18 German Recipes That Are Comfort Food Favorites (2024)

German cuisine is big on comfort foods! With an emphasis on meat and potatoes, German cooking feels familiar, like much of American comfort food; but its focus on sweet and sour flavors is strictly German. You'll enjoy it in popular German dishes like sauerbraten, which combines a sour marinade with a sweet sauce. Roasted meats (braten), schnitzels, and sausages (there are more than 1,000 varieties of sausage) are also star players on the German dinner plate. We've lined up a bunch of our very favorite, comforting German recipes.

01of 19

Jaeger Schnitzel

View Recipe

18 German Recipes That Are Comfort Food Favorites (1)

Breaded cubes of pork are fried and combined with mushrooms and hunter gravy. "This is wonderful," says Helene. "Serve over a bed of noodles, with a salad and a hunk of thick crusty bread."

02of 19

Oktoberfest Chicken and Red Cabbage

View Recipe

18 German Recipes That Are Comfort Food Favorites (2)

Chicken thighs are baked with red cabbage, bacon, and apple in a sweet and sour sauce. "I adore Bavarian cuisine," says HerbanSpoons. "And since there's no good German food here (while I lived in San Francisco, my husband and I ate at wonderful German/Hungarian restaurants there), I have to make my own...This recipe is crazy simple."

03of 19

Wienerschnitzel

View Recipe

18 German Recipes That Are Comfort Food Favorites (3)

"This easy German recipe is one of our favorites," says Loves2CookinMN. The recipe calls for veal cutlets. But as Loves2CookinMN points out, "Boneless pork chops can be substituted for veal and taste excellent!"

04of 19

Beef Short Ribs Sauerbraten

View Recipe

18 German Recipes That Are Comfort Food Favorites (4)

"The 24-hour marinade ensures these succulent short ribs have that signature tanginess of Sauerbraten," says Chef John. "Gingersnaps give the sauce a beautiful texture and add a sweet spiciness."

05of 19

Beer Glazed Brats and Sauerkraut

18 German Recipes That Are Comfort Food Favorites (5)

A flavorful beer glaze coats bratwurst or knockwurst sausages and onions served over sauerkraut. "We love this dish served on potato rolls with spicy hot German mustard, Swiss cheese, and ice cold beer on the side," says JTk364.

06of 19

Chef John's Beef Rouladen

View Recipe

18 German Recipes That Are Comfort Food Favorites (6)

"For something that looks and tastes as impressive as this beef rouladen, it's actually one of the simplest stuffed meat recipes I know," says Chef John. "You can pretty much use any cheap cut of beef; I used round steak, but rump, chuck, flap meat, and other similar cuts will work work."

07of 19

Lengenberg's Boiled Potatoes

View Recipe

18 German Recipes That Are Comfort Food Favorites (7)

Like Americans, German love their potatoes. But it wasn't always so. In the mid-1700s, Frederick the Great of Prussia forced dubious peasants to plant the curious kartoffel. Fondness followed, but gradually. Here, basic boiled potatoes are dressed simply with parsley. They're the perfect complement to bratwurst with mustard or schnitzel. For a special treat, serve them with Uli's Onion Bacon Sauce and Apple Red Cabbage.

08of 19

Grammy's German Potato Salad

View Recipe

18 German Recipes That Are Comfort Food Favorites (8)

Mayo-free German-style potato salad is served warm in a tangy dressing made with cider vinegar and dry mustard. "We loved it," says Helene. "Simple to make and oh-so delicious. It was an easy to make side to go with our meal."

09of 19

German Beet Salad with Caraway Seeds

View Recipe

18 German Recipes That Are Comfort Food Favorites (9)

"This is a traditional German beet salad with a simple apple cider vinegar dressing and caraway seeds," says Naschkatze. "You can also make it with roasted beets, but in Germany the beets are usually boiled."

10of 19

German Hamburgers (Frikadellen)

View Recipe

It's the original hamburger! "These are served like a flattened meatbal," says Amy. "My Aunt in Hamburg, Germany taught me this recipe and I've been making them ever since. I also like to use this recipe to make Swedish meatballs (but omit the paprika). Serve with steamed string beans and tossed salad. Or serve on a Kaiser roll with lettuce, tomato, pickled cucumbers, finely sliced deep fried onions and curry ketchup."

11of 19

Curried Cottage Fries

View Recipe

18 German Recipes That Are Comfort Food Favorites (10)

Bratkartoffeln, wedged potatoes seasoned with curry powder and paprika and baked until crispy, are Germany's answer to home fries. "Potato wedges with a kick! Great for those who love curry," says Melaknee.

12of 19

Spätzle (aka Spaetzle)

View Recipe

18 German Recipes That Are Comfort Food Favorites (11)

Not feeling like potatoes? These tiny German "micro-dumplings" are made with a flour-based batter. "They cook in a just a few minutes," says Chef John, "and are great plain with browned butter or topped with slowly braised meat."

13of 19

German Potato Dumplings (Kartoffelkloesse)

View Recipe

18 German Recipes That Are Comfort Food Favorites (12)

"Soft, comforting potato dumplings drizzled in browned butter and topped with, sorry, not bacon, but something even better!" says Chef John. "For best results, roast, don't boil, the potatoes so they're nice and dry. Yes, you can top these dumplings with bacon anyway, and/or sautéed onions and mushroom sauce. I served mine with sausage and red cabbage."

14of 19

Braised Red Cabbage

View Recipe

18 German Recipes That Are Comfort Food Favorites (13)

Red cabbage is braised in wine and simple seasonings. The sour, sweet, and salty flavors go great with meaty German main dishes. "There are so many ways to tweak this recipe," says Chef John. "Raisins, currants, shallots, onions, leeks, apples, and pears are just a few things that rock in this recipe."

15of 19

German Potato Pancakes

View Recipe

18 German Recipes That Are Comfort Food Favorites (14)

These traditional German potato pancakes fry up crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. Tasty for breakfast or dinner beside bratwurst with some sour cream and apple sauce on the side. "This recipe reminds me of the potato pancakes that my dad used to make," says luv2cook. "The potato fries up nicely and the onion adds a wonderful sweetness to the mixture. Yummy!

16of 19

Spinach and Mushroom Soup with Spaetzle

View Recipe

18 German Recipes That Are Comfort Food Favorites (15)

This simple soup is comforting on cold evenings "A nod to my German heritage with a fabulous herbed spaetzle," says thedailygourmet. "It's easy to modify as well."

17of 19

Pam's Bierocks

View Recipe

18 German Recipes That Are Comfort Food Favorites (16)

Sweet dinner rolls are stuffed with ground beef, onions, and cabbage. A great alternative to the Finnish pasty! "If you are looking for an authentic bierock recipe this one is spot on," says DIZ. "It's absolutely perfect from the bread dough to the meat filling. Don t forget the spicy German mustard. It's a must!"

18of 19

Papa Drexler's Bavarian Pretzels

View Recipe

18 German Recipes That Are Comfort Food Favorites (17)

"Out of the oven, the first bite gives a crisp crunch and wonderful pretzel flavor with the softest dough in the middle," says Liddah. "Absolutely delightful!"

19of 19

You Might Also Like

18 German Recipes That Are Comfort Food Favorites (18)

  • This Bavarian Snack Board Is the Perfect Light Meal or Snack
  • Around the World in 10 Complete Menus
  • More German Recipes
18 German Recipes That Are Comfort Food Favorites (2024)

References

Top Articles
Latest Posts
Recommended Articles
Article information

Author: Lilliana Bartoletti

Last Updated:

Views: 5570

Rating: 4.2 / 5 (53 voted)

Reviews: 84% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Lilliana Bartoletti

Birthday: 1999-11-18

Address: 58866 Tricia Spurs, North Melvinberg, HI 91346-3774

Phone: +50616620367928

Job: Real-Estate Liaison

Hobby: Graffiti, Astronomy, Handball, Magic, Origami, Fashion, Foreign language learning

Introduction: My name is Lilliana Bartoletti, I am a adventurous, pleasant, shiny, beautiful, handsome, zealous, tasty person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.