• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Cooking On The Ranch logo

  • Home
  • About
  • Recipe Roundup
  • Contact Me
  • Join Community
  • Nav Social Menu

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
menu icon
go to homepage
search icon
Homepage link
  • Home
  • Soups, Stews, & Chilis
  • About
  • Recipe Roundup
  • Contact Me
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
  • ×

    Home > Main Dishes Pork > Oven Baked Brats and Sauerkraut

    Oven Baked Brats and Sauerkraut

    Published: Nov 17, 2022 by Lea Ann Brown · This post may contain affiliate links

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    Oven baked brats and and sauerkraut become irresistible when caramelized with brown sugar. And served over fluffy mashed potatoes for the ultimate comfort food meal. An Autumn dinner that you’ll fall in love with.

    Mashed potatoes topped with bratwurst and sauerkraut.


    Fall wouldn’t be “Fall” without brats and kraut. It’s the ultimate Autumn comfort food coup. This recipe is inspired from my grandmother, who passed along her obsession with for mashed potatoes topped with about anything. And her love for sauerkraut.

    If you love sauerkraut, I probably don’t need to convince you to try this oven baked brats recipe.

    What we love about this recipe is that bratwurst sausage is oven roasted on a sheet pan before assembling the rest of the recipe.

    Roasting an already fatty piece of meat, rather than pan frying, eliminates some of the fat calories. I also like the texture of the sausage better when oven roasted.

    Onions are then pan fried until golden and then simmered in beer.

    The dish is then assembled in a casserole by layering the onion mix, oven baked brats and topped with sauerkraut.

    The true deliciousness gets even better by sprinkling the sauerkraut with brown sugar before baking.

    Sauerkraut and brats in the oven never had it so good.

    Ingredients You’ll Need

    • 6 uncooked bratwurst sausage
    • Onion
    • Olive Oil
    • Beer, preferably German ale
    • Brown Sugar
    • Canned Sauerkraut

    Ingredient Substitutions

    • Pork Bratwurst Sausage: For a lighter and leaner option, substitute Chicken Bratwurst for the pork brats. Whole Foods offers a good chicken brat in their meat department.
    • Sauerkraut: I always grab canned sauerkraut. Use your favorite brand of jarred or canned.

    Step by Step Instructions, It’s Easy

    Chicken bratwurst on a sheet pan ready to be roasted.
    • Step 1: For the oven baked brats: Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Place bratwurst sausages on a sheet pan fitted with a wire rack. Spray the sausages with avocado oil or cooking spray. Roast for 30 minutes turning the sausages once after 15 minutes.
    Sauteeing onions in a heavy skillet.
    Adding beer to onions to make brats and kraut.
    • Step 2: Heat olive oil over medium high heat in a large fry pan. Add onion and sprinkle with 2 tablespoons brown sugar. Cook, stirring often until onions are starting to turn golden. About 15 – 20 minutes.
    • Step 3: Add beer or chicken broth and simmer for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. This will reduce the liquid a bit and intensify the flavor.
    Onions and beer in casserole dish.
    Oven roasted brats on a bed of onions and beer.
    • Step 4: Place contents of the of the fry pan into an oven safe casserole dish.
    • Step 5: Place the oven baked brats on top of the onions and liquid.
    Brats topped with sauerkraut ready to bake.
    Oven baked bratwurst and sauerkraut.
    • Step 6: Place the canned sauerkraut over the brats and sprinkle with remaining brown sugar.
    • Step 7: Reduce oven temperature to 375 degrees and bake until sauerkraut is starting to caramelize and turning golden in color. Serve immediately over mashed potatoes.
    How Can You Tell If Brats Are Done?

    Use a instant digital read meat thermometer. Press the probe into the middle of one of the bratwurst. The internal temperature should read 165 degrees. And when cut, the meat should be white and firm with little or not pink.

    Can I Use Pre-Cooked Brats?

    Yes. There are come commercially packaged brats and are already cooked or smoked. Check the package carefully and make sure it indicates “fully cooked”. To use fully cooked brats in this recipe, just skip the oven roasting instructions, and start with cooking the onions.

    Why Oven Bake Brats Instead of Boiling?

    Texture, texture, texture. Oven baked brats are a crispier product. Crispy on the inside and tender on the inside. I find boiling brats to be a bit of a flabby experience. But you most certainly can boil them if you want.

    Do I Have To Serve This With Sauerkraut?

    If you simply don’t like sauerkraut, simply bake the brats in the oven and then proceed with the beer and onion steps of this recipe. Place the onion and beer mixture in an oven safe casserole and nestle the cooked brats on top. Sprinkle with brown sugar and bake. Serve over mashed potatoes.

    Leftovers and Storage

    Leftovers keep in the refrigerator for 4 days. To reheat, just place on a microwave safe plate and reheat using 50% power. The lower power setting will heat leftovers at a slower more gentler speed. Which means no exploding brats. Length of time depends on the amount on the plate. I like to use 30 second increments.

    Variations

    Serve oven baked brats and kraut in a hoagie bun or hot dog bun. Just place one of the cooked brats in a bun and top with some sauerkraut.

    Recipe for Oven Baked Brats and Kraut

    I hope you give this baked bratwurst and sauerkraut method a try. I think you’ll be very pleased with the process and the end flavor result.

    Serve this over mashed potatoes for a memorable brats and kraut meal.

    Related Recipes

    • Sausage Stuffed Italian Frying Peppers
    • Chicken Sausage Hotdogs
    • Sauerkraut Soup with Sausage and Potatoes
    • Curried Butternut Squash Sausage Soup

    And don’t miss my Pork category, you’ll find lots of great recipe ideas. Including the most popular on my site for Campfire Ribs.

    And, don’t forget to subscribe to my newsletter for more delicious recipes and cooking tips. Make it a delicious day … every day.

    If you’ve tried this or any other recipe on my website, please leave a star rating in the recipe card below. And write a review in the comment section. I always appreciate your feedback.

    Mashed potatoes topped with bratwurst and sauerkraut.

    Oven Baked Brats and Sauerkraut

    Sauerkraut is caramelized sweet by cooking it with a Belgian Ale. Add some oven baked pan brats and you've got a traditional German plate of goodness.
    5 from 4 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Main Course Pork
    Cuisine: German
    Prep Time: 10 minutes
    Cook Time: 30 minutes
    Total Time: 40 minutes
    Servings: 2
    Calories: 613kcal
    Author: Lea Ann Brown

    Ingredients

    • 6 Bratwurst sausage uncooked. Use either regular brats or chicken bratwurst.
    • Avocado oil cooking spray or olive oil cooking spray, or PAM
    • 2 tablespoons olive oil
    • 1 large onion or two medium onions, peeled and sliced
    • 6 Tablespoons brown sugar divided
    • 1 1/2 cups beer or chicken broth
    • 29 ounces sauerkraut canned, 2-14 1/2 ounce cans, undrained
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Instructions

    • Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
    • Place bratwurst sausages on a sheet pan fitted with a wire rack. Spray the sausages with avocado oil or cooking spray. Roast for 30 minutes turning the sausages once after 15 minutes.
    • Heat olive oil over medium high heat in a large fry pan. Add onion and sprinkle with 2 tablespoons brown sugar. Cook, stirring often until onions are starting to turn golden. About 15 – 20 minutes.
    • Add beer or chicken broth and simmer for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. This will reduce the liquid a bit and intensify the flavor.
    • Place contents of the of the fry pan into an oven safe casserole dish. Place the roasted brats on top of the onions and liquid.
    • Place the canned sauerkraut over the brats and sprinkle with remaining brown sugar.
    • Reduce oven temperature to 375 degrees and bake until sauerkraut is starting to caramelize and turning golden in color.
    • Serve the bratwursts and sauerkraut over bed of mashed potatoes.

    Notes

    Tips For Success:
    • Use an instant digital read meat thermometer to make sure brats are fully cooked. Press the probe into the middle of one of the bratwurst. The internal temperature should read 165 degrees. And when cut, the meat should be white and firm with little or not pink.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 613kcal | Carbohydrates: 15g | Protein: 20g | Fat: 53g | Saturated Fat: 15g | Cholesterol: 98mg | Sodium: 2058mg | Potassium: 781mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 26IU | Vitamin C: 25mg | Calcium: 92mg | Iron: 3mg
    Tried this Recipe? Pin it for Later!Mention @lannisam or tag #CookingOnTheRanch!

    Oven Baked Brats and Sauerkraut …It’s what’s for Dinner.

    More Pork Recipes

    • Sherried Black Bean And Ham Soup
    • Country Potatoes with Ham
    • Sausage Stuffed Italian Frying Peppers
    • Pickled Pineapple, Quick and Easy

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Mary Lou says

      January 21, 2023 at 4:10 pm

      great recipe

      Reply
      • Lea Ann Brown says

        January 22, 2023 at 6:58 am

        Hi Mary Lou. Thanks so much for taking the time to let me know you liked the recipe.

        Reply
      • Lea Ann Brown says

        January 23, 2023 at 5:55 am

        Thanks so much Mary Lou. I appreciate you taking the time to let me know.

        Reply
    2. Barb says

      December 16, 2014 at 2:12 pm

      Set a place for me, Lea Ann!

      Reply
      • Lea Ann Brown says

        December 17, 2014 at 5:52 am

        Done! 🙂

        Reply
    3. Chris says

      December 12, 2014 at 1:20 pm

      Love me some brats, I’ll have to give these a shot.

      Reply
      • Lea Ann Brown says

        December 13, 2014 at 6:30 am

        Thanks Chris.

        Reply
    4. Larry says

      December 12, 2014 at 9:13 am

      I love this simple German dish, especially the way you made it.

      Reply
      • Lea Ann Brown says

        December 13, 2014 at 6:31 am

        Thanks Larry.

        Reply
    « Older Comments

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    Primary Sidebar

    I'm Lea Ann, A Culinary School Grad bringing you Wild West Colorado inspired recipes. You'll find lots of Southwestern, and Mexican food recipes, and some favorites from Culinary School along with pro cooking tips. If you're an adventurous home cook looking to spice up your meal plans, you'll find plenty of inspiration and reliable, approachable, easy to follow recipes.

    More about me →

    Reader's Favorites

    • Thick and Chunky Blue Cheese Dressing Recipe
    • Savory Oven Roasted Cast Iron Skillet Potatoes
    • Broccoli Cheez Whiz Rice Casserole
    • Crispy Baked Wings in Santa Fe Sauce

    Soups & Stews

    • Easy Turkey Lentil Soup with Barley
    • Jacques Pepin’s Beef Stew In Red Wine
    • Creamy Southwestern Chicken Soup
    • Southwest Garbanzo Bean Soup with White Beans and Chicken

    Taco Tuesday

    Taco recipes

    Dessert Recipes

    • Chile Chocolate Bourbon Cake with Chocolate Bourbon Frosting
    • Key Lime Pie Recipe – No Bake
    • Strawberry Tart Recipe with Lemon Cream Cheese Filling
    • Cherry Delight, No Bake Old Fashioned Cream Cheese Cherry Dessert

    Footer

    Featured in and partnered with

    Privacy Policy

    • Privacy Policy

    Accessibility Statement

    Copyright © 2023 Cooking On The Ranch • Privacy Policy

    • 185
    360 shares
    360 shares