There’s a reason over 800 million Currywursts are consumed each year in Germany – they’re deeeelicious and have been a German institution since 1949! Learn how to make the BEST authentic curry ketchup and traditional German Currywurst!
In the words of Berlin’s Currywurst Museum director, “No other German dish inspires such excitement.”
The famous Currywurst has been a German institution since its invention in Berlin in 1949 by Herta Heuwer. She lived in the British military sector of Berlin after World War II where some soldiers had given her some ketchup, curry powder and Worcestershire sauce that they brought with them from the UK. She went to work experimenting on a sauce that would provide much needed contrast to the limited post-war rations the people were accustomed to living on, a flavorful spicy sauce poured over Bratwursts hot off the grill that she would patent two years later.
She set up a street stand where construction workers were hard at work rebuilding the war-torn city and in no time the currywurst’s popularity skyrocketed. At its peak she was selling nearly 1500 currywursts per day, or 10,000 per week!
Herta passed away in 1999 at the age of 86 and in 2003 a plaque was dedicated in her honor at the site of her original kiosk on the corner of Kant and Kaiser Friedrich Streets.
Today the curry wurst remains popular throughout all of Germany and can be found at most Schnellimbisse (fast food stands). It’s estimated that roughly 800 million currywursts are consumed in Germany each year with 70 million consumed in Berlin alone! With a population of 3.5 million in Berlin, that’s over 20 currywursts per Berliner per year. Yes, the Germans still love their currywursts. And I stand right along with them because I love them, too!
And if you’re ever in Berlin, under the Magistrate’s Viaduct on the Schönhauser Allee you can still order currywurst from Konnopke’s Imbiss, Berlin’s first and most famous currywurst stand.
Image courtesy Pedelecs by Wikivoyage and Wikipedia via CC licensing
I grew up in Germany eating and enjoying many a Currywurst. Whether I was out shopping, sightseeing, looking for steals at the fleakmarket or hanging out with friends, a stand selling Currywurst is never hard to find.
So thank you Herta Heuwer, thank you to the British soldiers who gave her those first key ingredients, and thank you to the city of Berlin for upholding the Currywurst tradition!
If you want to simply buy German Curry Ketchup you can find it here on Amazon. But the whole reason you’re here is so that you can make your own and that’s a great choice because NOTHING compares to homemade curry ketchup!
This homemade curry ketchup has cracked the code for the perfect ratio of spices and ingredients. Eating this on your grilled Bratwurst will take you down memory lane, recalling the times you enjoyed this fast-food delicacy during your time in Germany. And if you’ve never been to Germany or have never had currywurst, this will help you understand why it’s so popular.
This homemade currywurst sauce represents the very best you’ve ever had – multiplied by several flavor boosts!
Let’s get started!
Heat the oil in a small saucepan and cook the onions just until soft and translucent. Do not brown them. Add the garlic and cook for another minute.
The Curry Ketchup will keep in the fridge for up to a month.
With your amazing curry sauce in hand, the next step is preparing the Bratwursts!
Germany has several kinds of Bratwursts to choose from. Some areas also use Bockwurst, Rotwurst and Weisswurst. I can’t recommend strongly enough using the most authentic German sausages you can find – they taste totally different from what we call Bratwursts here in the U.S.. If you’re lucky you may find a German deli in your city or a butcher who makes genuine German sausages. If not, look for the best sausages from your local butcher, ask them what they recommend.
You can either grill or pan-fry wursts. They need to be poached in lightly simmering water first and then grilled/fried to finish them off.
The important thing is to cook them until they develop a thick and crispy browned outer crust. (So if you’re pan-frying, be sure to use enough oil.) Some curry wurst stands also cut vertical slits along the currywurst to prevent them from bursting open while cooking and then the sausages are sliced along the lines into bite-sized chunks before serving.
Once they’re cooked, slice the sausages into bite-sized pieces, top them with some curry ketchup and sprinkle with curry powder. Serve immediately with French fries or a crispy Brötchen (crispy bread roll).
Currywursts along with the fries/Brötchen are served in paper food trays with currywurst toothpicks.
Guten Appetit!
BEST German Curry Ketchup for Curry Wurst
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/2 cup chopped yellow onion
- 1 small clove garlic
- 1 1/2 tablespoons quality curry powder
- 1 tablespoon quality sweet paprika
- 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 cup natural ketchup
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 5 tablespoons vegetable or chicken broth
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 teaspoon quality Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon prepared yellow mustard
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- pinch of cayenne pepper (optional, for more heat)
- 4 genuine German bratwursts, bockwurst, rotwurst or weisswurst (see blog post about selecting the right sausages)
- extra curry powder for sprinkling
- French fries or crispy bread rolls (Brötchen) for serving
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a small saucepan and cook the onions just until soft and translucent. Do not brown them. Add the garlic and cook for another minute. Add the curry powder, paprika, cloves and cinnamon and cook for 30 seconds. Add all remaining ingredients and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to medium, cover and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Use an immersion blender or transfer to a blender and puree until smooth. Let the mixture cool completely and then refrigerate for a day before using to allow time for the flavors to meld.
- Makes 1 1/2 cups. The curry ketchup will keep for up to a month in the fridge.
- HOW TO MAKE CURRYWURST:
- If the sausages are not pre-cooked, first poach them in lightly simmering water. The next step is to grill/fry them to finish them off. You can either grill or pan-fry the sausages.
The important thing is to cook them until they develop a thick and crispy browned outer crust. (So if you're pan-frying, be sure to use enough oil.) Some curry wurst stands also cut vertical slits along the currywurst to prevent them from bursting open while cooking and then the sausages are sliced along the lines into bite-sized chunks before serving. - To serve, slice the wursts vertically into bite-sized pieces, top with some curry ketchup, and sprinkle with curry powder. Serve with French fries or a crispy bread roll (Brötchen). Currywurst and fries/Brötchen are served in paper food trays and eaten with currywurst toothpicks.
Notes
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Jessica says
I’ve always wondered how to do this! Thank you!
Jacque Hastert says
I can’t wait to make this! Pinning for later.
Julie says
Who knew it was so easy to make! Yum!
Amandaa says
Oh this recipe will come to good use! Thank you for sharing!
Bree says
this looks so tasty – saving for later!
Kristyn says
Homemade ketchup is the way to go! Thank you!!
Chrissie Baker says
An interesting recipe for ketchup. Wonderful combination of ingredients. This is awesome! Yup this looks pretty darn perfect to me. Thank you!
Jennifer says
SO easy!!! Can’t wait to make this!
Toni | Boulder Locavore says
I need to give this a try!
Allyson Zea says
I love me some curry ketchup!!!
SueV says
Now this looks delicious, can’t wait to make the curry ketchup, I make my own Worcestershire, which has more ingredients in it than letters in the words so I have quality on hand as you recommend. The brats look good and love your cooking instructions, I am going to make the whole meal.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Awesome, SueV! I know, I’m envious of your homemade Worcestershire sauce, I can only imagine how good it is!
Krista says
I love trying homemade sauces and this one sounds amazing!
Jessica | Noice Chef says
Now this is a great ketchup recipe!
mimi rippee says
I just printed this. I cannot wait to make it! I know there are people in my family who are strict about their ketchup, but there are also a lot of curry lovers in the fam. Excited!
Arlene Slobecheski says
Oh, now you have my mouth watering and my heart wanting to return to Ludwigsburg to stop at the Bahnhof Wurst Kiosk. Loved the currywurst, the rotewurst and the french fries with mayo. Thank you for the wonderful memories. We still make this here at home but it can never replace the original.
Helga Scott says
Oh my. Just was in Germany for a month and most of the time in Berlin. Love the curry ketchup. Will make tonight to enjoy with our wurst.
Recipe looks amazing! Will serve it also at Birthday party tomorrow for grandson whose family spent a year in Berlin.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
How wonderful! That’s fantastic, Helga, happy cooking and I hope your grandson has a wonderful currywurst birthday! :)
Paul R. White says
I have been eating Curry Wurst since I was in Germany in the mid 60’s serving in the USAF. I use Bratwurst made by Usingers in Wisconsin which is the closest I have found to the brats I fell in love with in Bitburg and Trier. They are real as opposed to the American crap like Johnsonville which is loaded with MSG in an attempt to make them taste good.
I just use ketchup and hot curry powder, but I will be trying this ketchup recipe very soon!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
I’ll bet those are some great memories, Paul. Agreed, absolutely zero comparison with the sausages here. I’ve had to resort to making my own bratwursts – much more work but definitely worth it. When I first moved to the U.S. I made the quick version too with just ketchup and curry but not since developing the “real thing”- again no comparison. I think you’ll really enjoy this!
Herman Mayfarth says
I added:
1 tsp. garam masala for extra heat &
1/4 tsp ground turmeric to bring out the flavors
This is HOT.
Very flavorful, & better alternative to “chile dogs” familiar to those of us from the American Southwest.
Thanks to Paul for tip on “real” bratwurst.
I will have to try some of those.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Awesome, Herman, thanks for the feedback!
Eric B. says
You mention in the preparation adding allspice but it’s not in the ingredients? Did you mean to type “cinnamon”? Thanks for the recipe, can’t wait to try it.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Eric, yes, that should be cinnamon, thanks!
Mercedes says
Yum, this is simmering right now. We won’t have authentic sausages, but I’m sure the sauce will bring us right back to July 22, 2018, when we were in Berlin!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Wonderful, Mercedes, happy eating! :)
Athena Chan says
This is legit curry ketchup! I just made it and it was so flavorful! Perfect for curry wurst!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Awesome, Athena, thanks so much!
Derek says
This looks awesome. I question your measurement of prepared yellow mustard. Just 1/4 teaspoon? Look forward to making this.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Derek, yes, just 1/4 teaspoon. But you can taste it at the end and adjust the flavors according to your preference. I’d recommend waiting at least a day before you try it though because the flavors will develop and become more pronounced over time.
Shucky says
This looks like the best sauce for meats since I found the authentic recipe for Hot Shoppes’ Mighty Mo hamburgers we used to enjoy back in the 50’s…
Anonymous says
This is the real deal. Excellent recipe