Homemade German Spaetzles

Like a cross between an egg noodle and a dumpling, homemade German Spaetzles are a tasty, easy and versatile side dish.  Like a cross between an egg noodle and a dumpling, homemade German Spaetzles are a tasty, easy and versatile side dish. 

My blogging friends are making spring sides today.  And this made me wonder–are spaetzles a spring dish?  I decided that, since they are often served with pork and ham, which are Easter favorites, that should count as spring. Though, truthfully, I think this is an “any season” recipe!   Like a cross between an egg noodle and a dumpling, homemade German Spaetzles are a tasty, easy and versatile side dish. 

My daughter was the first to make Homemade German Spaetzles and I’m not sure why she started. Perhaps it was poverty since she’s a poor college student and these are very economical. She’ll even top them with cheese and caramelized onions for “Austrian Mac n Cheese.”

Though today I’m serving them simply. 

How to Make Homemade German Spaetzles

To make spaetzles, you start by mixing egg and milk

Then you add in flour

Until this consistency is like a thick batter

You push the mixture into boiling water through a device with large holes like a grater, colander or spaetzle maker

Cook until they are tender and float, then drain.  Mix with butter and flavorings before serving.

 

Tips & Notes

I’ve always enjoyed spaetzles in German restaurants, but never realized how easy they are!

There are special spaetzle-making devices that look like cheese graters with a batter holder. If I end up making these enough, I’ll probably buy one. But in the meantime, a large-holed cheese grater is working fine (though I wish mine had slightly bigger holes).  I’ve heard of people using a large-holed colander too. Like a cross between an egg noodle and a dumpling, homemade German Spaetzles are a tasty, easy and versatile side dish. 

When I made my first batch of spaetzles, I decided they were a little bland and I wondered why they weren’t as good as Grandma’s Egg Noodles, which have similar ingredients. Since Grandma cooked her noodles in chicken broth, I mixed in a little Better Than Boullion paste. This provided a nice flavor boost, so I included it in the final recipe.  They have a vegetable stock product too for vegetarians.

I used half all-purpose and half a flour called “Gold n White” which has the wheat bran removed but keeps the germ. This made it a bit healthier but didn’t feel heavier or wheat-y. I am guessing you’d have good results using some white whole wheat as well. Like a cross between an egg noodle and a dumpling, homemade German Spaetzles are a tasty, easy and versatile side dish. 

Many of the recipes I saw online included nutmeg. But I’ve never had spaetzles made with nutmeg in at least a dozen local German restaurants—and fewer of the recipes direct from Germany or Austria seemed to contain it. I’m not personally a nutmeg fan but if you feel you must you can add ¼ teaspoon or so. 

Like a cross between an egg noodle and a dumpling, homemade German Spaetzles are a tasty, easy and versatile side dish. 

Homemade German Spaetzles

Like a cross between an egg noodle and a dumpling, homemade German Spaetzles are a tasty, easy and versatile side dish. 
Author: Inger
5 from 1 vote
Prep Time 15 mins
Cook Time 5 mins
Total Time 20 mins
Course Side Dish
Servings 6
Calories 283 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • 4 eggs
  • 2/3 cup milk
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • ¼ cup butter
  • 1-2 teaspoon Chicken or Vegetable Better than Boullion mixed with 1-2 teaspoons water
  • 1-2 Tablespoons Chopped parsley

Instructions
 

  • In a large mixing bowl, mix the eggs, milk, and salt. Gradually add the flour, beating until the mixture has a thick, batter-like consistency. You may not use all the flour, or it may take a little more.
  • Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over medium-high heat. Set your, grater or colander (or spaetzle machine) on top. Spoon some of the batter onto the device, then slide a spatula or wooden spoon along holes to push the batter through. Repeat until batter is used up.
  • Cook about 2 to 5 minutes or until spaetzle float and are tender. Strain the spaetzles and place in a large bowl. Toss with butter, better than bullion and parsley. Serve warm.

Nutrition

Calories: 283kcalCarbohydrates: 33gProtein: 10gFat: 12gSaturated Fat: 6gPolyunsaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 147mgSodium: 829mgFiber: 1g
I am not a health professional and nutrition data is calculated programatically. Accuracy may vary with product selection, calculator accuracy, etc. Consult a professional for the best information.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

Celebrate Spring Sides

We share Recipes From Our Dinner Table! Join our group and share your recipes, too! While you’re at it, join our Pinterest board, too!

15 thoughts on “Homemade German Spaetzles

  1. Karen (Back Road Journal)

    Love spätzle and yours looks very good. To this day, the best I’ve ever had was in a small roadside hotel and restaurant just north of Munich. It was light as a feather and had very lightly whipped cream on top that quickly melted into the spätzle. They said it was a special that they only made once a week.

  2. David Scott Allen

    I really have to try your version of the doubt! Mine is much denser. There’s nothing I love more than a big bowl of buttered spætzle. Sometimes I even serve it with a creamy tomato-saffron sauce!

  3. John / Kitchen Riffs

    Gosh, I love spaetzle. LOVE it! So much so that I actually have a spaetzle maker (one of those rotary jobs that looks kind of like a food mill). Haven’t made it in years, though. Think you’ve inspired me. 🙂 Yours looks terrific — thanks.

  4. Raymund

    This reminds me of my first time having them, it was an unforgettable experience when we went to Germany for a vacation before. As our orders from the restaurant arrived one of them was Spaetzles, I never knew who ordered them but we still did gave it a go, after two spoonfulls of try, the one beside us was asking the waiter where their Spaetzles order was and all of us look at each other, the waiter then saw it in front of us and said this was not meant for this table so he grabbed it and gave it to the diners beside us, we did told them we can have it and pay for it as we already ate some but I think she was hungry and did not bothered.

    1. Inger Post author

      How interesting! I’ve heard the wooden board technique but guessing that takes some actual skill 🙂 . Your version is definitely more noodle-like! The German restaurants in the US tend to do my type–probably from needing to use quickly trained kitchen help.

  5. Karen

    These are something I’ve never made nor eaten, although I’m always intriqued. This may be the encouragement I needed, and the better than bouillon sounds like a wonderful addition.

    1. Inger Post author

      Milwaukee has a strong German heritage and there were tons of German restaurants when I was growing up.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.

Recipe Rating





css.php