Instant Pot Kielbasa and Sauerkraut has two of my favorite foods from childhood: Kielbasa and Sauerkraut! This pressure cooker Kielbasa and Sauerkraut is a one-pot meal that you can make in your Instant Pot Electric Pressure Cooker in about an hour.
Instant Pot Kielbasa and Sauerkraut
I grew up eating sauerkraut, and many other Germanic foods. Sometime before I was born my mom lived in Germany. I never knew that some of the things we said were actually in German. When my friends came over to play, they were confused when I told them to be careful of mom’s shrunk (china cabinet). And mom would yell at us to “mach schnell” when she wanted us to hurry up.
I’ve forgotten many of the words, but I haven’t forgotten the food! Mom cooked food from everywhere, not just Germany!
Mom made sausages like Bratwurst, Knackwurst, Liverwurst, and we ate it all! She served us Kielbasa, good Polish sausage, and many types of hot dogs, as we called them. My favorite was Kielbasa and sauerkraut! Now, this is not a strictly German recipe, but it does take me back to the German influences I grew up with.
I like to blend recipes from different cultures, and make them my own. This recipe is not quite like mom’s, as it has more ingredients, and a more complex flavor. Hers was good, simply good, but mine is amazing (at least, to me it is)! I wish she had lived to taste mine, maybe she’d have liked it, too.
The nice part about this Instant Pot Kielbasa and Sauerkraut is that making it in my Instant Pot® is so easy. It is done perfectly in under an hour, and in ONE POT, which I really like!
I hope you like Instant Pot Kielbasa and Sauerkraut as much as my family does.
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If you like kielbasa and sauerkraut, you will like this version! I revised it many times and this is the winning dish! You make it in the Instant Pot electric pressure cooker, and it is fantastic!
- 2-3 TBSP Vegetable Oil
- 1 1/2 lbs Kielbasa, cut into 1.5 inch chunks
- 1 32 oz Jar Sauerkraut (drain 1/2 of the liquid)
- 1 med Onion, diced
- 2 cloves Garlic, pressed or minced
- 1 Tbsp Caraway Seeds
- 1/2 tsp Kosher Salt
- 1/2 tsp Black Pepper
- 1/3 cup Dry White Wine (or use apple juice)
- 3 Small Gold Potatoes, cubed
- 3 Medium Carrots cut into 1 1/2 inch pieces
- 1 Apple (cored, peeled and large diced)
- 2 cups Chicken Broth
- Parsley Garnish (optional)
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Set the Instant Pot to Sauté and when it says hot, add the vegetable oil, wait a few seconds, then add the kielbasa. Brown it and remove to a bowl.
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Add onion to the pot and stir.
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Add carrots and stir.
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Let that cook for a minute or two.
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Add the salt, pepper, and caraway seeds, stir.
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Add the wine and let cook for a couple of minutes, stirring and scraping the bottom of the pot occasionally to make sure the pot is deglazed (all brown bits removed).
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Add the garlic, stir it in.
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Add the potatoes and apple, stir.
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Add the kielbasa back in, juices and all. Also add sauerkraut, and broth. Stir well to combine.
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Put the lid on the Instant Pot, and set the knob to sealing.
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Press the Cancel/Keep Warm button to cancel the sauté mode.
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Press the Pressure Cook (or Manual) button or dial, make sure it is set to high pressure, and use the +/- button or dial to adjust the time to 8 minutes.
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After the cooking cycle ends, press the Cancel button to turn off the pot, and wait 10 minutes (NPR - Natural Pressure Release).
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Release the rest of the pressure manually (use a spoon handle or tongs to be safe), and wait for the pin to drop, and carefully open the lid, facing it away from your face as there will be a lot of steam.
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Give it a good stir.
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The contents will be very hot, so when you dish it up you might want to wait a few minutes before eating it. Garnish with a little fresh parsley, and ENJOY!
Serve with a slice of buttered crusty bread, or a biscuit.
This is one of those meals that is better the next day! It reheats very well.
resources to make Instant Pot Kielbasa and Sauerkraut recipe and more
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Very good dish. I will make it again with all the ingredients. I didn’t have time to do all ingredients. I left out onion, garlic , and carrots and it was wonderful. I used fresh Ostrowski Kielbasa from Baltimore area which made it extra good.
This came out so wonderful. Very nice flavor! I added some red pepper flakes as well and my Indian hubby loved it! 😜 will be my go to recipe for this dish. thank you!
Excellent! Grew up eating this, but without apples or juice. Added greatly to the flavor.
Amazingly terrific meal. Whole family loved it, even my 3 year old grand daughter! A real winner.
I made this last night for my family…they all loved it! Thanks
Hi Sandy, I have used this recipe many times and it is delicious. In fact, I plan to make it for dinner this evening. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe and it brings back memories of my Grandmother from Czechoslovakia.
I have fresh homemade sausage from a local polish market.. My husband want me to keep it whole. Can we do this?
Yes, just add 2 minutes cook time, and 2 minutes natural release.
This was very good, only complaint was there was too much liquid, I will try only 1 cup of broth next time. I really enjoyed the carrots, potatoes and apples mixed. Thank you for sharing this
Excellent recipe! I too, made it with my homemade sausage and it turned out perfectly.
If you like your kielbasa a little more firm and still have some nice snap to the skin what you need to do is brown the kielbasa real well and when you put the kielbasa back in, put it on top of everything. Then secure the lid and set the instant pot to 0 minutes. Yes, zero minutes. It will come to full pressure and then automatically go to the keep warm setting. Let it naturally reduce pressure for 10 minutes and then let the rest of the pressure out of the instant pot. You just have to make sure that you slice your potatoes thin enough that the 10 minutes at pressure will cook them through. 3/4 inch to one inch works fine. This keeps the kielbasa from turning too soft. Now this is only if you are using precooked kielbasa.
Hi Mike, nice tip. I still have a little snap to the skins when I use my timing, however your method sounds like there might be even more. I appreciate your comment!
This recipe worked well. But….there are now little stains in the lid. I’ve checked with Instant Pot Cust Service, and on the web. CS knows nothing about the stains. There is a web report of the same problem, after sauerkraut and sausage.
Have you heard of this? I’ve tried all of the published methods of getting out the stains. They’ve faded, but still there.
Now I’m afraid to use the recipe again. Any thoughts?
Hi Jim, I haven’t noticed this issue after cooking sauerkraut. I use Barkeeper’s Friend, and it works well. It must be the lid. I make all kinds of sauerkraut in my pots, and have no spots that won’t come out. Maybe it’s the brand of sauerkraut? This recipe dilutes it, so I don’t see how it would remain acidic enough to do damage to stainless steel. Let me know if you find an answer.
OMG! This is THE best sauerkraut kielbasa recipe ever. Thank you!
I had tried a few in Instant Pot. But will always use your recipe from now on. Instead of kielbasa, I had smoked sausage. Doesn’t change a bit.
Yay! I’m happy you liked this recipe!
Can you substitute mixed cabbage for sauerkraut?
I think so. Cabbage does well in the IP.
This was delicious, thank you for the recipe! I made it with a 16oz jar of sauerkraut, and a few more potatoes. I decreased the amount of chicken broth (1.5 cup?) and there was still plenty of liquid at the end. I was not sure my kid would enjoy the sauerkraut but he did and went back for seconds.
Thank you, Anne! Funny how you never know what a kid will like! We ate sauerkraut as kids and loved it!
I have an 8qt Instant pot. I will be doubling (or possibly more) for a group of folks at work. How much space would double or triple require?
Hi Brian, I’m pretty sure you can double it for the 8 qt, but I haven’t tried tripling it.
This was delicious! My husband raved about it. I made it with chicken brats. I was also out of potatoes, but it was still hardy and filling. The flavor was amazing. Can’t wait to try again!
We made this last night. Followed your recipe ingredients exactly except had to half it since I only had one 14 oz keilbasa (bought too much for low country boil New Yrs Eve) and a half jar of kraut (leftover from Polish birthday dinner for my Dad). It made 3 healthy servings but my hubby and I ate it all and soaked up the juices on some crusty bread. We loved it and will definitely be making it again
Excellent! I’m so happy you and your husband enjoyed it!
This came out really good! Thanks for the instant pot recipe. I will make again 🙂
This recipe looks great! Couple of questions. What type of kielbasa did you use. Can I use the prepacked kind like hillshire farms? Also what type of apple would work best?
Thank you
Hi Sydney! I use whatever I have, or is on sale. Hillshire is what I usually have. I like the smoky flavor. You can use any kind of apple. Granny Smith will be more tart, and if you like a hint of sweet, a Fuji, Gala, etc., will be nice!
This dish is my favorite way to cook sauerkraut! I’ve made this recipe using sweet Italian sausages and brats (browned whole then cut into wide chunks) too. For those who don’t like the tart sauerkraut taste, mix 1 Tbls honey or brown sugar with the broth. The sweet apple works for me. This makes alot of food. First time I made it with kielbasa, I thought I’d have 2 leftover meals. Nope, entire meal gobbled up. Thank you!
Thank you Ryan! Love the tips!
can this be doubled for a crowd
Hi Michelle, yes it can, as long as it will fit in your pot! Keep the cook time the same, though it may take a few minutes longer to get to pressure with the added volume. Enjoy!
This was wonderful!!! I’m not even a fan of kielbasa, but loved it in this recipe!
Hi Joanne! How great! Sometimes it take just the right mix of ingredients to transform a food that you don’t usually care for! Now if that could happen with eggplant for me! Thank you for taking the time to leave your feedback!
Thanks so much for this! I love kielbasa and kraut – it is very nostalgic. My grandpa used to make it for us way back when and I’ve never really been able to find a killer recipe! Can’t wait to try this one at home.
Hi Billy, I hope you like it as much as we do! This dish is a touch old fashioned, like you said, it brings back those homey memories! Enjoy!
What if I don’t have a pressure cooker
You can put it all in a casserole dish (after browning the kielbasa), cover loosely with foil, and bake it at 350 degrees for about 25 minutes. Since the kielbasa is precooked, it won’t take too long.
Your mom MADE the sausages? That sounds wonderful! And sauerkraut… stinks so good. 😉
Haha, not all the time. She definitely had her shortcuts!
Nice Recipe i will try it ; Would have liked to have the ability to share this Recipe on Facebook and Twitter
Hi Joe. Thank you for the nice comment. I am learning my new blog and all of its wonderful features. The sharing part I haven’t figured out yet. You are welcome to copy the URL address of the recipe and paste it into a Tweet or in a Facebook post. The image will show up as well! Cheers!
UPDATE: I found the solution, I hope this works for you! Thank you for wanting to share!