German Goetta Recipe - BubbaPie (2025)

This Goetta Recipe will change the way you think about breakfast meats. Ground beef and pork are made into a loaf with authentic seasonings, sliced and then cooked on a skillet. This dish was born in Cincinnati from German Immigrants and has been a mainstay in many dishes of that area for decades. With this easy recipe, you can make this delicious dish in your own kitchen. Your family will thank you for this one!

German Goetta Recipe - BubbaPie (1)

Contents hide

1 Traditional Cultural Dishes

2 What Is Goetta?

3 How To Make Goetta

4 Notes, Tips and Variations

Traditional Cultural Dishes

We love to make Comfort Food here at Bubba Pie. Since we started this website, I’ve searched all around the internet for inspiration to find new Comfort Food dishes. And, while a lot of the dishes that I’ve found have been “traditional southern cooking“, I’ve actually found that many of the most wholesome dishes are recipes that have been passed down not only through many generations, but from other cultures. America, after all, is made up of immigrants. So, just like we all know that Shepherd’s Pie came from England, there are tons of other, lesser known recipes that are full of tradition, culture and flavor.

For instance, there are these Korean Sweet Potatoes andShrimp Mei Fun. I had just as much fun learning how to make these recipes as I did learning about the history of them! The same is true with today’s recipe: Goetta

What Is Goetta?

A lot people will label Goetta (pronounced “Getta) as a uniquely German dish. And, that is sort of true. But the more accurate truth is that immigrants from Germany actually created this in America. Cincinnati, Ohio to be exact. My father was actually born and raised in Cincinnati, so I know there is a strong German heritage in that city. In fact, nowadays, Cincinnati even has a “goettafest” sponsored by Gliers, a regional meat company in the greater Cincinnati area.

Goetta was created by immigrants for much the same reason that Haggis and Scrapple was made by the Scottish and the Dutch. It stretches the livestock to use as much of the animal as possible to feed everyone in hard times. This is often done by pairing the the meat scraps and trimming with a grain or an oat and then cooking with spices.

It is great as a breakfast meat, taking the place of other meats such as sausage, bacon or ham.

German Goetta Recipe - BubbaPie (2)

How To Make Goetta

In researching this recipe, many of the dishes had a lot in common and most had some differences too. This looks like one of those traditional dishes that has morphed slightly from generation to generation. A lot of the differences are in the spices used to season this dish. And, while I saw a lot of variety, almost every dish had Marjoram in it.

From there, we sort of made our own version of this, although there may be some that say this isn’t “traditional Goetta”. They may be right, but this is an easy, tasty version that we will stand by!

Here are the ingredients you’ll need to get started:

  • 1 ¼ cup steel cut oats
  • 2 cups beef broth
  • 2 cups water
  • 1 ½ teaspoons salt
  • 3 to 4 bay leaves
  • ½ pound ground beef
  • ½ pound ground pork
  • 1 cup onion, diced
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • ½ teaspoon black pepper
  • ½ teaspoon dried sage
  • ½ teaspoon paprika
  • ¼ teaspoon marjoram
  • Pinch of red pepper flakes (optional)

Notes, Tips and Variations

Many people have noted about how frustrating Goetta can be to make. It’s really hard to keep it together in your skillet. Some common mistakes that are made that may be causing this is that you are slicing it too thin before frying it. Make sure you don’t slice it thinner than 1/4 inch. You may want to go even thicker if you’d like.

Also, don’t use oil in this recipe. I know it’s tempting when you “fry” something in a skillet, but it will just make the meat too soggy and break apart. Just use a non-stick skillet and get it nice and hot. Put the Goetta on the non-stick pan gently and let it sit until the first side is nice and browned. Then gently flip it over for the second side.

While we used Ground Beef and Ground Pork in our recipe, I’ve seen people use Ground Chicken and Ground Turkey as well. You could even mix in some Chorizo Sausage in place of some or all of the pork to give this dish a little bit more of a kick!

I hope you enjoy this recipe Traditional German Goetta. Let me know how it turns out in the comments section!

German Goetta Recipe - BubbaPie (3)

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Rate this Recipe

German Goetta Recipe

Course Bread

Servings 10 patties

This German Goetta Recipe will change the way you think about breakfast meats. Ground beef and pork are made into a loaf with authentic seasonings, sliced and then cooked on a skillet. This dish was born in Cincinnati from German Immigrants and has been a mainstay in many dishes of that area for decades. With this easy recipe, you can make this delicious dish in your own kitchen. Your family will thank you for this one!

Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 3 hours hrs

Ingredients

  • 1 ¼ cup steel cut oats
  • 2 cups beef broth
  • 2 cups water
  • 1 ½ teaspoons salt
  • 3 to 4 bay leaves
  • ½ pound ground beef
  • ½ pound ground pork
  • 1 cup onion diced
  • 3 cloves garlic minced
  • ½ teaspoon black pepper
  • ½ teaspoon dried sage
  • ½ teaspoon paprika
  • ¼ teaspoon marjoram
  • Pinch of red pepper flakes optional

Instructions

  • Combine the oats, beef broth, water, salt, and bay leaves in a large stock pot. Cook over medium heat until the liquid begins to boil, then reduce heat to low and cook for 90 minutes, stirring occasionally.

    German Goetta Recipe - BubbaPie (5)

  • When all the liquid has been absorbed by the oats, add the beef, pork, onions, garlic, pepper, sage, paprika, marjoram, and red pepper flakes and stir to combine.

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  • Cover and cook on low for one hour, stirring occasionally.

  • When all the liquid has been absorbed, remove the mixture from the heat and allow to cool slightly.

  • Line a loaf pan with plastic wrap and press the meat mixture into the pan. Cover and chill overnight.

  • When ready to cook, remove the meat from the loaf pan and slice in ¼ inch thick slices.

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  • Heat a nonstick skillet over medium heat. When the skillet is hot, add the slices of meat. Cook on one side until golden brown, around 5 minutes, then flip and cook the other side for five to seven minutes, until golden brown.

Nutrition

Calories: 250kcal

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German Goetta Recipe - BubbaPie (8)

German Goetta Recipe - BubbaPie (2025)

FAQs

What does goetta mean in German? ›

The word goetta comes from the Low German word Götte, meaning groats or coarse grains (or a food made from them).

Do they eat goetta in Germany? ›

Goetta is a peasant food from Germany. It was not known as goetta in Germany. It's known as grutzwurst over there, or grits, grain, wurst, sausage, grain sausage,” Glier said. “It was brought over by the early immigrants, probably in the late 1800s.

How to keep goetta from falling apart? ›

Our biggest tip for making goetta patties keep their shape is to let them get extra crispy on one side before flipping them over. This allows for an easier flip and reduces the risk of your patty accidentally crumbling.

What does Braunschweiger mean in German? ›

In the German language, Braunschweiger is the demonym for people from Brunswick (German name Braunschweig), but under German food law refers to a variety of mettwurst. In Austria, Braunschweiger is known as a type of parboiled sausage (Brühwurst), while American Braunschweiger is often confused with liverwurst.

What's the difference between scrapple and goetta? ›

Scrapple is made with pig parts, cornmeal (and/or flour), and spices. Goetta is created with both pork and beef and uses oats as the binder. While both historical foods are breakfast meats and still eaten today, goetta is much more popular as a sought-after dish frequently served in restaurants.

How healthy is goetta? ›

It's hard to believe that Glier's Goetta could possibly be good for anything other than your taste buds. But, the fact is that what makes Gliers Goetta savory and unique - whole grain pinhead oats - is what makes it heart-healthy, cholesterol-friendly, and fiber-rich.

Why is goetta only in Cincinnati? ›

Goetta gets its origin from the German immigrants who settled in what is now the Over-the-Rhine neighborhood of Cincinnati. In order to stretch their food dollar, they used the scraps from local butchers and hog slaughterhouses to make a satisfying, inexpensive dish.

Is haggis like goetta? ›

' It is fairly similar to the Cincinnati speciality goetta but with more liver flavor. Making your own haggis in the US is quite an endeavor. Traditional haggis recipes call for a sheep's stomach and a sheep's pluck (heart, lungs, windpipe and liver).

What is the most famous meal in Germany? ›

Sauerbraten is regarded as one Germany's national dishes and there are several regional variations in Franconia, Thuringia, Rhineland, Saarland, Silesia and Swabia. This pot roast takes quite a while to prepare, but the results, often served as Sunday family dinner, are truly worth the work.

What German city is famous for sausage? ›

In Nuremberg, you don't just order one sausage, you order a dozen, and as well as grilled you can order them smoked or 'sour' — stewed in white wine, vinegar and onions. In Germany, sausage varieties are like dialects, and your preference often tells a story about where you're from.

Is goetta already cooked? ›

It's a fully cooked product. When cooking it at home, you just want to get it golden brown and crispy on each side. Try putting goetta in an omelet. It's a great alternative to sausage.

Can you bake goetta in the oven? ›

Preheat oven to 375F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a large pan over medium heat, cook the Goetta until browned. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate.

Where did the name goetta come from? ›

But our 19th century Cincinnati settlers gave it a name of their own, the very German-sounding “göetta” or “gut-tah” that evolved to the present-day pronunciation “get-tah.” Because goetta is still a very localized dish, we feature it on several of our Cincinnati Food Tours.

What is breakfast sausage called in Germany? ›

Weisswurst. Easily distinguished from other wursts, this pure white wurst hails from Southern Germany and is made up of veal, bacon, onion, lemon, and spices. Weisswurst is boiled and eaten without the skin, usually at breakfast to help prepare for a day of drinking.

What is pork belly called in Germany? ›

Schweinebauch m

Pork belly is eaten smoked in several countries. Schweinebauch wird in einigen Ländern geräuchert verzehrt.

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