26 German-Inspired Recipes To Help You Celebrate Oktoberfest
We don't need much convincing to grab a frosty mug of beer and start celebrating Oktoberfest. And with all these German-inspired recipes, like sausages and sauerkraut, pretzels, chicken schnitzel, and spaetzle, we could celebrate it all year long. Try any (or all!) of these recipes, and they'll have your tastebuds saying, "Jawohl!"
It just wouldn't be an Oktoberfest feast without the perfect beers to pair with your meal. But how to choose? Luckily, we've ranked all the best beers so you can get to cooking. No surprise, beer is one of our top secret weapons for making all our German faves too, like in our grilled beer brats, pretzel ring beer cheese, beer-braised cabbage, and skillet beer cheese.
German food isn't just about beer cheese and pretzels, we promise. Lighten things up by making our sweet and sour red cabbage, cucumber salad, and herb roasted potatoes. Germany is also well-known for their incredible sweets that make for amazing all-year treats, like German apple cake, spritz cookies, apple strudel, and pfeffernüsse. If you've never tried sweet noodle kugel before, make the sweet casserole ASAP. It will (literally) sweeten up any occasion.
On the hunt for more fall-inspired recipes? Toast to the season with our favorite fall cocktails before trying all of our favorite pumpkin recipes, apple recipes, best fall dinners, and fall desserts (for balance). And if you've got a serious beer-lover in your life, treat them to one of our top favorite beer gifts or beer subscriptions.
Sausages and Sauerkraut
Some things go perfectly together. Peanut butter and jelly. Bacon and eggs. Sausages and sauerkraut. (Seriously!) In this cozy one-pot dinner, you'll nestle beer-braised bratwurst and tender baby potatoes into sauerkraut and finish the dish with fresh herbs and spicy mustard. (If you've never beer-braised anything before, you're sure to love it. Try this technique with chicken nachos or cabbage.)
Get the Sausages and Sauerkraut recipe.
Homemade Soft Pretzels
Homemade soft pretzels are better than any mall pretzel you can find. Soft and pillowy, they're a dream for dipping in mustard or nacho cheese. You could even skip the pretzel salt and toss them in a little cinnamon sugar for a sweet treat!
Get the Homemade Soft Pretzels recipe.
Sweet & Sour Braised Red Cabbage
One of our favorite ways to prepare cabbage is to braise it. The best part about braising? You can impart a TON of flavor into your cabbage. We love pairing this sweet and sour cabbage alongside creamy mashed potatoes and a pork chop.
Get the Sweet & Sour Braised Red Cabbage recipe.
Chicken Schnitzel
In its most traditional form, schnitzel is made with veal, but this chicken version is common throughout Germany and is just as tasty. The key to good schnitzel is pounding the chicken to ensure that the meat is well tenderized and there are no thick and thin parts to ensure even cooking. Serve the finished schnitzel with some roast potatoes or german potato salad and tons of freshly squeeze lemon.
Get the Chicken Schnitzel recipe.
Homemade Bacon Spaetzle
Spaetzle is a traditional German pasta-like dumpling made eggs, and it's great as a side or a full meal. The joy of spaetzle lies in their irregular shapes and sizes, so have fun with it. The one thing that's mandatory: Serve spaetzle with a frosty beer.
Get the Homemade Bacon Spaetzle recipe.
Pretzel Ring Beer Cheese Dip
Looking for an amazing dip sure to start your Oktoberfest party off right? Look no further. This beer cheese dip is calling your name. We use refrigerated biscuit dough for our pretzel ring, but feel free to use our homemade pretzel recipe for the full experience!
Get the Pretzel Ring Beer Cheese Dip recipe.
Potato Kugel
Think of this savory variety of a sweet noodle kugel as a giant latke. Grated onion and potato are combined to create a crispy, slightly sweet dish that's great on its own, but even better with a dollop of sour cream and/or applesauce.
Get the Potato Kugel recipe.
German Apple Cake
The secret to this gorgeous apple cake? After you peel and quarter the apples, you cut them hasselback-style (yep, just like in these cheesy garlic butter potatoes). That way, you don't have to worry about stacking the slices, and they stay together perfectly while baking! Dust this with powdered sugar and served with a dollop of freshly whipped cream, or a scoop of vanilla ice cream. 😉
Get the German Apple Cake recipe.
Hot German Potato Salad
Unlike the chilled, creamy, mayo-dressed picnic staple we're familiar with, German potato salad is served warm, or even hot, with a bacon vinaigrette. I repeat, bacon vinaigrette. If you've never made a dressing with bacon fat, you're in for a treat. The best part of this is that there's no need to wait for the potatoes to get to room temperature before tossing everything together and heaping it on your plate.
Get the Hot German Potato Salad recipe.
Skillet Beer Cheese
One of our top hall of famers, this dip will get any campfire party started. The pinch of cayenne really adds that special something to this melty, creamy beer cheese. This is best served with toasted baguette, good company, and a cold beer.
Get the Skillet Beer Cheese recipe.
Beer Braised Cabbage
Don’t overlook the humble cabbage! This straight cabbage braise (without meat!) is the perfect way to experience cabbage in all its vegetal glory.
Get the Beer Braised Cabbage recipe.
Pork Schnitzel
There’s not much that rivals a thinly pounded piece of meat, breaded and fried until perfectly golden brown. This recipe for pork schnitzel is just that. Pounding the meat until you have a thin cutlet creates a super tender bite. If you have access to a butcher, you can also ask them to do this for you, getting you one step closer to golden brown perfection when you get home.
Get the Pork Schnitzel recipe.
German Chocolate Cake
German chocolate cake is a sweet chocolate cake that is filled and frosted with rich, sticky coconut, and pecan filling. Despite its name, the cake isn't German at all. In fact, it's an American creation. The cake was originally created using a specific type of chocolate that a chocolatier named Samuel German had created: German chocolate. We call for the use of German chocolate in this recipe (you can find it in most supermarkets), but any chocolate around 48% cocoa will work.
Get the German Chocolate Cake recipe.
Grilled Beer Brats
It takes almost zero cooking skills to get perfectly charred brats topped with flavor-packed caramelized onions and peppers. First, the brats get burnished on the grill, then they finish off in a simmering beer bath alongside the veg. Use whatever beer you like to drink, but not IPAs (India Pale Ales), which are brewed to be hoppy (i.e., bitter).
Get the Grilled Beer Brats recipe.
Bourbon-Vanilla Spritz Cookies
Very similar to sugar cookies, spritz cookies are soft and buttery, and perfect for decorating. They come from the German word "spritzen", which means to squirt—a nod to the process of making these since you load these into a cookie press!
Get the Bourbon-Vanilla Spritz Cookies recipe.
Pork & Sauerkraut
Pork and sauerkraut is traditionally eaten on New Year's Eve as a good luck tradition (may we suggest alongside some black-eyed peas?!), but don't let that not inspire you to eat it throughout the year, too.
Get the Pork & Sauerkraut recipe.
Rye Bread
While you won’t need a stand mixer to make this caraway- and flax-studded rye bread, you will need a bit of patience. There’s not a lot of kneading required for it, so it can be a relaxing baking project for when you’ve got a loose and flexible schedule. And worry not, there’s no need to cultivate a sourdough starter for this bread, because instant yeast will do the trick just fine.
Get the Rye Bread recipe.
Classic Latkes
Why limit these latkes to just the holiday season? We love topping these with sour cream and smoked salmon for an easy weeknight meal. You also can never beat serving these with homemade applesauce for the prime latke experience.
Get the Classic Latkes recipe.
Cucumber Salad
This is one of those classic summer salads that we weren't sure about until we took a bite for ourselves. Now we're hooked on the cucumber slices in a lemon juice, Greek yogurt, and dill dressing. Your BBQ guests will thank you.
Get the Cucumber Salad recipe.
Apple Strudel
Strudel is a layered pastry with all types of gooey fillings. The most popular is apple, and this one is made even more delicious with the addition with cinnamon, lemon zest, and raisins.
Get the Apple Strudel recipe.
Herb Roasted Potatoes
Parsley, rosemary, and thyme are classic and simple ways to season these potatoes, but really, any herbs or spices are welcome here. Try hot smoked paprika and turmeric for spicy, herbal potatoes or za’atar and cumin for floral, smoky potatoes.
Get the Herb Roasted Potatoes recipe.
Sweet Noodle Kugel
Kugel is basically the Yiddish/Jewish word for casserole. And while there are many savory versions (such as this giant-latke-esque potato kugel), we have a soft spot in our hearts for sweet noodle kugel. If you haven't tried kugel before, then this is a great one to start with.
Get the Sweet Noodle Kugel recipe.
Pork Chops with Apples
Delicious pork chops that aren't dry can very much be a thing! These easy pork chops get cooked with apples and onions that provide tons of flavor and then simmered in apple cider for a little sweetness and keeps them from drying out.
Get the Pork Chops with Apples recipe.
Pfeffernüsse
Like gingerbread cookies, pfeffernüsse is a cookie spiked with a spice medley and often rolled in powdered sugar right after baking, like our snowball cookies. Lightly crunchy on the outside and soft and fudgy on the inside, we coat our version with a thick cardamom-flavored glaze that hardens into a candy-like shell.
Get the Pfeffernüsse recipe.
Seared Pork Chops with Apple-Cabbage Slaw
Shake up your usual pork chops with apples with a juicy bone-in pork chop topped with a simple slaw. Serve with a frosty mug of beer and you'll feel like you're in Munich.
Get the Seared Pork Chops with Apple-Cabbage Slaw recipe.
Black Forest Cake
This black forest cake could not be easier. We brush cherry syrup and kirsch between each layer for a rich, decadent touch before topping with a whipped frosting.
Get the Black Forest Cake recipe.
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