Many favorite German dishes are a natural fit with the Thanksgiving meal, particularly those traditional to harvest season. So, if yours is one of those families whose Thanksgiving tradition allows a little play in the menu, try slipping in one or two of these Thanksgiving recipe ideas from Germany. Your guests will be grateful! And, isn’t that what Thanksgiving is all about?
Of course, you can complement the turkey and please your guests with tried and true German side dishes like Schupfnudeln, a Swabian form of gnocchi; Spaetzle, a specialty from Southern Germany; Grünkohl, green cabbage or kale; Reibekuchen (potato pancakes); Semmelknödel (bread dumplings) or Kartoffelknödel (potato dumplings).
If you want to take a break from green bean casserole at Thanksgiving and try something, well… schnockered, then we suggest a unique side dishe like Tipsy Plum or Cassis Cured Red Cabbage. Just follow the links to those recipes below.
Appetizers
Baked Camembert with Red Currant Sauce
Breaded and baked camembert wedges with warm red currant sauce. Great finger food for a dinner party or cocktail reception.
Pumpkin Crostini
Perfect appetizer for fall and winter entertaining, or a late-day snack.
Zesty Prosciutto-Sauerkaut Rolls (Fruchtig gefüllte Parmaschinken-Röllchen)
A great appetizer with black forest prosciutto rolls stuffed with deliciously mild champagne sauerkraut on a bed of arugula salad.
Herrings with Cream Cheese Sauce
Matjesfilet herrings with blanched apples and onions, sauced with a creamy apple-onion sauce.
Sweet & Sour Pickled Pumpkin
This classic pickled pumpkin recipe is a time-honored and popular German preserve.
Holiday Strudel with Mustard Sauce
A great holiday party treat with German flavors. Strudel with apple, sauerkraut and knackwurst or bratwurst, with a sweet mustard cream sauce.
Side Dishes
Creamy Sauerkraut with Chives
Tangy sauerkraut tempered with creamy crème fraîche. This side dish will complement roast fowl or pork, and also makes a tasty baked potato topping.
Horseradish-Roasted Fall Vegetables
Zesty horseradish nicely balances the sweetness of the squash and apples in this recipe with the wonderful flavors of harvest season.
Creamy Potato Pumpkin Skillet (Sahnige Kartoffel-Kürbis-Pfanne)
Pumpkin and potatoes in a wonderfully rich cream base, enriched with Speck and spiced up with chile, peppercorns, parmesan and arugula.
Cassis-flavored Red Cabbage (Blaukraut mit Cassis)
Red cabbage gets both spiced and spiked in this side dish with the flavors of apple, currant, clove and cinnamon. A great festive side dish for holiday meals.
Tipsy Plum (Beschwipste Pflaume)
Braised spiced plums with wine and brandy makes a side dish that adds some extra spiff and flavor to meals featuring turkey, pork, duck or beef.
Cassis Cured Red Cabbage (Blaukraut mit Cassis)
Fresh or jarred red cabbage gets both spiced and spiked in this side dish with the flavors of apple, currant, clove and cinnamon. A great festive side dish for a year-end meal, such as Thanksgiving dinner, St.Martin’s goose or Christmas dinner.
Schupfnudeln
Like gnocchi, Schupfnudeln are not pasta, but potato based. When crispy fried, this Southern Germany delicacy is the perfect accompaniment to sauerkraut, red cabbage, turkey, duck or pork.
Chef Olaf’s Red Cabbage
A wonderful spice mix reminiscent of German gingerbread spice in this recipe from Chef Olaf turns this fairly simple red cabbage recipe into the epitome of comfort food.
Chef Olaf’s Sauerkraut
Double smoked bacon gives this sauerkraut dish its depth, while fresh apples, juice and spices round off this crowd-pleasing recipe from Chef Olaf.
Red Cabbage Salad (Rotkohlsalat mit Räucherkäse)
A colorful salad for the buffet table that’s great as a festive side dish and hearty enough to be a vegetarian meal.
Desserts
Baked Gingerbread Apples
Baked apples stuffed with chocolate and crumbled lebkuchen (gingerbread), garnished with whipped cream and crystallized ginger.
Baked Apples with Marzipan and Cranberries (Bratäpfel)
Another wonderful version of baked apples stuffed with marzipan and spiced cranberries.
Quick Apple Strudel
A simplified strudel using store-bought phyllo dough.
More to Explore:
Erntedank (Harvest Festival) Traditions
Read about typical German Erntedank (Harvest Festival) Traditions, like the Harvest Queen, Harvest Crown and other celebrations.
