There’s a reason over 800 million Currywursts are consumed each year in Germany – they’re delicious and have been a German institution since 1949! Learn how to make the BEST homemade 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!
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.
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!
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! (And for our ultra serious foodies, here is our recipe for do-it-yourself homemade Bratwurst!)
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).
Currywurst along with the fries/Brötchen are served in paper food trays with currywurst toothpicks.
Guten Appetit!
For more delicious German recipes be sure to try our:
- Kartoffelpuffer
- Spaetzle
- Kaesespaetzle
- Schnitzel
- Jagerschnitzel
- Sauerbraten
- Rouladen
- Rotkohl
- Maultaschen
- German Potato Soup
- German Potato Dumplings (Kartoffelkösse)
- Swabian Potato Salad
- Semmelknoedel
- Zwiebelkuchen
- German Bread (Vollkornbrot)
- Obatzda
Homemade Currywurst
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/2 cup chopped yellow onion
- 1 small clove garlic
- 1 1/2 tablespoons quality curry powder
- homemade curry powder (click link for recipe)
- 1 tablespoon 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 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 German bratwursts, rotewurst, bockwurst, or even weisswurst (see blog post about selecting the right sausages)
- homemade bratwursts (click link for recipe)
- 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
Originally published on The Daring Gourmet October 8, 2018
Anonymous says
My husband lived in Germany & loved this I made it for him today & tried it for the first time it is wonderful amazing flavors definitely will make this again!!
Kurt says
Just made this lovely sauce, excellent,will be using this for my home Oktober fest, many thanks. Vielen.danke!! 👍
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Thanks so much, Kurt, I’m happy you enjoyed it!
Todd says
I made this tonight with Bockwurst from Geier’s. It was fantastic. I made the sauce last night as recommended. The only change is that I added a little turmeric. I do have a question: I used red curry, which I am preferential to, although I like all curries. What is the type of curry that is traditionally used in this?
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Awesome, Todd, thanks so much! Yellow curry is standard but certainly feel free to use red. You can also make another batch with yellow and see which one you like best.
Professor Mac says
Excellent recipe and method, though id recommend using freshly home made ketchup too as its a huge part of the dish.
Nutmeg is an alternative to cloves if youre out or running low.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
So glad you enjoyed it, Prof, thank you!
Meg says
Yum! We’re vegetarians, so we served this super-sauce over plain chickpeas that I’d cooked in the pressure cooker. Holy wowzers! I used standard NZ “watties tomato sauce” and mild curry powder. So good, thank you again for another amazingly yummy dish.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Fantastic, Meg, I’m so glad you enjoyed it, thanks for the feedback!
Solvita says
I cooked for the first time and everyone liked it so much. Thanks !! :)
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
That’s fantastic, Solvita, thank you!
Micki Young says
My question is on the curry powder. I make a rice and pea salad with the yellow curry so I was wondering if it is the yellow curry or the red curry for this recipe. My husband spent many years in Germany and just mentioned these so I looked online for a recipe and saw yours had a 5 star rating so this will be the one I use. Thank you!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Micki, you’ll need yellow curry powder for this. Happy cooking! :)
Susan Stewart says
I’m married to a Dutchman and currently living in the US. I lived for 7 years in The Netherlands where Curry Ketcup is also used. I only noticed the real deal recently when the local German shop here was out of the bottled product so she offered me some of her homemade. Wow, a world of difference. So last week I made this and used Brats as well….my husband was licking every drop off the bowl and plate 😆….said I need to make it again. So here I sit writing a review while simmering our second batch! The house smells divine. I used the last of the first batch in and on top of a Turkey Meatloaf last night.
Thanks for sharing…this is a keeper! It’s all I can do to stop him from eating spoonfuls of it. Lol
Susan in Seattle
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
I’m absolutely thrilled that you both enjoyed it, Susan, thanks so much!
Tanya says
Hi, my dad was stationed in Germany in the 70’s and him and his friends have been talking about currywurst and how much they loved them. I’d like to make him this sauce but just a quick question.
When you say prepared mustard, what sort do you mean? Is it like the squirt hog American style mustard or English/Dijon etc?
Thanks!
Can’t wait to try it
Tanya
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Tanya, it’s just referring to regular yellow mustard (you can use either American style or German style). What a treat this will be for your dad, you’ll have to let us know what he thinks when he tries it!
Carie says
I went to Germany in the 1990s and came across a street vendor with brats and this orange/red sauce on it that was amazing! I tried to ask but couldn’t understand. For years afterwards, I attempted to Google by description to no avail. OMG! I think this is it. The ingredients and look match what I remember. Thank you and can’t wait to try this!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
I hope this meets your expectations, Carie, please let us know what you think!
Brittany Smith says
This tastes exactly like the Currywurst I had in Berlin last year! So amazing. Thank you!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
I’m so happy to hear that, Brittany, thank you!
T says
Fantastic recipe! Made it for my boyfriend’s birthday, it’s his favorite.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Wonderful, I’m so glad it was a hit, thank you!
Andrew Smith says
Wow…..just Wow! I served in Germany with the British Army of the Rhine from 1980 until around 1992. I have just made this sauce and now waiting for it to cool before putting in the fridge. Couldn’t resist having a taste or two……it is awesome and appears very close to the real deal. Thank you so much! I will be enjoying currywurst at some point this week. Mmmmm……will I go with fries or brotchen? Decisions, decisions.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Fantastic, Andrew, thank you! You’ll notice the flavor gets even better after a couple of days. So glad you like the sauce and enjoy that Currywurst! :)
Sherie says
The recipes on this site are incredible! Have been to German Christmas markets for the past few years and it’s so wonderful being able to recreate the delicious food that we’ve enjoyed there. German food makes Christmas so special! This was such an authentic currywurst recipe. We had dampfnudeln with cherry compote in Munich which was so delicious…I hope that one day you will post a recipe for this. Thank you for your great recipes!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Thanks so much, Sherie, I really appreciate that! :) I agree wholeheartedly, Christmas in Germany is extra special and part of that is the wonderful variety of German foods. Dampfnudeln filled with berry compote and served with vanilla custard sauce is one of my very favorite Swabian dishes. I will definitely be posting my recipe for it :) Thanks again and Merry Christmas!
Nichole says
How long can this be stored for? We used to frequent a German pub far too often and loved the curry fries! Thinking about making a decent sized batch of this but don’t know how long it will be safe to store, presuming we don’t polish it off with friends quickly ;)
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Nichole, sealed in an airtight container and kept in the fridge it should keep for about a month. Just check it for any signs of mold.