Spätzle (prounounced shpaetzli), also known as spätzli, nokedli or galuska depending on what part of Europe you're in is somewhere between a dumpling and a noodle made of flour and eggs. I love these diminutive dumplings because they're fun to make (think Play-Doh Fun Factory), and delicious.
While I didn't grow up in Central Europe, there's something supremely comforting about a steaming bowl of al dente Spätzle topped with nothing more than a pat of butter and some flakey sea salt on top. I suppose it's a bit like mac and cheese in that sense, and there is indeed a Käsespätzle (Cheese Spaetzle) to fill that need. But Spätzle also makes the perfect foil for a hearty stew like a paprikás, and it even works for those times you have sauce but no pasta.
The beauty of Spätzle is that it's relatively easy to make with ingredients and equipment you probably already have on hand. The traditional method of making these involves scraping bits of dough into boiling water off a wooden board, but this takes a bit of practice and time, so I usually press the dough through a perforated surface. Anything with holes around ¼-inch in diameter will work, such as a cheese grater, colander, food mill or potato ricer. If you grew up with a Play-Doh Fun Factory, you'll get a nostalgic kick out of using a potato ricer, and it's by far the fastest method, but be sure to use the large holes on the ricer.
If you get carried away making dumplings and end up with leftovers, warm them up the next day with some butter, cinnamon and sugar or a little vanilla, maple syrup and fruit for a breakfast treat!
📖 Recipe
Units
Ingredients
- 130 grams bread flour (about 1 cup)
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2 large eggs
- 2 tablespoons plain yogurt (you may need more)
Instructions
- Add the flour, salt and eggs to a bowl and stir to combine.
- The amount of yogurt you'll need to add will depend on the size of your eggs and how viscous the yogurt is. Add 1 tablespoon of yogurt at a time until your dough will flow, but is not runny. Test it by passing it through your chosen spätzle making tool.
- Let the dough rest for 30 minutes.
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and then use your choice of spätzle making tool to drop the dumplings into the boiling water.
- They are cooked when they float to the surface, so use a slotted spoon to skim the cooked ones off and drain them in a colander.
- Serve warm with butter.
Perdita says
As much as i love your blog and your recipe - being a original swabian girl i have to thoroughly protest against this spätzle recipe. We would never use yoghurt or milk or anything dairy in a spätzle dough. Traditional spätzle are made from only flour and eggs in a ratio of around 60-70 gr flour to one egg, allthough in wartimes people started to replace some of the egg with water.
Monika says
My mom made Spatzle with flour, egg, salt, and water.
danlsage says
I was a bit surprised by the yogurt also, an ingredient I'm not sure my mother ever had in her kitchen. In our family they would have been boiled and then fried in bacon fat, which was ever present in a bowl sitting on the stove and was the fat of choice for any type of cooking.
sprtsracer says
I always make my batter with nothing but flour and eggs with a hint of nutmeg. I may have to try the yogurt, however, as a change-up. Spatzle varies with the regions in Europe, and especially among the different states in Germany. I was lucky enough to have spent 4 1/2 years in Bavaria.
Caroline says
I have never made spätzle with yoghurt but why not, I will definitely try your version too. Actually I am roasting some pork loin in the oven right now and I might just make your recipe tonight as a side dish!
eelynlee says
Does it have to be bread flour or will all-purpose flour work?
shellyshilts says
Are there any printable versions of your recipes or could you consider the idea?
Marc Matsumoto says
Hi Michelle, have a look at the top right corner of the recipe card. There's a print icon there. Sorry, it's a little subtle.
Marc Matsumoto says
Hi Perdita, your protest is noted, but as per the tagline of this site, I usually don't post a recipe if it's the same thing that everyone else has been making for hundreds of years. If I'm just regurgitating the same recipe that 100 other bloggers have posted, what's the point? That's why the recipes on this site almost always have my own twist and it's also why you'll rarely see me describe a dish as authentic or traditional.
Now you may be thinking that "Spätzle couldn't possibly be improved upon", and for you, that may very well be the case, but for every traditionalist, I'd be willing to bet there are a dozen other people interested in something new. At any rate I hope you don't think I added the yogurt to disrespect your culture or without putting a lot of consideration behind my change. Before changing a dish I always stop to consider the characteristics that define a dish while thinking about ways that the flavor, texture, aroma, shape or level of effort can be improved upon. In this case, I made two changes to the traditional recipe by using bread flour, which gives these a firmer texture, and by adding yogurt, which expands the palette by adding a very subtle tang.
The irony is that I kind of expected to get more flack for extruding these rather than shaping them by hand since the name describes a specific shape (little sparrows). But it seems that some efficiency-minded (or blasphemous) folk before me have paved that road with the Spätzlepresse and Spätzlehobel.
Marc Matsumoto says
That sounds divine:-)
Marc Matsumoto says
Hi Larry, Thanks for keeping an open mind:-)
eelynlee says
that makes sense! I'll have to give it a try 🙂
Meisi says
Ever tried this with durum wheat? It is quite common in Switzerland to make them with this kind of flour. It gives the spaetzli a nice yellow color and firm texture. Interesting twist with the yoghurt, might try this next time we make spaetzli :o)
Elaine Feliciano says
Hi, what did you use add the spaetzle maker? Is that a grater that you used on the picture?
Elaine Feliciano says
*as a spaetzle maker
Marc Matsumoto says
Yep it's a cheese grater (large holes).
Ada says
Can I use milk instead of yogert ?
Marc Matsumoto says
Hi Ada, you can, and water would work as well. You'll need to reduce the amount by a little bit since these are less viscous than yogurt.