Learn how to make the BEST Vegan Currywurst! One of the most popular street foods Germany has to offer. It is a savory, satisfying meal including (plant-based) bratwurst with a spicy, curry ketchup sauce. Enjoy with fresh fries, potato wedges, or bread.
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💡 The recipe in a nutshell
- Vegan (eggless and dairy free))
- German street food made plant-based
- Easy and quick to make
- Savory, flavorful, and spicy
🤔 What is Currywurst?
The German name "Currywurst" means translated "Curry Sausage". Currywurst is a German fast food dish consisting of steamed, then fried pork sausage (German Bratwurst) typically cut into bite-size slices. The Bratwurst comes with Currysauce made out of ketchup or tomato paste, yellow curry powder and other spices. It is often served with 'Pommes' (fries in German), or bread. The sauce can vary from color, texture and level of spice from region and restaurant.
🌭 History and origin
Herta Heuwer invented Currywurst in Berlin in 1949. She lived in the British military sector of Berlin after World War II.
At work, she experimented with some ketchup, curry powder, and Worcestershire sauce soldiers had given her. At that time, people lived on limited post-war rations. Her flavorful spicy sauce poured over hot Bratwurst fresh off the grill provided people with a highly needed contrast.
She set up a street stand close to where construction workers would work hard on rebuilding the war-torn city. Two years later she would patent her Currywurst. Her delicious sauce gained a lot of popularity and at its peak she was selling nearly 1500 currywursts per day. That’s 10,000 per week!
🇩🇪 Currywurst in German culture
Today the currywurst remains popular throughout all of Germany and basically every city and town has at least one “Imbiss” (fast food stand) offering their own house made Currysauce.
Even former Chancellor Gerhard Schröder is a noted fan of currywurst and by tradition, every candidate for the mayor of Berlin is photographed at a currywurst stand. There are even songs and novels as well as a Currywurst museum in Berlin honoring this dish.
I even heard from a lot of Germans having foreign guests, taking them to shabby little fast food stands with fabulous tasting Curry Sauce as a (tourist) attraction. Germans are truly proud of their street food, so don't be weirded when they take you out for some currywurst. They are not trying to be cheap, but are in fact very proud of and obsessed with this dish.
The sauce is often vegan. So order the delicious german Currysauce with just fries or bread. However, there are lots of places offering vegan or vegetarian sausages in bigger cities nowadays as well.
🥘 Ingredients
The sauce is definitely the star in this dish and usually uses mostly vegan ingredients already. Such as yellow curry, paprika powder, tomato sauce, and vinegar. Instead of using regular Worcestershire sauce, look out for a vegan kind. Next you need a good vegan sausage. Thankfully there are a variety of good tasting vegan sausages available in our grocery stores nowadays. You definitely want to look out for a vegan 'Bratwurst' style. My personal favorite to use for Currywurst in the US is Tofurky's Beer Brat.
💭 More German vegan food
Believe me, the German cuisine is more than just sauerkraut and bratwurst! Try this delicious and veganized German potato salad. If you are looking for something light and sweet after a heavy meal, I totally recommend this German 'Herrencreme' - a delightful pudding dessert with (vegan) whipped cream, rum and dark chocolate shavings. Browse our German recipe page for more ideas!
📖 Recipe
The BEST Vegan Currywurst
Ingredients
- 4 plant-based brats (bratwurst styled sausages eg: Tofurky beer brats)
- 1-2 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 tablespoon yellow curry powder, more for sprinkling on top
- 1-2 tablespoon paprika powder
- 50 ml vegetable broth
- 1 Can of tomato sauce (or sieved tomatoes) (15 oz / 425g)
- ½ tablespoon agave syrup, or cane sugar
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon vegan Worcestershire sauce, or ketchup
- salt and black pepper to taste.
- optional: some chili flakes & curry for sprinkling
- Serve with desired amount of fries, potato wedges, slices of bread or 'Brötchen' not all Worcestershire sauces are vegan (some contain anchovies), check the ingredient list before buying! For example in the US Annie's and Kroger, have vegan Worcestershire sauces
Instructions
Preparation
- Gather all ingredients. Take vegan brat sausages out of the packaging and cut them into bite-sized slices. If serving with fries/potato wedges, prepare them now following package instructions.
- To cook the curry sauce: Heat oil in a (non-stick) skillet pan. Once hot enough add sausage slices and fry until nicely browned (around 3 to 5 minutes). Then add 1 tablespoon of curry powder and stir-fry shortly. When flavors are enhanced, deglazed with vegetable broth. Add tomato sauce, agave, vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, and the remaining curry and paprika powder. Let everything simmer for at least 15 to 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Season with some more paprika if needed. Add salt, and pepper to taste.
- Arrange on a plate and sprinkle with more curry powder, if desired add chili flakes. Serve with french fries, potato wedges, or a slice of bread. Enjoy!
Notes
🎥 How-to video
PS: Don't forget to rate this recipe and leave a comment on your experience - this helps improve my recipes and serves you with the best instructions, tips, and substitution ideas. Plus, I love hearing about your takes on my recipes! Tag me on Instagram @thesimplesprinkle to show me your pictures.
By far the best Currywurst recipe I've ever seen and tried: The instructions are precise and easy to follow, and the best part is the taste in the end. And as a German from the land of the currywurst, I should know 😜
Thank you so much for your feedback!
Thanks For Sharing this Amazing Recipe. My Family Loved It. I will be sharing this Recipe with my Friends. Hope They will like it.
Hi Helan, thank you so much for your review. That makes me so happy to hear! I hope they all enjoy this recipe just as much.
Yum! This currywurst was so delicious! It was hearty and warming and hit all the right spots!
Thanks for sharing the story of this dish along with the recipe. I love learning about new foods and the story they say.
Wow! This vegan currywurst is really the best! It's perfectly savory, spicy, and full of flavor. The pictures are stunning, too 🙂
So good! The best sauce ever!
This currywurst is delicious, packed full of flavour and so quick and simple to make.