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    Home » Recipes » Side Dishes

    German Spaetzle in Butter Sauce

    Published: Jan 18, 2023 by Tiffany Dahle · This post may contain affiliate links.

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    The finished spaetzle in a big skillet.
    A photo collage shows the 3 main ingredients and the finished bowl of spaetzle.

    Learn how to make German spaetzle at home. This homemade spaetzle is a traditional egg-based dumpling browned in butter that you can pair with your favorite German recipe.

    A white bowl filled with homemade spaetzle sprinkled with parsley.

    Growing up in the very German city of Milwaukee, I enjoyed dining at the local German restaurants all throughout the area.

    When we moved to the South, I was disappointed to discover a significant lack of German cuisine!

    Feeling a bit homesick, I decided to teach myself to cook a few of my very favorite German dishes.

    Buttery German spaetzle was #1 on that list!! Even my husband dreams of the delicious German dumplings browned in butter that are often served alongside wiener schnitzel or classic sauerbraten that we loved eating at our favorite German restaurants.

    The good news is, they are SO easy to make at home as long as you follow a few specific tips!

    Jump to:
    • Why This is the Best Recipe
    • Ingredients
    • German Pasta or Dumplings?
    • Spaetzle Maker Tool
    • How to Make Spaetzle
    • Spaetzle Seasoning
    • Assembly Line Set Up
    • How to Form the Dumplings
    • Make Ahead Tips
    • The Best Spaetzle Sauce
    • Cheese Spaetzle
    • Serving Suggestions
    • FAQ
    • 📖 Recipe
    • 💬 Comments

    Why This is the Best Recipe

    My husband and I consider ourselves German spaetzle connoisseurs. It is by far our favorite German recipe of all time, so we headed into developing this recipe with very high expectations.

    This is the best spaetzle recipe because:

    1. Whole Food Ingredients: The list of things you need to make it is short and sweet.
    2. Easy to Mix: The dough comes together so fast.
    3. The Perfect Seasonings: Most spaetzle recipes are missing a key ingredients. Ours is perfect.
    4. Browned in Butter: If you aren't finishing your spaetzle in a saute pan, you're missing the best part.
    5. Make-Ahead Friendly: I have the perfect tips for getting the messy work out of the way for an easy family dinner.

    Ingredients

    The ingredients to make homemade spaetzle are on the counter.

    You probably have everything you need to make the spaetzle batter in your kitchen right now!

    • Eggs
    • Flour
    • Milk
    • Salt & Pepper
    • Dried Parsley
    • Nutmeg
    • Butter

    German Pasta or Dumplings?

    My mom couldn't imagine why I wanted to learn how to make spaetzle from scratch when I could just buy them from the store.

    The problem?? Our local store doesn't carry them!

    The closest thing I've been able to find is an egg-based German noodle in a spaghetti-like shape.

    The German spaetzle we love most is closer in shape to a small dumpling. That hearty little chunk tastes so much better than the noodle shape does!

    So we set out to make German dumplings instead of noodles because we think they are the absolute best.

    Spaetzle Maker Tool

    To make a traditional dumpling shape for your spaetzle, you do need one special tool.

    I generally avoid buying single-use gadgets for my kitchen.

    I experimented with a DIY spaetzle tool and tried to just use the largest holes in my colander. It was a terrible mess and it took me an hour to cook the spaetzle because I had to pinch the dough by hand. Yuck.

    I finally gave in and just bought this budget-friendly spaetzle maker tool.

    It was worth every single penny.

    Making the spaetzle is SO fast and easy with this gizmo. I strongly, strongly encourage you to get one. The set comes with an awesome wired spoon that will make skimming the spaetzle out of the water so fast and easy, too.

    The spaetzle maker tool is shown for instructions.

    How to Make Spaetzle

    The first step to making homemade spaetzle is to prepare the spaetzle dough or batter.

    Start by adding eggs and milk to a large mixing bowl.

    Add ground nutmeg and dried parsley and whisk it all together.

    The eggs and milk are in the mixing bowl.

    Once the eggs have been whisked into the milk, add the flour and salt and whisk/stir it in until the dough forms.

    The dough will be thick but pliable. It is the right consistency when it pulls away from the edges of the bowl as you stir.

    If it is too thin, the dumplings won't form properly. You'll need to add a tablespoon of flour at a time until the right consistency is met.

    If the dough is too thick, you'll struggle to get it through the spaetzle maker holes. Add just a tablespoon of milk at a time until the right consistency is met.

    The finished batter is shown for consistency.

    Spaetzle Seasoning

    The egg dumplings are very pale in color. Since we eat with our eyes first, I love to add bright little bits of green right to the spaetzle dough itself.

    My preferred seasoning is dried parsley because it doesn't affect the final flavor of the spaetzle.

    However, if you want a fun variation, dried thyme or even dried green onion flakes would be a perfect complement to the butter sauce you'll be making at the end.

    Those seasonings also pair really well with most German recipes.

    3 spice jars in a row show how you can mix up the spaetzle flavor.

    Assembly Line Set Up

    Cooking the spaetzle is extra easy if you take a moment to set up your assembly line.

    Place a large colander over a clean bowl and place it near your stove top.

    This is where you'll store the boiled spaetzle while you finish the rest of the batter. They will drain the excess water into the bowl below.

    Then, place the spaetzle maker tool over a large pot of water with a hearty pinch of salt in the water. Bring the water to a boil.

    Place the wired spoon that came with the spaetzle maker near the pot. You'll use this to strain the cooked dumplings when they're ready.

    Lastly, place your batter bowl to the left so you're ready to move spoonfuls of the dough through the assembly line.

    My set-up looks like this:

    The pots on the oven show how to set up the assembly line for the spaetzle.

    How to Form the Dumplings

    When the water is at a vigorous boil, use a large spoon to scoop about ½ cup of the dumpling batter and place it into the square attachment on the spaetzle maker like this:

    The dough is in the maker over a pot of boiling water.

    Then, firmly grip the square and slide it back and forth over the grated holes over the water.

    The dumplings will fall into the boiling water below. When you've scraped all the batter into the water, remove the tool and gently stir the spaetzle with the wired spoon.

    Let them cook for just 2 minutes or until they float at the top like this:

    The spaetzle have floated to the top of the pot.

    When the spaetzle is floating, you can skim the top of the boiling water with the wired spoon to drain them and then place them in the colander.

    A wire spoon is straining the dumplings from the pot.

    Continue to add the cooked spaetzle to the colander as you finish boiling the rest of the dough.

    Give the whole batch a good shake to help all the excess water drain to the bowl below.

    The strained spaetzle are draining in a colander over a bowl.

    Make Ahead Tips

    My steps are specific, but truly this recipe is easier than it might look right now. At this point I think I had spent 20 minutes total prepping the dough and boiling the dumplings.

    At this point, you could pause and store the boiled spaetzle in an airtight container in the fridge and finish them in the butter sauce just before serving.

    The dumplings will hold for several hours in the fridge, possibly up to 24 hours in advance.

    The Best Spaetzle Sauce

    Now we're ready to finish the spaetzle in a delicious melted butter sauce.

    This is my favorite part of this dish!!

    Melt the butter in a very large skillet over medium-high heat.

    Add the boiled spaetzle to the skillet and saute for 5 - 10 minutes, depending on whether you are working with room temperature or refrigerated spaetzle you made earlier in the day.

    Continue to gently stir and cook the dumplings until they start to get a golden brown crispy edge on most pieces.

    You don't want them hard and crunchy, just gently toasted and still chewy at the center.

    Add a sprinkle of salt and pepper and more dried parsley over the top.

    The spaetzle have been browned in melted butter in a large skillet.

    Cheese Spaetzle

    When my husband and I took a road trip through Germany and Switzerland when we were first married, one of the meals that I still remember all these years later was an amazing cheese spaetzle dish I ate in Switzerland.

    The plate arrived with a giant portion of buttery spaetzle covered in melted Swiss cheese. It was the most perfect comfort food for a hungry appetite.

    To recreate this recipe, simply prepare the spaetzle as mentioned above but add an additional tablespoon of butter to the skillet.

    Add ½ onion, finely chopped to the pan and let it cook with the spaetzle. Then, sprinkle the skillet with shredded Swiss cheese and let the cheese melt before serving.

    Serving Suggestions

    The finished spaetzle are being served for dinner in a blue bowl.

    This delicious German spaetzle pairs perfectly with any German dinner you've got planned.

    I especially love it as a side dish for German sauerbraten with a dollop of red cabbage.

    It would also be delicious as a side with my favorite roasted sausages with mustard.

    • A plate of sauerbraten has homemade spaetzle and red cabbage on the side.
      German Sauerbraten {Oven or Slow Cooker}
    • A white bowl filled with shredded cooked red cabbage.
      German Red Cabbage
    • A baking dish is filled with roasted sausages, potatoes, and apples. A jar of mustard and a platter of baked pretzels are in the background.
      Roasted Sausages and Potatoes with Apples

    FAQ

    How do you pronounce "spaetzle"?

    The American pronunciation of this German word sounds like "spat" (rhymes with cat) plus "zl."

    Is spaetzle similar to gnocchi?

    Gnocchi is another one of my husband's favorite dumplings. They are Italian and made from potatoes. You'll find that gnocchi, although boiled in water just like spaetzle, have a different size and texture. Spaetzle are made from flour, not potatoes and the egg gives them a much different flavor.

    📖 Recipe

    A white bowl filled with homemade spaetzle sprinkled with parsley.

    German Spaetzle in Butter Sauce

    5 from 1 vote
    This German spaetzle recipe is browned in butter and seasoned perfectly to pair with your favorite dinner dishes. Egg-based dumplings with a bit of herb flavor, they are delicious with schnitzel or sauerbraten.
    TOTAL TIME 35 minutes minutes
    PREP TIME 5 minutes minutes
    COOK TIME 30 minutes minutes
    YIELD 6 servings
    PIN RECIPE FOR LATER PRINT RECIPE NOW

    Ingredients
      

    • 8 eggs
    • ¾ cup milk
    • ½ teaspoon nutmeg
    • 1 teaspoon dried parsley
    • 4 cups flour
    • 2 teaspoon salt
    • 8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter
    • Salt & Pepper to taste

    Instructions

    • In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs and milk until smooth. Add the nutmeg and parsley and whisk to combine.
    • Add the flour and salt and whisk together. The batter should be thick but should be slippery enough to slide off a cooking spoon. I
    • Let the batter rest while you bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat.
    • Place a spaetzle maker or food-safe grate with ¼ inch holes over the pot of boiling water. Place a large colander over a bowl so you have a place to drain the cooked spaetzle.
    • Working in batches, add the batter 1 large cooking spoonful at a time onto the grate and shred the spaetzle directly into the boiling water.
    • The spaetzle will cook very quickly. Let them boil for 1 - 2 minutes or until they float to the top. Use a wire spoon or slotted spoon to skim the floating dumplings from the top of the water and place them in the colander.
    • Continue process until all the dough has been cooked.
    • Once the spaetzle have been boiled and drained, melt the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
    • Add the spaetzle to the pan and stir to combine them in the butter. Cook over medium or medium-high heat for 10 minutes or until they begin to toast and have a golden brown color. Sprinkle additional dried parsley and salt and pepper to taste. Stir to combine and serve immediately.

    Recipe Notes

    Make Ahead Tips

    Spaetzle are best served the day they are prepared, fresh from the pan when they've been sauteed in butter.
    However, you can boil the dumplings earlier in the day and store the strained spaetzle in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 - 6 hours.
    Just saute them in butter right before serving. You may need a little more cooking time to ensure they are heated through.
    Do not try to freeze spaetzle, they will lose their texture in the thawing process.

    HELPFUL TOOLS

    Spaetzle Maker Tool Set
    COURSESide Dishes
    CUISINEGerman
    AUTHORTiffany Dahle

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    A photo collage shows the 3 main ingredients and the finished bowl of spaetzle.

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    Hi, I'm Tiffany!
    I believe a great family recipe is one that makes everyone at the table happy, not just the kids. I'm the author of two bestselling cookbooks for kids that are chock full of recipes everyone in your family will love. I'm also the hostess of the best online book club for moms.

    More about me →

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