Slow Cooker Ribs and Sauerkraut
74 Comments Aug 17, 2021
Updated Jun 22, 2025
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When the cooler weather hits, there’s nothing like a hearty meal to warm you up. This slow cooker recipe for ribs and sauerkraut will do just that!
Recipe Highlights
- Great one-pot dish—no extra sides needed!
- Prep it in the morning, set up the crockpot, then enjoy a great meal during football.
- Perfect for fans of German-inspired comfort food.
- Easy to make ahead and let the slow cooker do the work.
Key Ingredients
- Baby back ribs – Cut and broiled for extra flavor
- Red potatoes – Sliced thick for a hearty base
- White onion & garlic – Adds depth and aroma
- Dried thyme, salt, pepper – Simple seasoning blend
- Sauerkraut – Rinsed and layered for a tangy bite
- Chicken broth – For rich, savory cooking liquid
How to make sauerkraut and ribs in the slow cooker
- Give those ribs a quick broil to get them nice and golden.
- Layer everything in the slow cooker—potatoes, onion, garlic, sauerkraut, and seasoning.
- Pour in your broth or crack open a beer and let it ride.
- Set it, forget it, then come back to tender, tangy, rib-loaded goodness.
Do you drain bagged sauerkraut before cooking?
I like to drain and rinse my sauerkraut, as I prefer a less intense sour flavor in this recipe. If you’re a die-hard sauerkraut fan, don’t rinse it; instead, add a half cup of the juices to the slow cooker.
Tips & Variations
Other ribs: You can substitute the baby back ribs for any pork ribs, such as spareribs, country-style ribs, and other types! If beef is more your style, then try using beef short ribs instead.
Peels: You can peel the potatoes if desired, I like to keep the peel on for it does keep the potatoes from falling apart as much.
Liquid Swap: Instead of adding chicken broth you can do beer, white wine or even water if you don’t have any of those.
Searing: If you want to save time you don’t have to sear under the broiler, you can skip it or you can brown in an oiled skillet.
Featured Comment
“Delicious! I used country ribs and they came out extra tender and wonderful! Next time I won’t rinse my sauerkraut, we like the sourness. Overall, a keeper!”
– Kate
Another one pot meal that will hit the spot like this one is Slow Cooker Cornish Game Hens, or Kielbasa and Sauerkraut recipes.
Slow Cooker Ribs Sauerkraut Recipe
How to Video
Ingredients
- 1 rack pork baby back ribs
- 1 white onion, sliced
- 2 Tbsp. cooking oil
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1/4 tsp. pepper
- 1 tsp. dried thyme
- 3 garlic cloves
- 2 lbs. sliced red potatoes, about 3/4 inch thick
- 16 oz. sauerkraut, rinsed and drained
- 1 cup chicken broth, (or your favorite beer!)
Instructions
- Remove the membrane off the back of the ribs by sticking a finger under it in the middle of the ribs, lift up and pull. It may not come off in one piece. You can see how I remove this in the video.
- Preheat the oven to Broil.
- Cut the ribs into single rib pieces. Place the cut onion onto a baking sheet. Add the ribs on top of the onion. Drizzle over the oil. Sprinkle over the salt, pepper and thyme over the ribs. Add the garlic cloves.
- Place the baking sheet into the oven under the broiler. Leave in the oven until the ribs are slightly browned. Mine took about 10 minutes. Keep an eye on them so they don’t burn.
- Add the sliced potatoes to the slow cooker. Add the contents of the baking sheet on top of the potatoes. Drain and rinse the sauerkraut if desired. Add the sauerkraut on top of everything.
- Pour over the chicken broth.
- Cover and cook on HIGH for 5 hours or for 7-8 on low. You will know your recipe is done when your ribs are fork-tender and the potatoes are no longer hard.
- Serve and enjoy!
Nutrition
Nutrition info is auto-generated. This information is an estimate; if you are on a special diet, please use your own calculations.
More Slow Cooker Ribs:
Slow Cooker Beef Ribs and Slow Cooker Beef Short Ribs are rich, tender, and perfect for a hearty, hands-off dinner.
For a classic barbecue favorite, Crockpot Ribs and Slow Cooker Country Style Ribs are easy to prepare and full of bold, smoky flavor.
If you’re craving something with a kick, Buffalo Style Ribs bring the heat, while Dr. Pepper Ribs add a sweet and tangy twist that’s always a hit.
Oh my goodness! This is an amazing recipe. The only changes I made: Didn’t add potatoes as we like mashed, used a bottle of beer and added caraway seeds. Broiling the ribs with the onions and garlic and spices makes all the difference!!
Can white potatoes be used instead of red ?
Yes, that will work well.
I have a silly question. How thick should the onions and potatoes be? Thanks
I made this recipe with a few changes, added country style rules an apple and caraway seeds. Then I took a bottle of October fest beer (leinenkugal)! YUMMY!!!
I love root vegetables in the Fall and Winter. I added turnips, parsnips and carrots and used Bavarian sauerkraut with its juices. It cuts the sour, slightly, and adds a hint of sweetness. (I did not add the chicken broth, no need with the juices from the sauerkraut.) Delicious over mashed potatoes or mashed cauliflower. Enjoy!
Is this enough for 4 adults ?
Yes!
We were very pleased with how this turned out for our Oktoberfest away from home. I followed recipe except: added an apple, added sausage (wanted knockwurst but could only find Polish kielbasa, unsmoked), mixed sauerkraut with 1 T of brown sugar after draining and rinsing, omitted thyme only because I’m in an AirBnB and didn’t feel like buying it. It was very good and did not taste like it was made in a slow cooker.
Delicious! My hubby is full blooded German so ribs & kraut are something we’ve made many, many times. It was the broiling step that peaked my interest and it was sooo worth it! The flavors were incredible. Add a handful of juniper berries, didn’t rinse our homemade crock kraut, added some of the juice from the kraut, and didn’t actually put kraut in until the last hour (we like crisp & SAUER!) Thumbs up!
I made this today…used beer instead of chicken broth, added caraway seeds, and added a sliced apple. However, my potatoes were still a bit hard after cooking the recommended time. If I make it again, I will omit the potatoes and cook them on the side.
I disagree. It depends on what brand you use how sour it is. If you don’t like it extremely sour you simply rinse it alittle or not at all, to your taste. Myself, I don’t like sauerkraut so sour it actully puckers
my lips.