German Schnitzel (Schweineschnitzel)
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This traditional German Schnitzel recipe, known as Schweineschnitzel, is just the way you know and love it from your favorite German restaurants! Made the way I learned it from my Mutti and Oma, this tutorial includes all the tips and tricks are included for making the absolute PERFECT Schnitzel!
Being from Germany and as much as I love to cook, it would be unforgivably inexcusable, a total outrage, if I didn’t know how to make Schnitzel! After all, it’s one of the most quintessential German dishes. Practically every tourist to Germany has had Schnitzel and most fall in love with it.
Schnitzel vs. Wienerschnitzel: What’s the Difference?
Many people associate Schnitzel with Wienerschnitzel. However, “Wienerschnitzel” is actually a geographically protected term in Germany and Austria and can only be made with veal. German Schnitzel is prepared the same way as Austrian Wienerschnitzel, but the difference is that German Schnitzel, known as Schweineschnitzel, is made with pork instead of veal. As for where the Schnitzel originally came from…the technique of breading and frying thin cuts of meat is attributed to the Romans from around 1 BC. Another factual tidbit: Austrians will be the first to admit that Wienerschnitzel doesn’t come from Wien (Vienna).
But whether it’s Schweineschnitzel or Wienerschnitzel, when it’s perfectly breaded, perfectly fried, and perfectly crispy, practically everyone loves a good Schnitzel! And now you can make it – perfectly – in your own kitchen!
Variations
The most popular variations of Schnitzel are Jägerschnitzel (“hunter schnitzel”) which is served with mushroom gravy, Zigeunerschnitzel (“gypsy schnitzel”), served with a zesty bell pepper sauce, and Rahmschnitzel (“cream schnitzel”) served with a delicious creamy Rahm Sauce. All three are commonly found in German restaurants and are all positively delicious. If you love Schnitzel you have to try them all!
What to Serve with Schnitzel
In Germany, Schnitzel is most commonly served with any of the following:
- French fries
- Spaetzle and gravy
- German Potato Salad
- Creamy German Cucumber Salad
- A leafy green salad
Additional serving options include mashed or roasted potatoes, Sauerkraut, Rotkohl, and roasted or steamed veggies. And if you want to pair it with some non-German sides you can serve it with classics like Creamy Coleslaw, Macaroni Salad, Classic Potato Salad, Baked Potato Wedges, Baked Beans, or Broccoli Salad.
Whichever sides you serve it with, it is commonly garnished with a slice or two of lemon and a sprig of parsley.
Schnitzel Recipe
Let’s get started!
Throughout the pictured recipe steps below, I’m going to share some tips and tricks with you that are important for achieving perfect results – just like the kind you get at a German restaurant.
Pro Tip 1: Pound the meat very thin, no more than 1/4 inch thick. The reason this is important is because you’ll need to fry it at high heat for a short period of time to get that perfect crispy crust without leaving the middle of the meat raw.
The easiest way to pound the pork is to lay it between two pieces of plastic wrap. Be sure to pound them using the flat side of a meat mallet. Lightly sprinkle each side with salt and pepper. Dip the pork into the flour, coating all sides.
Next dip the pork into the egg mixture, coating all sides.
Then coat the pork with the breadcrumbs.
Pro Tip 2: Don’t press the breadcrumbs into the meat. Just softly coat the pork on both sides and all edges, and then gently shake off any excess.
Pro Tip 3: Fry the Schnitzel immediately. Don’t let them sit in coating or the end result won’t be as crispy. You don’t need a ton of oil, but you need enough so that the Schnitzel can “swim”.
Pro Tip 4: Make sure the oil is hot enough – but not too hot. It should be around 330ºF – test it with a candy thermometer. If it’s too hot, the crust will burn before the meat is done. If it isn’t hot enough, you’ll end up with a soggy coating. When the oil is hot enough it will actually penetrate the coating less and you’ll end up with a crispy “dry” coating instead of an overly oily one. The result will be a beautifully crispy coating with a tender and juicy interior, and that’s exactly what we want.
Remove the Schnitzel from the fry pan and place them briefly on a plate lined with paper towels. Transfer them to serving plates and garnish with slices of lemon and fresh parsley sprigs.
Serve immediately with French fries, Spätzle, or German potato salad and a fresh leafy green salad. See blog post above for more serving recommendations.
Enjoy!
For more authentic German recipes be sure to try my:
- Sauerbraten
- Rouladen
- Königsberger Klopse
- Currywurst
- Käsespätzle
- Kartoffelpuffer
- Senfbraten
- Jägerschnitzel
- Maultaschen
- German Potato Soup
- Frikadellen
- German Sauerkraut Soup
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Traditional German Schnitzel (Schweineschnitzel)
Ingredients
- 4 boneless pork steaks or chops, (to make Austrian Wienerschnitzel use thin veal cutlets)
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour combined with 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
- 3/4 cup plain breadcrumbs
- Oil for frying (use a neutral-tasting oil with a high smoke point)
Instructions
- Place the pork chops between two sheets of plastic wrap and pound them until just 1/4 inch thick with the flat side of a meat tenderizer. Lightly season both sides with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
- Place the flour mixture, egg, and breadcrumbs in 3 separate shallow bowls. Dip the chops in the flour, the egg, and the breadcrumbs, coating both sides and all edges at each stage. Be careful not to press the breadcrumbs into the meat. Gently shake off the excess crumbs. Don't let the schnitzel sit in the coating or they will not be as crispy once fried – fry immediately.Make sure the cooking oil is hot enough at this point (about 330 degrees F) as you don't want the Schnitzel to sit around in the coating before frying. Use enough oil so that the Schnitzels "swim" in it.Fry the Schnitzel for about 2-3 minutes on both sides until a deep golden brown. Transfer briefly to a plate lined with paper towels.
- Serve immediately with slices of fresh lemon and parsley sprigs. Serve with French fries, Spätzle or German potato salad, and a fresh leafy green salad.
Video
Nutrition
Originally published on The Daring Gourmet March 12, 2014
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!
Pork Schnitzel, Spatzel & Krautsalate (green sweet & sour cabbage) with onion, mushroom gravy. All wunderbar, my Moms side are of German decent. Thank you for the reminders!
Great recipe and brought back great memories. Making your jaegerschnitzel next with the mushroom gravy. Danke!
Fantastic, Lon, I’m so happy to hear that, thank you!
Delicious!! Swapped Gnochhi for Spatzle. Making it a second time after a week.
Wonderful, thank you so much, Bob, I’m happy you enjoyed it!
Schnitzel perfection! Every bit as good as my favorite Schnitzels in Germany. I was stationed in Ramstein for 4 years and took every opportunity to dive into the local food. I loved it. Now on to try your other German recipes!
Thank you so much, Allen, I’m thrilled to hear that! Happy cooking! <3
Made these for the game on Sunday and served them on hoagie rolls. Rave reviews from everyone. Great schnitzel recipe, I’ve bookmarked to make again.
Fantastic, thank you so much Juanita!
I made these and they were absolutely fantastic. I made a full German spread using your recipes. The ONLY reason I’m giving four stars instead of five is for the confusion factor. Given your instructions, it wasn’t clear to me whether I was supposed to pan fry or deep fry the schnitzels. I admit I didn’t watch the video because I couldn’t get it to load, so my rating may not be completely fair. I burnt the first two schnitzels to a hellish crisp in like five seconds. I was trying to semi-deep-fry them in a 12-inch stainless steel skillet. The oil was way too hot and hard to regulate in such a relatively shallow cooking vessel. I think I should have known better or put more thought into the process and realize the danger in what I was doing. I stepped back, read the instructions again, and re-interpreted them another way. I poured about 3.5 inches of oil into a heavy-bottom pot for safety reasons, heated it up to 330 degrees F anf cut off the eye. I slipped in a properly-breaded schnitzel for about 1.5 minute on each side and they came out gorgeously golden-brown. I don’t know if “deep-frying” (if you consider 3.5 inches deep) is a traditional German method, but it sure did work. Now that I’ve adjusted the recipe for my own understanding, I’m looking forward to making this again and again in the future.
Hi Matt, thank you so much, I’m happy you enjoyed them! I appreciate the feedback. You said you left 4 stars but it was actually 5 :) In any case, I’m sorry if the instructions weren’t very clear. That’s one of the reasons I try whenever possible to include step-by-step photos in my blog post so my readers can have a visual point of reference. You simply add enough oil to the pan so the schnitzels have room to “swim/float up” a bit as they’re frying and not stick to the pan. I always recommend using an instant-read thermometer and once it hits 330 F adjust the temperature controls to maintain it right around there, and check to confirm again with the thermometer before adding the schnitzels. Because yes, as you noted they can burn very quickly if it’s too hot! There’s certainly nothing “wrong” with deep frying them – I’m glad you found a method that worked well for you – it just uses far more oil than is necessary.
one of our families favorite recipe. Jagger schnitzel is amazing too. It’s also great in a big roll with mayonnaise for lunch. I’ve made it with veal, pork, chicken breast, and venison. Sort of like a chicken fried meat but pounded thin. If I have buttermilk in the fridge I add it to the egg mix and double dip. extra thick and crunchy crust.
Thank you so much for the feedback, Pete, I really appreciate it!