To use the brine calculator simply:
- select the percentage of brine you wish to use
- select your preferred water unit measurement (cups, quarts, gallons or liters)
- enter the amount of brine to make (Water Value)
- select your preferred salt unit measurement (grams, ounces or pounds).
Salt to water ratio for fermenting
Use the Brine Calculator to determine the accurate salt to water ratio and make a perfect brine for fermenting vegetables.
The calculator enables you to accurately make a brine solution using the correct proportions of salt and water. This is important as different vegetables require different brine percentage levels. When converting between different units of measurement a simple calculation can get complicated. Calculator makes this easy and you have peace of mind that you are using the right salt solution.
Based on your input, the calculator will display the required amount of salt.
The percentage of brine refers to the percentage of salt in solution. Most vegetables are fermented at around 2.5%-5% as per the graphic below. Some vegetables like olives are fermented at 10%.
The water value refers to the amount of brine you want to make. For example, if you are using one-quart jar you will make less than a quart of brine as you already have vegetables in the jar.
Remember that all salt weighs differently and is difficult to measure by volume. So if you don’t get the desired result, you will have to experiment until you settle on something you like.
If you are looking for a rule of thumb, then for vegetable ferments you need 1-3 tablespoons of salt per quart of water.
Brine percentage chart for fermenting
You can refer to your recipe to find out brine percentage needed or simply use my chart below. If what you are fermenting is not on the chart, just leave a comment and I’ll help you calculate your brine.
| Vegetable | Brine percentage |
| broccoli | 2% – 2.5% |
| cauliflower | 2% |
| celery | 1% – 2% |
| cucumber | 3.5% – 5% |
| garlic | 3% |
| green beans | 2% |
| onions | 5% |
| potatoes | 2% |
| radish | 5% |
| tomatoes | 2% |
| olives | 10% |
Why is salt important in fermentation?
Salt is a key ingredient in fermentation. The amount of salt you add to the ferment can make a big difference to the taste of the final product.
The purpose of using salt in fermenting is to keep away the unwanted bacteria, make vegetables crunchy and crisp, add flavor and preserve the vitamins.
You have probably noticed that similar fermentation recipes recommend using different amounts of salt. Reasons for this are personal preferences, other ingredients used in the recipe and the way the salt is added to the ferment.
How to add salt to a vegetable ferment?
There are two ways to add salt to a vegetable ferment. You can add salt directly to shredded or chopped vegetables such as beets or cabbage. Or you can make a brine by dissolving salt in the water and then submerging the vegetables in the brine.
What is brine?
Brine is dissolved salt in water. You need to make a brine when fermenting vegetables such as onions, olives, or horseradish (see the Brine percentage chart above for a more detailed list including the required brine level).
Use filtered water to make your brine and get nutritious pickled and fermented vegetables. If you use tap water it will likely contain chlorine which kills the probiotic lactobacillus bacteria required for fermenting.
To avoid interference with the fermentation process, don’t use salt that contains additives like iodine, sugar or anti-caking agents. My recommendation is to use unprocessed salt as its purity and high mineral concentration ensures a healthy fermentation environment. My favorite is Himalayan pink salt. Its salmon hue comes from trace amounts of rust and is extracted from deep in the Himalayan Mountains.
How to keep vegetables submerged?
Keeping vegetables submerged below the brine is essential to achieve desired taste for your pickled or fermented vegetables. If you have limited equipment and are new to fermenting, you can simply place a ceramic plate that fits well inside the vessel then place a clean rock on top.
The other option is to purchase fermentation weights. The best fermentation weights are those made of glass or ceramic as they eliminate the risk of mold, are reusable and easy to clean.
How about beets or turnips?
Hi Bradley, my recommendation is 2% ratio. Happy fermenting 🙂
Since I have green bell peppers (MANY OF THEM) and I will be packing them into half gallon mason jars to ferment, I will need an unknown amount of 5% brine. Can I make a one gallon amount and fill the jars appropriately, or will the peppers weaken the brine as they, well, brine- requiring more kosher salt than 5%?
Since this method is almost as old as we are since we (as humans) have learned the technique, why do writers on fermentation make this so… cloudy?
I prefer kosher salt or pickling salt since Celtic sea salt is so dang hard to find AND I am comfortable with its measurements since using it when I first started pickling. (Yes, kosher has bigger flakes etc) So far, I have only fermented super hot peppers with great success. I write in now so that my first attempt at green bell pepper fermenting will not be a bust with hopes of mixing the results with fermented hots and using just plain mellow bell pepper sauce for flavor. I am also looking to ferment fresh smoked poblano peppers…
Any insight is welcomed. Thanks for your site.
That’s a great question Calvin. You’re right, often is not clear the exact amount of brine. With my ferments, I follow the principle of making the same amount of brine as the size of the jar. In your instance, make half a gallon brine for your half-gallon jar. You will have leftover brine after placing the green peppers in the jar which you can use for your next jar. Hope this helps!
What would you recommend for carrots?
Hi Sarah, I would recommend a 2% ratio for carrots.
I am brining olives and it says to start with 1 tablespoon of coarse salt to 2 litres of cold water. put a non cooked egg in the water and if it floats it is the right consistency. Well I am up to 7 tablespoonsof coarse salt and my egg is still not floating. What would be my solution
Hi Maureen,
With your olives, if you want to make 10% brine for 2 liters of water you will need around 222gms of salt which is around 15 tablespoons. The egg experiment should work if you mix 2 liters of water and 15 tablespoons of salt. Hope this helps! Keen to hear how you go.
Hi, I put a few jars of chillies in to ferment yesterday with the wrong amount of salt in the brine, if I mix up a fresh batch of brine should they be OK to be emptied out and put back in with the proper strength brine in?
Hi Jay,
That will be fine as you just put chilies to ferment yesterday. Please share with us if you still get the desired flavor once they are ready.
So got round to it a day later than planned, happy to report that signs and smells of fermentation were there anyway even with the under salted brine. The mixed jar was more active than my amarillo one and slight brown marks on amarillos but hoping thats down to Chinese 5 spice. Fresh brine in, will keep you all posted how they do!
Thanks for the update Jay. Sounds like fermentation is on the right track.
Hi Gigi, what brine % do you Recommend for okra and brussels sprouts?
thanks, stephanie
Hi Stephanie, for brussels sprouts I would recommend brine ratio between 1-2% and for okra 3.5%.
I started Winter Radish (often called Daikon but true Daikon are the huge long white ones) of various small kinds by slicing in rounds and salting to wilt them before brining. This forces out liquid so I wonder if I should reduce your recommended 5%brine somewhat.
I would suggest not to salt the radish to wilt and keep the 5% brine ratio. Too much salt can kill off the lactic acid bacteria (good bacteria).
Hi how much salt % for beetroot kvass
For beetroot kvass, my recommendation is brine ratio of 1.5%.
Hi i use about one tbs of pink salt in a quart jar to ferment my beets. I find that its too salty. Can i use less? Maybe two tsps instead? Will that be good enough to keep the bad bugs out an keep it crunchy?
Thanks
For beets recommended brine ratio is 2%. If you’re adding 1 tablespoon of salt per 1 quart of water it means the ratio is 1.5%. Lowering the salt content might cause the ferment to go off. However, worth trying if you prefer the less salty flavor.
I’m planning a fermentation of giardiniera. Curious as to brine percentage with mixed vegetables — cauliflower, broccoli, carrots and onions. Recipe calls for 1 tablespoon sea salt to 1 qt. filtered water. My first ferment of garlic pickles was wonderful! Thanks for your help.
For giardiniera, I would suggest a brine ratio of 5-6%. I’ve seen recipes with a lower brine ratio, but they call for use of white vinegar. Happy fermenting 🙂
What percentage would I use for salt brined beef jerky? Thank you
I would recommend around 20 percent brine ratio. The ratio can be more or less depending on other herbs and spices you are adding.
I am making a hot a fermented sauce. I want to use peppers, Onions, ginger, garlic, and carrots. Can I brine them all in the same jar at the same time? Or can I group them?
Also…. after I have completed the fermentation process, can I use that Brine (which will now presumable have a slight taste the vegetables) to brine chicken?
Thank you so much.
Be well,
Michael
Yes, you can ferment all the vegetables together in the same jar. I haven’t tried using vegetable brine to brine chicken but can’t believe it will be fine.
This is a great resource – thank you! Def bookmarking your site.
Thanks Brian for lovely words! Glad you like the site 🙂
To keep vegetables submerged, I use wooden chopsticks broken to fit tightly under and across the neck of the jar. I usually use two pieces forming an X.
That’s a great tip, Steve. Thanks for sharing. I’m sure many of our community members will appreciate it.
What ratio do I use for cabbage? I’m planning to make a very small batch using store bought slaw mix.
Cabbage is naturally full of juices so brine naturally forms when you massage the cabbage. As you’re using slaw mix you may need extra brine. In that case, I would recommend the ratio between 1.5%-2.5%. If you decide to make sauerkraut at some point you can check out my recipe: How to make sauerkraut. Good luck!
Hi Gigi!
Thanks for your post on suggested %brine concentrations, where did you get the optimum ratios? Love the post!
Thanks for your kind words! The suggested ratios are based on my personal experience fermenting different foods, fermentation books and online resources I’ve read.
Hey there! Just curious. Where are you getting the information on the brine percentages? Is there a book I could buy or just some rationale for the differences?
Hi Charles, some of the percentages are what worked for me and the rest is what I collected from various books I read on the topic. There isn’t one central database I could find. Most of it is based on personal experiences.
What determines the brine level? I am newer to fermenting. I see olives at at 10% and get some other veggies are 2%.
How do we know what percentage to pick?
Hi Christy, go with the percentage that’s in the recipe you are making. There is no one hard rule, it depends on the recipe, type of vegetable etc.
Hi Gigi,
What about for asparagus? The recipe sites I see all list the brine by volume, not weight, and I would like to get an accurate brine %.
Thanks!
Tom
Hi Tom,
For fermented asparagus, the brine ratio is usually between 5-6%. You can work out the brine percentage by entering the water amount then moving the brine percentage scale. Once you reach the salt amount recommended in the recipe you will see brine ratio for the specific recipe. Hope this helps! Gigi
Does the brine need to be boiled to dissolve the salt? Or can the salt be mixed into room temperature water. Thank you for all you information this is now my go to site for fermenting tips.
Hi Kacey,
Yes, you will need to dissolve salt in the boiled water, then let it cool down to the room temperature before using it. Thanks for your lovely words:-) Gigi
Hi!
Can I use boiled tap water for brine instead of filtered?
And that brine concentration you would suggest for fermenting chili peppers?
Thnks in advance!
Ed
Hi Ed,
Yes, you can use boiled tap water. I’m unsure about brine ratio for chili peppers but have used a 5% brine ratio for the hot sauce I made: https://myfermentedfoods.com/fermented-hot-sauce/.
Gigi
Is seawater ever used for fermenting ?
I’m not sure. I haven’t heard of it.
Wow, this is an awesome tool Gigi! I wish I had this in the past haha, I’ll definitely be sharing it with my audience as an excellent way to help get perfect pickles. 🙂
Keep up the great work (as always)!
Best wishes,
James
Thanks for your lovely words James 🙂 Glad to hear you find the calculator useful 🙂
What brine percentage would you suggest for Day lily stalks?
Sorry Evan, I’m not sure as I haven’t tried to brine daylily stalks.
Thanks for the post! What would you recommend for zucchini? I think 3% is good, but curious if you had a more precise preference.
Hi Zach, 3% is a perfect ratio for zucchini 🙂
Hi Gigi, thanks for this great resource, I am new to using brine solutions to ferment (I have brewed kefir, kombucha, and made kefirkraut) I have a glut of rhubarb and other crops in my gardens and remembered watching a TV program here in the UK on Scandinavian food. They used a 2% brine solution with red currant leaves as a starter culture, to preserve rhubarb through the long Swedish winter. This sounds perfect. I just wondered if you had any experience of this or similar?
Thanks
Abbe
Hi Abbe, thanks for your lovely words 🙂 I haven’t tried to preserve rhubarb but it’s definitely something I would love to try. If you end up making it, feel free to share your experience.
Gigi
Can you help me with a brine % for snap peas pods?
Some are a little more mature due to my organic farmer’s bumper crop with small peas.
Organic snap peas, sounds yummy. 🙂 For fermenting snap peas I would suggest a brine ratio of 2%.
I’m curious what the brine % would be for cherries. And possibly for how long… One source said only about 12 hours… Peaches would be nice to know about and any other fruit for general ideas.
Thank you in advance, I have enjoyed the read this evening.
If you’re making lacto-fermented cherries I would suggest brine ratio around 4% and ferment them for a day or just little over. Taste them after 24 hours to see if they’re ready. For peaches brine ratio of 2% should be good. Thanks for lovely words and the suggestion. I definitely need to cover fruit fermentation.
Greetings – – I am so glad I found you! I do my fermenting by weighing the salt – and you do too! And you know tons of really good stuff!! Please help me with a brine percentage for cherries or cherry chutney? Thank you in advance.
Hi Adah, for lacto-fermented cherries my suggestion is a 4% brine ratio. I haven’t tried making cherry chutney but have seen a few recipes use cider vinegar, not brine.
Hello, I made a brine for cucumber and I’m anxious, I don’t know if I put a wrong ratio of salt. I put 1 tablespoon for 2 cups of water. Is that correct or my brine will be sweet and not tasty?
Hi Roro, the cucumbers should taste good 🙂 You got the brine ratio correct – around 3.5%. The recommend brine ratio for cucumbers is between 3.5-5%.
hi Gigi, wanted to say I really appreciate this page. I’ve recently done a “how to ferment” cukes and green beans video (on youtube) and link your page from the description so people can ferment other veggies. I’ve just come back today to find the % you recommend for asparagus (i see 5-6%, i went with 5.5!), so….wanted to say thanks and let you know I referenced you in the videos i’ve done on fermentation so far this year.
Hey Martha, sorry for such a tardy reply! That’s great to hear! Feel free to share your video with us and join our new community (there is a link in the main menu called Private Community).
Hello
My brother is wanting to ferment different not peppers with garlic and onions.
I do a lot of canning but know nothing of fermenting. Do you have a recipe? He is wanting a recipe. I have not found one as of yet. He is scared he will mess up.
Thank you.
P.s. What can I say older brothers. Lol
can a person eat fermented foods multiple times a day?
Hi Mark, yes. But of course, like anything else, it should be done in moderation.
Hello. What percentage for radish seed pods, and also for cucamelon? THank you
Great site. I am just starting for the first time. I am going to make a hot sauce using habaneros, peaches, and onions. Am I ok to ferment all at the same level? I am thinking 2-2.5%. What are your thoughts? Also I am thinking about letting it ferment for 2-3 weeks. Is that ok?
Thank you!
What brine % for Jalepeno?
Do you have a brine % suggestion for fermented watermelon rinds?
Thanks!
I’d suggest a brine ratio of 3.5% for lacto-fermented watermelon rinds.
I followed a recipe that suggested 2 tbsn of salt for a quart of water. Reversing the match on the calculator above comes out to 3.5% for the brine. I used this for both Jalapeño and Cubanell (sweet) peppers.
Thanks for sharing Jason. Your ferments should be ready soon (if not already). Enjoy:-)
Do you have a brine % suggestion for PARMESSAN CHEESE
Hi Amalan, this would be a great question to ask in our community forum. Just register for free here https://community.myfermentedfoods.com/ and start a new topic. I’m personally not sure what is the recommended brine ratio for the parmesan cheese hence the suggestion to ask in our community forum.
How much brine should I use if I am mixing several vegetables in the same jar?
I’d suggest a brine ratio of 2%.
Thank you for the brining calculated and sharing some of your extensive fermenting know,edge
My question is….
Can you reuse dill pickle brine to make a new ferment?
I generally ferment at 4 to 5%
I hate pouring out all the leftover brine.
Best Joanne
Thanks Joanne for stopping by:-) I would not recommend reusing the brine due to acidity level changes once it’s been absorbed by pickles and especially if the brine is cloudy.
Thank you for the brining calculatorand sharing some of your extensive fermenting knowledge
My question is….
Can you reuse dill pickle brine to make a new ferment?
I generally ferment at 4 to 5%
I hate pouring out all the leftover brine.
Best Joanne
Thanks Joanne for stopping by:-) I would not recommend reusing the brine due to acidity level changes once it’s been absorbed by pickles and especially if the brine is cloudy.
Hi Gigi,
I’m really glad to have discovered your page and that you actually have potatoes on your list. Most fermented potato recipes I’ve found online so far seem to have yogurt or other ingredients I’m not interested in.
I’m wondering though, do it make a difference if the potatoes I’m using have been grated and have had most of the starch removed? Or would the 2% salt brine still apply?
Thanks!
Lynn
Hi Lynn, with potatoes I chop them into small cubes and fermented them with a 2% brine ratio. I haven’t tried fermenting grated potatoes so can’t advise the brine ratio.
“If what you are fermenting is not on the chart, just leave a comment and I’ll help you calculate your brine.”
So you really can’t help, lol. I’m off to do more searching online. Guess I got a little too excited to discover your page.
Thanks for replying so quickly though! I appreciate it!
What ratio of brine do you recommend for hot banana peppers?
I’d recommend 5% brine ratio.
Hi there GiGi
Can i assume that a 15 % brining rate would have a salt concentration of 567.76 g’s to a gallon of H2O? I need to run tests on brining Napa cabbage from 15-20%. I used your chart and doubled the 7.5 % to hit 15 %.
will that work?
your feedback is appreciated very much.
thanks!
BC
Hi BC, your calculations are correct – 1 gallon of water and 567.76 grams of salt will make brine ratio of 15%.
I would like to ferment baby bok choi. What percentage brine should I use?
If I mix 100 grams of pickling salt to 2L of water for a 5% brine but only use 1L of the brine, does the ratio stay the same at 5%?
Correct, the brine ratio still stays the same at 5%.
I always keep coming back to this page for figuring brine percentages for various vegetable ferments. Thank you so much for this valuable resource!
I have a bumper crop of sunchokes and was going to try fermenting them. What percentage brine would you suggest?
Also, I had seen a recipe for a sunchoke ferment using both salt and soy sauce. I don’t want to try that recipe since they are specifying dark and light soy, commercial products. Do you know if there is a way to determine how much salt soy sauce would add to a brine? Would a few tablespoons per quart be sufficient to affect the salinity significantly?
Thank you again for your help.
I found a recipe for brine pickled purslane that gives salt in volume form. Unfortunately, my research on weight of salt equivalents gives various values for the weight of even plain table salt, which crystal size I assume is the same as canning salt. One source says 12 g / Tbsp while another gives 18 g! that is a huge difference. Since you do not have purslane, or some other unusual vegetables listed in your excellent reference here, I have two requests:
1. could you tell me what % brine is best for purslane STEMS
2. could you give your opinion on what weight to use per Tbsp in recipes giving volume measurements of salt. Thank you! With all the work required to prepare such veggies (2 hours to strip almost 200g of purslane stems), it would be disappointing to use the wrong brine %age.)
If I want to ferment leafy greens, adding dry salt to the greens as one does when making sauerkraut, what weight of salt should I use in proportion to the weight of the vegetables?