Vegan Spaetzle

Vegan spaetzle - these eggless German noodle dumplings are really quick and easy to make, ready in under 20 minutes!

Serve with cheese sauce and fried onions for the ultimate comfort food meal.

These vegan spaetzle are one of my favourite comfort food meals, and they happen to be really quick to make!

Tender, chewy noodle dumplings with cheesy sauce and crispy fried onions is such a tasty, hearty, hug in a bowl kind of meal

What Are Spaetzle?:

Spaetzle (spätzle) are a type of boiled egg dumpling that are quite pasta-like in taste and appearance.

Typically associated with southern Germany, they are also found across several other central European countries.

Because they are heavily egg based, they aren't the most straight forward thing to veganise! I initially tried using chickpea flour as an egg replacer, this resulted in quite a gluey texture however.

Most of the vegan versions I found online use semolina and starch to replace the eggs. I tried this and it worked extremely well so I've stuck with that for this recipe. Therefore this recipe is inspired by an amalgamation of various other recipes (too many to link to).

What Do I Need To Make Vegan Spaetzle?:

The easiest way to make spaetzle is with a spaetzle maker. There are three different kinds:

• Potato ricer style spaetzle press
• Spaetzle maker pan lid with scraper
• Grater shaped board with pusher

The kind you use is totally up to you, but each one will produce slightly different shaped noodles. I have the pan lid style one, which makes short, button type spaetzle (also called knöpfle). If you want long noodles then go for the press.

Alternatively, you can use the method of scraping portions of the dough off a wooden board into the boiling water. I recommend watching some YouTube videos first if you are going for this method!

For the dough you will need:

Plain flour: Just regular plain (all-purpose) flour is best.I haven't tested them with any other kind of flour.

Semolina: This is what helps to give the dumplings structure and 'bite' without the eggs. Semolina flour is what pasta is made from, so it makes sense to use it for noodle dumplings.

You need fine semolina, if you are only able to get hold of coarse, blitz it in a high powdered blender briefly to grind it a bit finer. There is no substitute for this ingredient that I am aware of.

Potato or corn starch: Either works well though I prefer to use potato. You can also swap it for more semolina.

Milk: Any kind of unsweetened non-dairy milk should be fine but I prefer to use soy.

Oil: I little bit of oil replaces the fat from the egg yolks. I prefer to use olive.

Baking powder: Just a touch to replace the lift from the eggs. You can omit it if you prefer.

Turmeric: This is optional and just helps to give the spaetzle a nice yellow colour in place of the egg yolk.

How To Make Vegan Spaetzle:

(Full measurements and instructions can be found in the recipe card at the bottom of the page)

Mix together the flour, semolina, potato or corn starch, salt, baking powder and turmeric in a large bowl.

Add the oil and gradually whisk in the milk. The batter should be like a thick pancake batter consistency. Beat it well until bubbles start to form.

Heat a large pan of water until boiling. Scoop some of the batter into a spaetzle press and press the spaetzle into the boiling water. If you have one like mine, scoop some of the batter onto the plate and use a scraper to scrape it into the water.

Once the spaetzle float to the top they are cooked.

Skim them off using a slotted spoon and place in a colander. Rinse briefly with cold water. Repeat with the rest of the batter.

To make the cheese sauce, boil the potato, carrot and cashews until the vegetables are soft.

Drain and place in a blender along with the rest of the ingredients and blend until smooth.

Top Tips:

As with all of my recipes I really do recommend using the metric measurements with a digital scale rather than the cup conversions. Cups are a wildly inaccurate measuring system and you will get far better, more consistent results using a scale, not to mention that it is also easier and less messy than cups!

It is best to cook the spaetzle in about 3 batches rather than all at once.

Rinse the spaetzle with cold water once they are cooked to stop them from stricking together.

If you want to add a slight 'eggy' flavour then you can add a pinch of kala namak (black salt) to the dough.

Can I Make Them In Advance?:

Yes, the cooked spaetzle will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.

Reheat in a non-stick pan with a little oil or vegan butter (or you can microwave them).

Can I Freeze Them?:

Yes. Rinse the cooked spaetzle with cold water and drain well. Spread them out on a tray in a single layer and freeze. Once frozen, transfer them to a freezer bag or container.

To reheat, do not defrost, transfer them straight from the freezer to a pan of boiling water and cook until heated through then drain and serve.

How To Serve Vegan Spaetzle:

I like them best served with cheese sauce and crispy fried onions. My cheese sauce recipe is included below and the onions I just buy from the supermarket.

They also work great as a side dish and can simply be tossed with some melted vegan butter. Alternatively you can use them anywhere where you would normally use pasta.

More Vegan Comfort Food Recipes:

• Vegan chilli cornbread pie
• Vegan Swedish meatballs
• Chickpea, leek and mushroom pie
• Vegan pasta bake
• Vegan cottage pie
• Creamy vegetable rice soup
• Vegan mushroom stroganoff
• Vegan chicken potato pie
• Vegan lentil walnut bolognese

If you tried this recipe let me know how it went! Rate it, leave a comment or tag @domestic_gothess on Instagram and hashtag it #domesticgothess

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