Granny’s German Spaetzle is an authentic spaetzle recipe passed down in a German family for generations. Make it with or without a spaetzle maker.
This recipe comes from my Granny. Her parents immigrated to the United States from Germany and this is the recipe they brought with them. Spaetzle is a small, soft dumpling/pasta that originates in the regions of Germany, Austria, Hungary, and Switzerland.
What do I do with spaetzle noodles?
Spaetzle noodles can be dressed up just like any other pasta with sauces and additional ingredients, or it can be served plain or sautéed in a little bit of butter. It’s a versatile little dumpling that can be as fancy or as simple as you’d like.
What is a spaetzle maker?
A spaetzle maker is a convenient device usually made of metal that’s sole purpose is for the making of small dumplings known as spaetzle. The metal plate has holes in it that you pour your spaetzle batter through directly into boiling water. You can find an abundance of spaetzle makers on Amazon. While convenient, you can use alternative devices for making spaetzle that you probably already have in your kitchen.
How do I make spaetzle without a spaetzle maker?
Absolutely! All you need is a metal kitchen device with holes in it. A colander or cheese grater plane will work great. Just hold the device over a pot of boiling water and pour your batter through. Sometimes it helps to use the back of a spoon or ladle to help push the batter through the holes.
I learned how to make this by watching my mother-in-law. I use a cookie press to make mine. My guys love them with brown gravy on them.
Where were you when I was buying a spaetzle maker? I have two Super Shooters from the 80’s. One belonoed to my late mother. One was electric and one was battery operated. I was famous back then for giving out at Christmas time butter spritz cookies with candied cherry centers. I would lay out all the cookie sheets Mom and I owned and press 35 dozen cookies in 7 minutes. Now, reading your comment about the cookie press, I wonder why it never occurred to me. And now that I think about it, I could just scoop the spaetzle batter into a disposable piping bag, snip off the end for the size I want, pipe and stir. Thanks for the great idea, Angelia!
Cookie press! Brilliant! Thank you!
I have a ricer for potatoes with two size disks. I will use the larger size and put batter in and press to put into the water….Thanks Lorraine for the idea with the cookie press…I don’t eat cookies so I can use the ricer. Such a great idea. I could use the Spaetzle with chicken for chicken and Spaetzle dumplings…beef stroganoff with mushrooms…maybe add cooked shrimp to the Spaetzle instead of shrimp and grits (corn has gluten so it is a no no…I use Bob Mills 1 on 1 gluten free flour for the Spaetzle). So many ideas now for when I am wanting noodles. Maybe even pho with the Spaetzle instead of rice noodles (rice puts me to sleep) this may be a once a week special treat when I am craving noodle dishes. Maybe even meatballs made with portabella mushroom/egg/garlic/riced zucchini . The ideas keep coming. Thanks for sparking all the ideas.
Can these be made ahead and fried when you serve them?
Yes it can. I wouldn’t recommend make the batter more than a few hours ahead though or the batter may discolor a bit.
Yes you can,,, my mom and I would always make a triple batch and after they would float to the top of water we had a skillet with melted butter in it and would cry out then,,, then we would freeze it and when we would want some all we had to do is take out the amount we wanted and fried it or whatever we was going to use it in!!!
Wrong pronunciation…
LUH on the end, not LEE
Recipe is much like my Schwäbisch grandma, but she didn’t use a fancy tool or colander.
She just tipped the bowl and sliced the dough off the side into the water.
Cheers!
My grandma from Austria did the same. The number of eggs and amount of water is dependent on the number of mouths to feed. 1 egg beaten with 1 teaspoon salt (approximately, never measure). 1 cup of hot water from the boiling pot stirred into the egg ( the salt stops the egg from cooking), then just scoop in all purpose flour. Stir briskly. Enough flour has been added when folding the batter with a spoon creates a bubble that pops. Until 1990 we cut the dough off the efge of the mixing bowl into rje nooling water, very tedious, but how it was done where grandma was from in Austria. After that time we found the metal spawtlw make, the flat piece with holes and a little basket sleeve that is filled woth dough and slid back and forth over the boiling pot, refilling basket until all spatzle are in the pot. As soon as the noodle/dumplings have floated to the top (usually right after spooning thwm in) they are fully cooked. Good with any thickened meat gravy or fried in butter. This amount easilynfeeds 6 people
My mother comes from Germany/is German and she said just like in the South(I’m from southeast Georgia) or anywhere else in the country depending on what part of Germany or thereabouts you was from to the pronunciation of things..
so some pronouncing it different is the right way from wherever they was raised..?
Spaetzli has been passed down through my German family also.
We had spaetzli with a bone in pork chop, a bed of spaetzli next to it and then a layer of sauerkraut over each. The saurkraut gives a tangy flavor to the pork chop and the spaetzli!
Make for a yummy meal. Never any gravy.
My family, which was German born with the great grandparents always pronounced it spetzlee.
Everyone says we mis-pronounce it, but that is how it was said in our family.
Try it our way and enjoy some tangy pork chop and spaetzli !!
My great grandma came from Germany at 16 back in the late 1800’s. She called them neppies. Sauerkraut and pork with neppies. It’s a family favorite.
You can also use a cutting board, put some dough on it and with a knife quick “slice” the dough into the water.
I’m from Bavaria and that’s what we used. They are not as small and even but same taste. We didn’t have special tools.
That is what my mom did when I was growing up as well. Very basic recipe….Flour, egg and a little salt and pepper to taste and she never heated them in a frying pan, although that sounds good.
Thank you for introducing me to something completely new!
I’ve never attempted spaetzle, but this looks pretty do-able! Perfect for St. Patty’s Day!
My German Great-Grandmother made a pea mash (for lack of a better word) that she served with sauerkraut. I can’t remember the name, only that I loved it. Sound familiar to anyone?
Nothing better than kasse spatzle with crispy fried onions on top.
I don’t know of anyone that actually puts parsley in the Spätzle batter…
Now you do! My German family does 🙂
I have made spaetzel for years I am going to try it with the nutmeg and parsley. I was taught to place the dough on a plate scraping it off with a knife into boiling water if you don’t have the proper equipment. I was also taught to clarify onions in the butter, fry bacon on the side drain. When the noodles are ready combine with onions, butter, bacon, add cottage cheese and warm thoroughly serve.
It never occurred to me to use a colander; I can’t wait to try it!