, also found with the cold cuts. If you must choose a canned one, go with a quality name-brand that you are familiar with. I once tried a canned variety, clearly marked on the label, “With Caraway Seeds”, which was atrocious. I learned my lesson.
I love this recipe, thanks 👍
Best brats & kraut I have ever had, and I grew up on the stuff. Fabulous recipe. Will only ever make my brats and kraut this way from now on.
Haven’t even tried it yet but it smells delicious and looks fabulous. Loved having the step by step pictures.
Easy Excellent, and tasty recipe! I used some bacon fat to cook the fresh brats and Sautee the the onions, apple, and garlic. All I had on hand was smoked paprika and it worked just as well. I also chopped up 5 slices of leftover cooked bacon and added it as well. A big hit with the family. Thank you for sharing this recipe!
You did not!!
Love this recipe! It’s quick, easy and delicious. I will be making this often.
Couple susbstitute recommendations.
1) Use 2 sweet onions instead of apple+onion which will yield sweetness like apple.
2) Assuming most home chefs don’t have caraway seeds, using fennel is a great alternative.
I used LeCreuset, Sauteuse and it turned out as expected. Served with soft pretzels and stone ground mustard.
Would this recipe work with Beyond sausage brats?
Unfortunately, I’ve never cooked with those so I’m not sure if the recipe would need any modifications. You could always just roast the peppers and onions by themselves and then cook the Beyond sausage by itself according to the package directions.
My mother’s family is German-Czech and I grew up loving saurkraut. This is the best I have ever had! The only changes I made were to use polish sausage since I already had it and added 2 teaspoons of brown sugar to the saurkraut. This is
definitely going into my regular dinner routine. Thanks for all of the wonderful recipes!
Excellent recipe. I cooked this recipe last night for dinner and adjusted the ingredients for two. Dehydrated apple rings from our apple harvest were used in place of fresh apples that we didn’t have in the pantry. Just want you to know this is by far the best sauerkraut and sausage recipe we have ever tasted. Thank you! P.S. really enjoyed reading through your blog.
I love Brauts n Kraute, but I prefer it cold to keep as sour as possible,nit a pork roast in a crockpot with Kraute is fantastic
This was delicious. I had some leftover sauerkraut to use up after New Year’s Day and this was perfect. We will make this again. I served it with pierogies.
I made this a couple of weeks ago and will be making again today. Absolutely delicious! I particularly liked the use of chicken broth – other recipes I’ve tried have used cider or apple juice and always ended up too sweet. This is just right with the savoury sausages. Like you, I’m a huge fan of bratwurst. I think I’ll try tucking some mini new potatoes into the sauerkraut around the sausages for a one pan dinner. Love your website!
This was a perfect compliment to Grandma’s and Mom’s homemade sauerkraut. First time with fresh apples in the dish. After growing up with Mom’s homemade kraut made many ways, this was new, different and delicious. Thank you for the idea. We will be making it again.
This was so, so good! I used fresh sauerkraut so I upped the amount of (low-sodium) chicken broth by a bit, and also added a tablespoon of brown sugar. Will definitely be making again soon!
I have made this twice now since we had leftover sausage from the first time, and WE LOVE IT. It is super easy and is a wonderful way to eat a German classic without a lot of fuss. It’s a perfect fall / winter dish and is absolutely delicious (it’s hard to go wrong with sausage and sauerkraut, in my opinion). We serve with some mashed potatoes for a low-effort dinner.
Brats cooked in hard cider is hard to beat!
I made it with some local weisswurst, it was delicious
Apples how long do they simmer? Do you remove them from the skillet?
Step three instructs you to, “Add the sliced onions, apples, and garlic to the pan and sauté for about 5 minutes, or until the onions are soft.” Leave them in the skillet the whole time. :)
We had this for dinner tonight and it was soooo good. I doubled the recipe veggie-wise, and used 12 brats, as I was feeding me, hubby, my 8 year old and my 3 grown sons (my 5th son lives on his own and I sent him your recipe cuz it’s just that good!) I did have trouble browning my brats (the uncured Aldi’s brats), as the skins stuck in the pan. But it was still delicious! I followed the browning/sautéing veggies steps, but used a can of beer instead of chicken broth (mainly cuz it was what I had to hand, plus hubby loves his beer brats). Then I put everything in my crockpot on low for 3-4 hours. Absolutely delicious, my hubby and four sons demanded it go in our regular rotation. :) Thank you!!
Can I just pop this all in the crock pot?
You wouldn’t get any of the browning on the sausage, which does add to the flavor.
This is essentially our traditional Christmas Eve dinner!! But we put in breakfast sausage as well. When my MIL cooks it, she puts in pork chops or super thick cut ham. So tasty when served with potatoes and carrots.
This was a great recipe for a cold rainy night yesterday. I was in the mood for my mom’s pork chops and sauerkraut, but didn’t want to go to the store to buy chops. Fortuitously, you posted this recipe which is very similar except for the bratwurst/sausage change and her recipe calls for baking and hour instead of simmering 20 minutes. Continuing my habit of making your recipes without the required ingredients and still finding them delicious, I made this last night using some non-bratwurst sausages I had in the freezer. I served it with mashed potatoes. It really hit the spot.
I saw a Cook’s Country video recently where they were rating sauerkrauts. Apparently the canned/jarred versions are actually much better than the refrigerated versions. The latter require preservatives, while the canned/jarred versions are only cabbage and salt!
I loved this – but used half the amount of sauerkraut as no one else in the family will eat it.
I also used the instant pot on the sauté setting so I could safely do an exercise class while the mixture simmered.
I did use a little vinegar to give the meal a bit more zing.
What a great fall comfort dish! I have some brats in the freezer and all the other ingredients. Will make tonight! Thanks for another great meal
I made this with the same Aldi sauerkraut/brats and it was so good! I didn’t have caraway seeds but it was fine without. Loved it with mashed potatoes on the side. The brats got a little oil splattery so I put a lid on the pan, which didn’t affect browning and seemed to help them cook.
So, so good! I love the sweetness the apples bring to the tart kraut. I made this with mashed potatoes and topped my brats with whole grain mustard. Octoberfest for the win!
Yum!! Love the way the onion and apple soften the sauerkraut tang. I used low sodium chicken broth as both the sauerkraut and sausage contain lots of salt–pretty much my daily allowance in one fell swoop, but draining the sauerkraut well helps. I’ve even rinsed it in a colander in the past which along with removing more salt, makes it milder tasting–didn’t do that this time. We used those delicious brioche hot dog buns that, while not cheap, are way less costly at Aldi’s than other places–looks like that’s what you have in your picture, too.
Yep, those are the ALDI brioche buns! Good eye. :)
Just want to emphasize the idea or rinsing sauerkraut. It really mellows out the flavor and converts it from puckery sourness to sweet savoryness.
My German mother in law, let me in on the secret rinsing. She says American do it wrong by not rinsing the kraut. I agree that by rinsing, it allows a more savory dish and not sour.
This looks good! My maternal family is from Wisconsin, so to me brats are always braised with beer and onions, then grilled, and served with the onions and some nice mustard in a hot dog bun. May have to try this instead for some variety!
Try beer instead of the chicken broth. And if you are ever tempted to grill them, they love flaring up. Grill indirectly with hickory smoke. Amazing. (In Wisconsin, brats are a regular meal.)
I love me some Alpine/Mitteleuro cuisine! It is so underrated. It’s not easy for me to get hold of real sauerkrauts so maybe I could try with finely sliced cabbage and then add some vinegar and white wine during the cooking?
My mother used to do that. She added a good sized splash of cider vinegar but also a tablespoon or so of sugar. It wasn’t exactly the same as sauerkraut, but still very good.