Authentic Liptauer Cheese Spread Recipe: Bring the Taste of Austria Home
Liptauer is more than just a spread; it’s a culinary staple and a beloved tradition in Austria. This vibrant, flavorful cheese spread is a highlight at any Heuriger or Buschenschank (traditional Austrian wine taverns), where locals and tourists alike gather to enjoy regional wines and hearty, homemade dishes. The rich combination of creamy cheese, butter, and a medley of savory spices, particularly paprika, gives Liptauer its distinctive and utterly delicious character. While it’s primarily enjoyed as a spread on fresh bread, its versatility also makes it a fantastic dip for crackers and vegetables.
Craving the authentic taste of Austria but don’t have a Heuriger nearby? You’re in luck! This simple, traditional Austrian Liptauer recipe allows you to recreate this beloved savory spread at home in just 10 minutes. Imagine the cozy ambiance of an Austrian wine tavern, right in your own kitchen! Its quick preparation time makes it perfect for last-minute gatherings or a delightful snack anytime.
Beyond being a standalone delight, Liptauer is incredibly versatile. I’ve personally used this vibrant cheese spread as a delicious and eye-catching dip for my Christmas charcuterie board, where its rich color and bold flavor stood out among other offerings. It’s truly a crowd-pleaser that adds a touch of European flair to any spread.
🥘 Key Ingredients for Authentic Liptauer
Creating an authentic Liptauer cheese spread relies on a harmonious blend of high-quality ingredients. Each component plays a crucial role in building the unique flavor profile that makes Liptauer so irresistible. Here’s a closer look at what you’ll need:
- Unsalted Butter: The foundation of this creamy spread. Using unsalted butter allows you to control the overall saltiness and ensures a smooth, rich texture when fluffed.
- Brimsen (Sheep’s Milk Cheese): This is the traditional star! Brimsen is a soft, salty cheese made from sheep’s milk, offering a distinct tangy and robust flavor. It’s essential for that authentic Austrian taste. If Brimsen is hard to find, don’t worry – we have excellent substitution options below.
- Raw Onions: Finely chopped, raw onions provide a sharp, fresh bite that complements the richness of the cheese and butter. Their pungency is key to balancing the flavors.
- Capers: These briny flower buds add a wonderful salty, tangy kick and a unique texture, contributing to Liptauer’s complex taste.
- Pickles (Gherkins): Diced pickles introduce a delightful crunch and a vinegary tang that cuts through the creaminess, adding another layer of flavor and freshness.
- Fresh Parsley: Chopped fresh parsley adds a herbaceous, earthy note and a vibrant green color, enhancing both the taste and appearance of the spread.
- Kosher Salt: To season and enhance all the flavors. Adjust to your preference.
- Black Pepper: Freshly ground black pepper provides a subtle warmth and aroma.
- Ground Caraway: This spice is a hallmark of many Central European dishes. Ground caraway adds a warm, slightly peppery, and anise-like flavor that is crucial for an authentic Liptauer taste.
- Garlic: Minced fresh garlic imbues the spread with an aromatic, pungent depth.
- Sweet Paprika: More than just for color, sweet paprika offers a mild, sweet, and slightly smoky flavor that is characteristic of Liptauer, giving it its appealing reddish hue.
For precise quantities and measurements, please refer to the detailed recipe card below.
🔪 Simple Steps to Make Liptauer
Preparing Liptauer is surprisingly straightforward, making it an ideal recipe for both novice and experienced cooks. The beauty lies in its simplicity: once your ingredients are prepped, it’s merely a matter of mixing them together to create this delightful spread. You’ll be amazed at how quickly this flavorful dip comes to life!
To ensure the smoothest and fastest preparation, I recommend a little mise en place – have all your ingredients measured, chopped, and ready to go before you begin mixing. This way, you can glide through the steps effortlessly and enjoy your homemade Liptauer in record time.
1. Prepare the Brimsen Cheese
The first crucial step is to prepare your Brimsen. This soft, sheep’s milk cheese often comes packed in brine (a salty liquid) to preserve it, much like feta cheese. It’s essential to remove this brine before incorporating the cheese into your Liptauer. To do this, simply place the Brimsen in a fine-mesh sieve and allow it to drain for a few minutes. Gently press on it with a spoon if needed to encourage excess liquid to seep out. This step prevents your Liptauer from becoming too watery or overly salty, ensuring a perfectly creamy and balanced spread.
2. Finely Chop Aromatics and Pickles
The texture of your Liptauer largely depends on how finely you chop your onions, capers, parsley, and pickles. You have two excellent options here: precision hand-chopping with a sharp knife or using the convenience of an electric chopper. If you prefer a slightly chunkier spread with more discernible pieces of onion and pickle, a knife will give you that control. However, for a smoother, more integrated flavor and texture, an electric chopper is your best friend. I personally opt for the electric chopper to get a very fine chop, ensuring that the flavors meld together beautifully and no single ingredient overpowers the others.
3. Measure and Prepare Your Spices
Just like with your chopped vegetables, having your spices ready beforehand will make the mixing process seamless. Measure out your kosher salt, black pepper, ground caraway, minced garlic, and sweet paprika into small bowls or ramekins. This simple step saves time and ensures you don’t miss any crucial flavor components when you’re in the midst of blending. It’s all about efficiency and maximizing enjoyment!
4. Combine All Ingredients for the Perfect Spread
Now for the fun part – bringing it all together! In a medium mixing bowl, begin by beating the unsalted butter with an electric hand mixer until it becomes light, pale, and fluffy. This aeration is important for achieving a wonderfully airy and spreadable texture. Once the butter is fluffed, gently fold in the strained Brimsen, mixing it thoroughly until it’s well incorporated with the butter. Next, add your finely chopped onions, pickles, capers, and parsley to the butter and cheese mixture. Mix everything together once more, ensuring all ingredients are evenly distributed throughout the spread.
Finally, it’s time to season and taste. Add your measured spices – salt, pepper, caraway, garlic, and sweet paprika. Stir everything in thoroughly. Taste a small amount and adjust the seasoning as needed. You might want a little more paprika for color and flavor, or a pinch more salt. Keep stirring until you’re satisfied with the taste and consistency. And just like that, you’ve created a mouth-watering, authentic Liptauer cheese spread!
Serve your freshly made Liptauer cheese spread generously on slices of crusty brown bread, rye bread, or even pumpernickel for a true Austrian experience. Pair it with a crisp, refreshing glass of white wine to complete the Heuriger ambiance. This Liptauer spread also makes a very special treat when served on homemade instant pot bread or for dipping with sourdough discard crackers – the possibilities are endless for enjoying this delightful spread!
🥠 Creative Substitutions for Liptauer Ingredients
While the authentic Liptauer recipe calls for specific ingredients, don’t let a missing item deter you from making this delicious spread. There are several excellent substitutions that can still yield a fantastic result, allowing you to adapt the recipe to what’s available in your pantry.
If you’re looking to experiment with the seasoning, consider trying a “Magic Dust” version. This involves replacing the fresh parsley, ground caraway, and garlic with 2 teaspoons of Magic Dust. This pre-mixed spice blend will give your Liptauer a different, perhaps more barbecue-inspired, flavor profile. It’s a fun way to put a unique spin on a classic!
A more common challenge is finding Brimsen, especially outside of Central European countries. Luckily, there are several good substitutes that can achieve a similar creamy, tangy base:
- Cottage Cheese: This is an easily accessible option. Choose a full-fat variety for creaminess. You’ll want to drain it well to remove excess liquid and blend it slightly to achieve a smoother texture, as cottage cheese curds are typically larger than Brimsen. Its mild flavor provides a good canvas for the spices.
- Feta Cheese: Feta, particularly sheep’s milk feta, can be an excellent substitute due to its saltiness and crumbly texture. Make sure to rinse and drain it to reduce its intense saltiness and then mash it thoroughly before mixing. It will bring a sharp, briny kick that aligns well with Liptauer’s character.
- A mixture of Sheep’s Cheese and Curd Cheese (Quark) in equal parts: In terms of taste and texture, this combination often comes closest to the original Brimsen. Sheep’s cheese provides the authentic tangy, slightly pungent flavor, while curd cheese (or Quark) adds the necessary creaminess and mellows the intensity. If you can find a soft sheep’s cheese and combine it with Quark or even cream cheese, you’ll get a very satisfying result that closely mimics the traditional Liptauer.
When using substitutes, always taste and adjust your seasoning carefully, as the salt content and flavor intensity will vary.
🍽 Essential Equipment for Liptauer Preparation
The beauty of making Liptauer is that you don’t need a lot of specialized kitchen gadgets. Most of these items are likely already in your kitchen, making this recipe even more accessible. Here’s what you’ll need:
- Electric chopper (optional, but highly recommended for fine chopping)
- Tablespoon (for measuring and mixing)
- Electric hand mixer (essential for fluffing the butter)
- Strainer (for draining the Brimsen or substitutes)
- Medium mixing bowl (for combining ingredients)
🌡️ Storing Your Homemade Liptauer
Once prepared, homemade Liptauer is best enjoyed fresh. Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to three days. It’s important to keep it well-sealed to prevent it from absorbing other odors in the fridge and to maintain its freshness. Due to its dairy content and fresh ingredients, this spread is unfortunately not suitable for freezing, as the texture and flavor will significantly degrade upon thawing. Always ensure it’s covered to prevent spoilage.
💭 Top Tip for Serving
For an extra authentic and delightful pairing with your Liptauer dip, try serving it with pretzels! The salty, crunchy texture of pretzels creates an exquisite contrast with the creamy, savory Liptauer, making for an addictive and satisfying snack. Don’t limit yourself to just bread; pretzels are an excellent vehicle for this flavorful spread!
🍷 The Perfect Wine Pairing for Liptauer
When enjoying Liptauer, especially in the spirit of a traditional Austrian Heuriger, the choice of wine is paramount. At a Heuriger, white wine is almost always the preferred accompaniment, particularly during the warmer summer months when its crispness provides a refreshing balance to rich foods. Heavy red wines are generally less suitable for this context.
For Liptauer, two Austrian white wines stand out as absolute recommendations: Grüner Veltliner and Gemischter Satz.
- Grüner Veltliner: This is Austria’s signature grape, known for its vibrant acidity, notes of white pepper, citrus, and a distinctive “lentil” or “tobacco” aroma. Its crisp, dry character and mineral finish perfectly complement the creamy, spicy Liptauer, cutting through its richness and cleansing the palate. For an even more refreshing experience on a hot day, consider spritzing your Grüner Veltliner with a splash of mineral water to create a “Spritzer.” This lightens the wine, making it even more enjoyable and thirst-quenching.
- Gemischter Satz: Translating to “field blend,” Gemischter Satz is a unique Viennese wine where different grape varieties (often Grüner Veltliner, Riesling, Weissburgunder, and others) are grown, harvested, and pressed together from the same vineyard. This creates a complex, aromatic, and often very versatile wine with layers of fruit, floral, and herbaceous notes. Its inherent complexity and freshness make it an excellent partner for the multifaceted flavors of Liptauer.
Both options offer a delightful contrast and enhance the overall experience of this classic Austrian spread. If you recreate this recipe, please share your thoughts! Let me know how you liked it by giving it a ★★★★★ star rating and leaving a comment below. It would be awesome to hear from you! You can also sign up for our Newsletter or follow me on Pinterest or Instagram, and share your creation with me. Just tag me @combinegoodflavors and use the hashtag #combinegoodflavors, so I don’t miss it.
Liptauer Cheese Spread
By Nora
📌 Pin Recipe
10
10
Side Dish, Snack, Spread
Austrian
8 people
190 kcal
Equipment
-
Electric chopper
-
Tablespoon
-
Electric hand mixer
-
Medium Bowl
-
Strainer
Ingredients
- 150 g Unsalted butter
- 150 g Brimsen Soft cheese made from sheep’s milk (see substitutions if unavailable)
- 75 g Raw onions
- 35 g Capers
- 1 Pickle (one big or two small ones)
- 1 tablespoon Fresh Parsley, chopped
- Kosher salt (to taste)
- Black pepper (to taste)
- Ground caraway (to taste, start with ½ tsp)
- Garlic (1-2 cloves, minced, to taste)
- Sweet paprika (to taste, for flavor and color, start with 1 tbsp)
Instructions
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Strain the Brimsen (or your chosen substitute cheese) through a sieve to remove excess brine or liquid.
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Finely chop the raw onions, capers, fresh parsley, and pickles. You can do this by hand with a knife for a chunkier texture, or use an electric chopper for a very fine, smooth consistency.
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In a medium mixing bowl, use an electric hand mixer to beat the unsalted butter until it is light, fluffy, and pale.
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Add the strained Brimsen to the fluffed butter and mix well with the electric mixer until thoroughly combined and creamy.
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Next, add all the finely prepared ingredients (onions, pickles, capers, and parsley) to the butter and Brimsen mixture. Mix everything well until evenly distributed.
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Add kosher salt, black pepper, ground caraway, minced garlic, and sweet paprika to the mixture. Stir well and taste. Adjust seasonings as desired to achieve your perfect Liptauer flavor.
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Serve your delicious homemade Liptauer cheese spread immediately with slices of fresh brown bread, crackers, or pretzels, and enjoy with a glass of crisp Austrian white wine!
Austrian recipe, Liptauer, Liptauer cheese, Liptauer Cheese Spread, traditional spread, easy recipe
Nutrition values are estimates only, using online calculators. Please verify using your own data.
Calories: 190kcal |
Carbohydrates: 2g |
Protein: 3g |
Fat: 19g |
Saturated Fat: 12g |
Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g |
Monounsaturated Fat: 5g |
Trans Fat: 1g |
Cholesterol: 57mg |
Sodium: 403mg |
Potassium: 43mg |
Fiber: 1g |
Sugar: 1g |
Vitamin A: 611IU |
Vitamin C: 2mg |
Calcium: 106mg |
Iron: 1mg
🇦🇹 More Austrian Delicacies You Might Enjoy
- How to Make Apfelkren – Austrian Horseradish Sauce
- How to Make Delicious Homemade Chive Sauce in 5 Minutes
- Austrian Erdäpfelschmarrn – Grated Pan-Fried Potatoes
- How to Cook Tafelspitz (Austrian Prime Boiled Beef)
⛑ Important Food Safety Guidelines
Ensuring food safety is paramount when preparing any meal, especially with dairy products and fresh ingredients. Please keep these guidelines in mind:
- Cook to a minimum temperature of 165 °F (74 °C) where applicable (not directly for Liptauer, but good general practice).
- Do not use the same utensils on cooked food that previously touched raw meat.
- Always wash hands thoroughly after touching raw meat or handling fresh produce.
- Never leave perishable food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods (follow the two-hour rule).
- Never leave cooking food unattended.
- Use oils with a high smoking point to avoid harmful compounds if you are frying other components.
- Always ensure good ventilation when using a gas stove.
For more comprehensive food safety guidelines, refer to USDA.gov’s safe temperature chart.