German Sausage salad (Wurstsalat) is a hearty salad made with sausage, pickles, onion and a quick vinaigrette. This traditional German snack is tasty, packed with flavor and incredibly easy to make. Only 5 minutes of prep!
Wurstsalat was one of my favourite dishes when I grew up in Germany. I think most kids like sausages, my young German self included. The idea alone that a salad can contain sausage rather than lettuce was heaven!
Of course, sausage salad was not invented in my family home. It is a classic German recipe that is popular across Bavaria and Southern Germany as well as in the Alsace region, Switzerland and Austria.
Sausage salad is often served as part of a Brotzeit ("bread time", a traditional southern German savoury snack). You will find it on beer garden menus and it is a staple at Oktoberfest.
Basically, German sausage salad is the perfect solution when you feel like meat, but don't want to cook. Even better, this recipe is also naturally low-carb and high in protein.
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Why This Recipe Works
Great Taste and Texture: Sausage salad tastes delicious. It is tangy, meaty and packed with rustic, robust flavors. I also love the combination of textures. The crunch of the pickles and onion complements the soft sausage.
Family-Friendly: This recipe tends to be a winner for both children and adults. It is a quick snack or lunch that you can assemble in minutes. It is filling and super satisfying. You can eat it on its own or as a sandwich topping.
Budget-Friendly: The ingredients in a wurst salad are inexpensive. That said, I do recommend buying quality sausage. Cheap sausage brands are full of additives and contain as little as 50% meat.
Ingredients
Let's talk about the ingredients you'll need for this traditional German Salad:
Pork Sausage
Lyoner wurst is the traditional sausage for Wurstsalad. It is a finely ground, parboiled and smoked sausage that is made with pork, bacon, garlic and spices.
Lyoner sausage is really tricky to find outside Germany. That's why I used a Polish sausage called Podwawelska. You can get it in most supermarkets in the UK.
Podwawelska (a type of Kielbasa) tastes very similar to Lyoner. It has the same pleasantly smokey, garlicky flavor. The only difference is that it is medium coarse instead of finely ground.
The brand I buy is Krakus (available at Tesco and Sainsbury's). It contains 93% pork and it has a natural casing, just like Lyoner.
In the US, classic Italian Bologna (also called Baloney or Polony) is also a good alternative. Another option is bratwurst. And even in Germany people often use Fleischwurst or Bierwurst in their salad.
Tip: Buy a sausage with a high percentage of meat. The sausage is the main ingredient and you will enjoy the salad so much more if it has a proper meaty flavor and texture. Always check the label!
Gherkins
My go-to for pickles is cornichons. These small French gherkins are the only pickles I have found that are preserved without sugar.
Of course, you can use classic German Gewรผrzgurken, which are sweet and sour dill pickles. When I grew up, we always had Kรผhne gherkins at home. I think they still are one of Germany's most popular exports!
Onions
Traditionally, this salad contains regular onions. I prefer shallots though because they have a milder taste.
Dressing
The dressing is a simple vinaigrette with oil and vinegar, pepper and salt.
I like to use light olive oil and white wine vinegar. Any neutral oil works, such as rapeseed or sunflower oil, as well as apple cider vinegar.
The secret ingredient in Wurstsalat dressing is a few tablespoons of pickle juice. Don't miss it! It adds oodles of flavor.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
Instructions
It is so simple to make a sausage salad! Here are the basic steps.
Salad Preparation
Step 1
Remove the casings from the sausage.
Step 2
Cut the meat into small matchsticks. This is the traditional way of preparing Wurstsalat.
Step 3
Slice the gherkins into matchsticks and the onions into thin slices. Then, put them into a large mixing bowl together with the sausage.
Wurstsalat Dressing
Step 4
In a small mixing bowl, stir together the ingredients for the dressing: Oil, vinegar, pepper, salt and liquid from the pickle jar.
Taste and adjust the seasoning. If you used cornichons, consider adding a teaspoon of allulose or honey to increase sweetness. This is not necessary if you are using classic dill pickles.
Option to stir chopped fresh dill into the dressing.
Step 5
Pour the Wurstsalat dressing into the bowl and mix the salad until everything is well-combined.
Tip: Let the salad rest in the fridge for at least 30 minutes before serving. This way, the flavors can mingle and it will taste even better.
Katrin's Top Tip
Don't like the sharpness of raw onion?
Simply soak the sliced onions in ice-cold water for 30 minutes, then rinse with fresh water, pat dry and add them to the salad.
This takes away most of the sharp taste. It also reduces their smell.
Regional Variations
Once you have tried the basic sausage salad recipe, it is fun to try regional variations:
Schwรคbischer Wurstsalat (Swabian sausage salad): This version contains two types of sausage. It contains half Fleischwurst and half "Schwarzwurst" - an air-dried blood sausage that is a speciality of the area. Note that Schwarzwurst is not the same as the coarse black pudding you'd get in an English breakfast!
Bayerischer Wurstsalat (Bavarian sausage salad): Add a handful of thinly sliced radishes and use red onion instead of white. For an authentic Munich beer garden version, add a tablespoon of mustard and a pinch of nutmeg to the vinaigrette.
Elsรคsser, Straรburger or Schweizer Wurstsalat: The Swiss, Strasbourg and Alsacian sausage salad recipes are essentially the same. All contain strips of Emmental cheese, cut to exactly the same size as the sausage. The ratio of cheese and sausage is 1:1.
Optional Add-ins
Here are more ingredients that work in sausage salad:
- Chopped celery
- Hard-boiled egg
- Parsley
- Chives
- Scallions
- Red onions
- Cherry tomatoes
Serving Suggestion
For an authentic "Brotzeit" snack, serve the salad with a German beer, Bavarian pretzels or soft rolls, pan-fried potatoes or potato salad.
To keep the carbs at bay, try my keto pretzels or a slice of low carb bread and add a crunchy green salad. This way, the salad is a hearty meal for summer.
We often make this salad as part of a bbq or buffet when we have a party.
Recipe FAQs
No. This is just the authentic way to prepare Wurstsalat. But you can also cut the sausage into cubes. It will have the same great taste.
Yes. Stack the slices and cut them into strips.
Of course. However, this would be called a Fleischsalat (meat salad) in Germany.
Storage
Sausage salad stays fresh in the fridge for up to 3 days. Store it in an airtight container.
As this salad contains meat, don't let it sit in the sunshine if you are serving it at a barbecue or garden party. Also, it actually tastes better chilled.
More Hearty Salad Recipes
Here are more easy salads to try. All are delicious as a hearty lunch or easy snack.
- Keto Tuna Salad10 Minutes
- Keto Chicken Salad10 Minutes
- Keto Egg Salad15 Minutes
- Easy Keto Caesar Salad30 Minutes
Tried this recipe? Give it a star rating below!
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Recipe
German Sausage Salad (Wurstsalat)
from Sugar Free LondonerNote: The servings slider only changes the first amount in each line and not any subsequent amounts. Please make your own calculations where necessary.
Ingredients
- 14 oz Lyoner Sausage 400g, Kielbasa also works, as well as Bologna, Bierwurst, cooked Bratwurst or sliced Deli sausage
- 3 oz Pickles 85g, Cornichons or German Dill Pickles
- 1 small Onion 85g, Shallots or white salad onion **see notes
Wurstsalat Dressing
- 4 tablespoon Oil 55g, Light olive oil or any other neutral oil
- 2 tablespoon White wine vinegar 30g
- 2-3 tablespoon Pickle Juice The liquid from the pickle jar.
- Pepper and salt to taste
- 2 tablespoon chopped fresh dill optional
Instructions
Salad Prep
- Remove any casing from the sausage. Cut the meat into small matchsticks or strips.
- Slice the gherkins into matchsticks and the onions into thin slices. **See notes Then, put them into a large mixing bowl together with the sausage.
Dressing
- In a small mixing bowl, stir together the oil, vinegar, pepper, salt and liquid from the pickle jar.
- Taste and adjust the seasoning. ***See notes
- Option to stir chopped fresh dill into the vinaigrette.
Assembly
- Pour the dressing into the bowl and mix the salad until everything is well-combined.
- Let the salad rest in the fridge for at least 30 minutes before serving. This way, the flavors can mingle and it will taste even better.
Katrin Nรผrnberger
No, I haven't tried it. But really, all kinds of sausage will work in the recipe.
Cathy Woofter
I'm looking forward to making this recipe. I plan to use the rest of my sugar free gherkins and using the pickle juice to pickle my onions. My tummy no longer likes raw onions. ๐ This will be an easy lunch dish for work!
Petra Rushing
Thank you Katrin. I am a German girl living in America and have been making German Wurstsalat occasionally, but I'll give your version a try tonight. It looks good so I'm sure we'll like it. All your Recipes are so good. Never tried one we didn't enjoy
Blessings to you and your family
Katrin Nรผrnberger
Exciting! Let me know how you like it!
Gladys
Hello, from Toronto
Recently, I have been on the search for German Sausage recipes having discovered that Germany produces over 1,500 varieties of sausage. So, I recognized the name of your salad in your posting today, immediately.
I am looking for the recipes for the actual sausage, not what to make with them!
I began with making beef SUMMER SAUSAGE which to my delight is actually easier to prepare than a meat loaf. I used โMorton Quick Cureโ and cured the meat mixture over night in the fridge. And I formed it into a sausage shape by hand and baked it in the oven. Voila! The most delicious sausage I have ever tasted with no added milk powder, soya, sugar, gluten, corn or undesirable ingredients. I am always on the look out for new tastes and flavours and textures.
Having said all this, and reading about your German roots, would you have pork and or beef sausage recipes to share with us, your readers? Just wondering.
Regards, from Canada!
Katrin Nรผrnberger
Hi Gladys,
I have never tried to make sausage myself. But it sounds like a great idea. Especially with pork, there are such differences in quality. And it is so important to use a high-quality sausage in Wurstsalat as it is the main ingredient.
Barbara
Love this, Katrin, having German heritage and living in Germany several years. Thank you Barbara