There are dishes that feel like home, and for many in southern Germany and Austria, Zwiebelrostbraten is one of them.
This onion-topped roast beef is a staple of Swabian cuisine. It is also beloved in Vienna’s traditional restaurants.
In the Swabian region, the Onion roast beef is often served with Spätzle and is considered a Sunday meal. Regionally, it is also sold under the names “Wiener Zwiebelrostbraten”, “Allgäuer Zwiebelrostbraten” or “Schwäbischer Zwiebelrostbraten”.
Traditionally, it’s served with Spätzle, making it a quintessential Sunday meal — rich, comforting, and deeply satisfying. The dish combines tender slices of medium-rare roast beef with golden fried onions, all brought together by a savory sauce that carries the flavors of wine.
🥩 Choosing the Meat
The preferred cut is Top Round Roast, similar to top sirloin in fat and flavor. For easier slicing, freeze the meat for about two hours before preparation. Once sliced, the beef is seasoned, lightly floured, and quickly fried to seal in flavor.
🍳 Cooking the Beef
Pound the roast beef slices gently, then season with salt and coarse pepper. Dip in flour, then pressing one side down lightly. Heat vegetable oil in a non-coated pan and place the meat with the floured side down first, frying until browned before turning. Once both sides are cooked, remove the slices and keep them warm in the oven.
🧅 Making the Sauce
In the same pan, roast cubed onions until golden brown. Stir in tomato paste if using, then deglaze with red wine, letting it reduce slightly. Pour in beef broth and let the sauce simmer for 15–20 minutes. Depending on your preferred consistency, thicken with flour or starch. Season with thyme or marjoram if desired, and finally stir in cold butter to give the sauce a silky finish.
Briefly return the beef slices to the pan, letting them warm through in the sauce without boiling.
🍽️ Serving
Arrange the beef slices on plates, spoon the sauce generously over them, and crown each portion with a heap of crispy fried onions. Serve alongside Spätzle or potatoes for a truly authentic experience.
🧅 Notes on Fried Onions
While French fried onions can be used for convenience, making them fresh elevates the dish. Slice onions thinly with a knife or mandolin, toss them in flour mixed with paprika, and fry in hot oil until medium brown. Drain well, sprinkle lightly with salt, and let them cool on paper towels. These homemade onions add irresistible crunch and flavor.
Depending on the recipe, the onions also stay in the sauce, which makes them softer. Finally, meat, sauce and onions are served together with side dishes such as fried potatoes, wide ribbon noodles or like in the Swabian region, Spätzle.
🕰️ A Cultural Note on Zwiebelrostbraten
Zwiebelrostbraten isn’t simply a hearty beef dish — it’s a reflection of regional traditions and Sunday rituals. In Swabia, the onion roast beef was long considered a special meal, often reserved for Sundays when families gathered after church. The pairing with Spätzle made it a centerpiece of comfort and celebration, a dish that carried both pride and hospitality.
In Vienna, Zwiebelrostbraten became a restaurant classic, appearing on menus alongside Schnitzel and Tafelspitz. Its appeal lay in the balance of flavors: tender beef, savory sauce, and the irresistible crunch of fried onions. To this day, many Viennese establishments serve it as a house specialty, a nod to the city’s culinary heritage.
Regional variations also tell their own stories. In the Allgäu, the dish often incorporates local cheeses or heartier sides, while in Swabia, the emphasis remains on the perfect Spätzle accompaniment. Each version reflects the landscape and tastes of its region, but the essence remains the same: beef, onions, and a sauce that ties it all together.
Zwiebelrostbraten or Onion Roast Beef
Ingredients
- 4 cups French Fried Onions (or make fresh)
- 1/2 lb Top Round beef roast, cut in 4 slices
- 1 medium onion, cut in cubes
- 1/2 cup red Wine
- 3 cups beef broth
- 1 tbsp tomato paste (optional)
- Dash of salt and coarse pepper
- 3 tbsp vegetable oil
- 2 tbsp cold butter
- 2 tbsp flour/starch for thickening the sauce
- Some Thyme, Marjoram to season (optional)
Fried Onions from scratch:
Cut the onions (1 lb) in rings, very thin with a knife or Mandoline food slicer.
Heat the oil on high in a saucepan.
Mix some flour with a little paprika powder and turn the onion rings in it.
Drop into the hot oil (1 cup) and fry with constant stirring until medium brown.
Lift the fried onions with a sieve, drain well and let cool down, spread out on paper towel.
Sprinkle with salt a little
Instructions
- Pound the Roast Beef slices a little.
- Salt and pepper on both sides and dip in flour on one side, gently pressing it down.
- Heat the oil in a non-coated pan and first place the meat with the floured side down, fry until brown and turn.
- Finish frying the second side, remove and cover or keep warm in the oven.
- For the sauce, roast the onion cubes in the same pan until golden brown.
- Stir in tomato paste, deglaze with red wine, let it boil down and pour in the broth.
- Let it simmer for 15-20 minutes.
- Depending on the desired consistency, thicken with a mixed flour/starch and season to taste. Finally, stir some cold butter into the simmering sauce.
- Briefly cook the roast beef on low in the sauce, but don’t let it boil.
- Arrange on plates, pour the sauce over them and garnish with fried onions.
Notes
Eat with Spätzle or boiled potatoes, or home fries
