Beer braised vegan bratwurst with sauerkraut

Once I get a hankering for sauerkraut, nothing else can satisfy it. That fermented cabbage with salty sour bite and crunch is uniquely craveable.

I pile it on a jackfruit reuben, add it to pierogi quesadillas, or even eat it right out of the jar on its own as a snack.

(For more ways to use kraut, check out this post on vegan sauerkraut recipes.)

Perhaps the most quintessential way of enjoying kraut is by having it with bratwurst and beer.

It used to be that vegans were left out of this ritual for obvious reasons.

But not anymore!

Nowadays there are delicious vegan bratwurst options available in grocery stores all over.

My favorite way to enjoy beer brats and kraut is alongside mustard mashed potatoes. But keep scrolling for more ideas on ways to serve it!

In this post:

Oil: Any neutral-flavored cooking oil works here, like avocado or canola oil.

Vegan bratwurst: I recommend Beyond Meat bratwurst here. They have savory flavor, meaty texture, and snap. They’re gluten-free, if that’s something you need.

You can find Beyond Meat sausages in the refrigerated or frozen case. (Some grocery stores do one or the other. Some do both.)

But feel free to use any vegan brats you enjoy, like Herbivorous Butcher, Impossible, or Tofurky.

Onions: I recommend yellow onions for their mild flavor & ability to pick up flavors. But they can be replaced with red or white onions.

Beer: Either dark or light beer will work in this recipe, but my preference is lighter colored beer. It has a milder flavor that allows the sauerkraut to shine in equal balance with the beer.

A darker beer creates more of a caramel flavor and color. And the beer taste is more pronounced.

Keep in mind that not all beers are vegan, depending on the fining agents that they use. (Two of the most common ones are isinglass, which is fish bladder, or gelatin. Others add honey or milk products.)

Most mass produced beer is vegan, however.

I have made this recipe with German beer, which is always vegan because of their labeling/purity laws.

I also have used a local Iowa beer, Backpocket Brewery’s Gold Coin. (Note that while all of their lagers are vegan, some of the other varieties contain lactose.)

To see if your preferred beer is vegan, check out Barnivore, or contact the brewery directly.

Sauerkraut: I recommend sauerkraut that is sold in the refrigerated section of the grocery store. It has a lot more crunch than the shelf stable varieties in cans or room temperature jars.

But feel free to use whatever sauerkraut you like for this recipe.

Scallion: This green onion is an optional garnish.

Brown sliced brats in a skillet.

Once they are brown on both sides, add chopped onions.

Cook a couple minutes until the onions are translucent and fragrant.

Time to add the beer!

Let it cook all the way down until it’s basically gone.

This will take about 15 minutes.

Add sauerkraut, and evenly combine everything.

Cook until warm.

Serve with sliced green onion.

Absolutely!

We only have one sauerkraut fan in our family. (But I more than make up for it with the ferocity of my passion.) So I usually make this recipe for one.

The recipe box below has a function for adjusting the number of servings.

Or you can remember that it’s 1 sausage, ⅓ cup beer, ⅓ cup onions, and ½ cup sauerkraut per person.

This recipe was made to be served with mustard mashed potatoes.

Mustard mashed potatoes are just like the regular variety, but with a generous squeeze of stoneground mustard.

Brats & kraut are also excellent with browned potato & onion pierogi.

As I mentioned in my recipe for pierogi with sautéed kale, frozen vegan pierogi can be hard to find. The best luck I’ve had is the store brand from Fresh Thyme grocery store.

(They also make non-vegan pierogi too, so read the ingredients. You can see the packaging of the vegan variety here on my Instagram feed.)

If you don’t mind a project, the pierogi recipe from Vegan Brunch is also really good.

Or of course, this dish would also be delicious on a pretzel bun as a sandwich.

Round out the meal with broccolini or an easy spinach salad.

Leftovers will keep in a covered container in the refrigerator for 3 or 4 days.

Reheat in a skillet on the stove or in the microwave.

📖 Recipe

Beer braised vegan bratwurst with sauerkraut

Author: Cadry Nelson

5 from 9 votes

If comfort food to you looks like bratwurst, sauerkraut, and beer over a pile of mashed potatoes, have I got a recipe for you. This savory dish is hearty and filling in all of the best ways.

Print Pin Rate

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes minutes

Total Time: 40 minutes minutes

Servings: 4 people

Course: Entree

Cuisine: German, Vegan

Keyword: comfort food, fall food, oktoberfest recipes

Ingredients

• ▢ 1 to 2 teaspoons avocado oil Just enough to very lightly cover skillet
• ▢ 4 vegan bratwurst cut in 1 inch slices
• ▢ 1 ⅓ cups chopped yellow onions
• ▢ 1 ⅓ cups beer
• ▢ 2 cups sauerkraut
• ▢ 1 sliced scallion optional garnish

Instructions

• ▢
  Put a very light layer of oil in a non-stick skillet. (You don't need much at all if you're using Beyond Meat bratwurst, because they release a lot of oil on their own as they cook.) Bring to a medium heat, and add sliced vegan bratwurst to the skillet.

  Brown on one side. Then flip them and brown on the other side.
• ▢
  Add chopped yellow onions to the skillet. Cook for a few minutes, until they are translucent and fragrant.
• ▢
  Add beer to the skillet. Allow the beer to simmer, cook down in the skillet, and be absorbed into the bratwurst and onions.

  It will take about 15 minutes until most of the beer is gone. If the beer isn't cooking off quickly enough, turn up the heat.
• ▢
  Add the sauerkraut. (Don't worry if it includes some of the juices from the jar. That will add moisture and sop up anything on the pan.)

  Fully incorporate the sauerkraut with the sausages and onions. Continue cooking for about 10 minutes more, while the sauerkraut warms.
• ▢
  Serve the bratwurst and sauerkraut with mustard mashed potatoes, vegan pierogi, or on a pretzel bun.

  If you like, garnish with sliced scallion.

Notes

I use Beyond Meat bratwurst, but feel free to use the vegan bratwurst of your choice. Keep in mind that while Beyond Meat bratwurst are gluten-free, vegan bratwurst made of seitan are not.

Beyond Meat bratwurst releases a lot of oil as it cooks. If it looks like more oil than you’d prefer, carefully pour out some of the oil or dab off the skillet with a paper napkin before adding the chopped onions.

You can use light or dark beer for this recipe. I prefer a lighter beer, because it doesn’t dominate as much. The sauerkraut and bratwurst are able to come to the forefront in flavor. Dark beer gives more of a caramel flavor to the onions and a stronger taste of ale overall. 

Not all beer is vegan. Check out Barnivore to find the status of your preferred brand.

Subscribe to Cadry’s KitchenSign up today! JOIN BY CLICKING HERE

Nutrition

Calories: 267kcal | Carbohydrates: 16g | Protein: 18g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Sodium: 975mg | Potassium: 450mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 13IU | Vitamin C: 14mg | Calcium: 137mg | Iron: 3.9mg