Sauerkraut Balls
Filled with bratwurst sausage and cheese, you don’t even taste the sauerkraut in these Saurkraut Balls! Ooey gooey in the middle and golden brown and crisp on the outside, these are the perfect appetizer, snack, or heck, even dinner – they’re just that good!
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I’ve been making Sauerkraut Balls for a million years. I learned the recipe while living in Texas near the Texas Hill Country, which has a large German population. I’d frequent the German restaurants there, and well, one bite of these amazing Sauerkraut Balls filled with sausage and cheese, and I was in love.
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These easy Sauerkraut Balls are so good! And, you don’t even taste the sauerkraut in them. In fact, many people can’t even guess that it’s sauerkraut hiding inside. With all that sausage and cheese, you’d never know it.
I also love that these sauerkraut and sausage balls are easy to make, and you can get them prepped and ready to fry, keeping them in the fridge until you’re ready to make them. Don’t forget the mustard dipping sauce! It’s pretty darn good!
What you’ll love about Sauerkraut Balls
- They’re crazy good – cheesy and meaty, and the sauerkraut has a mild flavor.
- They can be made ahead of time and cooked when ready to eat.
- They’re the perfect game-day snack!
Ingredients
- Saurekraut – Squeeze every drop of liquid from it.
- Bratwurst – You can use links and squeeze the meat out of them or use bulk sausage.
- Swiss cheese – Shredded.
- Cream cheese – 1 package; softened.
- Breadcrumbs – You want regular breadcrumbs for this recipe, not Panko.
- Eggs
- All-purpose flour
- Oil for frying – Vegetable, avocado, peanut oil or your favorite frying oil.
For The Mustard Sauce
- Mayonnaise
- Sour cream
- Coarse mustard – Any coarse mustard, like stoneground.
- Whole grain mustard – Any mustard with whole or nearly whole mustard seeds. Sometimes this is called charcuterie mustard.
- Dijon mustard
- Cream – Or milk.
How To Make The Best Sauerkraut Balls
For a full list of ingredients and instructions, please scroll down to the recipe near the bottom of this page.
Remove the sausage from the casing if needed, then cook it in a skillet until browned, breaking it into small pieces as it cooks. Spoon off any excess fat, then transfer the sausage to a paper towel-lined plate to drain and cool.
Beat the cream cheese in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment until light and fluffy.
Add the Swiss cheese and mix on low speed until just combined.
Stir in the sauerkraut and mix for about 30 seconds. Add the cooked sausage and mix just until everything is evenly incorporated. Refrigerate the mixture for about 30 minutes to make it easier to handle.
Prepare a dredging station by placing the flour, beaten eggs, and breadcrumbs in separate shallow bowls. Whisk the eggs with a fork until fully combined.
Scoop about 2 tablespoons of the sauerkraut mixture and roll it into a ball. Coat the ball evenly in the flour, then dip it into the egg and roll it in the breadcrumbs. Press gently to help the breadcrumbs adhere. Place the breaded ball on a plate and repeat with the remaining mixture.
Refrigerate the breaded balls for at least 30 minutes, or up to overnight. Chilling helps the coating stay in place during frying.
Heat the oil to 350 to 360°F in a cast-iron or other heavy-bottomed skillet. The oil should come at least halfway up the sides of the sauerkraut balls. A digital thermometer can help maintain the proper frying temperature.
Working in batches to avoid overcrowding the pan, carefully place the breaded balls into the hot oil. Fry for about 2 minutes, or until golden brown on one side, then carefully turn them over and fry for another 2 minutes, or until evenly browned.
Use a slotted spoon to transfer the fried sauerkraut balls to a paper towel-lined plate and sprinkle lightly with salt.
Let them cool for a few minutes before serving.
To Make The Mustard Sauce
This mustard sauce is so good and so crazy easy!
Combine the mayonnaise, sour cream, mustard, and cream in a small bowl.
Chill until ready to serve.
Chef Jenn’s Tips
- The mustard sauce can be made a day or two ahead of time. Keep it in the fridge in an airtight container.
- Regulate the temperature of the cooking oil, turning the stove heat up or down as needed to keep the heat consistent.
- Test one of the Sauerkraut Balls to see if it’s done by pulling it apart. It should be hot in the middle, and the cheese should be stringy/gooey.
- Serve the balls right away, or keep them warm in a low oven (like 250-F) for up to 30 minutes.
- Serve the balls with the amazing mustard sauce!
Serving Suggestions
These sausage and sauerkraut balls are the perfect snack or appetizer, but I also love putting them out as finger food when we have guests. I serve them along with other tasty eats like Spanakopita Rolls, Beef Jerky Dip, and Proscuitto-Parmesan Puff Pastry Pinwheels. They’re also a great prelude to hearty meals of fried cabbage and sausage.
Storage and Reheating
These easy Sauerkraut Balls will keep in the fridge in an airtight container for 3-4 days. You can also freeze them for up to a month. To reheat them, use your air fryer. Reheat the thawed balls at 375-F for 2-3 minutes or until they’re hot and crispy. Just watch that they don’t burn.
Sauerkraut Balls
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1/2 pound bratwurst sausage about 2 links
- 8 ounces cream cheese softened
- 8 ounces swiss cheese shredded
- 1 cup sauerkraut well drained and packed
- 1/2 cup all purpose flour
- 1 cup dry breadcrumbs
- 2 large eggs
- oil for frying
For the mustard sauce
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 2 tablespoons heavy cream or milk
- 2 tablespoons coarse mustard eg: stoneground
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon whole mustard
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Brown the sausage in a skillet, breaking it up into small chunks as you cook it, and spoon off the fat. Drain the sausage on a few layers of paper towel and allow to cool.
- Beat the cream cheese in the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment until it is fluffy.
- Mix in the Swiss cheese, sauerkraut, and sausage, mixing in between each addition.
- Set up a dredging station with the eggs, flour, and breadcrumbs in separate shallow bowls. Whip the eggs with a fork until well-mixed.
- Roll 2-tablespoons or so of the sauerkraut-sausage mixture into a ball – your hands are going to get gooey. Roll the ball into the flour to coat it evenly, then roll it in the egg and finally in the breadcrumbs. Press down lightly to make sure the breadcrumbs stick. Set the breaded ball on a plate and repeat until all the balls are done.
- Refrigerate the balls for about 30 minutes or as long as overnight. This will help the breadcrumbs stick.
- Heat the oil to 350-360-F in a cast-iron or heavy-bottomed skillet. You want the oil to come at least halfway up the sides of the breaded sauerkraut ball. A digital meat thermometer can help you get an accurate read on the oil.
- Carefully add the breaded balls to the hot oil – working in batches, so you don't overcrowd the pan – and fry them for 2 minutes or until golden brown on one side, then carefully flip them over and fry another 2 minutes or until golden brown.
- Transfer them with a slotted spoon to paper towels and sprinkle with salt.
- Cool the balls for a few minutes, then dig in!
To make the mustard sauce:
- Mix the mayonnaise, sour cream, mustards, and cream in a small bowl until combined. Season with salt and pepper.
- Chill until ready to serve.
Notes
Chef Jenn’s Tips
- The mustard sauce can be made a day or two ahead of time. Keep it in the fridge in an airtight container.
- Regulate the temperature of the cooking oil, turning the stove heat up or down as needed to keep the heat consistent.
- Test one of the Sauerkraut Balls to see if it’s done by pulling it apart. It should be hot in the middle, and the cheese should be stringy/gooey.
- Serve the balls right away, or keep them warm in a low oven (like 250-F) for up to 30 minutes.
- Serve the balls with the amazing mustard sauce!
Nutrition
A Note on Nutritional Information
Nutritional information for this recipe is provided as a courtesy and is calculated based on available online ingredient information. It is only an approximate value. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site cannot be guaranteed.
These were so crispy and delicious! Everyone loved them, I will making them again.
This recipe took me straight back to Germany and my grandmother’s kitchen and if you’d had tasted her sauerkraut balls, you’d know what a compliment this is!
These were great and that mustard sauce went perfectly with them. Everyone is already asking me to make them for Thanksgiving. Thanks for a great recipe!
Where have these been all my life? I have been told I absolutely have to make a double batch next time as no-one in the house could get enough. The kids even want them in their lunchboxes next week as they reckon they will be just as delicious cold!
I made these for my husband because he is a huge sauerkraut fan. He loved the flavor and requested that I make them again.
Everyone loved these! They’re so crisp and full of flavor!
These are perfect little bites. I love all the combination of flavor inside. So delicious!
I love sauerkraut, These sound amazing. I also bet they’d be super good if you swap the sausage for corned beef, like a reuben ball!
Never thought of this combo but HOLY WOW it is a tasty recipe.
These balls tasted amazing, and had the perfect cheesy filling. I will also admit that I may have eaten the dip with a spoon…
Crispy on the outside, gooey cheesy on the inside, and simply delicious! They disappeared in minutes!
I have made spinach balls in the past, that are probably along the same line as these sauerkraut ones. We love the spinach ones, AND I am looking forward to giving these a try.
I have dreams about these…they’re that good! I hope you try them and love them! ~Jenn
Can these be baked instead of ‘deep-frying’? If so, 350 degrees F for apx 30-40 mins? or ??? Thx
You know, I’m just not sure! I’d worry about them holding their shape in the oven. They almost certainly won’t stay balls. They’ll be more like pucks when done, and you’d have to cook them around 450-F to get any kind of crisp on them.
I’d be more inclined to try them in the air fryer, around 400-F and see how they do.
Good luck! ~Jenn