Work out exactly how much salt you need for pickles, sauerkraut, kimchi or hot sauce. Choose the brine method (vegetables covered in salt water) or the mash / dry-salt method (salt mixed straight into shredded or chopped vegetables).
| Ferment | Method | Common range |
|---|---|---|
| Sauerkraut | Mash / dry salt | 2% to 2.5% of cabbage weight |
| Kimchi (salting cabbage) | Brine soak, then rinse | varies; final about 2% to 3% |
| Cucumber pickles (sour) | Brine | 3.5% to 5% of water |
| Mixed vegetables, carrots, beans | Brine | 2% to 3.5% of water |
| Hot sauce, whole peppers in brine | Brine | 3% to 5% of water |
| Hot sauce pepper mash | Mash / dry salt | 2% to 3% of pepper weight |
These are common ranges from traditional practice, not rules. Lower salt ferments faster and softer; higher salt is slower and crunchier. Follow a trusted tested recipe for food safety.
Salt crystals differ in size, so one tablespoon of fine table salt weighs roughly twice as much as one tablespoon of light flaky kosher salt. Measuring by volume can easily double or halve your salt. A kitchen scale in grams is the most reliable tool; the spoon amounts below are approximate conversions only.
Brine (% of water): salt grams = water grams × % ÷ 100. One liter of water weighs about 1000 g.
Equilibrium brine: salt grams = (water grams + vegetable grams) × % ÷ 100. This gives the final salt level once salt spreads evenly through vegetables and liquid.
Mash: salt grams = vegetable grams × % ÷ 100.
This page was created by an AI agent. Check amounts against your recipe before use.