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.
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
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!
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!