Sauerkraut and kimchi – two types of traditional lacto-fermented probiotic foods have a LOT in common! It’s easy to get these two functional foods confused for the other.
However, there are also some distinct differences in terms of their cultural origins, the specific types of veggies and spices they’re made with, and their overall sensory experience (think: taste, texture, appearance, cuisine, etc.).
Read on to gain a deeper understanding of how to distinguish between sauerkraut vs. kimchi, according to a functional gut health dietitian nutritionist.
Disclaimer: This article was written for general educational purposes. The information shared in this post should not be taken as nutritional advice. Make sure to consult with your doctor and a registered dietitian for customized recommendations tailored to your individual needs.
Table of Contents
What is sauerkraut?
Sauerkraut in German quite literally translates to “sour cabbage”. And that isn’t wrong! But there’s more to sauerkraut than just sour cabbage.
From a culinary standpoint, sauerkraut is a type of pickled or fermented cabbage which is often consumed as a condiment (such as on burgers, hot dogs, or Reuben sandwiches) and/or as a functional probiotic food which offers many potential health benefits.
Types of sauerkraut
There are various types of sauerkraut or “kraut” which differ based on the type of cabbage they’re made with (for example Nappa vs. red cabbage), add-in ingredients (i.e. herbs/spices), and/or by the way the sauerkraut has been prepared.
Raw vs. pasteurized
Any type of sauerkraut would be considered raw and probiotic if it has not been pasteurized, or heated/cooked.
Unless vinegar has been added, raw sauerkraut usually also contains probiotics – as long as it has been made via lacto-fermentation.
Pasteurized sauerkraut has been heated to a high temperature for a minimum amount of time. This process increases the shelf life, but sterilizes all the microbes in sauerkraut – including the probiotic microbes.
Fermented vs. pickled
If sauerkraut has been lacto-fermented (or “fermented”), it is the process of submerging cabbage in salt brine under anaerobic (“without air”) conditions, leaving it in the cabinet for ~5 to 7 days.
- In the case of fermented sauerkraut, probiotic microbes are multiplying and fermenting (consuming) the cabbage, changing the cabbage consistency to be more liquid and soft.
Pickled sauerkraut, on the other hand, is the process of submerging cabbage in an acid such as vinegar or lactic acid.
Pickled sauerkraut is not considered fermented if it was made with an acid, since the acid generally inhibits lacto-fermentation and thus inhibits the growth of the healthy probiotic microbes.
Red, white, and green sauerkrauts
The type of sauerkraut may vary by color, depending on the type of cabbage you decide to make it with.
The types of cabbage I’m most familiar with include the following:
- Red/purple cabbage
- White cabbage
- Napa / “Chinese” / “Wombok” cabbage (light green)
- Savoy cabbage (darker green)
Flavored sauerkrauts
You can include veggies and/or herbs such as caraway seeds, garlic, turmeric, or other add-in’s to your sauerkraut. This may add special unique flavors and even additional health benefits.
Some popular sauerkraut flavors I’ve seen on the market include, but aren’t limited to:
- Garlic sauerkraut
- Turmeric sauerkraut
- Onion sauerkraut
- Beet and carrot sauerkraut
- Apple sauerkraut
Now, let’s discuss kimchi!
What is kimchi?
Kimchi is a type of traditional Korean side dish made with a base of fermented vegetables (traditionally Nappa cabbage).
But unlike sauerkraut, the cabbage leaves in kimchi are coated and packed with a spicy red sauce or paste made up of the following key traditional seasonings:
- Dried red pepper flakes
- Garlic
- Ginger
- Salt
- Green onions
- Fermented fish sauce
Kimchi is also often made with other veggie add-in’s with (often carrots, radishes, and/or cucumbers) and may contain vinegar and/or sesame oil.
Much like sauerkraut, when it comes to kimchi ingredient add-in’s and combinations, the options are truly infinite!
Types of kimchi
Traditional Korean kimchi, aka “tongbaechu” (“Baechu” for short) or “classic kimchi” is the most common type of kimchi on the market that kimchi connoisseurs will know and love. This variation is made with Nappa cabbage as the base.
According to the Journal of Ethnic Foods, there are over 200 traditional variations of kimchi in Korea alone and it has been served daily in Korea for thousands of years.
A few of the many examples of types of kimchi on the market include, but aren’t limited to:
- Cucumber kimchi (oi sobagi)
- Daikon radish kimchi (kkakdugi)
- Ponytail radish kimchi (chonggak)
- Green onion kimchi (pa)
- Mustard leaf kimchi (gat)
- Perilla leaf kimchi (kkaenip)
- Watery, soup-like kimchis (dongchimi and nabak kimchi)
- Bok choy kimchi
- Brussel sprout kimchi
- Miso horseradish kimchi
- Turmeric kimchi
- Seaweed-infused kimchi
- Broccoli kimchi
Let’s now dive into the similarities between sauerkraut and kimchi.
Sauerkraut and kimchi: Similarities
Origins
While sauerkraut and kimchi originate in different countries, they share some common ground here in that both types of dishes were founded with the intention to preserve vegetable harvests throughout off-seasons, before refrigerators were invented.
Made with cabbage
Fermented cabbage is a possible common denominator shared between sauerkraut and traditional classic kimchi. (Note that not all types of kimchi are made with cabbage.)
Fermented and probiotic
The traditional variations of both sauerkraut and kimchi are made via the lacto-fermentation process which means submerging the veggies and herbs/spices in a salt brine under anaerobic conditions.
The result is that probiotic microbes will consume or “ferment” the prebiotics in the veggies, multiplying and releasing gasses which make the end product a softer, more flavorful, palpable, easy-to-digest condiment or side dish.
On the other hand, just like not all variations of sauerkraut on the market contain probiotics, the same circumstances apply to kimchi.
Note that the probiotic variations of both sauerkraut and kimchi offer a wide array of research-backed health benefits.
Health benefits
Both sauerkraut and kimchi have been shown to offer the following potential health benefits, according to the latest research:
- High in prebiotics
- Abundant food source of probiotics
- Can help enhance immune function
- May aid in detoxification
- Antioxidant-rich
- Anti-inflammatory
- May support healthy digestion and nutrient absorption
- May help reduce bad LDL cholesterol
- May help reduce cancer risk
- May help improve mental health
- May support hormone balance
Recommended reading: 11 Evidence-Based Raw Sauerkraut Health Benefits
Trending as functional foods
Both sauerkraut and kimchi are currently trending in the health and wellness industry, as functional foods for gut health.
A “functional food” is a type of food that offers specific health-related benefits beyond basic nutrition and taste/enjoyment.
- Probiotic-rich foods like raw sauerkraut and kimchi are considered functional foods because of their ability to support a healthy gut microbiome, which benefits virtually every aspect of health (directly or indirectly).
Modern-day cuisine pairings
While the traditional cuisine pairings may differ, sauerkraut and kimchi share some common ground in terms of the types of foods they go well with in our modern-day western culture.
Nowadays, to reap the benefits, people are adding sauerkraut and kimchi to the following:
- Eggs
- Sandwiches
- Salads
- Burgers
- Avocado toast
Clinical considerations: similarities
High in histamine
As fermented foods, both sauerkraut and kimchi are high in histamine and tyramine, and should be avoided in cases of a histamine intolerance, low histamine diet.
High in tyramine
Aged foods such as sauerkraut and kimchi are naturally high in tyramine, an amino acid which interacts with monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOI’s).
Avoid sauerkraut and kimchi if you take MAOI’s and have been prescribed a low tyramine diet.
May trigger SIBO symptoms
If you or a client has small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO), you/your client may not be able to tolerate the probiotics in sauerkraut and kimchi.
I’ve observed in my private nutrition practice that unfortunately, probiotic foods like sauerkraut and kimchi often worsen symptoms such as gas, bloating and diarrhea in cases of SIBO.
(On that note, if you experience IBS-like symptoms and find that you feel worse when eating sauerkraut and kimchi, it may be worth consulting your treatment team about ruling out SIBO!)
High in sulfur
Lastly, both kimchi and sauerkraut are considered to be high sulfur foods and should be avoided on a low sulfur diet.
(A sulfur diet may be prescribed in cases of hydrogen sulfide SIBO and/or sulfur intolerance.)
Now let’s dive into the key differences between sauerkraut and kimchi.
Key differences
Traditional origins
Sauerkraut
While the traditional lacto-fermented variation of sauerkraut (and the “sour cabbage” name) originated in Germany during the 1600s, cabbage was said to be pickled (submerged in vinegar) in ancient China, thousands of years ago.
Kimchi
Traditionally, kimchi originated in Korea thousands of years ago according to the Journal of Ethnic Foods.
Ingredients
Sauerkraut
The only ingredients you need in order to have a sauerkraut are cabbage and an unrefined salt.
But a popular traditional German add-in is caraway seeds, which give it a very distinct flavor.
There are many other infinite add-ins you can incorporate into a sauerkraut recipe, and some but not all will overlap with kimchi’s ingredients.
Kimchi
The key ingredients which distinguish kimchi from other fermented foods (such as sauerkraut) include the following:
- Red pepper flake paste
- Green onions
- Garlic
- Ginger
- Fermented fish sauce
These ingredients are combined in a variety of ways to make the traditional spicy sauce which gets added into most types of kimchi, regardless of the vegetable ingredients being used.
Taste
While there are some variations of spicy sauerkraut on the market, most sauerkraut/kimchi enthusiasts could agree that kimchi is significantly spicier and more seasoned compared to sauerkraut, which has a sourer taste.
The caraway seeds in sauerkraut also give it more of a rye taste which is very different from the hot red pepper, garlic and green onion flavors in kimchi.
Cuisine pairings
Sauerkraut
German sauerkraut is traditionally paired with the following dishes:
- Reuben sandwiches
- Hot dogs
- Bratwurst
- Oven roasted sausages and potatoes
- German Frikadellen
- Wiener Schnitzel
- German pork loin
- Schweinebraten (German pork roast)
There are also Baverian variations of sauerkraut which go great with a slew of other dishes!
Kimchi
Traditional Korean kimchi is most often added to rice dishes, noodles, and soups. (1)
Some examples of popular kimchi dishes in traditional Korean culture include, but aren’t limited to (2):
- Kimchi stew (kimchi jjigae)
- Kimchi fried rice (kimchi bokkeumbap)
- Kimchi noodles (kimchimari guksu)
- Braised kimchi (kimchi jjim)
- Kimchi pancake (kimchi jeon)
- Kimchi dumplings (kimchi mandu)
Clinical considerations: key differences
Sauerkraut
Low FODMAP
Unlike kimchi, which is almost always made with garlic (a high FODMAP seasoning), sauerkraut can be low FODMAP in many cases.
This is relevant if you or your clients find a low FODMAP diet helps with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) symptom relief.
Recommended reading: When is Sauerkraut Low FODMAP?
Low sucrose + CSID-friendly
Being made with just cabbage, salt, and sometimes a little caraway, traditional sauerkraut is inherently a low sucrose probiotic food which could be considered CSID-friendly for folks on a sucrose intolerance diet.
(Learn more about foods lowest in sucrose here!)
Kimchi
Higher FODMAP
Kimchi is typically made with garlic, a high FODMAP ingredient which is not always well tolerated among folks with IBS or SIBO.
TLDR: A low FODMAP sauerkraut would be a better choice than kimchi if you’re navigating IBS and/or following a low FODMAP diet.
Spicy and acidic
Since kimchi contains hot red pepper flakes and garlic, it’s more likely to trigger potential symptoms of heartburn and reflux compared to sauerkraut.
Spicy foods made with hot peppers, garlic, and other spices should also be avoided on a bland diet which is prescribed for people who may be in a Crohn’s or colitis flare.
TLDR: If you have any kind of ulcers or inflammatory bowel disease, you may be better off trying out sauerkraut vs. kimchi.
Higher in sucrose
Lastly, kimchi may often contain higher-sucrose ingredients such as carrots.
(Don’t get me wrong – this isn’t inherently bad! For healthy people, or people trying to get healthier, please don’t worry about the sugar in carrots,)
This is only relevant for people with a sucrose intolerance who may not be able to tolerate kimchi made with higher-sucrose veggies.
It also contains garlic which isn’t always tolerated among folks with a sucrase-isomaltase deficiency.
While not all variations of kimchi contain high sucrose veggies and seasonings, it’s worth considering if you have a sucrose intolerance and don’t tolerate garlic or carrots.
Related articles
- The Best Sauerkraut for Probiotics and Gut Health: Functional Dietitian Picks
- How to Make Lacto-Fermented Sauerkraut with Probiotics (Recipe)
- 11 Evidence-Based Raw Sauerkraut Health Benefits
- When is Sauerkraut Low FODMAP?
- Why & How to Increase Butyrate in Your Gut (Directly or Indirectly)
- Prebiotics vs. Probiotics
- 9+ Potential Yakult Benefits & Possible Side Effects
- Probiotic Pickles: Ultimate Guide on How to Find & Make Fermented Pickles with Probiotics
Recap
Sauerkraut and kimchi are both probiotic fermented foods which were created from a place of food preservation and survival, before refrigerators were invented. When raw and fermented (versus pasteurized/pickled with an acid), they offer a wide range of gut health and immune system benefits.
However, sauerkraut originates from Germany, centuries ago, while kimchi originates from Korea (thousands of years ago).
From an ingredient standpoint, sauerkraut is always made with cabbage, while kimchi doesn’t necessarily always need to be made with cabbage.
Kimchi tends to get paired with rice bowls and noodle dishes in traditional Korean cuisine, while sauerkraut tends to get paired with more meat entrees like bratwurst and Reuben sandwiches.
The key ingredient combination which distinguishes kimchi from other fermented foods like sauerkraut is the spicy paste made up of red pepper flakes, garlic, ginger, green onions, and fermented fish sauce.
Clinically, both sauerkraut and kimchi are high in histamine, tyramine, and sulfur, and they may both potentially trigger symptoms among people with SIBO.
However, sauerkraut is lower in FODMAPs, less spicy, and low sucrose and may be better tolerated among people with IBS, IBD, ulcers, and/or sucrase-isomaltase deficiency compared to kimchi,
As long as you don’t have any clinical considerations, I think it’s worth trying BOTH sauerkraut and kimchi so you can experience the sensory differences yourself!
Next steps
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