Air Fryers can be found in many households these days. These little gadgets have spread rapidly through German kitchens over the last few years. We love using our Air Fryer to prepare French fries and similar stuff with less fat, but you can actually do so much more with these devices. For instance, they are also excellent for whipping up some delicious Air Fryer Käsespätzle aka. German Cheese Noodles. Yes, you read that right… Käsespätzle!
Käsespätzle is a classic dish from Southern Germany and the Alpine region. If you want to prepare the dish entirely from scratch, you’ve got your work cut out for you, tbh. First, you have to make the noodles – that step alone can take quite a while if you choose to make them from scratch. Then, the onions need to be sautéed, and eventually, the cheese has to come into play as well. All in all, quite some work and time you need to invest.
Fortunately, there is a much simpler and faster way to do it. You just need some ready-made Spätzle (German egg noodles) from the refrigerated section of the supermarket, a big piece of oven cheese and the obligatory onions (plus a few other ingredients). You simply toss everything into the Air Fryer, and in no time at all, you can be shoveling a hearty portion of Käsespätzle onto your plate… Doesn’t sound too bad, right?!
These Air Fryer Käsespätzle are slightly different from the original, of course. The basic ingredients might be similar, but the result is different. Not bad, not worse, just different. You’ll notice this most notably with the onions. In the traditional version, the onions are typically sautéed for quite some time until they are beautifully caramelized and browned. This makes them sweeter and extra delicious. That’s not going to happen here in the air fryer. Sorry.
Personally, this doesn’t really bother us, though die-hard Käsespätzle enthusiasts and alike might take issue with it. In an Air Fryer, the onions will get a little crispy at the most, provided you don’t bury them underneath the cheese… but classic caramelized onions? Not gonna happen.
Of course, you could sauté the onions separately in a frying pan while the noodles and cheese are getting to know each other in the Air Fryer. So, if you absolutely insist on having them that way, it’s certainly something you can do. That said, you’d probably need to start on the onions a bit earlier, as they take quite a while to cook. But still, it’s doable. However, at that point, the dish isn’t quite as simple as it could be…
As for the ingredients – everything should be fairly easy to find in German supermarkets. Nowadays, you can pick up refrigerated Spätzle at just about any supermarket, at any price point. Store-bought or homemade Knöpfle (the smaller version of the egg noodles) would work here as well. As for the oven cheese – you can find that almost anywhere as well. Discounter supermarkets, for instance, often carry cheaper versions…. I know that cheese can be quite pricy in regular supermarkets/shops. Whether cheap or expensive, I definitely recommend opting for a milder variety of oven cheese. An extremely sharp or pungent cheese might just be a bit too much for some palates.
We also have the »original« version of this dish here on the blog, of course. Classic Swabian Käsespätzle (German Mac ‘n’ Cheese) topped with »gschmelzte« (sautéed) onions. It’s an absolutely delicious dish. Though, as mentioned earlier, it’s a bit more labor-intensive than the Air Fryer version. If you have the time, however, it’s certainly worth giving a try!
We also have another dish that is similar to Käsespätzle but with a little twist, for example. We call it Swabian Knöpfle with Gorgonzola & Spinach. It’s an incredibly tasty dish and full of flavors. If you use refrigerated noodles from the supermarket, this dish is also quite simple to prepare and will be on the table in no time.
INGREDIENTS / ZUTATEN
(3 servings)
17.6 oz. (500g) Spätzle (precooked)
0.7 oz. (20g) grated cheese (e.g., Gouda)
1 red onion, cut into rings
1/4 cup (60ml) heavy cream
salt, pepper
1 small oven cheese (6.4 oz./180g)
some chopped parsley (optional)
(3 Portionen)
500g Spätzle (Kühlregal)
20g geriebener Käse (z.B. Gouda)
1 rote Zwiebel, in Ringen
60ml Sahne
Salz, Pfeffer
1 kleiner Ofenkäse (180g)
etwas gehackte Petersilie (optional)
DIRECTIONS / ZUBEREITUNG
1. Peel the onion and cut it into thin rings. Add the spaetzle to the air fryer basket (without any wire rack or similar), then distribute the grated cheese and onion rings evenly on top. Pour the heavy cream all over the spaetzle and season with some salt and pepper.
2. Remove the oven cheese from its packaging and make deep crosswise cuts in the surface. Place it on top of the spaetzle and bake/air fry at 170°C (340°F) for about 15 minutes. Check on it occasionally and gently pull the melted cheese apart. Depending on the power of your air fryer, it may take a little longer (or it may take less time) for the cheese to melt completely.
3. Once the time is up, mix the melted cheese with the spaetzle, then divide it among plates, sprinkle with some chopped parsley (optional), and serve.
1. Die Zwiebel schälen und in feine Ringe schneiden. Die Spätzle in den Korb des AirFryers geben (ohne Gittereinsatz), dann den geriebenen Käse und die Zwiebelringe darauf verteilen. Die Sahne gleichmäßig über die Spätzle gießen und alles mit etwas Salz und Pfeffer würzen.
2. Den Ofenkäse aus der Verpackung nehmen und die Oberfläche kreuzweise recht tief einschneiden. Auf die Spätzle setzen und dann bei 170°C (340°F) für etwa 15 Minuten backen/airfryen. Zwischendurch mal checken und den geschmolzenen Käse etwas auseinanderziehen. Je nach Leistung des Geräts kann es etwas länger dauern, bis der Käse komplett geschmolzen ist (oder auch schneller).
3. Wenn die Zeit abgelaufen ist, den geschmolzenen Käse mit den Spätzle vermengen, dann auf Teller aufteilen, mit etwas gehackter Petersilie bestreuen (optional) und servieren.
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Here is a version of the recipe you can print easily.
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Air Fryer German Käsespätzle aka. Cheese Noodles
- Prep Time: 00:05
- Cook Time: 00:15
- Total Time: 00:20
- Yield: 3 1x
- Category: Hauptmahlzeit
- Method: -
- Cuisine: International
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
A classic German dish but slightly modernized – Air Fryer German Käsespätzle aka. Cheese Noodles are the perfect weeknight dinner done instantly and so good!
Ingredients
17.6 oz. (500g) Spätzle (precooked)
0.7 oz. (20g) grated cheese (e.g., Gouda)
1 red onion, cut into rings
1/4 cup (60ml) heavy cream
salt, pepper
1 small oven cheese (6.4 oz./180g)
some chopped parsley (optional)
Instructions
1. Peel the onion and cut it into thin rings. Add the spaetzle to the air fryer basket (without any wire rack or similar), then distribute the grated cheese and onion rings evenly on top. Pour the heavy cream all over the spaetzle and season with some salt and pepper.
2. Remove the oven cheese from its packaging and make deep crosswise cuts in the surface. Place it on top of the spaetzle and bake/air fry at 170°C (340°F) for about 15 minutes. Check on it occasionally and gently pull the melted cheese apart. Depending on the power of your air fryer, it may take a little longer (or it may take less time) for the cheese to melt completely.
3. Once the time is up, mix the melted cheese with the spaetzle, then divide it among plates, sprinkle with some chopped parsley (optional), and serve.
Notes
Let’s cook something amazing!
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