8 Fermented Foods to Try

The top in fermented foods to try at home: sauerkraut! We can’t wait for you to experience the magic of fermentation through sauerkraut. Sauerkraut is made by a process called lacto-fermentation. All you need is salt, vegetables, and water. It’s easy to make, simple to ferment, and a seriously healthy probiotic-filled addition to any meal.

Canned sauerkraut vs fresh: The canned or shelf-stable sauerkraut you find at the store does not contain probiotics, because they’re killed in the canning process! Making homemade sauerkraut recipe guarantees you’ll get those live probiotics right into your jar.

Here's another fermented food that everyone should try making once: sourdough bread! Making homemade sourdough bread is one of the most satisfying, transformative things you can do. It’s tastier, healthier, and cheaper than any bread you’ll buy at the supermarket. This recipe is our Simplified Guide for Sourdough Bread! It has easy to understand steps, a video, and a printable checklist to make sure you’re able to master the process.

Does sourdough bread contain live probiotics? No! The dough is fermented by bacteria, but the probiotics are eliminated when the bread is baked.

Here’s another favorite fermented food to make at home: kombucha! In the past few years there’s been a kombucha craze here in the US. But back when Alex and I started drinking it, it was totally niche! We’d been looking for healthy, satisfying drink recipes, and kombucha is exactly that. It has a bouncy acidity that replaces that craving for soda. Lucky for us, the appetite for this fizzy drink has swept the nation. While you can easily find it any grocery these days, it’s easy to make at home and much cheaper.

Did you know you can make DIY sour cream at home with just 2 ingredients? Experience the magic of fermentation right in your own kitchen! It’s a bit of a kitchen experiment that results in extremely delicious sour cream: much tastier than store bought. Whether you’re out of sour cream or just want to try a fun experiment with your kids, it’s 100% worth making it at home! It’s also a great way to use up leftover heavy cream or buttermilk.

All you need is 24 hours to make this French version of sour cream: creme fraiche! This fermented food adds a richness that cannot be replicated by a substitute! It’s like magic to watch creme fraiche thicken right before your eyes! (That is, while you sleep.) All you need is 24 hours and a warm place, and you can make your own. It’s a nice way to use up leftover cream, or perfect if you can’t find creme fraiche at the store and have 1 day to wait.

All of the fermented foods above are kitchen DIYs where you can experience fermentation at home. But here are a few more ways to eat fermented foods that you can buy at the store! Greek yogurt is one of the best and healthiest ways to get live probiotics into your diet. And what better way to do it than this creamy yogurt smoothie? It's blended with berries and banana to make it fruity and lightly sweet.

Miso is a fermented food, too! This Japanese fermented soybean paste is full of nutrients and savory flavor. It also contains live probiotics, though the health benefits are offset by the sodium (you'll only use it in small quantities). You can find miso in the international foods aisle near the Japanese ingredients. Because heat can kill live probiotics, try to add miso right at the end of cooking in your recipes.

Also try: Easy Vegan Pesto, Quick Soba Noodles, Miso Ramen, or Easy Miso Glaze, or Miso Salmon

Last up: did you know tempeh is a fermented food? Tempeh is a compressed cake made of fermented soybeans, usually treated as a plant-based meat substitute in cooking. It's similar to tofu but it's fermented and has a nuttier flavor. It's very delicious and great for making into bacon for a Vegan BLT or adding to a tempeh stir fry.

Does cooking tempeh kill the probiotics? Per this source, the probiotics are only killed on the outside, as long as the internal temperature doesn't get too hot.