Wurstsalat (German Sausage Salad)
A German Sausage Salad (in this case, pepped up as a Swiss Sausage Salad with plenty of delicious cheese) is the ideal light meal for hot summer days with an ice-cold German beer. Serve it with good-quality rye bread, or make it part of a beer garden feast!
One of my all-time favourite beer garden recipes is also one of the simplest! A Wurstsalat, or sausage salad, is always a feature of beer garden menus. It is a simple mix of luncheon meat, pickles, and onions with a light and tangy dressing.
While this easy salad is popular all over Southern Germany, my go-to is the delicious Swiss variant (Schweizer Wurstsalat), where they load it up with Swiss cheese, too. Yum!
Ingredients
Wurstsalat is made from very simple ingredients, though you’ll need to make allowances as to what is available in your region. To make my Wurstsalat recipe, you’ll need the following ingredients:
- Lyoner: Lyoner is a type of luncheon meat. It can be substituted with bologna, mortadella, or other cooked luncheon meat in the United States or other countries.
- Cheese: In the Swiss version of Wurstsalat, finely sliced Emmenthaler or Gruyere cheese is traditional. If you can’t get this cheese, don’t worry. This salad works perfectly with Gouda cheese, other Swiss cheeses, or mild Cheddar.
- Gherkins: German-style dill pickles are not preserved in a salty brine but in vinegar, giving them a lovely sweet and sour tanginess. If you have trouble locating sour dill pickles, try using French cornichons instead.
- Vinegar: Any good-quality vinegar will be delicious in this recipe. Red wine, white wine, or apple cider vinegar are my favourites.
- Mustard: German mustard is typically mild, like a Dijon without the heat.
- Red Onions: Always add the onions just before serving; otherwise, the flavour can overwhelm the dish.
- Parsley or Chives: I always consider this the ‘salad’ part of this very meaty salad! Load it up with as many fresh herbs as you feel like (though my German family may not agree!). I like to serve plenty of fresh vegetables, such as radishes, on the side to bump up the nutrition as well.
- Bread: Good, crusty bread is vital to serve alongside a German Wurstsalat. Typically, it’s dark, soft-ish rye bread, but any good quality bread will do – or even soft pretzels if you are making a beer garden-style picnic!
Instructions
Wurstsalat is so simple to make, but leaving a little time for the flavours to develop is important.
- First, whisk together all of the dressing ingredients. You can either make this in a jar and shake it all together or whisk it in the serving bowl that you will serve the salad in.
- Next, slice your Lyoner, cheese, and pickles into long strips. If you are using a different type of sausage, such as Regensburger, you can slice it into thin circles instead.
- Then, toss the meat, cheese and pickles with the dressing and transfer to the refrigerator for up to 8 hours to allow the flavours to develop (it is fine to eat after 15 minutes!).
- Just before serving, garnish with red onions and chives or parsley and season to taste with salt, pepper, and a splash of vinegar.
Variations of Wurstsalat
Bavarian Sausage Salad: A Bavarian Wurstsalat, or Bayerischer Wurstsalat, is made with a different type of sausage meat called Regensburger and contains no cheese. Regensburger is a coarser type of sausage that is quite difficult to locate outside of Germany. If you do find it (and it is so tasty!), remove the skin before slicing it.
Swabian Sausage Salad: The Swabian version, or Schwäbischer Wurstsalat, is not for the faint-hearted! It has no cheese but a mixture of Fleichwurst (like Lyoner) and Blutwurst (blood sausage or black pudding!).
What to serve with German Wurst Salat
Typically, Wurstsalat is eaten in a beer garden, so it might be a starter before a Classic Bavarian Pork Schnitzel or Roast Chicken. It could also be served as part of a Brotzeit with Obatzda (Bavarian Cheese Spread), Bavarian Pretzels, and German Potato Salad.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Can I make Wurstsalat in advance?
Yes! It will keep for a day or so in the fridge, just add the fresh herbs and onions shortly before serving and add a splash of vinegar to freshen it up.
Can Wurstsalat be frozen?
No, this recipe is not suitable for freezing.
Is Wurstsalat suitable for a lactose-intolerant diet?
Real Emmenthaler cheese is naturally lactose free, so this is suitable for a lactose intolerant diet.
German Sausage Salad Recipe
German Sausage Salad (Wurstsalat)
One of the ULTIMATE beer garden foods is also the simplest! A German Sausage Salad (in this case, pepped up as a Swiss Sausage Salad with plenty of delicious cheese) is the ideal light meal for hot summer days with an ice-cold German beer. Serve it with good-quality rye bread, or make it part of a beer garden feast!
Ingredients
for the dressing:
- 6 Tbsp sunflower oil, or neutral vegetable oil
- 4 Tbsp white wine vinegar
- 3 Tbsp pickle juice from the jar
- 1 Tbsp mild mustard
- ½ tsp sugar
- ¼ tsp sea salt
- freshly ground black pepper
for the salad:
- 300 g Lyoner sausage, U.S. substitute Bologna / Mortadella
- 150 Emmental cheese, or Swiss-style cheese such as Gruyere
- 100 g German-style dill pickles / gherkins, sliced (see notes)
- 1 large red onion, peeled and sliced
- 1 small bunch of parsley or chives, chopped
to serve:
- German-style rye bread
Instructions
- MAKE DRESSING: Combine all the dressing ingredients in a large bowl and whisk to combine. Set aside.
- SLICE SAUSAGE AND CHEESE: Cut the sausage and cheese into long, thin strips, around 5mm in width. Add to the bowl along with the sliced pickles.
- TOSS SALAD AND ALLOW TO MARINATE: Toss the sausage, cheese and pickles with the dressing, then cover and marinate in the refrigerator for at least half an hour.
- GARNISH AND SERVE: Taste the salad, add a little bit of vinegar or oil, salt, and pepper to taste, garnish with the sliced onions and herbs, and serve with fresh rye bread.
Notes
PICKLES: You need to use German-style pickles in vinegar, as opposed to a salty brine for this recipe.
Recommended Equipment
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Nutrition
Serving: 1bowl | Calories: 591kcal | Carbohydrates: 9g | Protein: 22g | Fat: 52g | Saturated Fat: 16g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 29g | Cholesterol: 80mg | Sodium: 1452mg | Potassium: 320mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 425IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 407mg | Iron: 1mg
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