The Wonderful World of Knöpfli and Spätzli

Spätzli and Knöpfli, two forms of fresh noodles or dumplings, are staple foods of the Swiss, especially in the German-speaking area. While we eat them year round, they’re especially popular in autumn, because they go so well with autumn foods like game, hot ham such as Rollschinkli, and red cabbage and caramelised chestnuts. Spätzli and Knöpfli are incredibly versatile and I would strongly recommend making your own, since the homemade ones are so much tastier than the shop-bought variety. This feature is all about Spätzli and Knöpfli – how to make them, and the many ways of eating them.

Spätzli versus Knöpfli

The dough is the same for both. Spätzli are long in shape, Knöpfli are round. Spätzli are made by spreading the liquid-y dough onto a chopping board and then cutting off a little piece with a knife for each single Spätzli, which is a very time-consuming method. Knöpfli (translated: little buttons) are made by pressing the same dough through a sieve with small holes, which is a lot quicker and done in less than a minute. Needless to say, with two small, impatient children at home, I prefer making Knöpfli. While all of the recipes below can be prepared with either Spätzli or Knöpfli, I’m going to refer to Knöpfli from now on.

Knöpfli recipe for four people

Add 300 g of Knöpflimehl to a bowl. (Knöpflimehl is durum wheat flour, which is ideal for making pasta. If you can’t find this type of flour just use plain white flour.) Add 1 ½ tsp of salt, 3 eggs and 1 ½ dl milk and water (a mixture that is three-quarters water, one-quarter milk). Using a whisk or a mixer, mix until the dough is smooth. Then let the dough rest at room temperature for 30 minutes. After letting it rest, bring a pot of water with a little salt to the boil. Press the dough through the Knöpfli sieve or whatever tool you use and cook the Knöpfli for 3-5 minutes. Drain, add a little butter, mix and serve. The traditional Knöplimehl is shown below.  You can vary this basic recipe and use part whole-wheat flour.

A sieve for making Knöpfli:

Pushing the mixture through the sieve into the boiling water:

Boiling Knöpfli:

How to eat Knöpfli

1. With meat or mushrooms and brown sauce: Knöpfli go really well with any meat and sauce. You could try fried chicken breasts with a Goulash-inspired paprika mushroom sauce, Voressen (Swiss beef or veal stew with brown sauce) or any other meat stew, or Zurich Geschnetzeltes (diced veal with brown sauce, recipe here), or the autumn classic – game with brown sauce and red cabbage with caramelised chestnuts. If you want to do it vegetarian, a creamy brown sauce with mushrooms and a little parsley works well too.

2. Knöpfli bake: I often make a double batch of Knöpfli and use the first batch straight away with meat and sauce, and the second batch a few days later as a noodle bake. For the noodle bake, chop and steam vegetables and then mix the Knöpfli with the steamed vegetables, cream, salt and pepper, and some grated cheese on top if you like. Then bake in an ovenproof dish at 200° C for 20-25 minutes. This is a great meal for busy evenings, as you can prepare everything in the morning and put the dish into the oven when you come home in the evening.

3. Coloured Knöpfli: For a bit of a twist, add vegetables to your Knöpfli dough. Blended spinach makes them green, carrot purée makes orange-coloured ones, beetroot makes them red, and adding fresh herbs gives them a further twist. The ingredients for coloured Knöpfli are often a little different from the above basic recipe, so do some research before preparing them. My recipe for green spinach Knöpfli can be found here.

4. Cheesy Knöpfli (Käseknöpfli): A very quick one for cheese lovers. Add the cooked Knöpfli and a good quantity of grated cheese (Appenzeller or Gruyere cheese works very well, or cheddar if you like) to a frying pan, add a dash of milk, cover with a lid and cook for 5 minutes until cheese is melted.

5. Crunchy Knöpfli: This one is great for using up leftover Knöpfli. Add a dollop of butter and the Knöpfli to a frying pan and fry, without a lid, until the Knöpfli are light brown and a little crunchy on the outside. This is not really a recipe but it’s one of my husband’s favourite ways to eat Knöpfli, so others might enjoy it too!

6. Knöpfli pan (Knöpflipfanne): There are hundreds of recipes for this. The general idea is that you cook your Knöpfli in a pan together with other ingredients. An example: in a frying pan, fry some chopped onions and chopped bacon, add the Knöpfli and any steamed vegetables, cover with a lid and cook for 2 minutes, then add some cream, grated cheese, chopped herbs and salt and pepper and mix until cheese is melted.

7. Eggy Knöpfli (Eiernockerln): Eiernockerln are an Austrian specialty. To make this, melt a dollop of butter in a frying pan. Add the Knöpfli and mix until they’re all covered in butter. In a small bowl, lightly whisk 2-3 eggs and pour it over the Knöpfli. Add salt, pepper and any herbs if you like and gently fry the Knöpfli until all egg is cooked through.

Text and photos by Franziska Wick

Originally from Switzerland, Franziska spent 10 years abroad, with the longest stretch of it in London. She’s always been passionate about food and has visited farmers’ markets and attended cooking schools in China, large parts of South East Asia, Australia, North Africa and the UK. Now she’s back in Zurich with her husband and two little girls and blogs about Swiss food and recipes on her blog called Little Zurich Kitchen.