Authentic German Rouladen
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One of Germany’s most famous and delicious dishes, Rouladen (Rinderrouladen) are beef roulades filled with bacon, onions, mustard and pickles, then browned and simmered in the richest gravy imaginable. Mouthwateringly delicious and made the way my Mutti and Oma made it, this authentic Rouladen recipe is the only one you’ll ever need!
The BEST Rouladen Recipe
Growing up in Stuttgart, we regularly enjoyed family dinners with my Oma and Opa. My Oma was famous for her Kasseler, Kartoffelpuffer, Sauerbraten and her Rinderrouladen (beef roulades). When a meal included gravy she always knew to make extra when we came over because I would heap copious amounts of it over my meat, potatoes, Semmelknödel, Kartoffelklöße, Rotkohl, Sauerkraut, you name it. (I still do.) For me the gravy was one of the primary highlights of the meal. Rouladen is one of my all-time favorite German dishes and its accompanying gravy is arguably the king of all gravies. Today I’m sharing my homemade Rouladen recipe with you and I’m confident you’re going to love it as much as we do!
What is Rouladen?
Rouladen is a traditional German dish featuring long, thin strips of meat slathered with mustard and filled with bacon, onions, and pickles. The filling is enclosed by rolling up the meat strips and the roulades are then browned and slow-simmered in a rich gravy.
Beef rouladen are enjoyed throughout the year in Germany but are often associated with Sunday dinners and special occasions like Christmas Eve.
Rouladen Recipe
Rouladen aren’t hard to make, but they do take time. You can shave off some time on the day of your meal by assembling the rouladen ahead of time and chilling them until you’re ready to cook them.
Rouladen are made by spreading some German mustard on thinly cut slices of beef, adding bacon, sliced German pickles and chopped onions. Sprinkle with some salt and pepper and roll them up, securing the rolls with toothpicks or cooking twine. Next you generously fry the rouladen in oil until they’re nicely browned on all sides. They’re then removed and set aside so you can saute the onions and vegetables for the gravy. Add the liquids and spices to the cooked veggies and nestle the rouladen in this mixture to simmer on low until the meat is fork tender. The rouladen are removed, the sauce is poured through a strainer, and the resulting gravy is returned to the pot and thickened. The rouladen are returned to the gravy, heated through and served with Rotkohl and boiled potatoes, Knödel, or Spätzle.
Below I’ve provided step-by-step pictured instructions to ensure your success!
Prepare the slices of beef. They need to be large enough to stuff and roll up, at least 4×6 inches in size and about 1/4 inch thick. This recipe makes 2 rouladen per person. Alternatively you can make larger rouladen and serve one large rouladen per person.
Lay the beef slices out on a work surface. Spread each beef slices with about 2 teaspoons of German mustard and sprinkle with a little salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Place a strip of bacon on each beef slice so it’s running the same length as the beef. Place the sliced German pickles and chopped onions on each beef slice.
Roll up the beef slices, tucking in the sides as best you can and securing the beef rolls with toothpicks or cooking twine.
Heat the butter and oil in a heavy Dutch oven or pot (make sure it’s oven-safe if baking in the oven) and generously brown the rouladen on all sides. Browning them well will ensure a rich and flavorful gravy. Set the rouladen aside on a plate.
*Do not remove the browned bits in the bottom of the pan, it’s key to the most flavorful gravy!
Add the onions to the pot and a little more butter or oil if needed. Cook the onions until softened and translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for another minute. Add the leek, carrots and celery and cook for another 5 minutes. Pour in the red wine, bring to a rapid boil for one minute, reduce the heat to medium and simmer for 2-3 more minutes.
Add the beef broth, tomato paste, bay leaf, salt and pepper. Nestle the rouladen in the pot.
Oven or Stovetop: You can cook the rouladen, covered, on the stovetop on low for about 90 minutes or until fork tender but for the most even cooking we recommend transferring the pot (make sure it’s oven-safe) to the oven preheated to 325 F and cook it there for about 90 minutes or until fork tender.
To Make the Rouladen Gravy:
When the beef is fork tender, remove the rouladen from the pot and set aside. Pour the liquid and vegetables through a strainer and reserve the liquid. (You can set the veggies aside for another purpose, they are yummy. Or you can puree the veggies in the blender and then return them to the gravy.)
Return the strained liquid back to the pot and bring to a simmer. Thicken the gravy either with either a cornstarch slurry (for a clear/translucent gravy) or flour slurry (for an opaque gravy). For a creamy gravy you can also add a few tablespoons of heavy cream at this point. Simmer, whisking constantly, until the gravy is thickened.
Add the chilled butter, whisking constantly, until the butter is melted and incorporated. Add salt, pepper and mustard to taste. Note: If you’d like creamy gravy you can stir in some heavy cream at this point.
Carefully remove the toothpicks or cooking twine from the rouladen and return them to the gravy and heat through.
Can Rouladen Be Made Ahead Of Time?
You can save time by assembling the rouladen in advance and chilling them until you’re ready to cook them. They are also good reheated.
What to Serve With Rouladen
You can pair your Rouladen with any number and variety of sides much like you would a beef roast. Here are some traditional German sides you can pair with your Rinderrouladen:
- Rotkohl (German Red Cabbage)
- Spätzle (German Noodles)
- Semmelknödel (German Bread Dumplings)
- Kartoffelklöße (German Potato Dumplings)
- Kartoffelpuffer (German Potato Pancakes)
- German Potato Salad (Kartoffelsalat)
- Creamy German Cucumber Salad (Gurkensalat)
- Bohnensalat (German Green Bean Salad)
- German Carrot Salad (Karottensalat)
For more authentic German dishes try my:
- Sauerbraten
- Königsberger Klopse
- Käsespätzle
- German Potato Salad
- Senfbraten
- Schnitzel
- Jägerschnitzel
- Schweinshaxe
- Maultaschen
- German Potato Soup
- Frikadellen
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Authentic German Rouladen
Equipment
Ingredients
- For the Rouladen:
- 8 slices top round beef, about 4×6 inches in size and 1/4 inch thick (*see note) (ask your butcher), gently pound the slices with a meat mallet until they're a little thinner than 1/4 inch (be careful not to pound holes into them)
- 1/3 cup German yellow mustard
- 8 slices bacon
- 8 medium German pickles , sliced lengthwise
- 1 medium yellow onion , chopped
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
- For the Gravy:
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 tablespoon cooking oil (I use avocado oil because it's ideal for high heat)
- 1 medium yellow onion , chopped
- 1 clove garlic , minced
- 1 small leek , chopped, rinsed and drained in colander
- 1 large carrot , chopped
- 1 large celery stalk , chopped
- 1 cup dry red wine
- 2 cups strong beef broth
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 4 tablespoons chilled butter
- cornstarch or flour dissolved in a little water for thickening (depending on how much gravy liquid there is you'll need about 1-2 tablespoons of cornstarch dissolved in 2-3 tablespoons of water or 2-3 tablespoons flour dissolved in 1/4 – 1/3 cup water)
Instructions
- Lay the beef slices out on a work surface. Spread each beef slices with about 2 teaspoons of mustard and sprinkle with a little salt and freshly ground black pepper. Place a strip of bacon on each beef slice so it's running the same length as the beef. Place the sliced German pickles and chopped onions on each beef slice. Roll up the beef slices, tucking in the sides as best you can and securing the beef rolls with toothpicks or cooking twine.
- Heat the butter and oil in a heavy Dutch oven or pot (make sure it's oven-safe if baking in the oven) and generously brown the rouladen on all sides. Browning them well will ensure a rich and flavorful gravy. Set the rouladen aside on a plate.
- *Do not remove the browned bits in the bottom of the pan (important for a flavorful gravy): Add the onions to the pot and a little more butter or oil if needed. Cook the onions until softened and translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for another minute. Add the leek, carrots and celery and cook for another 5 minutes. Pour in the red wine, bring to a rapid boil for one minute, reduce the heat to medium and simmer for 2-3 more minutes. Add the beef broth, tomato paste, bay leaf, sugar, salt and pepper.
- Nestle the beef rouladen in the pot. Oven or Stovetop: You can cook the rouladen, covered, on the stovetop on low for about 90 minutes or until fork tender, but for the most even cooking we recommend transferring the pot (make sure it's oven-safe) to the oven preheated to 325 F and cook it there for about 90 minutes or until fork tender.
- To Make the Rouladen Gravy:When the beef is fork tender, remove the rouladen from the pot and set aside. Pour the liquid and vegetables through a strainer and reserve the liquid. (You can eat the veggies on the side or puree them in the blender and then return them to the gravy.) Return the strained liquid back to the pot and bring to a simmer. Thicken the gravy either with either a cornstarch slurry (for a clear/translucent gravy) or flour slurry (for an opaque gravy). For a creamy gravy you can also add a few tablespoons of heavy cream at this point. Simmer, whisking constantly, until the gravy is thickened.Add the chilled butter, whisking constantly, until the butter is melted and incorporated. Add salt, pepper and mustard to taste. Note: If you prefer a creamy gravy you can stir in some heavy cream.Carefully remove the toothpicks or cooking twine from the rouladen and return them to the gravy and heat through.
- Serve the rouladen and gravy with Homemade Rotkohl and either Homemade Spätzle, Homemade SemmelKnödel (or Kartoffelknödel) or boiled potatoes.
Notes
- This recipe makes 2 rouladen per person. Alternatively you can make larger rouladen for one large rouladen per person.
Nutrition
Originally published on The Daring Gourmet October 29, 2019
Hi, I’m Kimberly Killebrew and welcome to Daring Gourmet where you'll find delicious originals, revitalized classics, and simply downright good eats from around the world! Originally from Germany, later raised in England, world-traveled, and now living in the U.S., from my globally-influenced kitchen I invite you to tour the world through your taste buds!
This recipe was just alright. I hadn’t made Rouladen in many years so I thought I’d give this recipe a try. The gravy is what makes it. Wasn’t a fan of the flavour.
Suggested cooking time was way too long. I took it out of the oven after 75min.. and feel they were overcooked. Suggested time was 90 min.
Made this with your spaetzle recipe for my husband’s annual bday German feast and it was all perfect!
I’m so happy to hear that, thank you, Andra! <3
Would your recipe work in a crock pot after the meat was browned?
Hi Joanne, yes that will work!
Fabulous recipe. Prepared exactly as instructed (stovetop and oven) and used the Vitamix to puree the vegetables into the gravy vs straining them out and it tasted very very authentic. I used packaged Milanesa meat and wouldn’t recommend that as the meat was somewhat thinner to work with and there were too many slices that had the entire center piece missing, so I used those to make the Latin American dish Milanesa with those pieces. Next time I will actually order sliced top round from the butcher at Publix at exactly the right thickness. We felt like we were back in Germany again especially for my parents who are 90. It felt like a bit of home for our Christmas Eve dinner with family. Keep the delicious recipes coming!
Thank you ZQ, I’m so happy that you chose to make these for your special Christmas Eve dinner with your parents. I’m thrilled that everyone enjoyed it! <3
I am making this right now, and the smell from the oven is amazing! We’ve had this recipe several times before, and it is exactly like I remember from Germany. We bought the milanesa cuts from Costco, and it is not as convenient as the Rouladen cut meat we were able to buy in Germany, but it works okay. This and Kimberly’s recipe for spaetzle make for the perfect meal!
Happy New Year!
Tom
Thank you so much, Tom, and Happy New Year!! <3
We make Rouladen every Christmas Eve to preserve my husband’s German family tradition. Tried this recipe this year and it deserves 10 stars! Very authentic and delicious. We had to cook some in the oven and some on the stove, and both came out equally sensational! The meat fell apart and the sauce was rich and delicious! I used my emulsifier in the pans to break down the vegetables, and did add some cornstarch/water and a little cream, for a creamy sauce. In the future, I need to calculate my time better for putting them together, cooking, and making sauce. Otherwise, this is a recipe I intend to use for many years and hand down!
I’m so thrilled to hear that, Monica, thank you so much! <3
Hi Kimberly – I really want to make this recipe but I can’t figure out how many pounds of round beef is needed. I’ve looked all through your posting and through comments and no one else seems to have this question. Maybe I’ve overlooked something. I would appreciate an estimate. Thank you.Mary
Hi Mary, the cuts are based on size, not weight, and the size can vary depending on whether you’re serving two smaller Rouladen per person or one larger one. To serve 4 people (2 small Rouladen each) you’ll need 8 slices of top round beef, about 4×6 inches in size and 1/4 inch thick.
Tell your butcher how many people and how many roll ups per person. They will trim up the meat for you with however many slices you need.
I called a local butcher shop and they cut 8 slices for me from a top round roast.They froze it overnight so it was easier to cut, cooking they right now. they look and smell delicious.
Made this tonight and it was excellent! My friend said it was better than her German sister-in-laws. Will make again and again! Heading back to our butcher to buy more tomorrow. Five plus stars!
Thank you so much, Lisa, I’m thrilled it was a hit! <3
This was a delicious recipe. The Rouladen was tender and tasty. My family loved it. The gravy was delicious with the veggies blendered into it. What a smart Idea. Thanks for this recipe. I’ll use it often.
Thank you so much, Iris, I’m happy it was a family hit!