German Sauerkraut Soup (Sauerkrautsuppe)
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Celebrating one of Germany’s most famous “superfoods”, Sauerkraut, this wonderful soup is satisfying to both tummy and soul. The combination of tangy sauerkraut, caramelized onions, smoky paprika, savory bacon and earthy caraway is deliciously irresistible!
Each year when Autumn arrives I automatically start to think about my favorite German Fall dishes like Zwiebelkuchen and flavorful soups and stews. My thoughts also turn to sauerkraut. Yes, sauerkraut. Autumn is cabbage harvest time and it’s during the cold months that sauerkraut is traditionally made; the cooler weather allows for a long and slow fermentation process which yields a superior-tasting product. And while I make sauerkraut throughout the year, I always make a big batch in the Fall.
If you’ve ever lived in Germany and spent a good deal of time eating out, you’ll know that sauerkraut is surprisingly versatile. While it most certainly is eaten along with stereotypical foods like Wurst and Schweinehaxen, you’ll also find sauerkraut in things like casseroles, savory pastries, breads, meatballs, pasta, fritters, salads, quiche, sandwiches, pizzas, soups and stews.
Today I’m sharing a German Sauerkraut Soup with you that is similar to how my mom used to make it for us in Germany. There are several variations of Sauerkrautsuppe and this “red” version utilizing paprika is a popular one and my personal favorite.
This soup always takes me back to Germany, to the homes I grew up in and the places I loved to visit.
One of my favorite German castles to visit in the Fall, and any time of the year, is Schloss Bürresheim. It isn’t one of the more widely known or heavily touristed castles like those of King Ludwig. It’s a lesser known gem but well worth the visit. It’s in the northern part of the Eifel mountain range in the Rhineland-Palatinate region of Germany just outside the town of Mayen.
Built in the 12th century, it is one of only a few castles that was never conquered or devastated and has remained largely intact all these centuries. It’s located out in the country, surrounded by a river and hiking trails.
Incidentally, if you’re an Indiana Jones fan, Schloss Bürresheim was one of the filming locations in The Last Crusade. In the film it was called Castle Brunwald, where Indiana’s father is kept prisoner.
Let’s get back to the FOOD.
The combination of tangy sauerkraut, caramelized onions, smoky paprika, savory bacon and earthy caraway is simply irresistible! Stir in some crème fraîche or sour cream, serve the soup hot with some crusty bread and a leafy green salad, and you’ll have yourself a truly satisfying meal!
In Germany I would normally use something very flavorful like speck, pancetta or a heavily smoked bacon from the Black Forest, close to where I grew up, but regular bacon will do as a substitute.
For this soup I’m enlisting our favorite brand of broth, Aneto, made in Barcelona, Spain. Aneto makes their 100% All-Natural Chicken Broth like we make it in our kitchen: They select the freshest vegetables and chicken, put them in large pot, and let them slow-simmer for hours. They don’t use any powders, extracts, concentrates, additives, flavor enhancers or anything else. They only use real, whole ingredients. We took a tour of their factory in Barcelona a few years ago and saw the entire process from start to finish. It was incredibly inspiring.
Aneto’s broths and paella cooking bases can be found in store locations across the U.S.. You can also purchase their chicken broth and other broths here on Amazon.
So without further ado here is a wonderful soup celebrating one of Germany’s most famous “superfoods,” Sauerkraut!
German Sauerkraut Soup Recipe
Let’s get started!
In a soup pot, fry the bacon until done. Add the onions and fry until lightly caramelized, 5-7 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for another minute.
Stir in the tomato paste and spices and cook another minute.
Pour in the chicken broth.
Stir in the drained sauerkraut and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer, covered, for 20 minutes. Stir in the crème fraîche or sour cream and heat through (do not boil).
Serve hot with a dollop of crème fraîche or sour cream.
Crusty bread and a leafy green salad make perfect accompaniments.
Enjoy!
For more delicious German recipes be sure to try our:
- Gaisburger Marsch
- Flädlesuppe
- Rouladen
- German Goulash
- Rotkohl
- German Potato Dumplings
- Sauerbraten
- Schnitzel
- Spätzle
- Maultaschen
- Semmelknödel
- German Potato Dumplings
- German Potato Salad
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German Sauerkraut Soup (Sauerkrautsuppe)
Ingredients
- 4 ounces flavorful smoked bacon or speck , diced
- 2 medium to large yellow onions , chopped
- 2 cloves garlic , minced
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon quality smoked Hungarian paprika (preferably Kalosca or Szeged) (mild, not hot)
- 1/2 teaspoon dried marjoram (very traditional herb in German cooking)
- 1/2 teaspoon caraway seeds , lightly crushed
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon sugar (optional)
- 4 cups quality chicken broth (we recommend Aneto 100% All-Natural Chicken Broth)
- or Aneto low-sodium chicken broth
- 18 ounces German Sauerkraut, drained (about 3 1/2 heaping cups) Do NOT substitute with American sauerkraut **see Note below
- How to Make Sauerkraut (it's easy! Click link for recipe tutorial)
- 1/3 cup crème fraîche (can substitute full-fat sour cream)
Instructions
- In a soup pot fry the bacon until done. Add the onions and cook until lightly caramelized, 5-7 minutes. Add the garlic and cook another minute. Stir in the tomato paste and spices and cook another minute. Add the chicken broth and sauerkraut and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer, covered, for 20 minutes. Stir in the crème fraîche or sour cream and heat through (do not boil).
- Serve hot with a dollop of crème fraîche or sour cream. Crusty bread and a leafy green salad make great accompaniments.
Notes
Nutrition
Hi, I’m Kimberly Killebrew and welcome to Daring Gourmet where you'll find delicious originals, revitalized classics, and simply downright good eats from around the world! Originally from Germany, later raised in England, world-traveled, and now living in the U.S., from my globally-influenced kitchen I invite you to tour the world through your taste buds!
Thank you for this soup recipe! I’m from the Netherlands, so being close neighbours with a.o. Germany I’m very familiar with Sauerkraut mit Wurst / Speck and the likes. My husband and I love Sauerkraut so much that he gave me a 10 liter Sauerkraut fermentation pot for my birthday. As soon as the white cabbages were available in my favorite organic shop, I bought 5 huge ones and worked them all up for a big batch home-made Kraut. It has been fermenting in my cellar for 10 weeks and I was totally ready to taste my first produce. It wasn’t as tangy as store-bought Sauerkraut, contained way less (Himalaya/pink)salt yet much more spices and herbs (don’t forget the juniper berries!). Today I chose your recipe because we’ve never had Sauerkraut soup before. I did swap the tomato paste and Szeged paprika (out of stock) for a few tablespoons sugarfree low sodium Turkish brand sweet paprika paste. The smell in my kitchen is so wonderful right now! My husband will have a piece of artisanal rye bread with it, and I will get the soup as is (prescription low carb diet). My dollop of sour cream / crème fraîche just might be ein bisschen bigger than the one he gets ;)
Wonderful, Bianca, thanks so much for the feedback! That’s my kind of birthday present :) My husband and my friends think it’s comical that the only things I generally request for birthdays and Christmas are kitchen gadgets :)
Hello there!
Your recipe looks very interesting. Do you think I could substituteGreek yogurt for crème fraîche, for an even lighter result? I live in Greece, so I can find neither crème fraîche nor sour cream. I’m also planning on substituting thinly sliced and diced leek sausage (traditional Greek sausage) for bacon…I think the leek would perfectly match the sauerkraut.
Thank you in advance for your reply.
Elpida
Hi Elpida, yes, you can substitute Greek yogurt no problem. And the leek sausage sounds like a delicious choice. Happy cooking! :)
Thank you for your quick reply 🙂 I’ll let you know how it turns out.
Being polish appreciate the recipe.
Modify as you like and still will come out tasty!!!
I like to add ancho , chorizo and polish varieties of sausages and some potatoes cooks separately and added in final stage obvs🤪.
Another winner!! Mein Mann say “It’s good.” We are a little older so we cut down on the sauerkraut and put in fresh cabbage instead (to reduce the salt). Thank you Kimberly.
Wonderful, Debby, I’m so glad you both enjoyed it, thank you!
HI Kimberly,
Well I didn’t win first place again this year but lots of good comments and recipe requests and it was all eaten. I live in Waterloo Region, ON, so a large German Heritage. I made a double batch with home made chicken stock, good local German Sauerkraut, caraway, marjoram from my garden and a good quality smoked paprika. I also used a combination of bacon and Oktoberfest sausage. I tried a different butcher at Market though and wasn’t completely happy with the quality of the sausage (this may have been my downfall).
The winner this year was a Lentil soup with sausage – it was certainly worthy; rich and flavourful (and good quality sausage).
The Creamed Dill Pickle soup last year won for being a big hit with the kids and it actually tasted good – simple, creamy and savoury (maybe chicken) broth, probably heavy cream and then the chopped dill pickles.
Anyway – I’m passing on your link to a few people who asked for the recipe. Thanks again – you’re in my favourites file.
Prosit!
Paul
That’s wonderful, Paul, I’ve no doubt your soup was fantastic! Thanks for letting us know how it went and thanks so much for sharing my site with your friends.
Another outstanding recipe — thanks so much, Kimberly! Spices are great! (But for the first time ever I changed something in one of your recipes: I switched out the smoked paprika for a combination of sweet and hot, just to suit my personal tastes.) SO GOOD!
Thanks so much, Bryan! Lol, definitely no rules about having to stick entirely to the recipe. So glad you enjoyed this, thanks again!
True for most other cooks, but your recipes are just exceptional!
Have always liked Sauerkraut soup but never had it with smoked Paprika. I also love that you use Marjoram and just a touch of Caraway. This is my new favourite. In fact, I’m entering it into our church “soup off”. I’m going to load it up with diced local Oktoberfest sausage as well as the bacon.
Last year I came in second with a lentil soup. Lost out to a creamed dill pickle soup.
Hi Paul, that’s fantastic, thank you! You’ll have to let us know how your soup does at the church “soup off” this year. I must say I’m pretty intrigued by that creamed dill pickle soup. Did it win because it actually tasted good or simply because it was a novel idea? ;)
I squeezed 3 cups of juice out of my home made sourkraut and didn’t know what to do with it. Found this recipe. Decided to try but replaced the broth with the juice and I added grated veggies in stead of the sourkraut. A M A Z I N G!!!!!!
That’s a nice twist, Iryna, thanks for sharing and I’m glad you enjoyed it!
This was incredible! It was tangy, rich and filling. The whole family loved it. Also, now that I’ve tried the real stuff I’m never going back to American “sauerkraut”. Thanks Kimberly. I love your recipes!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Kitten, thank you!
I am of German descent and make some recipes from my grandmother including spetzels and stollen. I had never heard of this soup but love sauerkraut and it sounded good. It is fantastic! It tastes like a Ruben sandwich. I served it with rye bread. It’s a keeper! I’m so impressed. Thanks.
Thanks so much, Joanne, I’m thrilled you enjoyed it!