Authentic German Beef Rouladen (Rinderrouladen) (2024)

Published: Sep 27, 2021 · Modified: Apr 4, 2023 by dirndlkitchen · This post may contain affiliate links · Leave a Comment

Beef Rouladen is an iconic German comfort meal made from beef steak rolled up with mustard, bacon, onions, and pickles. Rinderrouladen are pan-seared, then simmered in a delicious wine-based broth until fall-apart tender. It makes the most delicious gravy that I love to soak up with some Spätzle (German egg noodles). Beef Rouladen brings back the best of childhood memories!

What are Rouladen?

Rouladen is a popular, super flavorful German recipe made from beef steak stuffed with mustard, pickles, onion, and bacon! Using either your oven, crock pot, or cooktop, it's simmered in reduced wine and broth for roughly 90 minutes. This recipe is drool-guaranteed and should pretty much satisfy anyone big on comfort food and beef!

It's one of my favorite meals from growing up in Germany and I love soaking up the sauce with some homemade Spätzle (German egg noodles), potato dumplings (Kartoffelknödel), or bread dumplings (Semmelknödel). Because of the amount of effort it takes, we didn't have beef rouladen often growing up, but mostly for special occasions like birthdays or even holidays.

How to make Beef Rouladen

Making rouladen is a lot easier than you think! It does take time, but I promise the effort will pay off! I usually use flank steak to make my rouladen (top round steak also works great), cut it into thinner steaks before flattening it with the flat (not tenderizer side) or a meat hammer. I then add mustard, season it lightly with salt and pepper and fill it with bacon, onion slices, and sliced pickles. It's easiest to use butcher's twine for rolling up your rouladen, but toothpicks can work as well. You can ask for butcher's twine at the meat counter when buying your steak (free) or buy it to always have some on hand for making Rinderrouladen or Kohlrouladen (cabbage rouladen).

The beef rouladen are pan-seared from all sides before simmered in a mixture of pan-reduced wine and broth for roughly 90 minutes. The simmering can happen in a large pot on your cooktop, in your oven, or in a slow cooker or crock pot.

The braising liquids are then strained and thickened to become the most delicious gravy. I like to serve mine with homemade Spätzle and braised red cabbage (homemade or storebought).

Rinderrouladen are perfect for preparing in advance and can be kept warm until serving. They also reheat well if you happen to have any leftovers.

Recipe tips & variations

• Beef rouladen with beer. I have used a mild, dark lager (Dunkelbier) for simmering instead of the wine before and wow, that was delicious. If using beer, make sure it's one with low hops content, otherwise your sauce can steer on the bitter side.
• Adding egg. My grandma never did this growing up, but you can add a whole, boiled egg in the middle of your rouladen before searing and simmering. It's a more Bavarian take on this dish.
• Cabbage rouladen. Another popular rouladen recipe in Germany uses seasoned beef and pork as the filling, while wrapping it with blanched cabbage leaves. Kohlrouladen is another one of my favorites that I know you'll love as well!

Ingredients for German Rouladen

I try to use locally sourced ingredients for my beef rouladen (and other German recipes) whenever possible. This ensures the best taste, supports our local community, and is better for the environment. Luckily the number one voted farmers' market in the country, the Overland Park Farmers' Market, is just a short distance from our home. The friendly vendors are able to supply me with the freshest, local ingredients from regeneratively raised meat to farm-fresh veggies and locally made wine, mustards, and pickles.

• Beef steaks. I used 4 locally raised, thicker flank steaks and carefully cut them into 8 thin steaks that I flattened even more with a meat hammer. Top-round steak is also a great, more cost-effective choice.
• Mustard. You can use any mild mustard you would like. I loved the results from a locally purchased cider mustard from Kansas City Canning Company. Dijon mustard works great as well.
• Onions. Yellow onions, either 2 large or 4 small.
• Pickles. I use either German-style pickles or locally-produced dill pickle chips that I purchased from Kansas City Canning Company.
• Bacon. I bought thin slices of regeneratively raised pork bacon to use for my rouladen. You will need one slice per roll-up.

• Butter. For pan-searing your rouladen before simmering them.
• Veggies. I used celery, carrot, and leek (and leftover onion from stuffing the beef) for adding to the simmer-wine-broth. These get strained out after the 90-minute simmer time.
• Red wine. A medium to full-bodied red wine will work well in this recipe, such as Pinot Noir, Italian reds, or Cabernet Sauvignon.
• Beef stock. To simmer your rouladen in. You can also just use bouillon paste or water if you don't have any stock handy.
• Pickle juice. I use some of the dill pickle juice from the pickles I add to the rouladen. This adds a nice, tangy flavor.
• Cornstarch. To thicken the sauce after straining.

What cut of beef is rouladen made from?

I often use flank steak for beef rouladen, although top-round steak is also a great choice.

Flank steak has shorter muscle fibers as it comes from a less exercised area of the cow (the abdomen), while top-round steak sits on the inside of the upper leg, and therefore tends to be leaner and needs more cooking to become tender.

If using top-round steak, you may have to cook your Rouladen for just a little bit longer than the 90 minutes in the recipe, but the end result will be just as delicious! Top-round steak is also easier on the wallet!

Video

Watch this short video showing you how Rouladen is made in action. I promise this is all you need to help you feel confident in making them yourself!

Love my beef rouladen? Then also check out my recipes for cabbage rouladen (Kohlrouladen), my German onion meatloaf, and German pork goulash.