Buttered Spaetzle
Updated Jan. 15, 2026
- Total Time
- 30 minutes
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
Advertisement
Ingredients
- Salt
- 2cups flour
- ½teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, more to taste
- 3eggs
- 1cup milk, more if needed
- 2 to 4tablespoons butter or olive oil
- Chopped fresh parsley or chives for garnish
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)
402 calories; 16 grams fat; 4 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 9 grams monounsaturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 51 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams dietary fiber; 3 grams sugars; 13 grams protein; 390 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Powered by
Preparation
- Step 1
Set a large pot of water to a boil and salt it. In a bowl, combine flour with pepper and a large pinch of salt. Lightly beat together eggs and milk, and add to flour, stirring. If necessary, add a little more milk until mixture has the consistency of pancake batter.
- Step 2
Scoop a tablespoon or so of batter, and drop it into water; small pieces may break off, but batter should remain largely intact and form a disk. Repeat, using about one-third to one-fourth the batter, depending on the size of the pot. When spaetzle rise to top a couple of minutes later (you may have to loosen them from the bottom, but they will pop right up), cook another minute or so, then remove with a slotted spoon into a bowl of ice water. Repeat until all the batter is used up.
- Step 3
Drain spaetzle; at this point you can toss them with a bit of oil and refrigerate, covered, for up to a day. Heat butter or oil in a large skillet, preferably nonstick, over medium-high heat. When it's hot, add spaetzle a few at a time, and quickly brown on both sides. Serve hot, garnished with parsley or chives.
Private Notes
Comments
These are not spaetzle, but knepfle ("little buttons"), another Alsacian speciality. The dough is the same, but for spaetzle the dough will be either shaved off a special wooden board in thin strips with the help of a large knife (the traditional way) or will be passed through a spaetzle maker or even a spaetzle press (a device like a very large garlic press).
Dropping them from a spoon could get tedious.
My solution was a non-stick pizza pan with large holes.
Just lay it over the pot of boiling water and use a rubber spatula to press the batter into the pot.
It works like a charm and is easy to clean.
Nutmeg is an indispensable ingredient in spaetzle. Has to be there or its a dumpling
When I’ve made this recipe with milk, I’ve found the resulting spaetzle to be too soft. After watching a German grandmother make spaetzle, I subbed water for the milk and the texture is much chewier and in line with my expectations.
Been making this for years. A spaetzle maker is so worth it I think I paid ten dollars on Amazon. I keep my batter a little thick, when cooked put it into a bowl with olive oil and then crisp it up in a cast iron with a touch of parm, parsley and thyme. It is a family favorite. I make a double batch it keeps in the refrigerator and easy to crisp up with a second meal. We make schnitzel sandwiches in the panini makers with pork cutlet, braised cabbage and cheese the perfect left overs.
Best sautéed in butter, tossed with Gruyere and a little bit of Limburger, and topped with masses of caramelized onions That’s the way my Oma made them and served with potato salad on the side She was Schwäbisch, from the heart of Spätzle country