Käsespätzle Recipe - Austrian Mac and Cheese

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Käsespätzle Recipe

I can’t say that I’ve never had Austrian food before, because actually I have! I’ve got a recipe for a Classic Wiener Schnitzel here on the blog. That dish was simply refreshing, served with a German style cucumber salad, Gurkensalat! I actually have had Käsespätzle at a restaurant before, which is what inspired me to try making it myself. It was at a fine dining restaurant nearby, and it was paired with some roast chicken. That being said, I’ve not delved much into the world of Austrian cuisine, and I always like to try making food from a new cuisine every month! If Austria is a destination unseen by you, then you definitely need to try this Austrian style mac and cheese though as part of your Live to Cook one-month challenge! Sign up to my email newsletter to get started on your cooking journey today, plus all of my recipes will be sent straight to your inbox!

Now, let me tell you that Käsespätzle is something else. I think what sets it apart from a regular mac and cheese is the homemade spätzle, which you’ll soon see are little egg noodles made from scratch. That, along with the rich cheese and caramelized onions gave a dish that was as rich as a mac and cheese but perhaps less heavy. Perhaps it’s the lack of the béchamel sauce that helped make the Käsespätzle a much lighter treat.

Check out the video to see what mistakes you might be making when making this Austrian comfort food, and a blueprint for guaranteed success! I would really appreciate it if you could please subscribe to my YouTube channel if you haven’t already and hit the bell button so you receive the notifications when my video recipes go live! Let’s get cooking!

Questions You May Have!

Mistakes That You Could Encounter Making This Käsespätzle Recipe

• Wrong batter consistency: You want to look for a batter that’s not too runny and not too stiff either. You know it’s the correct consistency when it pours smoothly and forms ribbons as it falls, without clumping or resisting when pushed through the spätzle maker or colander.
• Using the wrong cheese: Using the wrong cheese can affect both texture and flavor. Go for a good melting cheese like Emmental or Gruyère—something that melts smoothly and creates that rich, slightly nutty flavor and crispy crust. If you can find it, the best option would be Bergkäse. Avoid cheeses that turn oily or don’t melt well.
• Not cooking the onions for long enough: Caramelized onions take time. You’re looking for a deep amber golden brown color and a sweet, jammy texture—this usually takes 20–30 minutes on lower heat. If they’re still pale or sharp-tasting, they’re not ready yet.

Tools Needed to Make This Käsespätzle Recipe

• Butter block
• Salt crock
• Mixing bowl
• Spatula
• Cutting board
• Chef’s knife
• Colander: If you don’t have a spätzle maker, which is the traditional tool to make the noodles. As I mention in my free motivational guide to explore your potential in the kitchen, Make Cooking Fun!, I always recommend using a suitable substitute if you have it on hand. That also applies with kitchen gadgets and appliances, and the colander will be your key here! Place the colander over a pot of boiling water and push the batter through the holes.
• Cheese grater
• Pot
• Non-stick pan

Ingredients for Austrian Mac and Cheese

To save the recipe for later and to see all ingredients and their quantities, scroll to the bottom of this post for the PRINTABLE RECIPE CARD or press the “Jump to Recipe” button. You can also scale the recipe to adjust the quantities based on how many portions of Austrian Mac and Cheese you’re looking to make.

For the Spätzle

• Eggs
• All purpose flour
• Milk: Cold.
• Ground nutmeg
• Salt and pepper: Season to taste.

For the Käsespätzle

• Gruyère
• Butter
• Onion: Thinly sliced.
• Chives: Finely chopped
• Salt and pepper

How to Make the Best Käsespätzle Recipe

For the Batter

In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, nutmeg, salt, and pepper. Gradually add the flour while whisking until a smooth batter forms. The batter should be thick but pourable, forming ribbons when lifted.

Let the batter rest for 10–15 minutes.

Caramelize the Onions

Heat 1 Tbsp butter in a pan over medium heat. Add sliced onions and a generous pinch of salt.

Reduce heat and cook slowly, stirring occasionally, until deeply caramelized and amber brown (20–30 minutes). If bits stick, deglaze with a splash of water.

Set aside.

Cook the Spätzle

Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil. Add 1–2 Tbsp salt.

Using a spätzle maker or colander, press the batter into the boiling water. The dough should fall through easily.

Cook for 1–2 minutes, until the spätzle float. Remove with a slotted spoon and transfer to a bowl.

Repeat with remaining batter.

Assemble & Finish

Heat a pan over medium heat and add remaining butter. Add the cooked spätzle and toss to coat.

Add the cheese, season with pepper, and gently fold until melted.

Let the mixture sit undisturbed so a golden crust forms on the bottom.

Flip or plate crust-side up, then top with caramelized onions, fresh chives and ground pepper.

Serve immediately.

How to Reheat and Serve:

• Reheat the spätzle in a pan with butter until warmed through.
• Add cheese and let it melt, then allow it to crisp up slightly in the pan.
• Top with reheated onions and fresh chives.

Kaesespaetzle, Kasespatzle, or Käsespätzle: One Dish, Several Spellings

If you searched for kaesespaetzle or kasespatzle rather than Käsespätzle, you are in the right place. Those are the same word with the umlauts spelled out (ä becomes ae) or simply dropped, which is what happens when the name gets typed on an English keyboard. On menus outside Europe you will also see it listed as german cheese spaetzle, homemade german spaetzle, or just the german version of mac and cheese.

The dish belongs to an Alpine belt rather than to any one country. As the FAQ above explains, Käsknöpfle comes from Liechtenstein and the neighboring parts of western Austria and Germany. On the German side that means Swabia and the Allgäu region of Bavaria. And both of the cheeses this recipe leans on, Gruyere and Emmentaler, come from Switzerland, which is how an Austrian dish so often ends up being made with Swiss cheese.

What stays the same everywhere is that you make your own spätzle. The homemade spaetzle here are 2 eggs, 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour, 1/2 cup cold milk and 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg. No pasta machine, no special flour, and nothing you cannot pick up at an ordinary grocery store.

What This Käsespätzle Recipe Deliberately Leaves Out

There is no oven in this recipe. It is a stovetop dish from start to finish, and the golden crust forms in the non-stick pan when you let the mixture sit undisturbed. You will not find a casserole dish anywhere in the tools list above, and you do not need one.

There are no package instructions to follow either, because there is no packet. You make the noodles yourself and cook them for 1 to 2 minutes, until they float. If you ever do buy dried spätzle instead of making your own, that is the one time the package instructions apply.

Crispy onions are not what we are making here. The topping is caramelized onions: one thinly sliced yellow onion in butter, the heat turned down, and you stir only occasionally for 20 to 30 minutes until they are amber brown and jammy. Fried crispy onions out of a tin are drier and sharper, and they will not give you the sweetness that balances all that cheese.

Parsley is not the herb, either. This recipe finishes with finely chopped chives, and if you have none, the green tops of a green onion are the closer swap. They are milder, but they keep the clean allium note that parsley would not.

There is also no bacon and no gouda in the recipe as written. Bacon would make it a different dish entirely. Young gouda melts perfectly well, but it is mild and slightly sweet, and it will not give you the nutty depth that Gruyere does. If you do want to change the cheese, the recipe card already lists the two substitutions I stand behind: Emmental for a milder melt, or Comte for something richer and nuttier. The extra flavor in this dish comes from the crust you let form in the pan, not from extra ingredients.

What to Serve With This Austrian Mac and Cheese

This recipe makes 2 servings and takes about 70 minutes in total, 20 minutes of prep and 40 minutes of cooking, most of which is the onions caramelizing while you get on with the batter. It is rich, so a simple green salad alongside is the classic partner: something cold and sharp cuts straight through the cheese and butter. That is a serving suggestion rather than part of the recipe as written, but it is how the dish is usually eaten in the Alps.