Salt and Brine for Fermented Vegetables: The Ultimate Guide

Salt is an essential ally in lacto-fermentation, or vegetable fermentation!

This guide will help you understand the essential role of salt in fermentation, choose the right type of salt, and determine the ideal amount to add, whether dry salting or in brine.

To find out just how much salt to add to your lacto-fermentations, consult the short version of this article.

Jump straight to the section that interests you:

• What is salt used for?
• Which salt to use?
• How to choose between brine and dry salting?
• How to do dry salting?
• How to prepare a brine for fermented vegetables?
• How much salt to add?
• Can you fermented vegetables without salt?

What Is Salt Used For?

Salt plays several essential roles in lacto-fermentation.

1. Promotes the development of good microorganisms: Salt creates an unfavourable (acidic) environment for undesirable bacteria, allowing good lactic acid bacteria to establish themselves and control the fermentation process. This mechanism is the reason why salt has been used to preserve food for thousands of years.
2. Creating a natural brine: Salt helps extract water from vegetables, forming a nutrient-rich brine that feeds the beneficial microorganisms. This brine submerges the vegetables, preventing contact with oxygen and creating an anaerobic (oxygen-free) environment ideal for lacto-fermentation.
3. Preserves vegetable texture: By slowing down the enzymatic activity responsible for softening, salt helps maintain the crunchy texture of vegetables. The higher the salt concentration, the slower the fermentation, which prolongs the firmness of the vegetables.
4. Flavour enhancement: Salt enriches the flavour of fermented foods, whether in pickles, sauerkraut, or kimchi. It acts as a flavour enhancer, giving fermented vegetables their characteristic salty, tangy, and savoury taste.

Which Salt to Use for Lacto-Fermentation?

In simple terms, salt should be ‘natural’, i.e. without additives.

Avoid fermentation with salt enriched with iodine or containing anticaking agents, as they can interfere with the process and alter the taste, colour, or texture of the vegetables.

You can use pickling salt, sea salt or even pink Himalayan salt. It doesn’t matter! Just make sure that the only ingredient mentioned is ‘salt’.

To find out more, read Best Salt For Fermenting Vegetables?

How To Choose Between Brine and Dry Salting?

There are two techniques for adding salt during lacto-fermentation: dry salting, where salt is added directly to the vegetables, and brining, which uses a solution of water and salt.

To choose between the two techniques, we need to determine whether the vegetables themselves can produce enough water to be submerged.

As a reminder, one of the criteria for lacto-fermentation is to minimize the vegetables’ contact with oxygen to promote good fermentation!

Dry Salting

Use dry salting when the vegetables are finely chopped, grated, or naturally rich in water. These vegetables will drain enough to be covered with their own liquid when jarred. This ‘no brine’ method is ideal for recipes such as sauerkraut, kimchi, grated carrots and salsa.

Brine

Choose brine if the vegetables are whole, cut into large chunks, or if they contain little water. They won’t produce enough liquid to be submerged on their own. Brining is ideal for producing condiments such as pickles, vegetable sticks, and fermented hot sauces.

Comparison Between Dry Salting and Brining

How Is Dry Salting Done?

Dry salting is used when the vegetables can release enough water to be covered by their own liquid. For this technique, add the salt directly to the finely chopped vegetables, then allow them to soak for 10 to 15 minutes. This creates a natural brine that will submerge the vegetables, limiting their contact with air.

See also the section How Much Salt to Add for Dry Salting

How Do You Make a Brine for Fermenting Vegetables?

Brine is used when vegetables do not produce enough liquid to be covered. A saltwater solution is added to cover them completely (brining) and reduce contact with the air.

Steps for preparing a salt water brine for fermented vegetables:

1. Place the vegetables in a jar
2. Calculate the proportion of salt relative to the volume of the jar
3. Add the salt to the jar
4. Cover the vegetables completely with water (the salt will dissolve on its own)

The calculation based on the volume of the jar is vital, as the volume of a jar in millilitres is equivalent to the total weight of the ingredients and water in grams, ensuring that the amount of salt is adjusted to the total weight of the ingredients, and not just the water. Of course, this technique works best when the jar is full, not half-empty. We recommend that you fill your jars well.

It is not recommended to prepare a brine separately and then add it to the vegetables. This method presents a risk of under-salting, as some of the salt is absorbed by the vegetables. What’s more, if the container you’re using isn’t large enough to allow enough brine to be added, the vegetables may be less salty than expected.

See also the section How Much Salt to Add to Make a Brine

How Much Salt to Add to My Fermentation?

Calculating Salt

Percentage (%) is the universal method for calculating the ratio of salt to be used in lacto-fermentation, as it adjusts easily to the weight or volume of the ingredients. Use the metric system (grams or millilitres) for greater precision.

Example: For a recipe with 2% salt and 1 kg of cabbage (or a 1L jar), add 20 grams of salt (2% of 1000 g), or about 4 tsp.

Calculation: 1000 g x 0.02 (2%) = 20 g

Lacto-Fementation Salt Percentage Recommendations

The following table gives an idea of the percentage of salt to use, depending on the vegetable you want to ferment:

Generally, we recommend using 2% of the weight or volume of the ingredients in salt in your lacto-fermentations.

(See How to Choose Between Brining and Dry Salting to find out whether you should calculate by weight or volume).

Remember:

• The less salt (1 to 2% salt), the faster the fermentation.
• The more salt (3 to 10% salt), the more the vegetables retain their crunch, resist mould and preserve longer.

Note: If the salt concentration is less than 2%, add a vegetable starter culture and/or calcium chloride (CaCl₂) to prevent pathogen contamination. Avoid going below 1% salt, even with a starter culture, as this could compromise fermentation.

How Much Salt to Add for Dry Salting?

For dry salting, calculate the percentage of salt relative to the total weight of the ingredients.

Generally, 2% is recommended, but this can vary (see How Much Salt to Add to My Fermentation).

To ferment 1 kg of cabbage at 2% salt, you would need to add 20 g of salt (4 tsp.).

1000g x 0,02 (2%) = 20g

Here’s a table to help you calculate the salt to add according to the weight of your vegetables and the different percentages of salt you could use:

How Much Salt to Add to Make a Brine?

To make a brine (salt + water) that covers the vegetables, calculate the percentage of salt relative to the volume of the jar used.

The volume in millilitres is equivalent to the weight in grams, to ensure accurate salt dosage.

It is generally recommended to add 2% of the volume of the ingredients, but this can vary (see How Much Salt to Add to My Fermentation).

To ferment vegetables with 2% salt in a 1L jar, you would need to add 20 g of salt (4 tsp.).

1000ml x 0,02 (2%) = 20g

Here’s a table to help you calculate the salt to add according to the volume of your container and the different percentages of salt you could use:

If you’re making a separate brine (not a recommended technique), use a higher percentage of salt, as the mixture added to the vegetables will reduce the final salt concentration.

How Many Grams of Salt per Kitchen Utensil?

Although it’s important to weigh ingredients for accuracy, you can use spoons instead of scales to measure salt. Here’s a guide to approximate salt weights for common utensils:

The differences in weight between fine and coarse salt are minimal and should not significantly affect the quality of your fermentations. Using spoons allows you to obtain a sufficiently precise quantity of salt to ensure the success of your preparations.

Can You Ferment Vegetables Without Salt?

It is possible, but there is a greater risk of failure than in a normal fermentation with salt.

Salt plays a crucial role in preventing pathogenic microorganisms from establishing themselves. Without it, the beneficial lactic acid bacteria have a harder time dominating, which can lead to the emergence of mould and other problems associated with preservation.

To improve the chances of success of a salt-free fermentation, you can add an extra source of lactic acid bacteria at the beginning of the fermentation, such as a little liquid from a previous fermentation, whey, or Caldwell-type lactic acid bacteria.

Salt-free lacto-fermentations should be kept short (just a few days), as vegetables soften quickly. If you wish to reduce the amount of salt in your fermentations, it is recommended not to go below 1% salt to minimize the risk of failure and obtain satisfactory results.

Read: Is There Too Much Salt in Lacto-Fermentations?

Get the Tools!

We recommend the following products for successful lacto-fermentation.

Le Parfait Super Glass Jars (Pack of 6)

$59.85 - $62.95

Caldwell's Starter Culture for Fresh Vegetables

$27.40

Calcium chloride (food grade) - 75g

$8.00

Get started!

• How to Ferment Vegetables (lacto-fermentation)
• Which Salt to Choose for my Lacto-Fermentation?
• What Equipment to Choose for Vegetable Fermentation?