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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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Instant Pot Kielbasa and Sauerkraut
Ingredients
- 2-3 TBSP Vegetable Oil
- 1 ½ 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
- ½ tsp Kosher Salt
- ½ tsp Black Pepper
- ⅓ 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)
Instructions
- 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.
- Add onion to the pot and stir.
- Add carrots and stir.
- Let that cook for a minute or two.
- Add the salt, pepper, and caraway seeds, stir.
- 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).
- Add the garlic, stir it in.
- Add the potatoes and apple, stir.
- Add the kielbasa back in, juices and all. Also add sauerkraut, and broth. Stir well to combine.
- Put the lid on the Instant Pot, and set the knob to sealing.
- Press the Cancel/Keep Warm button to cancel the sauté mode.
- 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.
- After the cooking cycle ends, press the Cancel button to turn off the pot, and wait 10 minutes (NPR - Natural Pressure Release).
- 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.
- Give it a good stir.
- 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!
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
resources to make Instant Pot Kielbasa and Sauerkraut recipe and more
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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!