Slow Cooker Kielbasa and Sauerkraut with Beer & Brown Sugar
This slow cooker kielbasa and sauerkraut is flavorful and made with just the addition of beer and brown sugar – easy, delicious and perfect for parties!
Two major disclaimers right off the bat:
#1: I have never been a fan of kielbasa.
#2: I am even less of a fan of sauerkraut.
Yet, I am hopelessly in love with this recipe. It doesn’t make logical sense. And yet, the stars somehow aligned. Could it be that beer and brown sugar make all the difference? (Spoiler alert: yes, yes it could.)
Years ago, my husband and I went to his friend’s house for a 4th of July cookout. He mentioned there was kielbasa and sauerkraut (which I typically pass right over), and as a footnote said that they were cooked in beer and brown sugar. My ears shot up faster than a dog who hears a bread bag being rustled (or a peanut butter jar open, or a banana being peeled, AHEM). I had to try it, even though I still kind of thought I wouldn’t really be crazy about it. Forget being crazy about it, or even liking it, I loved it. Afterward, I was sorry that I had filled up on so many side dishes because I was dying for another sandwich but was too full.
A few months later, we were STILL talking about that darn kielbasa and sauerkraut, and since it was now football season (perfect for crock pot meals), we got the recipe from his friend to make ourselves. We have since made it, seriously, COUNTLESS times. I’ve lost track.
This recipe honestly couldn’t be any easier to make – less than 10 minutes to get everything into your slow cooker, and then let it do the work. As with most things like this, the longer you let it cook the better it will taste. The kielbasa becomes so tender that it melts in your mouth, and the sauerkraut takes on a caramelized, sweet flavor – delicious! If you’re a kielbasa and/or sauerkraut-averse person, take it from one of your brethren – you NEED to give this a shot!
This is perfect for football game days, your upcoming Super Bowl party, New Year’s (your pork/sauerkraut is covered!), or any other gathering. Serve it with an easy crock pot mac and cheese on the side and enjoy!
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Four years ago: Cheesy Pull-Apart Bread
Watch the Kielbasa and Sauerkraut Video:
Slow Cooker Kielbasa and Sauerkraut
Ingredients
- 12 ounces (340.2 ml) beer
- 1 cup (220 g) brown sugar
- 3 pounds (1.36 kg) polish kielbasa
- 32 ounces (907.19 g) sauerkraut, drained
Instructions
- Combine the beer and brown sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the sugar melts and the mixture is slightly thickened; set aside.
- Cut the kielbasa into links and place in a slow cooker. Cover with the drained sauerkraut. Pour the beer and brown sugar mixture over top. Cook on high for 4 to 6 hours, or on low for 8 to 10 hours.
- Serve on its own or on your favorite sandwich roll.
Notes
- The beer can be from a can or bottle, and you can use whatever you usually drink or keep on hand. I’ve made this with everything from Miller Lite to Lebatt, Guinness, Heineken, you name it! They all work just fine.
- The brown sugar can be light or dark.
- The sauerkraut can be from a can, jar or bag – just make sure you drain it well.
Did you make this recipe?
Leave a review below, then snap a picture and tag @thebrowneyedbaker on Instagram so I can see it!
This recipe was originally published on October 14, 2011.
Easy recipe, made this with fresh keilbasa. Felt it was missing some spices. Next time I’ll try it with some onion and Caraway seeds.
If I double amount of kielbasa, do I double beer, brown sugar and sauerkraut too?
Hi Barbara, I would!
This is fantastic! Everything is so tasty!!! Easy recipe and so quick to put together as well. I will be making this one again. Thank You for this recipe! Hugs!!
Thank you for sharing this recipe! It was so delicious and a big hit with my family.
Thanks for the recipe! I will try this tonight with the addition of onions. 😊
Amazingly Good!
I thought this recipe sounded like a good start but I had to tweak it a little bit for my taste;. Instead of beer, I used a hard cider, and reduced the amount of sugar to 1/2 cup. It is amazing! I also only cook it about 2 hours on high. Otherwise the kielbasa gets super soft.
Sounds delicious Andrew! Thanks for sharing your modifications!
Do you stir it while cooking, or just leave kielbasa on the bottom?
Hi Aimm, If I’m home and we have them going all day (and especially if I scale the recipe up), I’ll stir occasionally just to get all of the sauerkraut in the beer/brown sugar mixture and nice and caramelized. But I’ve also left it go while I wasn’t home and it was just fine too!
I love both of these together already, but have never had with brown sugar. I have it cooking as I type 😋Smells fantastic 👍🏼
You can use polish dogs, brats , whatever.
Can’t go wrong. If you cook em for more than 4 hrs go on low heat. They will burn if you cook on high for more than 4 hrs. It helps to stir on occasion once they get goin. Enjoy!!
I have just bought a slow cooker, can’t wait to try this recipe! Thank you for sharing!! Sound so great for a busy weekend.
This recipe is really good, and has a great flavor if you swap the beer with hard cider. I used Strongbow Golden Apple… and wow…. I totally could have just eaten the sauerkraut and been happy as the flavors were awesome.
Ha! I used Woodchuck Hard cider. It was also amazing!
My father made sauerkraut and kielbasa with brown sugar. Now, he would take the brown sugar and layer it in the Crock-Pot. So, it’d be sauerkraut, kielbasa, onion, potato, brown sugar. Repeat. I never thought mixing it in. Sounds pretty clever! I was wondering.: What does the beer taste like? I am making my dad’s recipe this weekend. I was either thinking of beer or cider.
Hi Iris, You really can’t taste the flavor of the beer once it cooks all of those hours; the combination of the beer and brown sugar just imparts a really sweet, caramelized flavor. Enjoy! :)
Your father’s recipe sounds good, too. I need to try both of these.
This recipe is so delicious. Just the right amount of sweetness to add to the sauerkraut! Everyone at our party loved it!!
I made this last weekend and it was amazing! I used kielbasa with the natural casings and at the end of of six hours, they were perfect. The sauerkraut was fantastic…even my 19 month old liked it. I’m making it again tomorrow and will serve with pretzel rolls.
Hi! So did you cook it on high for the six hours? Did you think that the sauerkraut was cooked enough?
I’m cooking this tonight, but I’m adding some potatoes in the mix. Hopefully it doesn’t throw it off. Fingers crossed! 👍
Can I use fresh kielbasa and smoked kielbasa. With sourkrat in slow cooker. Or do I have to cook the frist. Then put in slow cooker to make sure There done all the way.
I’ve never seen kielbasa that wasn’t already cooked, but if you cook any type of meat for that length of time, I’m sure it would be cooked through.
Sorry to hear that you and the babies are not feeling well. OK…..I made this last sunday for the football
Sorry to hear you and the babies are not feeling well. Get better soon! OK…..I made this last Sunday for the football crowd ( my husband, brothers. cousins and friends) and it was a big hit. Some had seconds and my cousin Danny had thirds ( without a roll). They loved it. One of my brothers told me wasn’t sure about the kielbasa. He loved it. A big hit! Today is my husband’s birthday and I made your Jewish Apple Cake recipe. It’s all I can do not to steal a pinch of it. I will get back to you and let you know how it is (or was?). Also made the salted caramel sauce to go with the cake. Take care.
I grew up on the Southside of Pittsburgh……Kielbassi is a staple in my family. This recipe gets a tumbs up!
I was very skeptical about brown sugar on kraut. I love both. Together? Hmmm…
So happy I tried this recipe. Delicious! Easy. Just loved it! Thank you.
I’m pretty sure I read this recipe, taken from your recipe, somewhere else. They said when slow cooking it, they either cooked 2-3 hours on high & rest of the time on low, or vice Versace. Would u recommend this? Thank you. Love your recipes & your thoughts.
Hi Karen, Yes, that would totally work! I’ve done it that way before, too.
Want to make the Kraut,beer and brown sugar but the sausage says cooked.Do I still put it in for 4 hours on high?
Hi Rosemarie, Yes, kielbasa is usually sold pre-cooked, but you will still want to cook it for that long – it gets very tender and caramelized!
Wow this seems mind-blowingly easy. I love crockpot dishes all you have to do is prep, toss it in the croc and see you later! I love sauerkraut, so another sauerkraut dish to put on my list of faves sounds good to me! Have you tried both variations of cooking time, either 4-6 hours on high or 8 hours on low? Is there any difference? And do you have a favorite beer you like to use? You mentioned all the different ones you’ve tried but I am curious which you thought was best. Thanks for your recipe and I am excited to try this yummy looking kielbasa and kraut dish!
Hi Billy, We’ve found that starting on high for 3 hours or so and then switching to low for maybe 6 or so creates the best caramelization, but isn’t totally necessary. One or the other is okay if you won’t be available for switching temperatures. I really don’t have a favorite beer for this, any of them are good! I hope you enjoy!
I found your website when I Googled to find out if Silver Star had been bough out by Eckriche. We live in Pittsburgh too and my husband went to the company store store yesterday and the plant was shut down. Silver Star has been my favorite brand of Kielbasi ever since Mission Market in South Side closed down years ago. There was no information on a closure on Google but I did find your website, so that was a good thing.
I have been making two variations of your recipe for over 40 years. The first is just as you posted with the addition of one finely chopped onion. This is the one I use when I want to serve sandwiches. The other is for when you want to come home to a complete meal without any extra fussing. For that I use only 1/2 cup of brown sugar, one thinly sliced onion, and four large potatoes cut into 1 1/2 inch cubes. Serve with some crusty rye bread and you are good to go.
This is fantastic! Thank you for the recipe. My son and I devour this with a loaf of either rye, pumpernickel or sourdough bread! So easy and delish!!
I use 1 ring or 1.5# smoked sausage with a 32 oz jar of sourkraut with caraway seeds, 1/4 cup of brown sugar and 12 oz of IPA beer. This serves 4-5.
I’m going to try this with slenda brown sugar and michelobe ultra to cut down on the carbs. We may have just scored a low carb hit! Thx a bunch!
Every football season, my husband, brothers and cousins rotate through all our houses to watch the game. The menu is always important. And since my husband tends to be somewhat clueless in the kitchen, I fill in for his host duties. I have just printed out the kielbasa recipe to put in my football file recipes. Since everything on this site is always fantastic, there is no doubt that this recipe will be also. Any idea for the perfect desert to go with this? And in my area of the country, your Irish cupcakes with whiskey, Bailey’s and Guinness are legendary, by the way. Thanks, for this great site
Hi Linda, What a fun tradition! Oh gosh, dessert possibilities are endless! I might go with something apple-based since it pairs so well with sauerkraut and pork… apple pie, crisp, turnovers, dumplings, etc.
I loved this!!! My crockpot runs hot, so I cooked it on low for a couple of hours then switched it to warm. I did reduce the sugar a little because I like my sauerkraut very sour. I will definitely make this again!
Love it
This recipe is great!!
I meant to say. Is there an easy way to drain the kraut bc I need to know. :)
why not just dump it in a colander? thats what I do with kraut. also I usually rinse it also, to get out alot of sodium.
I use a colander!