Kimchi and Sauerkraut Salt Calculator

Salt percentage for sauerkraut and kimchi

Sauerkraut: 2% of the cabbage's weight, which is 20 g of salt per kilogram or 9.1 g per pound, with 2 to 2.5% as the working range (Colorado State Extension). NCHFP's 3 tablespoons of canning salt per 5 lb of cabbage works out to about 2.4%.

Kimchi: 2.5% of the vegetable weight, which is 25 g per kilogram or 11.3 g per pound, inside the 2 to 5% finished salt range Colorado State Extension gives for kimchi.

Both are figured on the weight of the prepared vegetables, not on water. For whole vegetables sitting in a brine, switch the calculator to brine mode.

How this is calculated

This sauerkraut salt calculator also covers kimchi: 2% by weight is the standard for sauerkraut, and 2 to 2.5% is the working range (NCHFP, Colorado State Extension); kimchi finishes at about 2.5%. Weigh the prepared vegetables, enter the number, and the calculator gives the grams of salt, the spoons for the salt you have, the weeks to ferment from the NCHFP temperature bands, and the container it will need. For whole vegetables in a brine, switch to the brine mode.

The salt is a share of the prepared vegetable weight, in grams. The spoons are figured afterwards from the density of the salt you picked. Nothing on this page multiplies a teaspoon by a brand factor.

dry salt:   salt (g) = vegetables (g) x percentage        1,000 g x 2% = 20 g
brine:      salt (g) = water (g) x percentage             1 ml of water = 1 g
spoons      = salt (g) / grams per teaspoon of your salt
container   = vegetables (lb) / 5 x 1 gallon               NCHFP
weeks       = NCHFP temperature band (table below)

Where 2% comes from

NCHFP's sauerkraut method is 3 tablespoons of canning or pickling salt per 5 lb of shredded cabbage (3/4 cup per 25 lb). At 18 g per tablespoon that is 54 g in 2,268 g, about 2.4%; the 3/4 cup figure works out to about 1.9%. Colorado State Extension says to weigh the cabbage and use 2 to 2.5% salt by weight. So 2% is the floor of the sourced range and 2.5% the ceiling; the calculator defaults to 2% and flags anything outside 2 to 3%.

Kimchi is different in method. Most recipes, including Colorado State Extension's, salt the cut cabbage heavily for a few hours, rinse it, and then season it with a paste, and the finished kimchi lands at 2 to 5% salt. The kimchi setting gives 2.5% as the equilibrium figure: the salt the finished kimchi should carry, whether you get there by weighing it in directly or by salting and rinsing.

Brine for whole vegetables

Whole heads, wedges, cucumbers, and roots cannot be massaged, so they sit in a brine instead. Here the percentage is salt divided by water, the culinary convention on this site, and 2 to 2.5% is the band for cabbage. NCHFP's make-up brine for topping up a crock is 1 1/2 tablespoons of salt per quart of water, about 2.9%. Fermented cucumbers want a stronger 3.5 to 5% brine; the fermentation brine calculator handles those.

Temperature and time

Kimchi: 1 to 2 days at room temperature, tasting daily, until it reaches pH 4.6 or below, or 3 to 4 days in the refrigerator (Colorado State Extension). Warm rooms push it toward the short end.

Salt density

Redmond and Celtic grey carry water and minerals; pick one and the calculator divides by its salt share so the grams you weigh out deliver the same sodium chloride. Iodized salt ferments fine (see the FAQ); additive-free salt keeps the brine clear.

Safety and troubleshooting

Food safety

• Keep the vegetables submerged. Air above the brine is where mold and yeast grow. Use a weight, a small jar of water, or a brine-filled bag.
• Leave 1 to 2 inches of headspace and keep the cabbage under the brine; NCHFP's crock method wants the rim 4 to 5 inches above the cabbage so it can be weighted and covered.
• Start clean. Wash jars and weights in hot soapy water; no sterilizing needed.
• Check daily in the first week and press down anything that rises. Burp a regular lid; an airlock lid burps itself.
• Trust your nose. Sour and clean is right. Foul, putrid, or rotten is not, whatever it looks like.

Signs of spoilage: discard

• Fuzzy mold, blue, black, green, or pink, on the surface or the weight
• A putrid smell, different from sour or tangy
• Slimy vegetables
• Unexpected pink discoloration (pink from red cabbage or beets is normal)

A flat, white, creamy film is kahm yeast, not mold. Skim it, check the vegetables are under the brine, and carry on.

What helps

• Fresh, dense cabbage. Old or wilted produce gives soft kraut.
• Massage the salt in until the cabbage is limp and weeping; that liquid is the brine.
• Hold 70 to 75°F. Warmer softens the kraut; below 60°F it may not ferment.
• Refrigerate once it tastes right. Cold slows the ferment to a crawl.
• Glass or food-grade ceramic; no reactive metal.

Two starting recipes

Both are scaled with the calculator above; enter your vegetable weight and use the grams it gives.

Sauerkraut

1 medium head of green cabbage (about 900 g / 2 lb), 18 g of pickling or fine sea salt (2%), optional 1 tsp caraway seeds or juniper berries. Remove the outer leaves and keep one. Quarter, core, and slice thin, then weigh. Salt to 2% of that weight, massage 5 to 10 minutes until the cabbage is limp and wet, rest 10 minutes, massage again. Pack into a wide-mouth quart jar, pressing after each handful until the brine rises over it; leave 1 to 2 inches of headspace. Lay the saved leaf on top and weight it. Cover with a cloth or an airlock lid, set on a plate, and hold at 70 to 75°F out of direct sun. Check daily. Start tasting after a week; at 70 to 75°F it is fully fermented in about 3 to 4 weeks (NCHFP). Cap and refrigerate; it keeps 6 to 12 months.

Napa cabbage kimchi (baechu-kimchi)

1 large napa cabbage (about 1.4 kg / 3 lb) and 60 g of coarse salt for the salting step; a paste of 30 g gochugaru, 30 g fish sauce (or soy sauce), 15 g minced garlic, 5 g grated ginger, 5 g sugar, 30 ml water, and optionally 15 g salted shrimp; 4 green onions in 1-inch lengths and 150 g julienned Korean radish or daikon. Quarter the cabbage lengthwise with the core intact. Work the salt between the leaves, more on the thick white parts, and leave it covered for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, turning once, until the white parts bend without snapping (Colorado State Extension's method salts for 3 to 6 hours). Rinse three times, squeeze, and drain 30 minutes. Mix the paste with the onions and radish, then, wearing gloves, spread it between every leaf. Fold each quarter and pack tightly into a 2-quart jar, pressing out air and leaving 1 to 2 inches of headspace. Cover loosely at room temperature for 1 to 2 days, tasting daily, then refrigerate; it can also ferment slowly in the fridge over 3 to 4 days (Colorado State Extension). Young kimchi is crisp and mild; after a couple of weeks in the fridge it is sour and better in stew and fried rice.

What you'll need

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How this page is checked

Frequently asked questions

Related calculators and guides

• How much salt for sauerkraut The 2% rule explained, with a per-pound table
• Fermentation brine calculator Brine strength for cucumbers, peppers, and other whole vegetables
• Pickle brine calculator Fermented and vinegar pickles by jar size
• Salt conversion calculator Swap Diamond Crystal, Morton, table, and sea salt by weight
• pH calculator Why 4.6 is the line and how to check a ferment
• Best salt for sauerkraut Which salts work for fermenting, which to skip, and why

References

• National Center for Home Food Preservation, sauerkraut (salt per 5 lb, temperature and time, make-up brine)
• National Center for Home Food Preservation, suitable containers, covers, and weights for fermenting food (1 gallon per 5 lb)
• Colorado State University Extension, understanding and making sauerkraut (2 to 2.5% salt by weight)
• Colorado State University Extension, understanding and making kimchi (finished salt 2 to 5%, 1 to 2 days at room temperature)
• USDA NIFA, safely fermenting food at home (70 to 75°F optimum)
• UC ANR Extension, fermented foods safety
• Clemson University Extension, fermenting vegetables
• BC Centre for Disease Control, fermented vegetables guidance
• PubMed, iodized salt and sauerkraut fermentation (2018)
• MakeSauerkraut, salt by weight

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