During a summer holiday in Hallstatt, I tried Käsespätzle, or Käsespatzen as locals called it. Served hot in a rustic pan, the dish featured tender Spätzle noodles layered with grated cheese and topped with golden fried onions. The waiter explained it was typical Austrian comfort food—and I understood why with my first bite.
One of my favorite memories from our stay in Hallstatt is the afternoon we spent on the Marktplatz, the heart of the village. The square is small, almost intimate, framed by pastel‑colored buildings and crowned with a fountain that seems to hum quietly with centuries of stories. It’s the kind of place where you instinctively slow your pace, breathe a little deeper, and simply take in the charm around you.
Spaetzle ingredients: 3 medium eggs 1/4 cup milk or water (lukewarm) 2 cups all-purpose flour 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg, salt and pepper 
Place milk in a bowl 
Drop eggs in bowl with milk and whisk 
Add nutmeg and salt, pepper to flour 
Combine the egg mixture with the flour and stir Let rest for 1 hr. 
Fill the press with the batter after rinsing with hot water 
Push the Spaetzle dough through the press 
Swipe dough on Spaetzle maker and let drop into simmering water 
Spaetzle batter in medium boiling water, cook until they swim on top 
Place Cheese Spaetzle into the oven and bake 
Place French fried onions on top before finished baking 
Cheese Spaetzle, Kaese Spaetzle
We chose a cozy café with outdoor seating—just a few wooden tables set beneath flower boxes—and ordered something unmistakably Austrian: Käsespätzle. It arrived in a warm, rustic pan, the noodles soft and tender, blanketed with melted cheese and topped with perfectly golden, crispy onions. The aroma alone felt like comfort.
As we ate, we watched life unfold around the square: children chasing pigeons, hikers passing through with backpacks and sun‑flushed faces, and couples lingering over coffee with the lake shimmering just beyond the rooftops. There was something so peaceful about that moment—simple food, simple surroundings, and yet it felt like the essence of Hallstatt itself.
The Käsespätzle was rich and satisfying, the kind of dish that tastes even better when you’re surrounded by mountains and fresh alpine air. It was one of those meals that stays with you, not just because of the flavor, but because of the place, the mood, and the feeling of being tucked into a tiny lakeside village where time seems to move more gently.
Back home, I couldn’t stop thinking about it. I decided to recreate this Alpine classic in my own kitchen. It brings a little taste of the Austria to my table.
🥚 Step-by-Step: Making Käsespätzle from Scratch
1. Prepare the Batter
In a medium bowl, whisk together:
• 3 medium eggs
• ¼ cup lukewarm milk or carbonated water (the bubbles help make the dough lighter)
In a larger bowl, mix:
• 2 cups all-purpose flour (or 80% regular flour and 20% semolina flour)
• ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon ground pepper
Tip: Instead of regular flour, you could mix 80% all purpose and 20% Semolina flour. Instead of water you can use carbonated water.
A Spätzle maker press can be found on Amazon here
Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and pour in the egg mixture. Stir with a wooden spoon until the dough is smooth and elastic. It should be firm but still flow easily. If it’s too thin, add a little more flour. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, or up to 24 hours for deeper flavor.
2. Cook the Spätzle
Preheat your oven to 400°F (200°C). Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and have a bowl of ice water nearby.
Hold a Spätzle maker (or a colander with large holes) over the boiling water. Pour a little hot water over the Spätzle maker first to help the batter slide more easily. If using a Spaetzle press, the dough has to be somewhat thicker.
Add about ½ cup of batter to the Spätzle maker. Use a spatula or spoon to press it through into the simmering water.
Repeat until all the batter is used up. Cook the Spätzle for 2 minutes longer once they float to the top. Then remove with a slotted spoon and transfer the finished Spätzle to the ice water. Swirl gently until the ice melts, then drain and transfer to a large bowl. Toss with 1 tablespoon of oil and season lightly.
3. Layer and Bake
Oil an oven-safe frying pan or casserole dish. Spread a layer of Spätzle in the bottom. Dot it with small pieces of unsalted butter. Sprinkle generously with grated hard cheese; Gruyère, Swiss, or Austrian mountain cheese work beautifully.
Repeat the layers until all the Spätzle and cheese are used. Bake at 400°F for about 20 minutes, until the cheese is melted and the dish is hot and bubbling.
4. Make the Fried Onions
While the Käsespätzle bakes, heat vegetable oil in a medium skillet. Thinly slice 1 white onion and toss the slices in white flour seasoned with salt and pepper. Fry over high heat until golden brown and crisp.
5. Serve with a Finishing Touch
Remove the Käsespätzle from the oven and top with the fried onions. Garnish with chopped chives or parsley and serve immediately—preferably with a green salad and a glass of Austrian white wine.
🧀 Regional Variations Worth Exploring: In Swabia, Käsespätzle are typically made with mountain cheese and/or Emmentaler cheese. In Vorarlberg, however, the preparation varies; you can enjoy Montafon Käsespätzle featuring Montafoner sour cheese, as well as Bregenzerwald Cheese Spaetzle or Käsespätzle made with mountain cheese and Räßkäse.
A Dish That Feels Like a Hug
Recreating Käsespätzle brought back the charm of Hallstatt—the lake breeze, the alpine views, and the warmth of Austrian hospitality. It’s a dish that’s rustic yet refined, perfect for sharing with friends or savoring on a quiet evening.
If you’ve ever had Käsespätzle, you know how delightful it is. If you want to try your hand at this Alpine classic, I hope this recipe brings a little mountain magic to your kitchen.
To serve the authentic Käsespätzle in an oven safe pan that can be bought here on Amazon
Side dishes with Cheese Spätzle is usually Boston lettuce mixture. Applesauce is also common with Käsespätzle in the Vorarlberg Oberland and in Liechtenstein. Leftovers of the Spätzle can be fried with butter in a pan.
Also try another variation like Spinach Spätzle
Cheese Spaetzle (Käsespätzle)
Ingredients
- Step 1: Base recipe batter
- 3 medium eggs
- 1/4 cup milk or water (lukewarm). Preferable is carbonated water.
- 2 cups all-purpose flour (or 80% reg. flour and 20% semolina flour)
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
- Salt and pepper
- Step 2: Stacking the Spaetzle with cheese:
- Casserole dish or oven safe pan
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
- 1 1/2 cups shredded Gruyère cheese (or Swiss if not available)
- 1 cup vegetable oil
- 1 medium onion, preferable white, sliced thin or French Fried Onions
Some Tips for making the perfect Spaetzle dough:
Instead of regular flour, you could mix 80% all purpose and 20%
Semolina flour. Instead of water you can use carbonated water.
If using a Spaetzle press, the dough has to be somewhat thicker.
You will need a Spaetzle maker that you can purchase here on AmazonInstructions
- Whisk the milk, eggs in a medium bowl.
- In a larger bowl mix the flour, dash of nutmeg, 1 teaspoon of salt and 1/4 tsp ground pepper.
- Drop the egg mixture into the middle of the flour (make a groove), stir.
- Beat by hand with a wooden spoon until smooth. It must be firm but easily flowing.
- If the dough is too thin, add some flour.
- Cover and refrigerate the batter for at least 30 minutes (or longer, up to 24 hours).
- Preheat the oven to 400F.
- In a large pot bring salted water to a boil.
- Prepare a large bowl of ice water.
- Hold a Spaetzle maker (or colander with large holes) over the boiling water.
- Before putting the batter on the Spätzle maker, pour some of the hot water over it.
- Add about 1/2 cup of the batter to the Spätzle maker and press it into the simmering water with a spatula or spoon.
- Repeat until all the batter has been used.
- Cook the Spaetzle for 2 minutes longer until they swim on top, then remove with a slotted spoon.
- Transfer the Spätzle to the ice water, swirling the dumplings until all of the ice melts.
- Drain, then transfer to a large bowl.
- Add 1 tablespoon of the oil, season
- Oil an oven safe frying pan.
- Spread the Spätzle in the dish and dot with some cut up butter and grated hard cheese which is alternately stacked.
- Bake 400F for about 20 minutes, or until the Spätzle is hot and the cheese is melted
- Meanwhile, heat vegetable oil in a medium skillet.
- Slice the onion(s) very thin.
- Turn the onions in some white flour, seasoned with salt and pepper.
- Cook the onion slices over high heat until golden brown.
- Lay the fried onions over the Spätzle, some chives or parsley for decoration and serve.
Notes
Cover Spätzle with fried onions and chives for decoration, then serve.
The recipe requires an oven safe (400F) frying pan. Here are some of my picks:
Also known for Kaesepaetzle, Kasspaetzle, Kasespatzle, Käsespätzle
