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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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
George Shiffler says
Dayam … this is an awesome recipe! I use a bit more broth to thin the sauce a bit and stretch it a bit more. Served it to friends last nite … they immediately wanted the recipe!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Awesome, George, I’m happy to hear that, thank you!
Ross says
Lovely warming flavour. Simple to make and an absolute treat. We couldn’t wait for the day to pass and ate some for dinner but can’t wait to try again once flavours have developed. Delicious and highly recommended.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Ross, thank you!
michele says
Just made this and it tastes just like I remember from festivals in Germany. The only thing I changed is that I used allspice instead of cinnamon/cloves.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Fantastic, Michele, thank you!
Pat says
Damn good! Just got back from Berlin 2 weeks ago, and had curry wurst near the Brandenburg Tor. This recipe is as good as it gets, fantastic!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Fantastic, Pat, thanks so much!
Rae says
I finally had a chance to try currywurst at the Oktoberfest here in Mérida, Mexico, of all places. I fell in love hard. I studied a lot of recipes and decided that this one seemed closest to what I had tasted, a made-from-scratch sauce with complex flavours. This delivered in spades and is extremely close to what I had.
I only had regular old ketchup on hand so I cut down the honey by half and omitted the salt and the sugar. I didn’t have any cayenne and instead added two dried chiles de arból for heat, then forgot to take them out at the puréeing stage, littering my ketchup with super hot seed bombs. So I sieved the ketchup. The onions had broken down so well in the simmering that I had barely any left in my sieve with the remains of the hot peppers, so I didn’t lose any flavour and ended up with a perfectly smooth and well blended ketchup with just enough heat.
I cooled some down to have right away and found the flavours weren’t “curry-ish” enough. But the recipe is correct — the flavours developed overnight and no adjustment was needed. It’s rare to find a recipe I don’t need to adjust. What a treat! Now, I have to find some other uses for it than just bratwursts. Shouldn’t be too hard. :)
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Oktoberfest in Mérida – who knew! That’s terrific, Rae, I’m so glad you enjoyed this sauce and really appreciate the feedback, thank you!
Derek Hooker says
Well, I was volunteered to cook sausage dogs at my works Movember men’s health awareness fund raiser. After recently having traveled to Germany to visit my daughter, I got to experience this fabled Curry Wurst I heard so much about. I had the curry ketchup while in Brussels, Belgium at the Atomium and knew I had to find it in Germany. I did and was pleasantly surprised. Your recipe however made that Curryworst stands staple sauce pale in comparison. I ad libbed a little based on my ingredients on hand but had promised to bring something that nobody had tried before to put on the sausage dogs. You always have the curry haters and those fearful of spicy foods but I had many partakers that loved your recipe. I am sharing it now to those adventurous enough to try making it on their own. I used a Masala Curry from a local Indian market and tossed in a little extra for a stronger curry kick but was very happy with the outcome. I wish I had made more at the time to bottle for home use but I can make it again. Thank you for sharing your recipe.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
How fun, Derek, that’s so awesome that you made this for the fundraiser! I’m so glad you and others enjoyed it and really appreciate the feedback, thank you!