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    Home » Main Course

    Best Homemade Currywurst Sauce Recipe

    Published: Oct 27, 2020 · Modified: Nov 22, 2021 by Marita · 10 Comments

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    Let me introduce you to THE ultimate German fast food: The Authentic German currywurst.

    According to Wikipedia 800 million currywurst get eaten in Germany a year! That is a huge amount - on average every German eats 10 currywurst a year. Also, 2 out of 3 Germans believe that currywurst tastes best from an Imbiss Stube (a takeaway kiosk).

    Not everyone has the luxury of being in Germany. Everyone should be able to make currywurst whenever they want. So I decided to share my Homemade Currywurst Sauce Recipe.

    German Currywurst Recipe

    What we will cover in this post:

    • What is currywurst?
    • Which sausage to use for currywurst?
    • About the currywurst sauce recipe
    • How to serve Currywurst the German way?
    • How to store currywurst sauce?
    • More German Street Food Recipes?
    • More Bratwurst Recipes
    • Currywurst and Currywurst Sauce Recipe

    What is currywurst?

    Currywurst is usually a grilled, but sometimes fried bratwurst. The bratwurst is sliced and covered with special sauce. The German curry sauce is called “Curry Ketchup”. The ingredients usually are tomato paste, ketchup and mild curry powder.

    Curry ketchup in German is also called “Gewürzketchup”, which translated means "Spiced Ketchup"
    You usually eat Currywurst with fries or simply a white roll (Brötchen).

    Herta Heuwer invented the currywurst in 1949. She managed to acquire some curry spice, Worchestershire sauce and ketchup from British soldiers and started selling the first curry sausages with curry ketchup at a hut in Berlin-Charlottenburg.

    It is interesting to note that while the currywurst originated in Berlin it spread all over Germany. Currywurst especially gained popularity in Hamburg, Berlin and the Rhur region and they all have different ways on how they prepare their currywurst. So you will find many currywurst recipes all over Germany.

    currywurst with currywurst sauce and fries in the background

    Which sausage to use for currywurst?

    The sausage usually used is the traditional Bratwurst (affiliate link). They are now easily available from Lidl or Aldi and Tesco. You can serve them with and without skin.


    In Berlin, you might find Bockwurst (affiliate link) for currywurst, which is a slightly smoked sausage. You find Lidl Bockwurst in the UK. The currywurst in Berlin tends to get some heat with some chili or cayenne pepper.

    In the Ruhr area, they tend to use bratwurst (affiliate link) which is not smoked but has a stronger taste than the sausages in Berlin. (They also use their local sausages such as Jäger or Zigeuner sausage)

    In Hessen, where I am from, they like to serve Rindswurst (Beef sausage) for currywurst.

    currywurst, curryketchup, beer and curry powder.

    About the currywurst sauce recipe

    The key to making the best currywurst is to have the right recipe for the curry sauce: the curry ketchup. The recipe for curry ketchup tends to be locked away and safely guarded by the owner, so that it is difficult to trace the German curry ketchup back to one original sauce.

    You can cheat and buy curry ketchup ready-made online (affiliate link), but where is the fun in this?

    Curry ketchup tastes sweet with a slightly smoky taste. Obviously, you can taste the curry powder through it all. You sometimes add the curry powder is only on top of the sauce, after serving.

    My currywurst sauce recipe has a slightly sweet and sour flavour. If you don’t like your curry ketchup too sweet, I would go for ketchup with reduced sugar, as you don’t want to miss the flavour of the caramelised onions.

    How to serve Currywurst the German way?

    Serve the sausage grilled or fried. Make sure you cut it into slices. You pour the currywurst sauce over the sausage and then sprinkle some curry powder on top.

    On the street, they will serve you currywurst on a paper plate with some wooden forks. You can find all of these on Amazon (affiliate link) - if you plan to serve it at a BBQ the authentic German way.

    Recently I found some porcelain currywurst plates on amazon (affiliate link), that is a lot more sustainable.

    currywurst at the frankfurt christmas market
    Currywurst that I had at the Frankfurt Christmas Market

    How to store currywurst sauce?

    Store the curry ketchup in an airtight jar for up to a week. The bratwursts themselves once cooked will keep up to a week in the fridge. I recommend storing both separately.

    More German Street Food Recipes?

    • Flammkuchen Recipe (German Pizza)
    • Fischbrötchen (German Fish Sandwish)
    • Bratkatoffeln Recipe (German Home Fries)
    • Kartoffelpuffer (German Potato Pancakes)

    More Bratwurst Recipes

    German Bratwurst Casserole
    Have a look at my Bratwurst Casserole Recipe
    German Currywurst Recipe

    Currywurst and Currywurst Sauce Recipe

    Marita
    Authentic recipe for curry ketchup to make the iconic German currywurst.
    5 from 6 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 10 mins
    Cook Time 10 mins
    Total Time 20 mins
    Course Main Course, Snack
    Cuisine German
    Servings 4 sausages
    Calories 455 kcal

    Ingredients
      

    Sausages for Currywurst

    • 4-6 Bratwurst or Bockwurst

    Currywurst Sauce (Curry ketchup)

    • 1 onion finley diced
    • 500 ml ketchup 2 cups
    • 1 tablespoon tomato paste
    • 2 teaspoon mild curry powder
    • 2 tablespoon olive oil
    • 1 teaspoon brown sugar
    • 1 teaspoon Worcestershire Sauce
    • 3 teaspoon Balsamic Vinegar
    • ½ teaspoon honey
    • 70 ml orange juice (5 tbsp)

    Instructions
     

    Prepare Currywurst Sausages

    • Fry, barbeque or grills the sausages until browned from all sides

    Prepare the Currywurst Sauce

    • Start by frying the onions and brown sugar in the oil until caramelised.
    • Pour in the orange juice and mix in with the tomato paste.
    • Add the ketchup, balsamic vinegar and honey. Bring to boil and leave to simmer for around 3-4 minutes.
    • Season with the curry powder, worcestershire sauce and pepper.
    • If you find the sauce too thick you can thin it with some water or more orange juice.

    Notes

    • The sauce is very sweet. If you don't like it too sweet use reduced sugar ketchup instead. 
    • You can also replace the orange juice with water 
    • You can give the sauce a kick by adding a teaspoon cayenne pepper to the sauce. 
    • The sauce should keep in an airtight container and in the fridge up to a week. 

    Nutrition

    Calories: 455kcalCarbohydrates: 42gProtein: 11gFat: 27gSaturated Fat: 8gPolyunsaturated Fat: 3gMonounsaturated Fat: 15gCholesterol: 49mgSodium: 1741mgPotassium: 757mgFiber: 1gSugar: 33gVitamin A: 743IUVitamin C: 17mgCalcium: 52mgIron: 1mg
    Keyword currywurst, currywurst sauce recipe, german currywurst, german currywurst recipe
    Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
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    Filed Under: Main Course, Soups, Salads & Light Meals

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Bob Parks

      May 30, 2021 at 1:34 am

      5 stars
      I lived in Germany for 3 years while in the Navy. I’ve eaten more currywurst than you could believe but haven’t had it since I left there (about 45 yrs.). Looking forward to trying this.

      Reply
      • Marita

        May 30, 2021 at 5:43 am

        Hi Bob, thanks for your message. That is a long time without currywurst. I hope it is as good as you remember it.

        Reply
    2. Pete McTygue

      November 06, 2020 at 7:13 pm

      5 stars
      Look forward to making it!
      Question: in step 4 you note: "Season with the Chili and Curry Powder, ......."
      I don’t see Chili listed as an ingredient
      Pete

      Reply
      • Marita

        November 06, 2020 at 7:16 pm

        Yes, i see that. I don't know where it came from. I never put any chillies in. But if you want you can give it a kick by adding a tsp cayenne pepper to the sauce. I will update it. Thanks for pointing it out.

        Reply
    3. Nathalia

      October 30, 2020 at 1:43 am

      5 stars

      5 stars
      Looks so great!

      Nathalia | NathaliaFit – Fitness & Wellness Blog
      http://www.nathaliafit.com

      Reply
    4. Jimmy Clare

      October 29, 2020 at 5:05 pm

      I want to try this thanks for sharing

      Reply
    5. Lindsay

      October 29, 2020 at 3:38 pm

      5 stars
      This one is new to me but sounds fun. Seems a little like a BBQ sauce – I think I’d like to try it on grilled chicken!

      Reply
    6. Lisa

      October 29, 2020 at 3:02 pm

      I’ve never heard of currywurst until your post! My family members love bratwurst so we may have to try this sometime. 🙂 Great post!

      Reply
    7. hari

      October 29, 2020 at 2:52 pm

      5 stars

      5 stars
      looks awesome and delicious.
      can’t wait to try.
      yummy and thanks for sharing.

      Reply
    8. Lucy

      October 28, 2020 at 11:40 am

      5 stars
      Yummy!

      Reply

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    Food enthusiast & home cook. I returned to Germany after living in the UK for 20 years. I love making German recipes and exploring the cultural history behind each dish.

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