Oktoberfest Recipes

The usually undercooked potatoes and lack of mayo characteristic of German potato salad have usually hindered my appreciation for this dish. So in my version, the potatoes are grilled over some smoky coals until tender. Best enjoyed warm, or at least room temp, this is the perfect addition to a sunny picnic table.

This cool cucumber salad is quick and easy to prepare. It does require at least 2 hours in the fridge for the fullest flavor so plan ahead!

After spending so much money on those Mall bought pretzels, I thought I'd try making some myself. So here's a recipe that has worked for me. These pretzels are a bit sweeter than other types and are buttery. These are great plain with a bit of pretzel salt or coated with cinnamon and sugar. Once finished, dip the hot pretzel in melted butter and coat with your favorite flavors. Enjoy!

A German dish, these sweet dinner rolls are stuffed with ground beef, onion, and cabbage. A great alternative to the Finnish pasty!

This easy German recipe is one of our favorites. Boneless pork chops can also be substituted for veal and taste excellent!

Rabbit stew made with bacon, wine, garlic, shallots, other herbs and spices.

Fun to make, traditional pretzels are great with a nice mug of beer!

This is a delicious dish I ordered again and again when I was stationed in Germany with the Army. It is best served with French fries to clean up the remaining gravy and a nice garden salad.

I came up with this recipe, because simply simmering sausages in beer and onions tasted weak. I was looking for a more intense beer flavor with a little bite, and this is it. A very satisfying dish if you crave German flavor that's Americanized. We love this dish served on potato rolls with spicy hot German mustard, Swiss cheese, and ice cold beer on the side.

Growing up on a lake in the Sheboygan area, this was a standard way that the German folks would grill their brats. We always served them on the old-fashioned hard rolls. By finishing them in the beer sauce they just get better and better. Though it's expensive, on special occasions I use a dark beer which is not German at all: Guinness Irish Stout. Around our house, we eat them with ketchup and mustard, and the cooked onions from the brat sauce.

A delicious, minimal prep recipe to serve as a side dish with dinner, or for company! My husband would live on this if I let him, and our entire family loves it! A slow cooker recipe too easy not to try!

A delicious cheesecake that's so easy to make. Lower in calories, too!

Here is a great recipe for authentic German Sourdough Bread. This bread tastes almost exactly like the bread we buy back home in Bavaria, Germany. There, to this day, they bake their bread in a very old stone oven in the middle of a small village, once every 2 weeks. They bake a whole bunch at once, and then you can buy it and freeze extras until the next baking day. It's the best German bread I know!

Meat rolls filled with bacon, onions and pickles. Delicious, easy recipe learned while visiting Germany.

Currywurst is a popular 'fast food' in Berlin, Germany. It is quick and simple and everyone loves it! If you're in a hurry, you can substitute ketchup for the sauce, or use your own recipe.

Dust off your slow cooker. This recipe is worth it. I love coming home to a waiting meal!

Slightly sweet golden squash is topped with a savory herbed cheese-breadcrumb topping. It's been my signature dish every Thanksgiving for the last 12 years. It takes a bit of work, but it is so, so worth it. Your guests will ask you for the recipe, so be prepared.

Mmmm!! This German dessert is my boyfriend's and my favourite!! It is bread like with a sugary-almond crunchy crust and a vanilla pudding filling! MUST TRY!

Deep fried dumplings with seasoned ground beef. This is a favorite in Germany. Our family is German and my grandfather taught me how to me it! Recipe sounds odd. Take a chance. I guarantee your family will love it!

My mom searched for years for an authentic German cheesecake recipe, but Germans use 'quark', an ingredient not readily available in the U.S. This recipe uses cottage cheese in place of quark and makes its own crust while baking.

Grilled steak with a simple beer marinade!

This is a hearty bread. Mix it in the bread machine (or stand mixer) but bake it in the oven. I recommend baking in the oven instead of the machine because the loaf is fuller and the top is much nicer. I hope you enjoy it.

Pastry baked with a savory beef, onion, and cabbage filling. This is a recipe from my friend's aunt. She served it during Oktoberfest.

Zwiebelkuchen is an onion pie from Swabia, in south-central Germany. It is a special time of year, in the fall, when the mom & pop winemakers will open a BasinWirtschaft in their barn or garage. They serve the new wine, fresh zwiebelkuchen, and perhaps some wurst, for a minimal fee. A few tables are set up, and they are open when they have time to serve. To indicate they are serving, they will hang a straw broom over the doorway. The combination of the onions and the 'green' wine can have explosive consequences later on!