Jarred red cabbage at the store is usually thin, over-sweet, and propped up with dye. German Rotkohl (Blaukraut in Bavaria) is braised down with apple, vinegar, and warm spice until it's tart-sweet and deep purple — the standard side for roast pork, goose, and sauerbraten. One genuine US family maker does it, plus importers of the good German jars.
Published July 2026 · Updated 7 Jul 2026
Kruegermann has made European-style pickles and kraut in Los Angeles for more than a century. Their Berlin-Style Apple Red Cabbage is braised with real apple, sold in 16 oz and 32 oz jars, and it's an actual American family maker in a category otherwise ruled by imports. Sold direct through GermanDeli.com.
Why it isn't on AmazonA US family cooking down Rotkohl the old way is rare — nearly everything else on the shelf is imported, so this is the one you buy to keep an American maker going.
See it at Kruegermann →A Pennsylvania import shop carrying Hengstenberg's Rotessa red cabbage in the 24 oz jar. Hengstenberg is an independent German family company that's been making pickled and preserved vegetables since 1876. Ships nationwide.
Why it isn't on AmazonHengstenberg is a 140-year family house, not a supermarket label — this is the jar Germans actually keep in the pantry, brought over by an independent US shop.
See it at The Taste of Germany →A New Jersey German grocery stocking the Hengstenberg Rotessa Rotkohl jar alongside a full German pantry. Handy if you're building a whole order — spätzle, mustard, and the cabbage in one box. Ships nationwide.
Why it isn't on AmazonAn independent grocer lets you round out a proper German dinner in one shipment instead of hunting a supermarket that won't have any of it.
See it at One Stop German Shop →A small Minnesota family importer carrying Hengstenberg Red Cabbage with apples. The one-family, email-the-owner kind of shop. Ships nationwide.
Why it isn't on AmazonBuying the same independent German brand from a tiny family importer keeps two small operations — the maker and the shop — in business instead of one giant.
See it at German Specialty Imports →This seat's open on purpose — we won't pad the list to hit a number. If you ship real braised red cabbage & rotkohl direct, it's earned, not sold.
Add your brand →Rotkohl is German braised red cabbage, cooked down slowly with apple, vinegar, sugar, and warm spices like clove and bay until it's soft, glossy, and tart-sweet. The vinegar keeps the color a vivid purple-red. It's the classic winter side for roast pork, duck, goose, and sauerbraten — the thing that cuts the richness of the meat.
Same cabbage, different regional name. In much of northern and central Germany it's Rotkohl ('red cabbage'); in Bavaria, Austria, and the south it's Blaukraut ('blue cabbage'). The color actually shifts with acidity — more vinegar pulls it red, alkaline water pushes it blue — so both names describe the same jar.
It's built for rich, roasted meats: pork roast and Schweinebraten, goose or duck at the holidays, sauerbraten, bratwurst, or a schnitzel plate. Serve it warm alongside spätzle or dumplings (Knödel). A spoonful also does great work next to a Thanksgiving turkey if you want something sharper than cranberry.
The German jars are already fully braised with apple and spice, so you just warm and serve — versus a supermarket jar that's often thin, candy-sweet, and dyed. Makers like Kruegermann and Hengstenberg cook it to a real side-dish consistency. You can doctor it further with a splash of red wine or a spoon of currant jelly, but it's meant to come out of the jar ready.
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