These are the best vegan and gluten-free German Schupfnudeln. These hearty potato dumplings are very popular in Germany and Austria, and they can be combined with lots of savory dishes.
Besides Spätzle and Maultaschen, these German potato noodles are a traditional side dish or main dish in the South of Germany, the Swabian Region (“Schwaben”). They are also called “Fingernudeln” (finger noodles) because they are shaped like fingers.
I love to serve them with homemade Sauerkraut, however, you can also enjoy them with roasted veggies. It’s even possible to eat them sweet with applesauce!
My boyfriend is originally from the “Black Forest” region (“Schwarzwald”). It’s part of the Swabian Region which means that he is very familiar with this delicious dish. We used to buy Schupfnudeln quite often in the store but making them from scratch at home is even better because now we can enjoy them vegan and gluten-free!
Simple Ingredients
The recipe is actually very similar to my Homemade Gnocchi. It’s made with potatoes, chickpea flour, and tapioca flour. I sometimes also add a little powdered vegetable broth (bouillon powder) which adds a wonderful flavor.
As you can see, you only need a few simple ingredients to make these delicious fried vegan dumplings.
A classic Schupfnudel recipe contains potatoes, regular all-purpose flour, and egg yolks. My recipe is not only egg-free and gluten-free, but it’s also grain-free, and protein-rich because of the chickpea flour!
All ingredients and measurements can be found in the recipe card below.
How To Make Schupfnudeln?
Below you can see a couple of process shots. The recipe isn’t complicated at all. All you need to do is boil the potatoes, mash them, and combine all ingredients in a large bowl. Roll the dough into long strands, form into tapered cylinders, then fry in a pan. It’s super easy actually!
PHOTO 1: In the first picture, I mash the cooked potatoes with a potato masher.
PHOTO 2: Next, I combined the mashed potatoes with the flour mixture. Knead with your hands until the dough comes together.
PHOTO 3: You can see how the dough looks like after kneading it for a few minutes. It should be smooth and not dry.
PHOTO 4: In the fourth photo I show how I rolled out the dough into strands.
PHOTO 5: Use a knife to cut the dough into 1 to 1 1/2-inch pieces. Check the next photo below.
PHOTO 6: Roll each piece between your hands into finger-shaped dumplings. It doesn’t need to be perfect, just try to make them a similar size.
PHOTO 7: Heat oil in a pan and add the thick noodles. Fry from one side until nicely browned. Then flip and fry from the other side.
PHOTO 8: Add water to the pan and place a lid on top to steam the dumplings until the water evaporates.
This method is the easiest and turns out great every time. However, it’s also possible to cook the potato noodles in boiling water first until they float to the top. Then remove them from the water with a slotted spoon and fry them in a pan with oil or vegan butter (same as gnocchi). Both options work but the first method is more convenient!
These cute looking German potato dumplings are a wonderful alternative to rice, regular potatoes or pasta. I am sure you will impress your guests with this interesting dish.
Which Type Of Potato?
I prefer Russet potatoes or Yukon Gold potatoes. They should be rather on the starchy side and not waxy. If you use waxy potatoes, the dough will turn out a little sticky. Yukon Gold is probably my favorite potato variety and perfect for this homemade recipe.
Are They Freezable?
Absolutely! I often make a larger batch and freeze half of the potato noodles for later use. You can freeze them on a baking tray. Once they are completely frozen, you can transfer the Schupfnudeln to a container or freezer bag. It works best to fry them in a pan right out of the freezer, no need to let them thaw (they get quite soggy/mushy when you let them thaw).
The Recipe Is:
- Vegan (egg-free, dairy-free)
- Gluten-free
- Grain-free
- Easy to make
- Hearty
- Perfect for dinner, appetizer, side dish
- Can be combined with many dishes
Should you give these homemade German Schupfnudeln a try, please leave a comment and rating below and don’t forget to tag me in your Instagram or Facebook post with @elavegan and #elavegan because I would love to see how your potato dumplings turned out! ????
Make sure to also check out my other traditional German recipes. They are vegan and gluten-free.
Homemade German Schupfnudeln
Ingredients
- 500 g potatoes e.g. Yukon Gold, peeled and chopped
- 3/4 to 1 cup (90-120 g) chickpea flour
- 1/2 cup (60 g) tapioca flour + more for dusting (*see recipe notes)
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- Pinch of nutmeg
- Powdered vegetable broth/bouillon powder (optional)
Instructions
- Peel and chop potatoes, add them to a pot with salted water and bring to a boil. Cook on medium heat for about 15 minutes or until fork-tender, then drain. Transfer back to the pot and mash with a potato masher (don't use a food processor or blender).
- Add 3/4 cup of chickpea flour, the tapioca flour, salt, nutmeg (and the bouillon powder if using) and knead with your hands until a soft dough forms.
- The dough might still be a bit sticky but it should be fine to handle. If the dough is too sticky then add more chickpea flour and knead again. It depends on the type of potato whether you will need 3/4 cup or more chickpea flour.
- Cut the dough into equally sized pieces and dust with a little tapioca flour.
- With your fingers, roll each piece to strands (see step-by-step process shots above in the blog post).
- Use a knife to cut the dough into 1 to 1 1/2-inch pieces.
- Roll each piece between your hands into finger-shaped dumplings. It doesn't need to be perfect, just try to make them a similar size.
- Heat oil in a pan and add the Schupfnudeln. Fry from one side until nicely browned. Then flip and fry from the other side.
- Add 1/2 cup of water to the pan and place a lid on top to steam the dumplings until the water evaporates.
- This method is the easiest. However, it's also possible to cook the noodles in boiling water first until they float to the top. Then remove them from the water with a slotted spoon and fry them in a pan with oil or vegan butter (same as gnocchi). Both options work but the first method is more convenient!
- Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. You can also freeze the potato noodles as described above in the blog post. Enjoy!
Notes
- You can use arrowroot flour or cornstarch instead of tapioca flour. I had the best result with tapioca flour though.
- If you love potatoes, you might also like these Crispy Pan-Roasted Potatoes and Vegan Hash Browns
- Recipe serves 4. Nutrition facts are for one serving.
Nutrition information is an estimate and has been calculated automatically
Simple and Delicious Vegan Cookbook by ElaVeganCLICK HERE to order!If you are using Pinterest, feel free to pin the following photo:
I do not use any oil . Any other suggestions?If I do not fry them but boil them and put tonmatoe sauce on them do you think it will taste ok?
Yes, you can do that. They will have a different texture though (more gooey like gnocchi). Hope that helps. 🙂
These look delicious! I would like to make these but I do not have chickpea flour. Do you think this will work with either almond flour, corn meal, cassava flour or buckwheat flour? I have all 4 of these (now you see why i don’t want to purchase yet ANOTHER type of flour).. Which one would be a best sub for the chickpea flour?
Thanks you 🙂
Hi Melissa! I think buckwheat flour and maybe also cassava flour should work fine! I wouldn’t recommend almond flour. Hope this helps. 🙂
Great recipe, love them … we had them with homemade apple sauce … nom, nom
So glad you loved the recipe, Manuela! I also love the sweet version, so yummy. 🙂
Was kann ich mit den schupfnudeln servieren?
Sauerkraut ist auf jeden Fall Standard wie auch im Blogbeitrag beschrieben. Aber im Prinzip kannst du auch Gemüse dazu essen oder Pilze mit Bratensoße. 🙂
I don’t see how many “fingers” per serving?
Well, I didn’t count them but it’s about 170 grams. 🙂
The recipe worked so well! My boyfriend is from Bavaria and he said they tasted like at home! The only thing is that we ate the Schupfnudeln as a main dish and then we had to make it from double the amount you described for us to be having 4 dishes. Also for people who eat gluten- we made it from a regular flour, but still adding a bit of tapioca and cornstarch and it was perfect! Thank you for your recipes 🙂
My pleasure! I am so glad it turned out delicious, Lucie. 🙂
My late grandmother, from Vienna, used to make these as a sweet treat by frying them then adding sugar, cinnamon and breadcrumbs to the frypan. Schöne Erinnerungen – vielen Dank!! (Nice memories, thanks)!
My pleasure, Donna! I love the sweet version too, it’s very delicious. 🙂
Hi, I was wondering if I could use any other flour instead of chickpea flour or if that would change the consistency, thanks!
oh, I just saw the other question that’s very similar
No worries, Emilie! 🙂
What can we replace chickpea flour with? Almond flour? Or something else?
Lina, I am afraid almond flour won’t work in this recipe. You might try rice flour, however, I had the best result with chickpea flour.
Question can i eat these without steaming them? My family kept asking to eat them before I steamed them. Is that fine for the future? Also it was very tasty, thanks!
Hi Anthony, if you cook them with a little more oil and believe they are cooked through, there is actually no need to steam them. 🙂
Love German Schupfnudeln! ???? Now I‘m hungry ????
You should make them soon, they are so good, dear!
These are to DIE for.
Used a vegan beef stock in place of the vegetable and fried one batch and boiled the other.
Everyone ate them before I could even make the sauce.
Have quadrupled the batch and frozen half.
Amazing Ella- can’t wait for the cookbook!!!
Wow! That’s so amazing, Deborah! I am so glad you all loved the recipe. Thanks for your sweet comment!! 🙂
I made these tonight and they were fantastic! I found them to be a lot easier to work with than gnocchi and made for a heartier meal. I’m often not too fond of the flavor of chickpea flour, but I did not find it to be noticeable or off-putting in this recipe. My family isn’t a big fan of sauerkraut, so I served the schupfnudeln with (vegan) meatballs, mushroom gravy, braised cabbage, and homemade applesauce.
Yay! I am so glad they turned out amazing! Thanks so much for your awesome feedback! 🙂
Wow Becky, you must have been in the kitchen all day long to make all this yummy food for your family! Hope, they appreciated it ; )
do you think I could just use flour as a starch instead? I
The starch will add a great texture, so I wouldn’t recommend skipping it.
Can you air fry??
Not sure, Noelle, as I never tried it! 🙂
I might try that!
Can you freeze these prior to cooking? They are delicious!
Yes, Krisit, and it’s actually mentioned in the blog post. 🙂
I made these tonight. so very good. made a mushroom sauce/gravy with it. I am Estonian by heritage – 1st gen American. my dislike of meat has been an issue for far too long. I love your recipes. No judgement – just good food.
Sounds amazing, Tiina! I am glad you liked the recipe! 🙂
These are soooo good and you can’t tell they are gluten free! These will be a. favorite recipe for years to come! PS We left the potato skins on our Yukons.
I am so glad you like the recipe, Terri! Thank you so much for your great feedback. 🙂
Please don’t not include the Black Forest (Schwarzwald) as part is Swabian. The Black Forest is in Baden.
Part of the Black Forest is in Swabia (Schwäbische Alb = Swabian Jura)! http://media.heimatundwelt.de/omeda/501/100260_020_3.jpg
In German: “Schwaben erstreckt sich über das Gebiet zwischen Schwarzwald, Bodensee, Allgäuer Alpen, Lech, Wörnitz, Hohenloher Ebene und Heuchelberg… Die Grenzen Schwabens werden je nach Sichtweise verschieden ausgelegt…” https://wikitravel.org/de/Schwaben
Hello. Whit what can I replace tapioka flour? Thank you????
Hey Nika! You can use arrowroot flour instead of tapioca flour. Cornstarch might work as well (haven’t tried it yet). 🙂
If using cornstarch how much would you recommend?
Hi Kat, I would use the same amount. 🙂
I made these for dinner tonight. They were pretty easy and simple to prepare. I had some with a tomato garlic sauce for a savory flavor. Then, I had some with maple cinnamon for sweet dessert! They were both delicious! I love how versatile these potato noodles are. I’m not a huge fan of chickpea flour but I honestly can’t even taste it in this recipe, which is great! Thank you, Ela! <3
That’s wonderful! I love the sound of a tomato garlic sauce and maple cinnamon, both sound awesome! Thanks so much for your helpful feedback, Ashley. 🙂
How many pounds is 500g
1 pound is 453g.
So about how many potatoes