Kimchi vs sauerkraut: what's the difference?
Both are fermented cabbage, but kimchi is Korean, made with napa cabbage, chili, garlic and ginger, so it's spicy and funky, while sauerkraut is just shredded cabbage and salt.
Kimchi
Very lightIndulgent
SubtleBig punch
MellowZingy
Sour, garlicky and a little hot, with a funk that keeps changing as it ages.
What does Kimchi taste like?Sauerkraut
Very lightIndulgent
SubtleBig punch
MellowZingy
Clean, salty, sour cabbage, sharp but simple, the thing that cuts through a bratwurst.
The real difference
Both are cabbage left to ferment in salt until it turns sour. Sauerkraut stops there: finely shredded cabbage and salt, sometimes caraway. Kimchi usually starts with napa cabbage and adds chili flakes, garlic, ginger, scallion and often fish sauce or salted shrimp, so it's louder, spicier and funkier.
Side by side
KimchiSauerkraut
Made fromNapa cabbage, chili, garlic, ginger, often seafoodGreen cabbage and salt, sometimes caraway
TastesSour, spicy, garlicky, funkySour, salty, clean
On a menuKimchi fried rice, kimchi stew, on burgers and tacos, as a sideReubens, bratwurst, pork dishes, hot dogs
Which to order
- Order kimchi if you want heat and funk, in fried rice, stew or on a burger.
- Order sauerkraut if you want clean sourness to cut through sausage, a Reuben or pork.
Quick questions
- Is kimchi just spicy sauerkraut?
- Not quite. Both are fermented cabbage, but kimchi uses different cabbage and a paste of chili, garlic, ginger and usually seafood, so it tastes far more complex.
- Is kimchi always spicy?
- Most is, mildly. White kimchi (baek kimchi) skips the chili entirely, and radish or cucumber kimchi can run from gentle to properly hot.