How to Make A Traditional German Breakfast in the US (2024)

A traditional German breakfast is a wonderful thing. My kids would love to eat this breakfast every day like we did on our spring break trip to Germany.

The best part: it requires very little cooking. However, it’s a little tricky to serve in the US (at least where I live). If you’d like to serve a traditional German breakfast in the US, here’s how.

What is a German Breakfast

Breakfast in Germany, especially on holidays or the weekends, is often a leisurely affair whit families spend considerable time around the breakfast table. Often served outside during nice weather, we love breakfasting like Germans.

What Foods are on a German Breakfast Table

The top components of a German breakfast include:

1. Brötchen (Bread Rolls) – Fresh, crusty rolls often served with a variety of toppings.
2. Bauernbrot (Farmer’s Bread) – Hearty, rustic loaf traditionally made from a mix of rye and wheat flours.
3. Brezeln (German Pretzels) – Traditionally enjoyed with mustard, cheese, or sliced meats, pretzels are a favorite snack and a staple at German festivals and beer gardens.
4. Cold Cuts – A selection of meats such as ham, salami, and liverwurst.
5. Cheeses – Varieties like Gouda, Emmental, and Brie.
6. Boiled Eggs – Served soft or hard-boiled.
7. Spreads – Butter, various jams, honey, and sometimes Nutella.
8. Fresh Fruits – Apples, berries, grapes or whatever happens to be in season.
9. Yogurt and Muesli – For a lighter, more modern touch.
10. Coffee or Tea – Essential beverages to accompany the meal.
11. Vegetables – Sliced cucumbers, tomatoes, and sometimes radishes.
12. Smoked Fish – Salmon or herring, for those who enjoy it.

How to Make A Traditional German Breakfast outside Germany

Serving a traditional German breakfast can be a bit challenging. First, finding authentic ingredients can be difficult. Specialty items like Brötchen, specific cold cuts, and traditional cheeses may not be readily available in standard grocery stores. You might need to visit specialty shops or order online.

Also, American breakfast preferences tend to lean toward sweeter or heavier options, so introducing a lighter, savory meal may not immediately appeal to everyone.

However, with careful ingredient sourcing, you can serve up a fine German breakfast in the US too. And if you have a nice place to eat outside, make sure to cart this to your outdoor table. It tastes even better when eaten outdoors.

German Bread

The most important part of a traditional German breakfast is the bread. In the past it was hard to find good German bread here in the US. But, thanks to options like the Brot Box, it’s become much easier!

In Germany, someone makes a quick run to the bakery in the morning to buy the daily bread. Brötchen rolls are big items on the breakfast menu, but they also serve croissants, pretzels, and baguettes too.

I’ve had some luck making my own artisan bread rolls as an alternative to brötchen, but they just aren’t quite the same. I buy croissants and pretzel rolls at Aldi or Costco and also serve whatever nice seeded bread I find and a sliced baguette.

I’ve also started recently baking my own sourdough bread which comes in second. While I’d much rather go to Germany and have a brötchen, I’m content with my own home baked goodness too!

The Brot Box

Recently I found The Brot Box! Ordering from the Brot Box is a fantastic option for anyone who misses authentic German breads or wants to serve a traditional German breakfast at home.

If you’re looking for high-quality, freshly baked German breads delivered right to your doorstep pop over and check them out!

We were treated to the Brot Box bestseller box and we LOVED it! It arrived quickly and we popped everything right in the freezer. When we wanted to eat the delcious German bread, we simply pull it out of the freezer.

Here are just a few things you can get from the Brot Box:

• Baker’s Rolls “Brötchen”
• Pumpkin Seed Rolls
• Olive Ciabattini Rolls
• Pretzel Sandwich Rolls
• XL Oktoberfest Pretzels
• Stone Oven Bürli Bread
• Swiss Farmers Loaf
• Organic Tuscany Spread
• Mediterranean Spread
• Organic Nuts & Raisins Muesli

Make sure to try Brot Box! You’ll get 10% off your first order if you click through on my Brot Box link!

Meat & Cheese Platter

My kids love that Germans serve sliced meats for breakfast. Salami, leberwurst, kinderwurst (lunchmeat for kids) are all found on the breakfast table. I liked Kinderwurst a lot when I was young but my kids didn’t like it that much so I don’t try to find anything similar here.

If you’re curious, Kinderwurst is similar to mortadella but without the fat cubes, and itcontains a high amount of gelatin to give a moist texture that kids usually like.

Don’t forget the cheese! Germans are quite fond of all types of cheese and serve up a nice assortment at breakfast. Soft cheeses, sliced cheeses, hard cheeses, nothing is off limits on the German breakfast table. The stinky the better!

Eggs & Fruit

The only part of the German breakfast that requires cooking is eggs! Germans love to eat soft boiled eggs with breakfast, and cook eggs in electric egg cookers. Egg cookers require very little effort. They put them in cute little egg cups and eat them with small egg spoons.

My kids think soft boiled eggs are gross, but I like them, probably because I grew up eating them in Germany. There’s also usually an assortment of sliced fruits. Germans are great at eating whatever is in season: cherries, currants, berries, kiwis, oranges, etc.

German Breakfast Spreads

Of course, you have to have spreads for the bread right? Honey, marmalades, real butter, Nutella (I prefer a non-GMO counterpart made byRigoni di Asiago) should all be on your German breakfast table.

I grew up eating Nutella, but in my quest to clean up our diet, I try to find options with better ingredients like NocciolataOrganic Hazelnut Spread from Rigoni di Asiago.

Drinks

No German breakfast is complete without drinks. Germans serve up different types of juices like multivitamin juice, apple, and orange. The multivitamin juice they drink in Germany is mostly fruit based. The closest equivalent I’ve been able to find is this Knudsen Juice. I don’t buy a lot of juice here in the US so my kids were quite thrilled that they got to drink a lot of juice at breakfast. Of course, the grown-ups drink coffee or cappuccino and enjoy life a lot.

And this my friends, is a traditional German breakfast spread! If only I could find a German style bakery in my area, we’d be in heaven. Is this a type of breakfast your family would enjoy?

Want to try some other German Recipes? Here you go!

German Pancakes

German Frikadellen with Pan Fried Potatoes

How to Have a Raclette Party at Home