Easy German Spaetzle Recipe - delicious easy German dumplings for an authentic biergarten comfort food side dish!

This spaetzle is one of our favorite easy side dishes - my kids love it and ask for it all the time.
Spaetzle has two steps - parboiling and pan frying, but is incredibly easy to make - anyone can do it!
There are only a few basic ingredients, it comes together quickly, and has a rich, buttery flavor - like little tiny dumplings pan fried in butter. Perfect alongside our easy chicken schnitzel recipe!
This dish always makes me think of our travels through Germany.
To see our web story for this recipe, please click here.
Don't want all the extras in a recipe post? We provide a skip to recipe button in the top left corner, as well as a clickable table of contents, just below, to help make this page easier to navigate.
Table of contents
Inspired By Germany
One of our favorite dishes to grab when traveling in Germany (before this we'd try to go once or twice a year to visit my brother and sister in law and my niece who live near Heidelberg) is always schnitzel and spaetzle!
There is a biergarten right down the street from my brother in law's apartment that makes the best schnitzel and has a really fun outdoor dining area - it's always our first stop when we land in Germany.
We make this recipe a lot at home, it brings back so many amazing memories of traveling through Germany!
For more of our posts about traveling through Germany, please visit some of our favorites below:
How To Make Spaetzle
There are two stages to making spaetzle - making the dough and boiling it - and then pan frying in butter.
Making Spaetzle Dough
To form your dough for spaetzle, you'll mix together flour, pepper, and spices in a large mixing bowl.
Form a little well in the flour and add egg and milk into the middle, gently mixing to incorporate.
If your dough is very thick, add more milk a tablespoon at a time.
Dough should be loose like thick pancake batter, but not so thin it's runny - somewhere like pumpkin bread texture.
After making this dish again and again, you'll be able to eyeball the amount of flour, milk, and seasonings you'd like to use.
I had to actually measure when I made this - I'm used to just making it from memory!
Parboiling Spaetzle Dough
Once your dumpling batter is ready, spoon into spaetzle maker (or use cheese grater or slotted spoon with holes) and "push" batter across to let it drop through the holes into the boiling water below.
Boil for about 5 minutes, until dumplings float.
When cooked, remove from water with a strainer, and set aside in a large bowl.
To buy a spaetzle maker, click here.
Pan Frying Spaetzle
After parboiling dumplings, pan fry in butter in a nonstick pan, tossing occasionally, until lightly browned and crunchy.
The amount of time will vary based on how much spaetzle you put in the pan and how big your pan is - it pan fries faster if using a large pan and cook in smaller batches so it can crisp and brown a bit.
Drizzle a little lemon juice and sprinkle with fresh cracked pepper or sliced green onions to serve!
What To Serve With Spaetzle
We often make schnitzel when making spaetzle, but spaetzle goes with all sorts of delicious main dishes.
Spaetzle goes perfectly with pork dishes- pork is insanely popular in Germany - pork chops, pork tenderloin, and even pork steaks are fantastic alongside spaetzle.
Chicken main dishes are also great alongside spaetzle - chicken tenders, chicken drumsticks, whole roasted chicken, and chicken thighs are all delicious alongside these tasty German dumplings!
To see the rest of our pork recipes, click here. For our chicken dishes, click here!
You can also find our complete main dish recipe archive here.
More Travel Inspired Recipes
If you want to check out more recipes inspired by our travels, please find our newest below, or visit our Travel Recipe Index!
Recipe FAQs
This spaetzle recipe can last in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to four days.
To reheat, pan fry in a little melted butter until hot and slightly crispy.
If you don't have a spaetzle maker, a slotted spoon or cheese grater works just fine - simply hold above boiling water and push dough across the holes to drop into the boiling water below!
We find long, flat wide-hole cheese graters to work the best.
Easy German Spaetzle Recipe
If you love this easy recipe please click the stars below to give it a five star rating and leave a comment! Please also help me share on facebook and pinterest!
CONNECT WITH SWEET C’S!
Be sure to follow me on social media, so you never miss a post!
Facebook | Twitter | Youtube | Pinterest | Instagram
Only have 30 minutes to get dinner on the table? Sign up for my 30 minute dinner plans direct to your inbox!
Find and shop my favorite products in my Amazon storefront here!
Easy German Spaetzle Recipe
Easy German Spaetzle Recipe - delicious easy German dumplings for an authentic biergarten comfort food side dish!
Ingredients
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup milk
- 2 eggs
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 pinch freshly ground white pepper
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 gallon boiling hot water
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh green onion
Instructions
- To form your dough for spaetzle, you'll mix together flour, pepper, and spices in a large mixing bowl.
- Form a little well in the flour and add egg and milk into the middle, gently mixing to incorporate.
- If your dough is very thick, add more milk a tablespoon at a time.
- Dough should be loose like thick pancake batter, but not so thin it's runny - somewhere like pumpkin bread texture.
- Once your dumpling batter is ready, spoon into spaetzle maker (or use cheese grater or slotted spoon with holes) and "push" batter across to let it drop through the holes into the boiling water below.
- Boil for about 5 minutes, until dumplings float.
- When cooked, remove from water with a strainer, and set aside in a large bowl.
- After parboiling dumplings, pan fry in butter in a nonstick pan, tossing occasionally, until lightly browned and crunchy.
- The amount of time will vary based on how much spaetzle you put in the pan and how big your pan is - it pan fries faster if using a large pan and cook in smaller batches so it can crisp and brown a bit.
- Drizzle a little lemon juice and sprinkle with fresh cracked pepper or sliced green onions to serve!
Nutrition Information
Yield
4Serving Size
1Amount Per Serving Calories 211Total Fat 9gSaturated Fat 5gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 3gCholesterol 109mgSodium 393mgCarbohydrates 25gFiber 1gSugar 0gProtein 7g
Nutrition is automatically calculated by Nutritionix - please verify all nutrition information independently and consult with a doctor or nutritionist for any and all medical and diet advice.
Leave a Reply