BACK TO ALL RECIPES

Spaetzle

Photo: Getty Images

BY The Editors

PUBLISHED May 16, 2024

Spaetzle is harder to spell than make. In fact, it's one of the easiest and most impressive side dishes there is, a noodle whose dough is about as complicated as pancake batter and that can be crisped up in a pan to create a delicious accompaniment for almost any poultry or pork dish, especially braised ones.

 

The following may contain affiliate links for which we earn a small commission. Thank you for supporting us in this way!

Once you get the technique down, you’ve got plenty of latitude with how you flavor these fresh little dumplings. The recipe here is for plain spaetzle, though adding two or three tablespoons of an assortment of flavorings in the first step will infuse them with taste without changing the method at all. Try pureed chives, roasted and minced garlic, chopped shallots, and so on.

Print

Spaetzle

Prevent your screen from going dark

Makes 4 servings 1x

Time 20 minutes

Units Scale

Ingredients

  • Salt
  • 2 cups flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon or more freshly ground black pepper
  • 3 eggs
  • 1 cup milk, more or less
  • 2 to 4 tablespoons butter or extra virgin olive oil
  • Chopped fresh parsley or chives for garnish

Instructions

  1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt it. Combine the flour with the pepper and a large pinch of salt in a bowl. Lightly beat together the eggs and milk and add the flour; stirring. If necessary, add a little more milk to make a batter about the consistency of pancake batter.
  2. Scoop a tablespoon or so of batter and drop it into the water; small pieces may break off but the batter should remain largely intact and form a disk; repeat, using about one-third to one-fourth of the batter, depending on the size of your pot. When the spaetzle rise to the top, a couple of minutes later (you mave have to loosen them from the bottom, but they’ll pop right up), cook another minute or so, then transfer with a slotted spoon into a bowl of ice water. Repeat until all the batter is used up.
  3. Drain the spaetzle (at this point you can toss them with a bit of oil and refrigerate, covered, for up to a day). Heat the butter or oil in a large skillet, preferably nonstick, over medium-high heat. When it’s hot, add the spaetzle, a few at a time, and quickly brown on both sides. Serve hot, garnished with the parsley or chives.

— Recipe from The Best Recipes in the World

Log in, or become a member today.

Join in: enjoy 7 days free, plus 40% off your first year with access to 1,000+ highly vetted recipes from the How To Cook Everything series and beyond, essays from Mark, and original pieces from our contributors.

Join annually and save 40%
Log in to your account

GetBetterFasterHealthierSmarterTastier

in the Kitchen

Through our (more than a thousand, and growing) highly vetted recipes from the How to Cook Everything series, original food essays and reporting, thoughtful podcast conversations and introductions to new and responsible food products, we aim to showcase what’s possible, from farm to fork, and power a growing movement that encourages people to think about food not as a commodity, but as central to our health and happiness.

Start your free trial

We hope you join us on this journey. We’d love to have you as a part of the Bittman community. As a member, you'll have access to:

  • New recipes every week
  • 1000s of recipes from How to Cook Everything and beyond
  • First access to in-person events with Mark and Kate
  • Exclusive discounts from our favorite brands
  • Q&As with Mark and the team

 

Subscribe to our free newsletter

Join over 105,000 passionate individuals who receive our weekly emails. It’s 100% free and you can unsubscribe anytime. Plus, we’ll email you a sampling of what premium members receive on a weekly basis.