How to Make Easy Homemade Spaetzle
By Rebecca St.Clair
This homemade spaetlze is a classic recipe in German cuisine. These little dumplings or noodles, are made with simple kitchen staples like eggs, flour, salt, and water, making them a deliciously fresh yet simple dish you can make in no time.
Pan fry in browned butter, served with rich sauces, mixed into soups, or served alongside classic chicken paprikash. Spaetzle is the perfect balance of flavour and simplicity, bringing a touch of tradition to your dinner table.
What is Spaetzle
Spätzle or nokeldi in Hungarian, is a simple soft and chewy egg-based pasta or little dumpling that is found in traditional central European cuisine.
It can be served as a side dish or mixed with things like sauces, vegetables, or cheese as a comforting main course.
Traditionally, Spätzle is made by scraping, thin strips of dough off a wooden cutting board. However, there are now specific spaetzle or nokedli makers. You can also use things like potato ricers, a colander, or a large holed cheese grater.
The loose dough drips directly into the boiling water, which immediately starts to cook and coagulate the dough. This keeps all the noodles separated into the little soft and chewy dumplings.
Why you’ll love this recipe
Easy to make – This recipe comes together in no time by simply stirring all of the ingredients together in one bowl.
Simple ingredients – Made with only a handful of simple ingredients you probably already have on hand.
Quick to make – This easy to make pasta is much faster than traditional Italian-style noodles. No kneading of the dough or rolling it into long sheets. Just mix and drip into the boiling water.
How to store homemade spaetzle
Refrigerator
- Allow the spaetzle to cool to room temperature
- Cover completely with plastic wrap or store in an airtight container
- Store in the fridge for up to 3 days
Homemade spaetzle in the freezer
This quick and easy homemade spaetzle can be reheated straight from the freezer!
- Make and cook the spaetzle
- Allow to cool to room temperature
- Spread out on a lined tray and freeze for 1 hour
- Place the partially frozen spaetzle into a freezer bag or airtight container
- Store in the freezer for up to 3 months
How much homemade spaetzle to make per person
This will depend on what you are serving it with and if it is the main course or a side dish. On average 115 g of spaetzle per person will be enough for a dinner-sized portion.
What flour is best for homemade spaetzle
All-purpose flour is perfect for making homemade spaetzle. I have made this recipe countless times with all-purpose flour and it comes out lovely, soft, and chewy every time.
If you want to try different flours, you may need to add a little more liquid to get the perfect runny dough consistency.
Homemade spaetzle can be made softer and smoother when made with 00-flour. It is a more finely ground flour than all-purpose. Or made with specialty flours like spelt, which is a historically used flour for making this recipe.
Ingredients
All-purpose flour – The most common and readily available. This flour is perfect for spaetzle. However, you can swap this out for other kinds of flour. You may need to add more or less water to reach the same runny consistency.
Eggs – When dropped into boiling water, the white of the egg will congeal as it cooks, while the egg yolks will keep the dough soft and tender.
Water – Binds the dough together and gives a runnier dough.
Salt – Adds flavour.
Method
- Combine all the ingredients into a large bowl and stir to a smooth batter.
- Let the batter sit 5-10 minutes.
- Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
4. Using a large holed cheese grater, spaetzle or nokedli maker, spoon the batter on top.
5. Stir and push through the batter with a spatula. It will drip through the other side, into the boiling water.
6. Once the little dumplings start to float to the surface of the water, they are cooked through and can be removed with a slotted spoon or strainer.
7. Add a teaspoon of butter to the cooked noodles and stir to combine. This will ensure they do not glue together.
8. Continue to cook the noodles, until all of the batter is used up.
9. Serve immediately on the side of your favourite dish!
Easy Homemade Spaetzle (Nokedli)
Made from simple ingredients, this traditional German dish delivers hearty satisfaction in every bite. Serve with a creamy sauce or alongside tender roast meat.
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour 300 g
- 2 teaspoons salt 10 g
- 3 eggs
- 1 cup water 250 ml
- 1-2 teaspoons butter 10 g
Instructions
- Combine all the ingredients into a large bowl and stir to a smooth batter.
- Let the batter sit 5-10 minutes.
- Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
- Using a large holed cheese grater, spaetzle, or nokedli maker, spoon the batter on top.
- Stir and push through the batter with a spatula. It will drip through the other side, into the boiling water.
- Once the little dumplings start to float to the surface of the water, they are cooked through and can be removed with a slotted spoon or strainer.
- Add a teaspoon of butter to the cooked noodles and stir to combine. This will ensure they do not glue together.
- Continue to cook the noodles, until all of the batter is used up.
- Serve immediately on the side of your favourite dish!
Notes
If using something other than all-purpose flour, you may need to add more or less water to reach the same runny dough consistency.
Nutrition Information
Yield
6Serving Size
1Amount Per Serving Calories 242Total Fat 6gSaturated Fat 3gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 2gCholesterol 100mgSodium 1352mgCarbohydrates 38gFiber 1gSugar 0gProtein 8g
Nutrition information isn’t always accurate.
Hungry for some more pasta recipes to use with your spaetzle? Hop over here!
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