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.
Beef Rouladen (Rinderrouladen)
Equipment
Ingredients
Rouladen Ingredients
- 1 ½ pounds beef steak Use either flank steak or top round steak (add an extra 30 minutes in simmer time if using top-round steak).
- 8 teaspoons mustard Use a mild mustard like Dijon. I used locally sourced mustard this time.
- 4 yellow onions small in size, or 2 large yellow onions.
- 40 dill pickle chips I used locally sourced dill pickles from Kansas City Canning Company, but German pickles are my other favorite to use (I buy them at World Market).
- 8 slices bacon I use 8 thin slices total and cut them in half.
Sauce Ingredients
- 30 grams butter
- 1 stalk celery
- 1 carrot
- 1 leek
- 375 milliliter red wine Beer works well too (see note below).
- 500 milliliter beef stock Even water works, too!
- 1 Tablespoon cornstarch
- 75 milliliter pickle juice
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- In case you have an oven safe pot, preheat oven to 320° F or 160° C. If not, see below for alternative method.1 ½ pounds beef steak
- Rinse and pat dry your steak. Cut into 8 pieces, then flatten each piece by putting it in a gallon-sized freezer bag and hammering it with the flat side of a meat hammer.
- Cut onions in half, then slice. Cut bacon slices in half. Prepare your twine and keep scissors handy. You can also use toothpicks instead of the twine.4 yellow onions, 40 dill pickle chips
- Spread a thin layer of mustard on the meat, season with salt and pepper. Cover with a generous amount of onion slices, about 5 pickle chips, and 1 slice of bacon.8 teaspoons mustard, 4 yellow onions, 40 dill pickle chips, 8 slices bacon, 1 ½ pounds beef steak
- Roll up and tie up with twine or secure the seams with toothpicks. Add butter to a large skillet and heat to medium high.30 grams butter
- Sauté the Rouladen for a few minutes on all sides, until browned. Transfer to a large pot (oven safe if possible).
- Medium dice the celery, the onion, carrot. Slice the leek. Add to the skillet you transferred the meat from.1 stalk celery, 1 leek, 1 carrot
- As soon as they start yellowing in color, add a thin layer of red wine. Let the wine evaporate and refill with a thin layer of wine. Repeat until you used half a bottle. This will help develop a deeper flavor. Add salt, pepper, broth and pickle juice. Alternatively, you can also use beer! Beer gives it a different, wonderful flavor. I personally prefer the wine sauce, but they're both amazing options!375 milliliter red wine, 500 milliliter beef stock, 75 milliliter pickle juice
- Add everything to the Rouladen. If the pot is oven safe, cover it with a lid and put in the oven for about 90 minutes. If it's not oven safe, cover and cook on your cooktop on medium-low heat instead.
- If needed, add more broth about every 30 minutes or so. After 90 minutes, test to see if the roulades are tender (use a cooking spoon to gently press down on one). If not tender, cook for another 30 minutes (they may take even longer if using top-round steak). If they're tender, carefully remove them using tongs and keep them warm.500 milliliter beef stock
- Strain the sauce and bring to a boil. Whisk together 1 tablespoon of mustard, a little bit of water and the corn starch. Whisk into the boiling sauce until desired consistency is reached. Season sauce to taste with salt, pepper, red wine and pickle juice.1 Tablespoon cornstarch, salt and pepper
- Serve with spätzle and roasted carrots or any sides you desire! Bread dumplings, pretzel dumplings, potato dumplings would also make great starch sides. I also love red cabbage (Rotkohl) with Rouladen!
Video
Notes
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.
- Flank Steak vs. Top-Round Steak. 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!
Matt
SOLID recipe! Made this with flank steak cut and pounded into cutlets, and dill pickle spears as our friends in Germany do when we visit. Was GREAT and 2 lbs. of flank steak in 8 rolls was plenty for our family of 4 along with spätzle, rotkohl and sauerkraut. We will definitely make this again. Also braised in the oven for a full 2 hours as we live at elevation and everything takes a little longer.
Sophie Sadler
Matt, I'm thrilled that you enjoyed my authentic German beef Rouladen recipe. Thank you so much for your review!
dirndlkitchen
Thank you for the recipe for my Rinderrouladen, Matt! Also, great tip regarding adjusting cooking time when living in higher elevations. This is also great to do when you choose to work with leaner meats, as the fibers take a whole longer to become tender during the cooking process. Thank you!!
Jean Herman
I haven't had this since I was a child. My Nana made it with a carrot instead of the pickles. I think I will have to make half of the recipe with carrot and half with pickles and compare. Thanks for posting these recipes.
dirndlkitchen
Oh that’s interesting! I have not seen the carrots, but I almost wonder if she used that to make beef rouladen because maybe she couldn’t find the right pickles? I love the tang the pickles add! Either way, I am convinced you‘ll get delicious results both ways!
Martin Gerhard
My Oma and Mutter made Rouladen. It is my favorite dish to this day. Surprisingly your recipe is exactly the same! So delicious! Danke Schön!!
dirndlkitchen
This makes me so happy!! I am excited to make some Rouladen again soon!