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!
Be sure to also try our Jägerschnitzel smothered in mushroom gravy!
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” served with mushroom gravy), Zigeunerschnitzel (“gypsy schnitzel”, served with a zesty bell pepper sauce), and Rahmschnitzel (“cream schnitzel” served with a rich cream sauce). All three are commonly found in German restaurants and are all positively delicious.
What to Serve with Schnitzel
In Germany, Schnitzel is most commonly served with any of the following:
- French fries
- Spätzle and gravy
- German Potato Salad
- A leafy green salad
Additional serving options include mashed or roasted potatoes, Sauerkraut, German Red Cabbage, and roasted or steamed veggies.
Non-German sides that pair well with Schnitzel include:
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.
Expert 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.
Expert 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.
Expert 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”.
Expert 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 our:
- Sauerbraten
- Rouladen
- Spaetzle
- Currywurst
- Käsespätzle
- German Potato Salad
- Kartoffelpuffer
- Senfbraten
- Jägerschnitzel
- Maultaschen
- German Potato Soup
- Frikadellen
- Creamy German Cucumber Salad
- German Sauerkraut Soup
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
Cindy says
When we travelled to Europe, my husband loved the Schnitzel in Germany. I followed your recipe in full and he raved about it! Loved it! I will be making it again. I also cooked my chicken this way but seasoned it. Fantastic! Thanks for sharing this recipe! 🤗
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
I’m so glad, Cindy, thank you!
Alexandra says
Hello! Thank you for great recipes! I will make schnitzels for dinner this weekend and would like to have it as authentic to a german dish as possible. The thing is that I would like to have some kind of sauce to the schnitzels and potatoes. I live in Sweden and here we use to serve the schnitzels with red wine sauce but since I want it like it is served in Germany I wonder what sauce would you would recommend? Is there some kind of sauce that is more common to schnitzels in the German cuisine? Regards Alexandra
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Alexandra, there are a few varieties of Schnitzel in Germany that are served with different sauces. The most popular one is a mushroom gravy and the dish is known as Jägerschnitzel. Here is the recipe link: https://www.daringgourmet.com/authentic-german-jagerschnitzel-hunter-schnitzel-with-mushroom-gravy/ Happy cooking! :)
Kathy says
I have had it in a German restaurant in Chicago with a light lemon sauce and capers, similar to chicken piccata, which was also good.
I tried this schnitzel recipe tonight and my husband loved it. He said I could have pounded the pork a little thinner, so I said next time he can pound it.
Served it with warm German sweet and sour potatoes and red cabbage.
Kat says
They look so yummy! I am so going to try this
Emily Stimpson says
Make perfect Schnitzel!
Blake says
These were fantastic…..have now made them several times.
Every Sunday my parents and I “go to”a different country for lunch. When we cooked from Austria we tried the Schnitzel….it was great.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Thank you, Blake, I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
Adi says
Awesome recipe. I’d like to make it again for guests but would want to fry them slightly ahead of serving so that I could tidy the kitchen Is there a good way to keep them warm and crispy?
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Adi, unfortunately not. Once they’re fried they will become soft quickly and lose their crispiness. They should be served straight out of the pan if possible or if you need to cook them in batches you can keep them in a warmed oven but only for a few minutes while you’re frying the remaining batch.
Heidi says
My sister in law is allergic to eggs. Can I use unflavored almond milk instead? Going to try this with eggless spaetzle and red cabbage. Hopefully everything will work right. My cousin who lives in Germany suggested using some of the oil to make some gravy.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Heidi, I haven’t tried it but Cook’s Illustrated recommends using heavy cream over other egg replacement alternatives such as milk, yogurt, gelatin or powders. They say that heavy cream is the most effective in helping the bread crumbs to adhere.
Heidi says
I tried it, and it worked perfectly. She’s allergic to eggs, and I have a hard time with dairy, so it was a good compromise.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Fantastic, Heidi, thanks so much for the update!
Lori says
I love trying the recipes. My friends love when i share them on facebook. Thank you so much.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Thank YOU, Lori, and thanks also for sharing my blog with your friends <3
Wendy says
Es lo que en España se llama “filete empana’o (empanado)y en Argentina (milanesa),me encantan. Siempre tengo 4 ó 5 en el congelador por algún imprevisto. Los saco, los frío y aquí todos comemos ja ja ja ja
Callie says
Mine also slides off and I do use a non stick pan… I do my work on the pork early in the day and then put it in the fridge .. all covered up. I was told that doing this helped all breading stay on.
Stephanie Wallace says
Excellent recipe, made it with the Jagerschnitzel sauce from this site. Both were excellent. Lived in Germany in Junior High and High school -Zweibrucken. The recipe is easy and came out perfectly, My children and husband also enjoyed.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
I’m so glad it was a family hit, Stephanie, thank you!
Thomas says
Comments about bland: I always make my own bread crumbs from scratch. To the crumb mixture I add salt, pepper, onion powder, and garlic powder. Great parsley and lemon. Delicious.
Jennifer says
I have only pinned three recipes in my life and this is one of them! Seriously amazing! My family eats at a local German restaurant at least once a month and we were devastated when it closed. I went online and found this recipe to try to get us through the dry spell and it was fantastic! As good as the restaurant and much, much cheaper to make at home. Definitely going into the at home dinner rotation.
Thank you for sharing the recipe! The only good thing to come out of a stay-at-home-order. 😂
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Jennifer, I am absolutely thrilled to hear that, thank you so much for the compliment and for your feedback! <3
Stuart Carroll Greer says
What oil did/do you use? I followed the link in the recipe and all the healthy oils they mention aren’t recommended for frying. Would love to introduce my young kids to one of the best meals on earth! :)
Thanks in advance for your response, and thanks so much for posting this recipe!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Stuart, I personally use avocado oil for high heat frying but you can use canola oil which is pretty standard.
Judy says
Looking forward to trying this on the weekend with some pork sirloin chops I picked up on special today. We used to get a side dish called “butter potatoes” with the weinerschnitzel from a German restaurant where we lived previously. They were cooked cubed potatoes in a creamy buttery sauce but not scalloped potatoes. Would like to make those as well and would appreciate a recipe if you have one.