A collection of authentic and not-so-traditional German food recipes that you can easily try at home. Rest assured, no hard-to-find ingredients in any of these dishes!
We’ve only lived in Germany for less than a year, but I’ve grown to love German cuisine from the moment we had our first meal at Frankfurt.
So, this continuously growing list of German recipes is my way of sharing with you some of my favorite food from Germany.
A mix of savories and sweets for you to relish and enjoy!
Authentic soups
GULASCHSUPPE (GERMAN GOULASH SOUP)
We all know what goulash is, almost every country in Central (and Eastern) Europe have their own version.
However, this one is lighter and less thick, but still just as satisfying.
So you don’t have to wait for winter to enjoy a warm serving of this traditional dish!
KARTOFFELSUPPE (GERMAN POTATO SOUP)
Potatoes are such an integral part of German cuisine and this creamy soup is a testament to that.
You will taste the potatoes in every spoonful of this soup, not the cream. Plus a hint of sweetness coming from the other (root) vegetables.
Savor this delicious dish as an appetizer, or as a light meal with a piece of bread.
GERMAN LENTIL SOUP WITH FRANKFURTERS
As you can tell by the name, this German recipe is specifically from Frankfurt.
But I have seen other regions serving this soup, with just about any kind of pork sausage that they have.
You get a mix of meat and vegetables with every bowl of this soup. Might be a bit too heavy as an appetizer, but certainly great to enjoy on its own.
Traditional cookies
ELISENLEBKUCHEN (GERMAN FLOURLESS CHRISTMAS COOKIES)
Every region has their own way of making these delectable German cookies.
Made with different kinds of nuts and glazed with sugar or chocolate, both kids and adults will be asking for seconds of these, for sure.
Another type of German cookies that you cannot miss when you walk around Frankfurt’s Christmas market.
With this authentic recipe on hand, you can enjoy this addictive marzipan snack (or dessert) anytime of the year, in the comfort of your own home.
Typical desserts
APFELKUCHLE (GERMAN APPLE FRITTERS)
Some people call these apple donuts, but in Frankfurt (at least), apple donuts are fried doughs with applesauce inside.
Therefore, I am sticking to calling them apple fritters.
These sugarcoated German desserts are also great for snack; and taste heavenly with or without the vanilla sauce.
GERMAN RED WINE & CHOCOLATE CAKE
This one is a traditional German dessert that has evolved over time.
From what I’ve heard, it was just red wine cake initially, then they added cocoa powder, and then they decided to add chocolate chips for intense chocolate flavor.
From my experience, it’s hard to say no to a slice (or two) of this traditional German cake.
BUTTERKUCHEN (GERMAN BUTTER SHEET CAKE)
Hands-down one of the easiest German dessert recipes I have tried.
If you are wary of using yeast, this is a good place to start (in my opinion). You don’t even need a stand mixer to prepare the dough.
I did not have one when we were living in Frankfurt and I was still making this (almost) every weekend.
I initially thought that apple puree is only for desserts. Nope, absolutely not. 🙂
This is an authentic German recipe that you can use as a base flavor and play around with by adding your favorite spices (or other fruits).
If you love German desserts, you should get used to making this from scratch as well.
Marzipan is such a well-loved treat that you find it in most German pastries and sweets.
Trust me, once you’ve made your own, you would not buy the supermarket ones again.
YOU WANT MORE THAN GERMAN CUISINE? THEN CHECK OUT MY WORLD CUISINES COLLECTION!
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