Easy Spaetzle Recipe: How To Make German Egg Noodles

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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 Homemade Spaetzle - How to make Bavarian-style egg noodles

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.

A bowl of traditional Bavarian style German egg noodles

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.

A bowl of traditional Bavarian style German egg noodles made with an easy spaetzle recipe.

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.

a pot of boiling water on a stove with a spaetzle maker and noodle dough

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.

Spaetzle dough

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.

The perfect consistency of spaetzle batter

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.

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.

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. Cook the spaetzle

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.

Traditional Bavarian style German egg noodles made with this easy spaetzle recipe.
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.
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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
Cook Time10 minutes
Total Time25 minutes
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
Did you make this recipe?Tag us on Instagram at @kenarryideas or leave us a comment rating below.

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.

a bowl of traditional Bavarian style German egg noodles made with this easy spaetzle recipe.

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.

A bowl of German egg noodles

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:

a bowl of traditional German egg noodles

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What’s Next? 

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

Originally published January 2019. Updated October 2020.

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23 Comments

  1. Kaespatzle is my all time favorite food. My mom made it occasionally and I make it often. I like to add burnt onions to the top. My recipe varies slightly as I use four eggs and 3 cups flour and about 8 oz of shredded swiss cheese

    1. Hi Helmut, I can see why kaespatzle is your favorite! Burnt onions on top adds the perfect extra flavor and crunch. Do you put the shredded swiss cheese right in the spatzle batter or do you add the cheese later after you’ve boiled can cooked the spatzle in water?

      Best wishes,
      Carrie
      Ideas for the Home by Kenarry

  2. Spaetzle are actually, originally, a Swabian dish…and I don’t remember my grandma ever adding garlic powder to her recipe…. 🙂

    1. Hi Ann,
      There are a few different things that could be happening. I would try either adding more flour to make the dough thicker or cooking them a little longer.

      Best wishes,
      Carrie
      Ideas for the Home by Kenarry

  3. My German Nana used to make them off the side of a plate with a knife and let them fall
    into the boiling water. I still make them that way. wonderful memories of my late Nana

    1. Hi Jenna,
      Great question. We usually enjoy the spaetzle leftover in the fridge for several days afterwards. I’ve never frozen spaetzle but a Google search says you can and that it will last in the freezer for 3-4 months. Let us know if you try to freeze it and how it turns out!

      Best wishes,
      Carrie
      Ideas for the Home by Kenarry

  4. Hi Carrie,
    I woule like to keep the recipe, but can’t find a PRINT button.
    I love the way you explained everything.
    Thank you for that.
    I would like to become a member.
    Kind regards from Doris

    1. Hi Doris!
      I’m so glad to hear you enjoyed my spaetzle recipe and directions. It’s definitely a favorite of our too. You’ll find the “Print Recipe” button right below the thumbnail image of the food on the recipe card.

      Best wishes,
      Carrie
      Ideas for the Home by Kenarry

  5. My mom made these many times as I was growing up but called it nifla. She would simply tip the bowl she mixed it in and use a knife to cut thin strips and slide into boiling water. Then she would put browned butter on top with bread crumbs. As a child I would dip them in ketchup. So good!

    1. Hi Becky!

      Thank you for reaching out to us and showing your interest in Carrie’s dad’s Chicken Noodle Soup recipe. We absolutely don’t blame you for your request… we have heard such wonderful things about his hearty and comforting soup dish! At the moment, we don’t have the recipe up on our blog (although, that sounds like a great idea for a new entry!) but I’d love to direct you to some of our other favorite soup recipes we have right now. I hope you enjoy them!:
      Spicy Sausage and Orzo Soup
      Creamy Tortellini Fagioli Soup
      Instant Pot Chicken and Dumplings

      You can also take a look at all of our soup recipes here.

      Hope this helps! Happy cooking!
      – Lisa, Ideas for the Home by Kenarry Customer Care

  6. This looks just like our family’s “revel” recipe. We make the dough and then roll between our hands to make little dumpling noodles. Have you heard of revels? Does anyone else remember potato soup with revels from depression-era German cooking?

    1. Hi Ivy!

      Wow! This is so interesting – I personally, have never heard of revel (in fact, after a quick Google, because I was so curious, all I could find were “revel bars.”) Please tell us more about it!

      – Lisa, Ideas for the Home by Kenarry Customer Care

  7. We lived with my Swiss Grandma, she used a kitchen knife and cut the dough off the edge of a plate. She also make Rubbelie (sp)soup, the dough was similar but much drier, she would put dough in her hands and rub them together to make the little Rubbelies, they looked like large crumbs. It was a quick way to add to soup, we lived on a farm and meals were a must but sometimes time was short. Live-Laugh-Love, June

    1. Hi June!

      This sounds like such wonderful memories in the kitchen – thank you so much for sharing your story! Her Rubbelie must have been fantastic! Do you enjoy Spaetzle?

      – Lisa, Ideas for the Home by Kenarry Customer Care

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