Spaetzle
Homemade Spaetzle (German: Spätzle) is one of Germany’s most popular and cherished side dishes.
It’s an easy, hearty egg noodle dish that goes beautifully with classic German recipes such as Rouladen and Cucumber Salad.
What Is Spaetzle?
Spaetzle is a popular German egg noodle side dish.
You might associate Spaetzle with the Swabia region of southern Germany, but you will find fans of this fresh pasta dish all over Germany.
This recipe has been around for over 200 years!
And like many German recipes, there are regional variations.
Sometimes you’ll find spaetzle recipes that include milk instead of water. As always, I share the recipe that I grew up with and am most familiar with.
Spätzle, Spaetzle, Spatzle – What’s The Difference?
Yes, first, let’s chat about spelling and pronunciation. You might wonder what the difference is between Spaetzle, Spatzle, and Spätzle.
What’s the story with the a and the two little dots? The answer is simple.
Spätzle is spelled the German way, and Spaetzle (or sometimes just Spatzle) is spelled the English way.
German 101
In German, certain vowels, a, o, and u, sometimes have two dots on top to make the reader pronounce the vowels softer.
These letters are called “Umlaut” and are part of the German alphabet.
The letter “ä” is pronounced like “ae” in English. Because we don’t have these umlaut letters in English, we break them up into ae (or “oe” for “ö” and “ue” for “ü”). Pretty simple.
So if you see the words “spätzle maker” and “spaetzle maker,” or even “spatzle maker,” you know that all of these terms mean the same thing.
The only difference is that one is spelled the German way and the other the English way.
Pronunciation – How Do You Say ‘Spätzle’ in German?
You can listen to me pronounce the word in German to get an idea.
As a native German speaker, I’ll be the first to admit this word is awkward to pronounce! The way I’d break it down is “sh-pets-luh.”
Now that we’ve got our German lesson, let’s learn how to make these famous egg noodles.
And I promise making the recipe is more straightforward than learning German. 🙂
German Spaetzle Recipe Highlights
- CLASSIC GERMAN FOOD – If you’re looking for a traditional, authentic German side dish, these easy German noodles are for you.You can serve this delicious side dish with a ton of traditional German foods such as Schnitzel, Jägerschnitzel, or Goulash.
- INGREDIENTS – I bet you have everything you need in your fridge and pantry. This easy German recipe requires flour, eggs, water, and a little butter. And that’s it! If you have nutmeg and fresh parsley, great, but you can also make this recipe without these ingredients.
- KID FRIENDLY – This German pasta dish is popular among grown-ups and kids. It’s a homemade European version of buttered pasta.
- ECONOMICS – With food prices through the roof, this recipe is inexpensive. Best of all, you can easily double or triple-batch this recipe.
RELATED RECIPE – Our German Potato Soup recipe is another easy, inexpensive German recipe.
Ingredient Notes
For a printable detailed ingredient list, please check the recipe card below.
This easy German recipe boils it down to flour, eggs, and water.
FLOUR – Bread flour works well, but I typically use and recommend all-purpose plain flour.
EGGS – You’ll need 4 large eggs.
NUTMEG – One little-known fact is that Germans love nutmeg. It’s something I wasn’t even conscious of all kinds of dishes. But if you don’t have any on hand, no problem.
OPTIONAL (but recommended) – You can use regular ground nutmeg. But I have started to buy whole nutmeg and use a zester. Grinding it fresh takes seconds and is well worth the boost in flavor.
BUTTER – Be sure to use unsalted butter. You need the butter to fry the Spaetzle.
WATER – I typically don’t elaborate on water as an ingredient, but I will this time. In the recipe card, you will see that I recommend using ⅓ cups of water. You may have to adjust this depending on the brand or type of flour you use.
Therefore I recommend adding the water slowly to the batter. You don’t want a batter that’s too sticky or too runny. Watch the video to get a visual idea of the consistency you’re looking for.
You might need a little less or a little more. It typically works out to be a ⅓ cup of water.
PARSLEY – Technically, it’s optional and mostly used for garnish. But parsley also adds a bit of sweetness if you make this recipe from scratch. I’d recommend adding it. I prefer curly parsley.
How To Make Spaetzle
- BATTER – Combine flour, eggs, nutmeg, and water in a large bowl with a hand mixer (a whisk or wooden spoon) and beat until thick.
- REST – Cover the bowl and chill in the fridge for 15 minutes.
- BOIL WATER – Bring a large pot of cold water to a boil and add salt.
- SPAETZLE MAKER – Push the batter through the spaetzle maker into the simmering water.
- COOK – Cook until the noodles float to the top. About 2-3 minutes.
- SLOTTED SPOON – Use a slotted spoon to scoop up the floating Spaetzle. Transfer into a bowl. Repeat until you’ve used up the batter.
- BUTTER – Melt a pat of butter in a large skillet and the cooked Spaetzle.
- FRY – Sprinkle with fresh parsley and fry for 1-2 minutes over medium heat.
More Side Dishes
Equipment – Do You Need A Spaetzle Maker?
- Do you need special equipment to make a Spaetzle? No.
- But a designated spaetzle maker (or a potato ricer) makes the job A LOT easier.
- You can use a regular large-holed colander if you don’t want to buy new equipment.
- And if you want to go old-school, all you need is a small cutting board and a flat butter knife.
Leftovers
STORE – Transfer any leftovers into an airtight container. You can store leftover Spaetzle in the fridge for up to
FREEZE – You can freeze cooked Spaetzle for up to 6 months. First, place the Spaetzle onto a baking sheet and pre-freeze for an hour. This will ensure that your Spaetzle won’t clump. Once frozen, transfer the frozen Spaetzle into a freezer-friendly container or plastic bag and store them in the freezer.
REHEAT – When you want to reheat leftover Spaetzle, place them in a skillet. You might want to add a little extra butter. Don’t be tempted to reheat them in the cooking water. This won’t work, and you’ll end up with inedible, hard pasta.
Spaetzle Makers
If you invest in a Spaetzle Maker (about $10-$15), you can choose the kind that gets placed on top of a large pot (no more than 12 inches wide).
Spaetzle Maker Lid with Scraper
This comes with a plastic scrape that helps you to push the batter through the holes. It’s easy to use and the one I use.
Alternatively, you can use a potato ricer. This multi-tool powerhouse can also be used as a potato masher, sweet potato masher, and spaetzle maker. I have never used it to make Spaetzle, but others have and like it.
The Traditional Method
Lastly, you can use the “Oma-Method,” a traditional method that doesn’t require any “fancy equipment.”
So if you don’t have a spaetzle maker or large-whole colander, use the wooden board (Holzbrettchen) method. It might take a minute to get the hang of it, but this is how my Oma used to make it.
- Place a small amount of batter onto a small, wet wooden cutting board.
- Use a wet butter knife to scrape small amounts of batter into the boiling water.
- Proceed as described above.
The noodles won’t have the same uniform shape, but you’ll get that authentic homemade look. But that’s part of the charm.
For more tool recommendations, please check the recipe card below.
Recipe Success Tips
This is truly an easy recipe. But, like with every recipe, sometimes you can run into a bit of trouble the first time. Here are the two most common issues.
PROBLEM – Help! My batter is too runny!
SOLUTION – Mix in a small amount of flour. Add a tablespoon of flour in small increments and increase if necessary.
PROBLEM – Help! My batter is too sticky!
SOLUTION – This is another easy fix. Slowly pour a small amount of water into the batter. Again, start small.
RELATED RECIPE
Cheese Spaetzle – In Germany, cheese spaetzle are called “Käsespätzle.” It’s easy to turn this recipe into a delicious main dish.
More Easy German Recipes
APPLE PANCAKES – Start your breakfast with these yummy pancakes.
GERMAN LENTIL SOUP – made with bacon and sausage.
COLD POTATO SALAD – An iconic German side dish with 5 simple ingredients.
GERMAN CHEESECAKE – A classic German cheesecake recipe reworked to make with ingredients you can easily find in US grocery stores.
FLAMMKUCHEN – Germany’s version of flatbread pizza.
CHERRY COFFEE CAKE – Delicious sheet cake with cherries and thick crumb topping.
Spaetzle
Ingredients
Instructions
Making the Batter
- In a large bowl combine flour, eggs, and ground nutmeg. Beat with a hand mixer and slowly pour water into the batter. Continue to beat until the batter has a thick and sticky consistency.
- Cover the bowl with a towel and rest in the fridge for 15 minutes.
Cooking
- Fill a large pot with water and bring to a boil. Add a tablespoon of salt.
- Place the spaetzle maker on top of the pot. Wet the scraper.
- Pour a little bit of the batter on top of the spaetzle maker. Use the scraper to push the batter through the holes of the spaetzle maker into the simmering water.
- Cook until the spaetzle rise to the top. About 2-3 minutes. Use a slotted spoon and transfer the cooked spaetzle into an empty bowl. Repeat until you've used up the batter.
Pan-Frying
- Melt butter in a large frying pan. Toss the cooked spaetzle in the melted butter and fry for about a minute. Sprinkle with fresh parsley.
Equipment
Video
Nutritional Information
Nutritional Disclaimer
Cheerful Cook team members are not trained nutritionists or medical professionals. Calorie information and nutritional values are estimates. If you have nutritional concerns, we recommend using a nutritional calculator.
Maike Corbett is the founder and food blogger of Cheerful Cook, a popular recipe website featuring comfort food recipes from the US and Germany. She has been featured in numerous media outlets, including the AP Wire and MSN.
Oh cool. I have never thought of making my own spaetzle. I have to try this recipe!
Excellent recipe and very easy. Tastes just like my mom and grandma made as a child.
I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe and that it reminded you of your Mom and Grandma, Linda. Thank you for taking the time to share. 💖
I made this to go with carrot and celery soup and it worked very well. My husband is Hungarian, and he said it was very good.
Just like I remember in Poland ! A wonderful woman taught me using cutting board, but I forgot how to make !!
Thanks !!!
Yes, you’re right! That’s how lots of people were taught in Germany, too. 🙂
What can you use if you don’t have a spaetzle maker?
Great question. There are a couple of methods you can use. One way is to use a colander. Pour the batter into the colander and use a spoon to push it through the little holes into the boiling water.
Another method you could try is to use a grater with big holes. Hold the grater over the boiling water and push the batter through the holes with a spoon.
The next two methods are two I have never tried myself. You can also pour the batter into a bag, cut a hole in the bottom, and squeeze tiny droplets into the boiling water.
Lastly, the classic, old-fashioned German method that I have seen German grandmothers use is to use a simple small cutting board (with a smooth surface), drop a little bit of dough onto the cutting board, and then use a knife and “cut” tiny noodle bits and let them drop into the water. If you ever watch an old-school German “Hausfrau” do this, it’s quite impressive because they do this at rapid speed (and scoff at using spaetzle makers ;-).)
Yum! This is a great recipe that results in a lighter but still chewy spaetzle. I don’t have a “spaetzle maker” so I pushed the dough through a Chinese wire scoop (not a fry scoop). Worked really well. Before I had the scoop I would freeze the dough then chip it off over the water with a sharp knife.
I am 75 years old & my German grandmother taught me how to make spaetzle when I was very young. Your recipe is identical but she used a large bowl & cut the spaetzle off the bowl with just a dinner knife into the boiling water. I liked the different size of noodles it created with this method. Miss my Grandma Anna Suess.
Pam, you are 100% correct. While I am a few years younger, I also had an Oma, two actually. And one of them did exactly what you are describing. The thing is that it takes a little bit of practice and a lot readers just don’t have the time. I have to double check, I thought i mentioned this in the post. Anyway, using a ‘spaetzle maker’ makes it a little easier. And while most of German are quite traditional, I try to simplify them when I can, so they are accessible to a larger number of readers. And like you, I miss Oma Herta, too … but thankfully I still have Oma Eva (95) who is still just a phone call away. Thank you for sharing your memories, it means a lot.
i have been making spaetzle since my “Flitavalkin” in Germany 40 years ago. This is a go to side. I now fill a zip lock bag with batter. snip the corner squeeze and snip oozing batter with kitchen shears. takes some practice but easy cleanup and no special tools
If I want to make cheese sparkle, how much do I add?
Here’s the recipe for Cheese Spaetzle.
https://cheerfulcook.com/chees-spaetzle/
Guten Appetit! 🙂
Can I make this with only two eggs
Only if you cut the recipe in half and use half the amount of flour. You’d end up with a smaller portion of Spaetzle. But you can’t change the overall ratio. 🙂