I looooove spaetzle, and I make and eat them several times a month. Technically a pasta but wayy easier to make, these little dumplings are delish served hot from the water, browned with butter, tossed with bacon and onion, or smothered in gravy. Easy, delish, and fun to eat, this is my Oma’s Spaetzle recipe – we love it, and I’m sure you will, too!
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The perfect side dish to stews, roasts, and even grilled meats and seafood, Spaetzle are a tasty side dish not only to German recipes but to lots of different recipes. I’ve been making these FOREVER, way back when my Oma taught me how to make them. She made them the hard way, on the back of a sheet pan, but now there are fancy gadgets to help you make these tiny eggy noodles more easily than ever before.
Ingredients
- All-purpose flour – I have not tried making spaetzle with other types of flour.
- Salt – Fine table salt or kosher salt works well.
- Eggs – Use fresh large eggs.
- Milk – Whole milk is my pick for this recipe but any milk will work.
- Butter – Salted or unsalted – it’s your choice.
How To Make Spaetzle
Scroll down for the full recipe card with exact measurements and printable instructions.
Start by whisking the eggs and milk together in a large mixing bowl until they’re light and frothy. Add the flour and salt, then grab a wooden spoon and really work that batter for 2–3 minutes.
You want it thick, glossy, and elastic. If it clings too much to the spoon, stir in 1/4 cup more milk, and if it runs off too quickly, mix in 1/4 cup more flour. Let the dough rest on the counter for about an hour to relax the gluten and make the noodles extra tender.
Grab your spaetzle maker. It looks kind of like a cheese grater with a hopper on it. Position it over the top of the simmering water and fill the hopper with batter. The batter should start to ooze out the bottom of the spaetzel maker.
When the spaetzle float to the top, just a minute or two later, scoop them out with a spider strainer and toss them in a bowl with melted butter to prevent them from sticking. Repeat with the remaining dough, and they’re ready to serve.
Chef Jenn’s Tips
- Have everything at hand and ready to go. The batter can rest while you boil the water, and have about 2-3 tablespoons of butter in a bowl to help the spaetzle not stick once cooked.
- The batter should ooze through the holes of the spaetzle maker. If it isn’t oozing, thin the batter with a few tablespoons of milk and try again.
- Cook just a few spaetzle at first to make sure they’ve got enough salt in them. You can add more salt to the batter if you like them saltier.
- I almost always at least double this recipe – sometimes triple. If I’m going to go to the work of making them, I want to have at least enough for another meal! Plus, they freeze just fine. See my storage tips below.
Make It A Meal
I looove spaetzle with so many dishes. Some of my favorites include Hungarian Goulash, Chicken Paprikash, this skillet sausage, potatoes, green beans recipe or this German Pork Loin. Add a side of sauerkraut for an authentic Oktoberfest meal to make any German proud.
Variations
I make spaetzle with a spaetzle maker and sometimes with a potato ricer! The widest holes in the ricer will let me create long, thin noodles instead of short pudgy ones.
Make this spaetzle recipe with sour cream. A spoonful of sour cream added to the batter transforms the spaetzle into something special.
Instead of serving them just tossed in butter, top them with melted Gruyere cheese, serve them with fried bacon and onions, or top them with smoked paprika and chopped parsley.
Frequently Asked Questions
They’re not hard! The trickiest part is getting the batter to the right thickness, and then managing the cooking. But with a handful of ingredients, they’re so very worth it.
Absoultely! I make them ahead of time all the time. I even freeze them. Make them a few days in advance even, then just chill them. Heat them in a skillet on the stove with a few tablespoons of butter and they’ll be as good as if you just made them!
It sure is! I haven’t tried to make it vegan, but with eggs, milk, and butter, it is a safe vegetarian side dish.
Storage
Spaetzle are totally freezer-friendly! I often have some in the freezer waiting for my next stew or something with delicious gravy to smother them in. I use a vacuum sealer and they keep in the freezer for months and months.
If you’re not freezing them, store them in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days.
To reheat this German side dish, heat the spaetzle in a skillet with butter or go all out with garlic, bacon, and onion. Yum!
Easy Spaetzle Recipe
Add Preferred SourceEquipment
- 1 Spaetzle maker
- 1 Wooden spoon
Ingredients
- 1 cup milk
- 2 eggs
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons butter
Instructions
- Whisk the eggs and milk together in a large mixing bowl until frothy. Add the flour and salt, then stir with a sturdy wooden spoon until the flour is fully incorporated.
- Mix the dough for 2–3 minutes until thick, glossy, and elastic, and it slowly oozes off the spoon. If it clings too much, add 1/4 cup milk; if it runs off quickly, add 1/4 cup flour.
- Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let the dough rest at room temperature for about 1 hour.
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil and generously salt it, just as you would for pasta.
- Position a spaetzle maker over the simmering water and fill the hopper with batter. Slide the hopper back and forth to cut the noodles and let them fall into the water.
- Cook a third of the batter at a time, letting the spaetzle simmer for 1–2 minutes or until they float.
- Remove the cooked spaetzle with a spider strainer and transfer to a bowl with butter, tossing to coat so they don’t stick. Repeat with the remaining batter.
Notes
Chef Jenn’s Tips
- Have everything at hand and ready to go. The batter can rest while you boil the water, and have about 2-3 tablespoons of butter in a bowl to help the spaetzle not stick once cooked.
- The batter should ooze through the holes of the spaetzle maker. If it isn’t oozing, thin the batter with a few tablespoons of milk and try again.
- Cook just a few spaetzle at first to make sure they’ve got enough salt in them. You can add more salt to the batter if you like them saltier.
- I almost always at least double this recipe – sometimes triple. If I’m going to go to the work of making them, I want to have at least enough for another meal! Plus, they freeze just fine. See my storage tips below.
Nutrition
A Note on Nutritional Information
Nutritional information for this recipe is provided as a courtesy and is calculated based on available online ingredient information. It is only an approximate value. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site cannot be guaranteed.
