Pork and Sauerkraut (German Pork Chops)
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You’ll love this delicious German dinner of boneless pork chops and sauerkraut, with potatoes, apples and caraway seeds. It’s an easy one-pot dinner recipe, and clean up is a breeze!
Why This Recipe is a Favorite
You don’t have to be a great cook to make the best pork ever. This quick skillet recipe produces incredibly tender pork chops with minimal prep work. Your taste buds will thank you!
Aside from being savory and delicious, this is also a fantastic meal prep dish, and by peeling and chopping the potatoes ahead, you will save time on a busy night.
Foolproof and delicious! So simple you can’t go wrong. Growing up my mother used to make this dish for our family. We all loved it, great flavor!
–Suzan
This pork and sauerkraut recipe is perfect to make for an easy dinner, to celebrate Oktoberfest, or just because you love pork recipes!
Happy Kitchen Secrets
Here are my important mom-tested cooking tips for making pork and sauerkraut! I’ve made this recipe countless times to save you from a failed attempt.
- Use a high-quality sauerkraut for the best results. Not all sauerkraut is good quality. If you can’t find any at your local market, use homemade sauerkraut!
- If you find that your food is sticking or there isn’t enough moisture in the dish while it cooks, you can add a splash of chicken broth of vegetable broth to create more moisture in the dutch oven.
- Always sear the pork before adding the other ingredients and putting the dish in the oven. The browning process helps to lock moisture in the pork chops which will make them fork tender and fall-apart tasty!
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
The simple ingredients in this recipe are fairly easy to come by in most grocery stores. Here’s what you will need:
- boneless pork chops: Try to get pork chops that aren’t too thick. You’ll want them to cook through all the way and stay juicy and tender.
- apples: I recommend using a sweet apple like Gala or Fuji instead of a tart variety like Granny Smith. Apples add a bit of sweetness to this dish that is irresistibly tasty. If you don’t have an apple handy, don’t worry! Substitute with a cup of applesauce instead.
- onion: Dice up an onion and add it to this dish to elevate the flavor.
- potatoes: Chop up some russet or Yukon Gold potatoes to cook with this yummy dish.
- sauerkraut
- caraway seeds: This is an important ingredient, so don’t skip the caraway seeds! They are aromatic and have a lovely anise flavor (think of the seeds in rye bread!) that works amazing with the sauerkraut and apples. If you don’t have them in your pantry already, you can find them in the spice aisle.
How to Make German Pork and Sauerkraut
One of the best things about this German Pork Chops recipe is how much hands-off time there is!
Cooking pork chops and sauerkraut in the oven means the only real prep work you need to do is peeling and chopping the potatoes and apple. You can do that in advance, and then all you need to do is get the meal ready to go in the oven:
- Preheat your oven to 350°F (176°C) and then pat the pork chops dry on both sides with a paper towel.
- Heat a large dutch oven or heavy bottomed pot over medium-high heat and add olive oil. Once the oil is shimmering, brown the pork chops on each side.
- Add the sauerkraut and then ad the diced apples, onions and potatoes.
- Sprinkle in the caraway seeds, cover and then bake in the oven for about an hour. Once the pork chops reach a safe internal temperature, remove them from the oven and allow to rest a few minutes before serving.
Recipe Variations
If you want to reduce the carbs, feel free to omit the potatoes. You can make a low carb side dish instead.
This recipe works with many different cuts of pork. A pork roast or pork tenderloin medallions would be great in this dish. You can also use bone-in chops if you prefer. Just keep in mind that using a different cut of pork will affect the overall cook time.
Feel free to season up the pork chops with your favorite seasonings. Garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper and salt are often my go-tos for a little extra flavor.
Storing Leftovers
After they cool to room temperature, place any leftovers into an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
You can also freeze leftovers for up to 3 months. However, I find that the texture of cooked potatoes is unpleasant after being frozen and reheated. Allow the frozen pork chops and vegetables to thaw before reheating.
To reheat, place your dinner into a casserole dish or baking pan. To prevent the chops from drying out, add about 1/4 cup of chicken broth or water. Cover the dish with foil and place it into a 350°F. oven until the internal temperature of the pork reaches 165°F.
Pork and Sauerkraut Recipe FAQ
Just like Americans like to eat black eyed peas and cabbage on New Year’s Day for good luck throughout the year, Germans eat pork and sauerkraut to bring good fortune. This German tradition is now widely used to celebrate a Happy New Year with a tasty meal!
Pork is a lean meat and sauerkraut is a fermented food, so yes, this meal is pretty healthy!
I’d love to hear about your experience making this recipe! Please leave a comment and rating below!
Pork and Sauerkraut (German Pork Chops)
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1.5 – 2 lb boneless pork chops about 1/2 inch thick
- 2 Tablespoon olive oil
- 4-6 medium russet potatoes
- 1 apple
- 18 ounces sauerkraut undrained
- 1 teaspoons caraway seeds
- 1 onion optional
Video
Instructions
Do the Prep Work
- Peel and dice the potatoes, apple, and onion, if using. Set them aside.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (176°C).
Brown the Pork Chops
- While the oven preheats, pat the pork chops dry with a paper towel and season very lightly with salt and pepper. Heat a large dutch oven on the stovetop over medium-high heat.
- Add the oil. Once the oil is shimmering (about 1 minute), add the pork chops. Brown on each side for about 3 minutes per side. They should easily release once they're ready to be flipped.
Bake the Dish
- Set the pork chops aside and add the saurkraut to the hot dutch oven. With a wooden spoon, gently scrape the bottom to deglaze it. Add the onion, potatoes and apples and then lay the pork chops on top. Sprinkle the caraway seeds.
- Cover and bake in the oven for one hour. Remove the dutch oven, allow to cool slightly, and serve!
Notes
- If you don’t have an apple, substitute 1 cup apple sauce.
- The sauerkraut is usually pretty salty, so be careful about over seasoning the rest of the dish. I add no salt except for the tiny bit I use to season the pork chops. You can always add more!
Nutrition
Serving Suggestions
While pork and sauerkraut is a one-pot meal, you can still pair some yummy side dishes with it! Air fryer bacon wrapped asparagus would be so tasty, as well as some air fryer frozen green beans. A tasty purple cabbage and carrot slaw would pack even more veggies into this dish!
Homemade German spaetzle would be so good as a side to pork and sauerkraut. They’re a traditional egg noodle that pairs wonderfully with the flavors of this dish.
Keep things low carb by omitting the potatoes and serving this dish with things like spaghetti squash or roasted air fryer baby carrots.
This recipe was featured on The Weekend Potluck!
Everyone loved this in my household. I never come back to review recipes but I had to this. I hate when ppl say they modified a recipe but I had to (no pot to cook this in the oven). So I cooked it all in a deep skillet. Fennel seed instead of caraway, but Not as much.. not trying to have this tasting like licorice. Anyway its a home run. Ty!
Thanks for the comment, Krystal! So glad you were able to use a different cooking method and make it work.
Loved it, My father’s parents were from germany it was not uncommon for us to have meals like this, loved it then. And still do.
I’m so glad your family loved it!
For the most part, I love the recipe. Reminds me of my mother’s cooking. However, my pork chops came out tough. What did I do wrong?
Cheap, delicious, healthy, and filling! Served with mash potatoes. Subbed the caraway seeds for fennel seeds since I didn’t have any on hand- still pretty good! Can’t wait to make this again. Def a winter staple.
Bought my first Dutch Oven , was looking for something cook in it., and ran into this recipe…Made this tonite for my wife and me…It turned out delicious and my new Dutch Oven cleaned up very easily…Will definitely make this again…Hardest part was finding the caraway seeds, but I sure am glad I kept looking for them…Really added to the dish…Great dinner…Will look for other recipes to do in my DO…
Has anyone tried freezing this dish?
What Apple do you recommend?
Hi! I prefer apples with a little tartness like Granny Smith or Braeburn, but I’ve used gala and honey crisp for a sweeter, milder flavor. You can use whatever you have or whatever you prefer. 🙂 -Laura
Foolproof and delicious! So simple you can’t go wrong. Growing up my mother used to make this dish for our family. We all loved it, great flavor!
I prefer an apple that’s on the sweeter side. I’ve used unsweetened applesauce with terrific results as well. I omit the onion due to IBS and I don’t miss it at all.
I made this in an 8-lb Reynold’s cooking bag. I didn’t brown the meat first. Otherwise, followed the recipe, even oiled and then seasoned the pork. The pork loin chops browned nicely in the cooking bag. Thank you for sharing this great recipe!
Hi Giselle, I’m so glad you loved the recipe! Thanks for the helpful feedback! 🙂 -Laura
Simple and delicious!