National Dish Liechtenstein: Käsknöpfle (Recipe)
In this article
Käsknöpfle is small dumplings tossed with melted mountain cheese and topped with fried onions. Applesauce goes on the side, which sounds wrong and is correct. It is the dish of the Alpine Rhine valley, shared with Vorarlberg and eastern Switzerland.
About Käsknöpfle
Käsknöpfle is Liechtenstein’s national dish. The dumplings are Knöpfle, meaning little buttons: a soft egg batter pressed through a perforated board or colander into boiling water, where it sets in seconds.
The cheese should be a mountain cheese with some age to it, and there should be a lot of it. The dish is not subtle.
Ingredients (serves 1–2)
- 200 g flour
- 2 eggs
- 150 ml water
- 200 g grated cheese (such as Emmental or mountain cheese)
- 2 onions (for frying)
- Butter, for frying
- Salt and pepper, to taste
Shopping for the ingredients
Use a mix of cheeses: a young mountain cheese for the melt, an aged one for flavour. Appenzeller, Vorarlberger Bergkäse or a mature Gruyère all work. Emmental alone is too mild. A Spätzlehobel or a colander with large holes is the tool.
Preparing the dish
Beat the batter hard until it blisters and pulls away from the spoon, which develops enough gluten to hold the shape. Let it rest twenty minutes. Fry the onions slowly and properly brown, since they are half the dish.
Step-by-step instructions
- In a large bowl, combine the flour with the eggs and water and beat until smooth and glossy.
- Leave the batter to rest for about 30 minutes.
- Meanwhile, fry the onions slowly in butter until deep golden brown.
- Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil.
- Press the batter through a colander or Spätzle board into the boiling water.
- The Käsknöpfle are done once they rise to the surface; lift them out with a slotted spoon.
- Layer the cooked Käsknöpfle in a warm dish with the grated cheese between the layers so it melts.
- Top with the fried onions and serve with applesauce on the side.
Gluten-free / lactose-free version
The batter is wheat and the dish is largely cheese, so it challenges both. A gluten-free flour blend works with a slightly wetter batter. Lactose-free is not really possible while keeping the point of the dish, though aged mountain cheeses contain very little lactose.
Tips for vegans and vegetarians
Käsknöpfle is vegetarian as written. A vegan version with plant cheese is possible but the melt is the whole thing, so expect a compromise. The fried onions and applesauce carry more than you might think.
More tips and tricks
Layer the cheese between the dumplings rather than stirring it in at the end, so it melts evenly instead of clumping. Beat the batter until it blisters. And do not skip the applesauce; the acidity is what makes a very rich dish edible in quantity.
Adapting the recipe to your taste
A green salad with a sharp vinaigrette does the same job as the applesauce. Some households add a little cream. Älplermagronen is the closely related pasta and potato version.
Ingredient substitutions
Bought Spätzle save time and are widely sold. Any good melting mountain cheese works. Milk in place of water makes a richer dumpling.
Drink pairing ideas
A local Vaduzer Blauburgunder, since Liechtenstein does make wine. A crisp Riesling cuts the fat. Apple juice, following the applesauce logic.
Serving and presentation ideas
Serve it in the dish it was layered in, with the onions heaped on top and a bowl of applesauce beside it. A green salad on the side. It is heavy food and portions look smaller than they eat.
A bit of history
The dish belongs to the Alpine Rhine valley rather than to any one country, and Vorarlberg, Liechtenstein and the Swiss canton of St Gallen all claim their own version. Mountain cheese and flour were what was available at altitude. It anchors Liechtenstein cuisine.
More recipe ideas
Summary: Käsknöpfle
Käsknöpfle is small egg dumplings layered with melted mountain cheese and topped with fried onions. Beat the batter until it blisters, layer the cheese, and serve applesauce alongside.
