Käsknöpfle

Name: Käsknöpfle
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 45 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Liechtenstein
Ingredients: 3 cups all-purpose flour; 4 eggs; 1/2 cup milk or water; 1 tsp salt; 2 cups grated Alpine cheese (such as Emmental or Vorarlberger); 2 onions, thinly sliced; 3 tbsp butter; Chopped chives for garnish

4 servings20 min prep25 min cookEasy Liechtenstein

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The Story Behind It

The Tale of Käsknöpfle

Story updated September 17, 2026

Käsknöpfle, small dumplings folded with cheese, is an Alpine mountain-farmer specialty shared across Liechtenstein, Austria's Vorarlberg region, and eastern Switzerland. It was built to be filling and use what mountain farms reliably produced: eggs, flour, and cheese.

Ingredients

Scale:· 4 servings

3 cups all-purpose flour
4 eggs
1/2 cup milk or water
1 tsp salt
2 cups grated Alpine cheese (such as Emmental or Vorarlberger)
2 onions, thinly sliced
3 tbsp butter
Chopped chives for garnish

Instructions

1Combine flour, eggs, milk, and salt into a smooth, slightly sticky spätzle batter, beating well to develop elasticity.
2Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
3Press the batter through a spätzle maker or colander directly into the boiling water, cooking until the small dumplings float to the top.
4Remove the cooked spätzle with a slotted spoon and drain well.
5Meanwhile, melt butter in a pan and cook the sliced onions until deeply golden and caramelized.
6Layer the cooked spätzle with the grated cheese in a warm pot or oven-safe dish, alternating layers, and gently warm until the cheese melts throughout.
7Top the melted cheese-spätzle mixture with the caramelized onions.
8Garnish with chopped chives and serve hot as a comforting main course.

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