Easy Spaetzle Recipe: How To Make German Egg Noodles (2024)

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Learn how to make traditional Bavarian-style German egg noodles with this easy spaetzle recipe. See step-by-step how to make delicious homemade dumplings.

Making your own German egg noodles or spaetzle is easier than you think. With just a few simple ingredients and this easy spaetzle recipe, you can make homemade dumplings. Spaetzle is great to use in place of pasta or potatoes in your favorite recipes or to serve as a side dish on its own.

Easy Spaetzle Recipe: How To Make German Egg Noodles (1)

Ever since I was a little girl, my father has made the world’s best homemade chicken soup. It is the perfect comfort food in the middle of winter or when you’re feeling sick. When I became an adult, there were two recipes from my childhood that I knew I needed to learn to make — my mom’s homemade meatballs and my dad’s chicken soup.

My dad has always claimed you can go to just about any country in the world and find some variation of chicken soup. They all include chicken of course, along with broth, some veggies, and noodles. What makes my dad’s soup so special and different is that he typically makes homemade spaetzle to use instead of store-bought egg noodles.

Easy Spaetzle Recipe: How To Make German Egg Noodles (2)

I have since learned that his spaetzle recipe is really quite simple. It’s just eggs, flour, and a few spices. These versatile and tasty little morsels can be used in so many ways too – not just for chicken soup. Today I’ll show you step-by-step just how simple it is to make spaetzle and then share a few easy dinner ideas for how to use them.

What is Spaetzle?

Now before we go any further with this spaetzle recipe, you may be wondering what IS spaetzle? Spaetzle (pronounced SHPET-SLUH), also written as spätzle, is a side dish that originates from southern Germany and other parts of Europe. These small egg noodles or dumplings consist of small lumps or threads of dough made from flour, eggs, and basic spices.

A spaetzle recipe is typically made by pouring the dough through an inexpensive spaetzle maker, a coarse colander or a grater with extra-wide holes into boiling water. After it’s been drained, people often mix spaetzle with butter, lightly pan-fry it, or use it in sauces, stews, etc.

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How to Make Spaetzle from Scratch

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What you need:

To make this homemade spaetzle recipe you just need a few simple ingredients. Most of these things are staple foods and common tools you probably already have on hand in your kitchen, except for the spaetzle maker. I highly recommend that you buy one online to make this spaetzle recipe as it is SO much easier. However, I do list a few alternative options later in this post if you do not have a spaetzle maker.

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Kitchen Tools Needed:

Ingredients Needed:

These are the ingredients you’ll need. All the exact amounts are in the printable card at the bottom of this post.

How To Make Homemade Spaetlze Noodles

The entire recipe is in the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post. First, I have some photos of the process so you can make this recipe along with me.

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1. Make the spaetzle batter

In a mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, black pepper, salt and garlic powder. Slowly add the flour to the eggs a little at a time.

Continue to add flour and stir until the batter is “thick like peanut butter” as my dad would say. The batter should be stiff and a little sticky, not drippy.

2. Pour the batter through a spaetzle maker into boiling water

Bring a large pot of water to boil on your stovetop. Once the water is boiling, place the spaetzle maker on top of the pot.

Next for this spaetzle recipe, you’ll pour about half to a third of the batter into the hopper of the spaetzle maker.

If you don’t have a spaetzle maker, look around your kitchen for any tool with large holes that might work like a slotted spoon or a grater. I’ve provided additional suggestions at the end of this post.

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Now slide the hopper back and forth across the spaetzle maker so that the little dumplings start to form and drop into the pot of boiling water. Add more batter to the hopper as needed and continue until you’ve used all of the batter.

Tip: As soon as you’re done with the spaetzle maker toss it in your sink with warm soapy water. This will make it much easier to clean later.

3.Cookthespaetzle

Turn the heat under your pot down to medium. Then let the spaetzle cook, stirring occasionally. When it’s done, drain it through a colander in your sink.

4. Serve and enjoy!

That’s all there is to making homemade spaetzle for you and your family! You can either serve the spaetzle immediately as is, saute it in a frying pan or add it to a soup, stew or whatever you’d like. I’ve listed several great suggestions below.

Easy Spaetzle Recipe: How To Make German Egg Noodles (8)
Easy Spaetzle Recipe: How To Make German Egg Noodles (9)

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5 from 6 votes

Easy Spaetzle Recipe (Homemade German Egg Noodles)

Learn how to make traditional Bavarian style German egg noodles with this easy spaetzle recipe.

Prep Time15 minutes mins

Cook Time10 minutes mins

Total Time25 minutes mins

Course: Dinner, Side Dish

Cuisine: German

Keyword: dumplings, egg noodles, spaetzle

Servings: 4

Calories: 238kcal

Author: Carrie Ypma

Equipment

  • Large Pot

  • spaetzle maker

Ingredients

Instructions

  • In a mixing bowl, whisk together eggs, pepper, salt and garlic powder.

  • Add the flour to the eggs a little at a time until the batter becomes thick and sticky.

  • Bring a large pot of water to boil on your stove top.

  • Put a spaetzle maker on top of the pot of boiling water. Pour the batter through the spaetzle maker into the boiling water,by sliding the hopper back and forth so that the little dumplings start to form and drop into the pot of boiling water.

  • Turn the heat under the pot down to medium. Then let the spaetzle cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. When it’s done, drain it through a colander in your sink.

  • Serve and enjoy!

Nutrition

Serving: 1cup | Calories: 238kcal | Carbohydrates: 31g | Protein: 12g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 246mg | Sodium: 240mg | Potassium: 137mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 357IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 44mg | Iron: 3mg

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Frequently Asked Questions About Homemade Spaetzle Noodles

Here are some answers to a few questions people have asked about this recipe. If you have any questions, please let us know in the comments.

Can You make Spaetlze without a press or maker?

Yes, you can make spaetzle noodles with a glass plate, a colander, or even a cheese grater.

When I first learned how to make spaetzle, my dad taught me to put the ball of dough on a large glass plate. Then you carefully and quickly cut small chunks of dough off the plate using a regular table knife and flick them into the boiling water. Use the edge of the glass plate to help you in the cutting process. This method results in much larger noodles than what you see pictured and may require a few extra minutes of cooking time.

Alternately you could use a coarse colander with big holes. Put the spaetzle dough into the colander. Then stir with a spoon to gently push the dough through the holes.

A third way is to use a grater with extra large holes. For this method, you would spoon spaetzle batter onto the grater a little at a time. Then rub a table knife, spatula or some other simple utensil back and forth over the holes to push the dough through the grater into the boiling water.

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Can Spaetzle Be Made Ahead of Time?

Yes, absolutely. There are a few options if you want to make spaetzle a day or two ahead of time for an easy weeknight meal:

  • Prepare just the spaetzle dough ahead of time. Then cover and keep it in the refrigerator until you’re ready to make fresh spaetzle at dinner time.
  • You can make this entire spaetzle recipe a day in advance. Store the spaetzle covered in your refrigerator and then just heat the German dumplings at mealtime or add them to whatever you’re making for dinner.

How Do You Reheat Spaetzle?

Spaetzle is a great leftover! Just keep it in a microwave-safe container in your fridge and you’re ready for an easy grab and go lunch. It’s safe to reheat it in the microwave or in the oven.

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German Egg Noodle Serving Suggestions

In addition to using spaetzle in a homemade chicken soup as I mentioned before, there are so many other ways you can enjoy this traditional German dish. Here are a few easy dinner ideas:

  • Saute it with onion, butter, and parsley to make fried spaetzle as a simple side dish. (Try adding diced ham too!)
  • Layer spaetzle with shredded cheese in an oven-safe baking dish to make a delightful, käsespaetzle (that’s German for cheese spaetzle).
  • Use it to replace pasta or potatoes in any of your favorite soups and stews.
  • Pour a thick beef or turkey gravy over top of the spaetzle, like you would with mashed potatoes.
  • Mix it with browned sausage to make it a full meal rather than a side dish. This recipe for red pepper spaetzle in a mustard sauce with spiced sausage looks amazing.

Let us know in the comments below what variations you make to this spaetzle recipe. We’d love to hear from you and are always looking for new ideas.

If you liked this easy spaetzle recipe, please share it with your friends or pin it for later:

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What’s Next?

You may also enjoy these other easy dinner ideas on Ideas for the Home by Kenarry® –

  • Roasted Potato and Onion Wedges
  • Vegetable Loaded Instant Pot Chicken and Dumplings
  • Creamy Garlic Parmesan Quinoa with Sun-Dried Tomatoes

Originally published January 2019. Updated October 2020.

Easy Spaetzle Recipe: How To Make German Egg Noodles (2024)

FAQs

What is German spaetzle made of? ›

All-purpose white flour, eggs, water, and salt. Some people actually make them with only 3 ingredients: flour, eggs, and salt. No water. German Spaetzle made without water is a lot more yellow and has a stronger taste, however, they are much harder to press through the scraper or Spaetzle press.

What is Swabian egg noodle? ›

April 2022) Spätzla, Spätzle [ˈʃpɛtslə] or Spatzen are Swabian or Alemannic pasta of an elongated shape which is served as a side dish or with other ingredients like cheese and onion as a main dish.

What is the best flour for spaetzle? ›

wheat flour
  • Wheat flour. Type 405 wheat flour is probably the most widely used today for spätzle. ...
  • Smooth or grippy flour? Grippy flour is coarser and swells better than plain flour that has been finely ground. ...
  • Double Handle Flour. This flour is more ground than grippy flour but finer than Gries. ...
  • flour.

Where did egg noodles come from in Germany? ›

Spätzle is a German egg noodle pasta with a chewy, dumpling-like texture. The short noodles are usually irregularly shaped and made from a batter of eggs mixed with flour and milk or water. What is Spatzle? Swabia is a cultural, historic and linguistic region in southwestern Germany.

How is spaetzle different from pasta? ›

While the ingredients to make the two are quite similar, the processes aren't so much. To make pasta, you form a firm dough that is kneaded, rested, rolled and shaped however you like. On the other hand, spaetzle is a sort of sticky, wet batter that doesn't hold it's shape like a ball of pasta dough would.

What is the difference between Chinese egg noodles and German egg noodles? ›

Chinese egg noodles are distinct from the German egg noodle pasta known as spaetzle. Irregularly shaped and short, spaetzle is usually made with semolina flour, milk, and eggs. Spaetzle has a consistency reminiscent of a dumpling.

What noodle is similar to spaetzle? ›

Knoepfle is the Swiss version of Spaetzle, an drop noodle made of an egg noodle dough. It's our family tradition and they are the best holiday side dish recipe.

Why are egg noodles different? ›

As the name suggests, egg noodles are a type of noodle that is made by incorporating eggs (more egg than other noodle types) into the wheat flour-based dough.

What is the English name for spaetzle? ›

Spätzle is the Swabian and Alsacian diminutive of Spatz, thus literally "little sparrow". They are also known as Knöpfle (diminutive of button).

What kind of flour do you use for egg pasta? ›

White Flour Is Best for Egg Pasta Dough

Italians make fresh pasta using a particular type of lower-protein white flour called doppio zero, or 00 flour, with a talcum powder–like grind. Its protein content is similar to that of all-purpose flour, but the proprietary blend of wheat makes a difference.

What happens when you add yogurt to flour? ›

The result is a delicious bread you will have trouble controlling yourself around. The texture is soft and fluffy and the taste is slightly sweet but kind of salty.

What meat goes well with spaetzle? ›

You often see it with veal or pork, but chicken is also popular and it's my preference for summer. The meat is pounded thin and breaded in a mix of breadcrumbs or panko and quickly fried. Schnitzel is popular in Germany, Austria, and Italy as well as other areas of Europe.

Does spaetzle taste like pasta? ›

Taste: Spatzle taste similar to my beloved egg noodles, with the chewiness of a dumpling.

What does Käsespätzle contain? ›

This käsespätzle, also spelled kaese spaetzle, is a tasty homemade pasta tossed with onion and Emmentaler cheese. It's a German version of macaroni and cheese.

What's the difference between gnocchi and spaetzle? ›

Gnocchi are dumplings made/shaped by hand from a potato dough, and boiled like pasta. (See history).. Spaetzle is made from a more fluid batter (think pancake batter consistency)with egg, milk/cream, and flour. Not a potato in sight.

Is spaetzle made from potatoes? ›

Spaetzle is made from a more fluid batter (think pancake batter consistency)with egg, milk/cream, and flour. Not a potato in sight.

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