Fermentation Salt Percentage by Weight Calculator

How it works

Dry salting: salt = vegetable weight × salt % · Brine: salt = (vegetables + water) × salt % · Teaspoons ≈ grams ÷ 6 (fine sea salt)

In lacto-fermentation, salt is what tilts the odds toward the good bacteria: the right concentration suppresses spoilage microbes while letting salt-tolerant lactobacilli get to work and acidify the ferment. Because it is a concentration, salt must be measured by weight relative to what it is salting, not by loose spoonfuls. For dry-salted ferments like sauerkraut and kimchi, where you salt shredded vegetables and they release their own brine, weigh the salt as a percentage of the vegetables. For brine submersion, where whole or chunky vegetables sit under salt water, weigh it against the vegetables plus the water. Around 2% is the reliable all-purpose target; go a little higher in warm weather to slow things down, or lower for a faster, milder ferment. Use pure salt without iodine or anti-caking agents, which can inhibit the culture.

Worked example

Making a brined ferment with 1,000 g of vegetables and 1,000 g of water at 2%: the salt is weighed against the full 2,000 g, so 2,000 × 0.02 = 40 g of salt, which is about 6.7 teaspoons of fine sea salt.

Frequently asked questions