German Cheese Spaetzle | Vegan, Easy, Homemade

This homemade German Cheese Spaetzle recipe shows you how to make the best egg-less noodle dumplings in only 15-minutes! Serve these quick Spaetzle noodles with my easy vegan mac and cheese sauce, caramelized onions, and mushrooms or with any pasta sauce you like for the ultimate comfort food!

What is “German Spaetzle”?

If you’ve never heard of German Spaetzle, you are in for an amazing treat! It’s a very popular Swabian noodle dish that everyone loves here in Germany and Austria, kids and adults alike!

Unless classic Italian pasta, German Spaetzle noodles are softer and have a wonderful slightly chewy texture. They literally melt in your mouth while still having a tender bite. You’ll also love how quick and easy they can be made at home! So please watch the recipe video below and give these tasty vegan noodle dumplings a try!

Quick and Easy Recipe

This Homemade Vegan Cheese Spaetzle recipe requires only a few simple basic ingredients which you probably already have in your pantry. It’s basically just all-purpose flour, potato flour (also known as “potato starch”), unsweetened non-dairy milk, a little oil and a pinch of salt. That’s all!

The recipe also calls for semolina flour but you can simply use more regular flour or pasta flour if you can’t find it in a store. Since this recipe is actual egg-less, you may want to add a pinch of turmeric for the traditional yellow egg-yolk color. To avoid missing the eggy flavor, feel free to add a pinch of Kala namak.

How to make German Spaetzle

Making vegan Spaetzle from scratch is not as difficult as it may seem! Actually, the dough comes together in only 5 minutes! Then press it into the water like spaghetti and simmer until the noodles rise to the surface. After the pasta has become firm, remove them from the cooking water with a slotted spoon. Now you can serve them with your favorite sauce or as a side to any other dishes! It couldn’t be easier!

Tip: The best way to clean up sticky dough

The viscous dough can become very sticky and difficult to remove from your counter, bowl, spoon, fingers and anything you use. The best way to clean everything is with cold water! It will prevent the gluten in the flour from activating and becoming a sticky gluey sponge.

What do I need to make them?

Spaetzle press, Spaetzle maker, Spaetzle Sieve or Spaetzle Board?

Since Spaetzle are actually “egg noodles” and my recipe obviously does not contain eggs, the consistency slightly differs from the traditional noodle dumplings. So it’s very helpful if you have a kitchen tool on hand to ensure your Spaetzle turn out as perfect as you’d buy them in a store.

A Spaetzle maker or Spaetzle press (Potato Ricer) is not as expensive as a highspeed blender but it allows you to make this cheap homemade noodle dish in under 15 minutes! I personally prefer using a Spaetzle press because the dough comes out like thick spaghetti and I love long noodles that you can twirl on the fork!

Alternatively, you could also use a Spaetzle sieve with scraper or a simple wooden chopping board and scrape off long, thin strips of dough into the boiling water. Since the dough is rather runny and viscous, it may be a little tricky and time consuming when you try it using a board the first time. The result won’t be as perfect as when using a Spaetzle press but they will be delicious no matter how they look!

Easy German Cheese Spaetzle

I love to serve German Spaetzle noodles with my easy Vegan Mac and Cheese Sauce or creamy Mushroom Stroganoff since this is the most common way we use to eat them traditionally here in Germany. However, you can really serve them with any pasta sauce you would also use for Italian pasta. If you’re not into saucy dishes you can also enjoy this Spaetzle as a stir-fry with vegetables or pan-fried in vegan butter with garlic mushrooms and caramelized onions.

To garnish, I highly recommend making my super simple 3-Minute Vegan Parmesan Cheese! The cheesy flavor of the nutritional yeast flakes pairs perfectly with this popular German Spaetzle dish! Also, fresh herbs, such as parsley, thyme or basil make always a great flavorful topping that is healthy, too!

This Homemade German Cheese Spaetzle Recipe is:

• Vegan (egg-free, dairy-free)
• Easy to make
• Inexpensive
• Hearty
• Soft and tender
• A great alternative to pasta, rice, and potatoes
• Can be combined with many dishes
• Perfect as a main course or side dish
• for a delicious lunch or dinner!

How to store and keep German Spaetzle

Feel free to make this German Spaetzle ahead of time! Simply rinse them under cold water after cooking to prevent them from sticking together. When ready to serve, heat them in a pan with a bit of vegan butter or oil and a pinch of nutmeg as desired. You can also freeze them in batches for future meals!

Looking for more traditional homemade comfort food recipes like gnocchi, ravioli or other dumplings? Then you’ll love the following vegan dishes for sure:

• Homemade Vegan Pasta
• Spinach Ravioli with Mushrooms
• Ravioli Pockets (German Maultaschen)
• Vegan Tortellini with Ricotta
• Spinach Pesto Stuffed Gnocchi
• Pumpkin Jumbo Ravioli
• Crispy Pumpkin Gnocchi
• Sweet Potato Gnocchi
• Chinese Dumplings “Gyoza”
• Crispy Baked Vegan Dumplings

If you try this German Vegan Cheese Spaetzle Recipe, please leave me a comment and rating on how you liked these homemade noodles! Your feedback is always very helpful for me and other readers. And if you take a photo of your cheesy noodle dumplings, please make sure to tag me on Instagram @biancazapatka #biancazapatka because I love seeing your remakes! Have fun cooking!

German Vegan Cheese Spaetzle

Author: Bianca Zapatka

This homemade German Cheese Spaetzle recipe shows you how to make the best egg-less noodle dumplings in only 15-minutes! Serve these quick Spaetzle noodles with my easy vegan cheese sauce, caramelized onions, and mushrooms or with any pasta sauce you like for the ultimate comfort food!

4.86 von 7 Bewertungen

Print Pin Review

Prep Time 5 minutes mins

Cook Time 10 minutes mins

Course Appetizer, Lunch & Dinner, Main Course, Pasta, Side Dish

Servings 4 Servings

Ingredients

Vegan Spaetzle

• 3 cups (375 g) + 1 tbsp all-purpose flour or pasta flour
• ⅓ cup (60 g) semolina flour or more all-purpose flour
• ½ cup (75 g) potato flour also called "potato starch"
• 1 ½ tsp olive oil or canola oil
• 1 tsp salt
• ¼ tsp turmeric optional for yellow color
• 2 cups (520 ml) + 2 tbsp soy milk or other unsweetened non-dairy milk

To Serve (optional)

• 1 recipe vegan cheese sauce
• 5 onions sliced
• 17,6 oz (500 g) mushrooms sliced
• 2 tbsp oil for frying
• salt and pepper to taste

To Garnish (optional)

• vegan parmesan
• fresh herbs e.g. parsley, thyme or basil

Instructions 

• Prepare the vegan cheese sauce according to the recipe. Fry the onions in a skillet with hot oil for about 2-3 minutes until slightly softened. Add the mushrooms and cook for another 5 minutes, or until golden brown and caramelized. Then season with salt and pepper to taste.

Vegan Spaetzle

• Put all the ingredients for the spaetzle in a large bowl and mix well with a wooden spoon until a smooth viscous dough is formed. It should be able to drip off the spoon as shown in the recipe video.
• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and press the dough into the boiling water in portions using a spaetzle press. (Alternatively, use a spaetzle maker or sieve a simple wooden board and scrape off long strips of dough into the water. See the video for detailed instruction).
• As soon as the spaetzle rise to the water surface, scoop them out with a slotted spoon. Then drain briefly and rinse under cold water (to prevent them from sticking) or toss immediately with the vegan cheese sauce.
• Serve the cheese spaetzle with caramelized onions and mushrooms. Garnish with vegan parmesan and fresh herbs as desired and enjoy!

Notes

• The viscous spaetzle dough can become very sticky and difficult to clean up but using cold water helps perfectly!
• Homemade spaetzle can only be prepared super quickly if using a spaetzle press. The preparation time may take longer when using a spaetzle sieve, spaetzle grater or wooden spaetzle board.
• Please read my blog post for helpful information before you start with this recipe! Also, tips on making spaetzle ahead can be found in the post above.

Nutrition is calculated automatically and should be used as estimate.

Did you make this recipe?Mention @biancazapatka or tag #biancazapatka!

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