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.” That sums up the ever popular Currywurst.
Where Did Currywurst Originate?
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 popularity of the currywurst skyrocketed. At its peak she was selling nearly 1500 currywursts per day, or 10,000 per week!
© Jan Sommer | Dreamstime
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 currywurst 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!
© Sean Pavone|Dreamstime.com
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!
Curry Ketchup Recipe
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.
Currywurst Recipe
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!
For our sausage-making readers, be sure to try our recipe for Authentic German Bratwurst!
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Traditional Currywurst and Curry Ketchup Recipe
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 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
Nutrition
Elaine says
My daughter asked for this curry katsup, came across your recipe,,,,, WOW!!! of course i had to x5 everything so i could can a bunch of it for her! and me too!!! its superb!!! made western chunky katsup for my son too another excellent recipe!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Thank you, Elaine, I’m so happy it was a hit!
Roger says
Where I live in rural south-eastern Wisconsin, finding authentic German sausage isn’t possible. Just east of Lake Geneva, however, there is a store in the non-public part of the building which is a slaughterhouse. They make their own Polish sausage (kielbasa). Which is, for us, as close ad we can get. As for ketchup, I take a short cut and get Heinz Organic through Amazon. It is not available in grocery stores. Am pleased to have found daring gourmet.
Chris says
Hi, this sounds good, would you serve it hot if you’re using it for currywurst?
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Chris, serve it like you would regular ketchup – right out of the fridge or at room temperature.
Mark says
I tried this recipe back in May 2021 when my son came in from Germany for a visit (daughter in law is German). She said the smell and taste was awesome, so it got an actual German stamp of approval, thumbs up. It does bring back memories of when I was stationed in Germany, we used to stop at all the roadside stands and order currywurst.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Fantastic, Mark, I’m happy it was a hit and I appreciate the feedback, thank you!
Ted says
Recipe is dead on from my years in Germany. Just need a Stadt Wurst.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Thanks so much, Ted!
Cas says
Oh my, this is awesome. Reminds me of currywurst I have had in Bavaria, and tastes exactly the same. The flavour definitely develops over time.
Will definitely be making a supply for when the Oktoberfest bier is available to try to recreate the experience
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Thank you, Cas, I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
Zach says
It’s not often I review a recipe, but this is perfect! It’s quick, easy and tastes soooo good!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Thank you so much, Zach, I appreciate that!
Fran says
Made it for the 3rd ti.e for a party…..always get asked for the recipe…super delish
Jim D says
Hello. I happened to stumble on a very nice website. After watching the Currywurst
video, I looked on the internet and well, surprise, it took me to your website. Maybe you have not seen this DW post before. h ttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XAjFBXsW_K0
joel h johansen says
After spending 9 years in Germany, I ached to find a curry katsup. I experimented, then bought a huge container of katsup, heated in a double broiler, added I don’t know, i jar, jar and a half of curry, 2 or 3 pints of honey, let simmer for a while. As a guy, my amounts are always so exact. :-).
let it cool, loaded uo a bunch of smaller bottles, I loved it, my German friend loved it too. I’ll try your recipe and see how it is.
Angelika says
Best recipe for Curry Ketchup on the internet. Living in Germany I had at least once/week Currywurst mit Pommes (French Fries) rot/weiss (Ketchup and Mayo). Every seller understands that order. The Curry Wurst gets the Curry Ketchup and the Fries get the Mayonnaise. Since living in Florida and now Nevada I just couldn’t find the right sausage and after trying several Curry Ketchup recipes I found online, I just gave up. BUT now I found your awesome Curry Ketchup recipe AND I found a great sausage. It’ Boars Head pre-cooked sausage. The sausage looks a little greyish. I fried it in a little bit of oil in a pan until brown and the casing cracks open. I also tried it in my Air Fryer and it’s great as well and I didn’t use any oil. Sausage was nicely browned and casing split. Together with your Curry Wurst just heavenly :) Btw, different regions in Germany use different sausages for their Curry Wurst. I grew up with the pre-cooked sausage while my brother-in-law in Hannover/Germany prefers a different kind. Pretty much what we grew up with and what we prefer.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
That’s awesome, Angelika, thank you so much for the feedback!
Elaine says
Wow, amazing recipe, thankyou so much.
I didn’t have cloves so I improvised with nutmeg as someone suggested. I’d no honey so I omitted that. I added a small squirt of lemon juice just because I felt like it haha.
It definitely improved with the 12 hours in the fridge as you suggested and my daughter loved it so much she begged the leftovers to take home with home with her!