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Flädlesuppe (Swabian Pancake Strip Soup)
Thin, golden pancakes rolled and cut into ribbons, set in the bowl and covered with hot, clear beef broth and chives, the first course of a Swabian Sunday dinner.
German (Swabian) · easy · serves 4
prep 15 min · cook 25 min · plus 20 min hands-off time
~215 cal · 8g protein · 27g carbs · 8g fat · 1g fiber · 3g sugars · 4g sat fat (estimated, per serving)
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Flädlesuppe is the classic soup of Swabia and Baden, served as the first course of Sunday dinner and at family celebrations across the south-west of Germany. Flädle means "little flat cakes": very thin pancakes of flour, egg and milk, fried in butter, rolled up and cut into fine strips that look like noodles.
The strips go into warm soup plates and a strong, clear beef broth is poured over them at the table, finished with a shower of fresh chives. Traditionally the broth is made the day before by simmering beef and marrow bones with soup vegetables for a couple of hours. The dish also began as a thrifty way to use up leftover pancakes.
It is light enough to open a big meal, which is exactly its job.
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Make it yours
✓ Naturally nut- and pork-free. No swaps needed.
Toggle a diet and the ingredients rewrite themselves with regional substitutes.
🥕 Vegetarian
🌱 Vegan
🌾 Gluten-Free
🥛 Dairy-Free
🥜 Nut-Free
🥚 Egg-Free
🐖 Pork-Free
Dietary labels are a cooking guide, not allergen-safety advice. We track dairy, egg, gluten, tree nuts and peanuts (we count coconut as a tree nut, following FDA labeling), fish, and shellfish; we do not screen for sesame, soy, mustard, celery, or sulphites. If you have a food allergy, read the label on every product you use, and note that a kitchen can cross-contaminate in ways a recipe cannot control.
Ingredients
US
Metric
Serves 4
- 125 g plain flour
- 250 ml milk
- 2 eggs
- a pinch salt
- a pinch nutmeg, freshly grated
- 1 tbsp butter or butter, for frying
- 1.2 litres strong beef broth, homemade or good-quality bought, bought broth and stock cubes can contain wheat; check the label
- 3 tbsp chives, snipped
Instructions
- 1Whisk the flour and salt in a bowl, then gradually whisk in the milk until smooth. Beat in the eggs and a little nutmeg. Leave the batter to rest for 20 minutes.
- 2Heat a large non-stick frying pan over medium heat and wipe it with a little butter. Pour in a small ladle of batter and tilt the pan so it covers the base thinly. Fry for about 1 minute on each side until lightly golden. Repeat to make about 8 thin pancakes, stacking them on a plate.
- 3Roll each pancake up tightly while still warm and cut across into strips 3 to 4 mm wide.✎ Chef’s noteLet the rolls cool for a few minutes first; they cut into cleaner ribbons.
- 4Bring the broth to the boil and season it with salt and a little nutmeg.
- 5Divide the pancake strips between warm soup plates, ladle the hot broth over them and scatter generously with chives. Serve at once, as the first course.
Swabian Sunday tradition.
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🌏 While it simmers, know your destination
📍
Swabia. Swabia, in southwest Germany, is a land of noodles, spätzle, cheese-laden käsespätzle, and stuffed Maultaschen dumplings. Hearty, thrifty, and dumpling-loving, it cooks distinctive southern German comfort food.
🗺️
Germany. Beyond beer halls, Germany is a land of serious regional home cooking, Swabian spätzle, Bavarian roasts, northern fish, and an unmatched bread and sausage culture. Hearty, seasonal, and built for cold winters, it prizes pork, potatoes, cabbage, and cured meats.
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Europe. Europe has written a great deal of its food into law. A regulation of 1992 created the protected designation of origin and the protected geographical indication, tying a name to a place and a method, and an EU evaluation published in 2021 counted more than three thousand registered names across those schemes, from cheeses and hams down to particular shapes of bread.
The story behind this dish is up top, worth a read while the pot works.
More from Germany
KäsespätzleFresh egg noodles scraped into boiling water, layered with alpine cheese and buried in crispy onions.
Schnitzel (Schweineschnitzel)The German pork schnitzel: a thin cutlet pounded flat, breaded in a loose golden crust, and fried until crisp, served with a wedge of lemon.
RinderrouladenThin beef rolled around mustard, bacon, onion, and pickle, braised into a deep gravy, Sunday dinner across Germany.
Browse all Germany recipes →
Good to know
You’ll need: Skillet or frying pan, Whisk.
Storing it: Soup keeps 3 to 4 days refrigerated and freezes well. Reheat gently and loosen with a little water or stock if needed.
Make it a Germany meal
Glühwein (German Mulled Wine)Drink
Schwarzwälder KirschtorteDessert
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Frequently asked questions
What is Flädlesuppe (Swabian Pancake Strip Soup)?
Thin, golden pancakes rolled and cut into ribbons, set in the bowl and covered with hot, clear beef broth and chives, the first course of a Swabian Sunday dinner.
Where does Flädlesuppe (Swabian Pancake Strip Soup) come from?
Flädlesuppe (Swabian Pancake Strip Soup) is a German (Swabian) dish from Swabia, Germany.
Can Flädlesuppe (Swabian Pancake Strip Soup) be made vegan, gluten-free, or dairy-free?
This Flädlesuppe (Swabian Pancake Strip Soup) recipe includes substitution suggestions for vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free, egg-free, and pork-free versions. Treat the substitutions as a starting guide rather than a guarantee, and see the allergen note below.
Is Flädlesuppe (Swabian Pancake Strip Soup) safe for people with food allergies?
Our dietary labels and substitutions are a cooking guide, not medical or allergen-safety advice. We track dairy, egg, gluten, tree nuts and peanuts (we still count coconut as a tree nut to be cautious, although the FDA stopped listing it as one in 2025), fish, and shellfish, but we do not screen for sesame, soy, mustard, celery, or sulphites. If you have a food allergy, always read the label on every product you use, and remember a home or commercial kitchen can cross-contaminate ingredients in ways a recipe cannot control.
How long does Flädlesuppe (Swabian Pancake Strip Soup) take to make?
About 1 h in all: 15 minutes prep and 25 minutes cooking, plus 20 min of hands-off waiting the method needs, serving 4.
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