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About This Käsespätzle Recipe
Käsespätzle is a Bavarian egg noodles dish with butter and cheese. In English the name means 'cheese spätzle' and is pronounced 'kays-shpatz'l'. Sometimes the spelling 'kaesespaetzle' is used in English to convey the umlaut a sound which falls between a and e.
The word 'spätzle' (plural for Spatz) itself means 'little sparrows" and has to do with the shape of the little egg noodles.
Spätzle is prepared in a variety of shapes actually, depending on the tool used to cut/shape them. Its texture is, in my opinion, much better than that of elbow macaroni or similar. In comparison it is looser and softer - not at all chewy. Perfectly light small pieces of boiled dough.
Käsespätzle is one of the most popular dishes served in beer gardens across Germany, especially in Bavaria (it originated in the Swabia region). There are small regional differences in its preparation - in Swabia they use a cheese spätzle recipe like Chris'. Rather Chris uses a Swabian recipe.. Near Munich they often follow slightly different steps. In Austria Käsespätzle is known as Kasnocken and is a popular dish in mountain lodges of the Austrian ski areas.
For this post Chris prepared a Swabian version of the dish which he learned during his Kaltenberg castle days (with homemade spätzle because it always tastes better).
Käsespätzle Ingredients
The main ingredients in Käsespätzle are fresh spätzle, cheese, butter, sauted onions and chives. And salt - what savory dish doesn't need salt?
You are guaranteed to hear people saying that Käsespätzle is a version of mac and cheese and I beg to set the record straight. If anything - the opposite is true. There was Käsespätzle long before there was mac and cheese. It most likely inspired mac and cheese.
Also, the types of cheese traditional for the dish will never have it look or taste like mac and cheese (assuming the most commonly used cheddar with its orange hues and sharper flavor). Lastly while mac and cheese is drenched in a cheese and cream sauce, traditionally Käsespätzle is coated in melted cheese and a little bit of melted butter. And it tastes soooo good. And it pairs with beer even better.
For variations of the recipe read the Tips and Twists section under the recipe card.
Overall as long as you use high quality spätzle, traditional good melting cheese (more info below), onions and chives for garnish you can recreate this classic dish without too much effort and enjoy it with your favorite German brew. Or a saison. Saisons seem to pair extremely well with everything.
How to Make Spätzle from Scratch
Homemade spätzle is very easy to prepare. Don't let your unfamiliarity with the process intimidate you and prevent you from making it.
Not hard at all as long as you have a mixing bowl, wooden spoon and a colander and even easier if you use a stand-up mixer and an inexpensive spätzle maker (so fun to use) like ours. Read more on spätzle makers at the end of this post.
There are only a few simple steps you need to complete to prepare delicious homemade spätzle.
- Start by mixing flour, nutmeg and finely chopped fresh herbs (herbs are optional, Chris swears by adding them and favors thyme and parsley).
- Make a well and add beaten eggs.
- Immediately add milk.
- Mix using the dough hook (or a wooden spoon if mixing by hand).
- Mix for 16-20 minutes, until the somewhat loose dough begins to just pull away from the sides of the bowl and is stretchy if pulled with a spoon, but not stiff.
- Wait until you see tiny bubbles as in the last image of the grid above). These are air holes that begin to form/pop. If you don't see any, mix for an additional minute or so. If the dough is running too thin, add flour. If running too thick, add a bit of water and continue to mix until you have the right semi-runny consistency.
Once you have the dough, it is time to make the spätzle.
- Bring salted water to boil.
- Place or hold spätzle maker or colander over the pot of boiling water as shown above and add dough.
- Force the dough through the holes either by sliding back and forth or pressing down with a scoop and the little 'sparrow' shaped noodles will start falling into the boiling water.
- In a few minutes cooked spätzle will float to the surface.
- Scoop with a skimmer and place in a colander to drain.
- Rinse the spätzle in the colander with running hot water and shake off any excess water.
It really doesn't take that long nor is it that difficult. You might actually enjoy the process.
Chris learned the art of making spätzle while working at the Kaltenberg Castle Royal Bavarian brewery and huge beer hall in Lionshead Village (Vail, Colorado). The place is no longer there, but he still remembers standing on a crate next to a huge pot of boiling water and grating tons and tons of dough to make spätzle.
Spätzle can be served in any number of ways. Traditionally it is a side for roasts, but you can see it accompanying anything from Schnitzel and Pork Cordon Bleu to Goulash. And, of course, when eaten with cheese as a main dish it is known as Käsespätzle.
Can You Buy Premade Spätzle?
Of course you can. Typically it will be in dry form, just like pasta and you will need to boil it, strain it and then proceed to use it. Certain stores carry frozen or refrigerated fresh spätzle - if you are in luck yours does to.
How to Make German Cheese Spaetzle
Once you have secured fresh cooked spätzle you need to consider the cheese element of the dish.
Traditional Käsespätzle cheese is mild and melts easily. Look for Swiss cheese such as Emmentaler or Gruyere. Next, you simply must have fried onions. Most frequently they are sauteed until caramelized, but often times they can actually be fried to crispy. The whole dish is traditionally garnished with finely chopped chives.
Follow these easy steps to a decadent Käsespätzle dish.
- Saute the onions in cooking oil or a combination of butter and cooking oil and then transfer them to a small dish and set aside to cool off. Grate the cheese and set aside.
- Melt butter in a pan and toss the fresh spätzle in it, let it brown a bit (about 2 minutes). Slide the buttered, browned spätzle into a casserole dish and spread to cover the bottom.
- Add a layer of grated cheese.
- Brown another batch of spatzle in butter and slide it onto the cheese layer in the casserole dish.
- Add more cheese and bake in 400 F oven for 10 minutes.
- Garnish with the onions and chives. (We actually tend to be even more generous with the garnish quantities than the pictures will let on. Soo tasty!)
Varieties of Spaetzle Makers
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There are a few different kinds of spätzle makers. You can also always use an ordinary colander, add dough to it and use a spatula or dough scraped to force the dough through the holes and into the boiling water.
- We use the slicer type spätzle maker you see in the pictures for this post.
- There is also a press style spätzle maker which produces longer strand shaped noodles.
- A spätzle sieve such as this one is also commonly employed.
Recipe
Käsespätzle
Ingredients
For Spätzle (if making from scratch)
- 4 ½ cups flour (all purpose)
- 2 teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- 1 tablespoon each fresh thyme and parsley finely chopped (optional)
- 6 large eggs beaten
- 1 ½ cups whole milk
For Käsespätzle
- 5 cups cooked spätzle
- 1 tablespoon sunflower or other cooking oil
- 1 large onion finely sliced
- 3 tablespoon butter divided
- 3 cups cheese such as Emmentaler or Gruyere half and half mix recommended, | about 20 oz of cheese
- 1 bunch chives finely chopped, for garnish
Instructions
Spätzle (if making from scratch)
- In the bowl of a stand up mixer equipped with the dough hook add the flour, salt, nutmeg and herbs. Combine well and form a well in the middle.
- Add the beaten eggs, then the milk. Turn on the mixer on medium and let mix for 16 to 20 minutes.
- The dough will begin pulling off from the sides of the bowl but still be quite sticky. Look for tiny air bubbles to begin forming on the surface. You may need to mix for an extra minute or two until you observe bubbles.
- Boil about 2 quarts of water (with a pinch of salt) and place your spätzle dough maker above the pot with the water. Load with dough and slide back and forth or press to squeeze the dough through and form the spätzle noodles.
- Once the spätzle begins to float to the surface, scoop with a large spider or skimmer spoon and transfer to a colander placed inside a bowl (for drained water to collect). Continue process until you make all the dough into spätzle. Rinse the spätzle in the colander with running hot water and shake off any excess water.
Käsespätzle
- In a large pan heat the oil and saute the sliced onion until it begins to turn light brown in color. Add a little water occasionally to keep it from burning. Continue until completely browned. Transfer to a dish and let cool down.
- Turn oven on to 400 F.
- Melt 1 ½ tablespoon butter in a pan over medium-high heat and toss about 2 ½ cups of cooked spätzle in it. Cook for about 2 minutes until slightly browned.
- Transfer the browned spätzle to a casserole dish (about 9 x 13 inches large) and form an even layer. Cover with half the shredded cheese.
- Brown more spätzle following the above steps, add it on top of the cheese layer and then add the rest of the cheese.
- Bake for 10 minutes, take out of the oven and garnish with the sauteed onions and chives. Serve.
Notes
Nutrition
Käsespätzle Tips and Twists
- Notice the we used a combination of Emmentaler and Gruyere. If you want a sharper cheese flavor you can use all Gruyere or even add a bit of a sharper cheese.
- In between the first layer of cheese and the second layer of spätzle add a layer of sauerkraut and proceed with the recipe.
- Add a layer of bacon bits in between the cheese layers.
- Brown the cooked spätzle in butter just as instructed, but then toss with a couple of tablespoons of your favorite herb pesto and proceed with the recipe.
- Smother the baked Käsespätzle in Jägersoße ('Hunters sauce', a creamy German sauce with mushrooms and bacon).
- Make a batch of beer cheese sauce and toss pan butter browned spätzle in it, mix well and enjoy immediately without baking.
- Now we wouldn't be a blog all about beer if we didn't mention that there is a beer dough version of spätzle which results in even more tender noodles. We look forward to making this one for the blog some time soon:)
More German beer garden food favorites
Half Roast Chicken
Steckerlfisch
Obatzda
Schweinshaxe
German Meat and Cheese Board
Wurstsalat
Oktoberfest Food German Recipes
Brian Quinn
First time making Kasespaetzle for an Oktoberfest party and so far the spaetzle came out great! Next up is the cheese and onion part. Using Boars head Gruyère and an Aldi mix of Gruyère and Swiss. I’ve got a feeling this is going to be awesome when it’s done.
Milena Perrine
Brian, the cheeses sound amazing. I have the feeling you might consume most of it before you get to share:)
Danielle
I plan on making this with your homemade spatzle recipe for an Oktoberfest party. Can this be assembled the night before and baked the next day? Or is it better to bake and then re-heat it the next day & top with the caramelized onions?
Milena Perrine
Danielle, you can make the spaetzle and brown it in butter (so it doesn't stick together), then let it cool down before you refrigerate. The next day you can warm it up in a pan and assemble and bake. The onions you can also prepare ahead and just warm up on the stove before you need them. Prost!
Mark Russell
I attended University in Germany and worked as aushilfskoch in a brewery restaurant. I've made somewhere in the neighborhood of 50,000 gallons of spātzle. I used a spāztle press, similar to a potato ricer, and I use a potato ricer when I make it now (deep in the bowels of Southern Louisiana.) I also use 1/2 whole milk and 1/2 Hefe Weißen, depending on how much milk is called for given the amount of Spätzle I'm making. I find it's better made with whole wheat flour rather than with all purpose or bread flour.
Craft Beering
Truly a spātzle veteran, Mark! Love the tip for using hefe, I bet the texture is even airier and lighter when you sub some of the milk with it. Knowing how heavily gluten skewed US flour is it is very reasonable to assume that whole wheat flour is a better choice than all-purpose or bread and yields a looser dough. Will definitely try your version (ricer included) next time we make spātzle!
Valarie
This looks amazing! I have been making spatzle for years with a board and cutter. I have always had issues with my spatzle slicer, the dough just doesn't work right in it. I am doing the mix and make method though 🙂
I plan on making this sometime this weekend with your dough recipe. I can hardly wait to try it
Craft Beering
So excited for you, Valerie! It turns out really good every time when you really mix the dough and see the air bubbles appear. Lightest noodle ever:)
Suzanna
Hi, my mother in law was from Bavaria and always made this dish. I make it for my family now on all the holidays. It is beyond delicious. The only difference in all the recipes on line is that she and her extended family always added Swiss green grating cheese called sap sago from a brand called Gesko in with the other cheeses. I’ve had it both ways and the addition is amazing. It’s so flavorful. Hard to believe it could be better but I never make it anymore without it. Try it, and have a wonderful holiday!
CraftBeering
Thank you so much, Suzanna, We would love to try it with sap sago, have not tasted it before and will seek it out. Yes, kasespaetzle takes a bit of work, but it's so worth it in the end:) Happy holidays to you too!
Dave
Can this be done in Vitamix? I don't have any stand mixers.
Craft Beering
You should be able to, Dave. According to the manufacturer you can use the blender for kneading dough, in this case it will be a much looser mixture. Use the pulse only and do not overmix.
Liz
Hi there! Hoping to make this recipe this weekend -- looks delicious, and more flavorful than the other recipes I found! 🙂
One question: Could I used dried herbs rather than fresh herbs? I know fresh are the best - but may not be able to find.
CraftBeering
Definitely, the dried herbs will reconstitute from the liquid in the dough. Tastier with herbs than without:)
Deborah
I just made your plain spatzle, and it’s incredible! I’ve been keto for 3+ years, and I made a huge exception to eat a bowl of this, sautéed in butter, because my little tastes weren’t enough. The texture is unbelievable, chewy, pillowy…awesome. I didn’t think I’d make it more than once, but now I’m looking into buying a spatzle maker.
Heather
I haven't made spaetzle yet, but I've been reading a bunch of recipes in preparation. Your method varies quite a bit from all the others in that you mix the dough for 16 to 20 minutes. All the others mix quickly and let rest in the refrigerator for a while. Why does you recommend your method? I'd love to know! I'm planning to make this dish for an early Oktoberfest party this weekend!
CraftBeering
Hi, Heather and thanks for stopping by! The dough gets mixed for that long in order to become stretchy (the gluten develops during the mixing). It is much easier to run it through the Spatzle press. Chris learned this recipe in a Bavarian restaurant many years ago and said that while he worked there they never once had to refrigerate the Spatzle batter/dough. However, keep in mind that there are hundreds of spatzle recipes out there and if you include the Hungarian and Czech versions of Spatzle even more:) Some people use semolina flour (higher in gluten) and no milk, others let the dough sit out all morning and mix it occasionally and yet I have seen people when I lived in Germany to just barely mix the ingredients and go ahead and start making the spatzle (dough is runnier and longer strands of Spatzle form, more like noodles). I guess it depends on what someone is used to doing. We have made this recipe multiple times at home and it works out pretty well, the Spatzle is delicious even when just tossed in the butter! Hope you have fun at your party!
Amanda
I drool a little bit every time I see your spaetzle cross my social media. Really, really need to make this over Oktoberfest!
CraftBeering
You should! It is sooo delicious! I cannot eat pasta like penne or even elbow (texture problem) but Spatzle is a whole different story! And the Gruyere...mmm. Thanks for stopping by, Amanda!
Lydia from Life Beyond the Kitchen
This sounds like something we'd love! I remember watching a documentary series (probably PBS ages ago) that was set in a German cooking school. When they made spaetzle I was shocked at how easy it was to do. I was thinking they pressed the dough through a colander as you described but it may have been the lidded maker you've linked to above. Thanks for sharing with us at Creatively Crafty! I'm going to give your beautiful dish some social media love 🙂
Miz Helen
Oh my goodness, this reminds me of my time in Germany. Your tutorial looks fantastic! Hope you are having a great week and thank you so much for sharing with us at Full Plate Thursday!
Miz Helen
Kelly @ Kelly Lynns Sweets and Treats
Can you say ULTIMATE COMFORT FOOD?!!! Yes!! Confession: I have never had spaetzle before!! So want to try this 🙂
Kelsie | the itsy-bitsy kitchen
I absolutely LOOOOVE spaetzle. It's one of the few German dishes I know how to prepare and I'm obsessed. But I've never made it with cheese. You know I'm making this soon! And I'm sending the recipe to my dad, who also adores spaetzle, although I have a feeling he'll wait to try it until the next time I visit so I can make it for him 🙂
Jennifer @ Seasons and Suppers
I have never made spatzle of any sort, so you've inspired me to give it a go! Looks fabulous 🙂
Dawn - Girl Heart Food
I've seen this being made on cooking shows before, but have never actually made myself or tasted...but would love to! Such great step by step instructions...you've inspired me to get crackin' and make this - looks too delicious not to! Pinned! Have a wonderful week, you guys 🙂
annie@ciaochowbambina
OH WOW! There isn't anything about this dish that I don't absolutely adore!! You can never go wrong with this!! YUM!
Nicoletta Sugarlovespices
Wow, what a great dish to have with beer! I am sure I would enjoy this better than mac and cheese! We had spaetzle made from a German friend, just dressed in butter, and I've watched her making them from scratch. Pretty awesome to watch. Really love your kasespatzle!