Basic Recipe for Rahmsauce – German Cream Sauce (2024)

Published: · Modified: by Marita Sinden · 4 Comments

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There are few sauces that are as versatile as this Rahmsauce (Rahmsoße). It goes well with
everything from turkey schnitzel, frikadellen (German meatballs), pasta, spätzle and rice. In Germany, this creamy sauce is one of the most popular and well-known sauces. It is also the base for the famous Jager sauce.

Nowadays people tend to use instant packet mixes such as the Knorr Rahm sauce. They don’t realise that the homemade recipe for rahmsauce is quick and easy to follow and consists of mainly pantry ingredients. Also, homemade sauces are free of preservatives and don’t have the carbon footprint that imported goods bring with them.

Basic Recipe for Rahmsauce – German Cream Sauce (1)

What is Rahmsauce?

Rahm Sauce (in German also referred to as Rahmsoße) is a cream-based sauce. It is one of the basic German sauces. Rahm sauce in English could be translated as “Cream Sauce”. Colloquially you can call it German brown gravy. Although the sauce may appear to be paler.
The technical term for this sauce in French is “Sauce à la crème”.

The name is put together by two words. "Rahm" is a word for cream in German. "Sauce" has the same meaning as in English. Another word for Sauce in German is "Soße". So another common name for this sauce is "Rahmsoße".

How to make Rahmsauce

Whats in Rahmsauce?- The Ingredients:

  • 400 ml/ 13.5 fl oz beef broth/stock (you can also use vegetable stock (affiliate link) or chicken stock. But the beef stock helps the sauce gain this brown colour,
  • 25 gr / 0.8 oz butter
  • 25 gr/ 0.8 oz flour
  • 1 tablespoon tomato paste
  • 100 ml/ 3,3 fl oz whipping cream (at least 30% fat)
  • salt and pepper.

Recipe Steps

  1. In a saucepan, melt the butter. Add the flour while continuing to stir until you achieve a thick paste. Slowly pour in the hot broth. Keep on mixing continually so no lumps form. Bring to a boil and then reduce the heat to a simmer.
  2. Leave the sauce to simmer for about 9-10 minutes to reduce the floury taste.
  3. Stir in the tomato paste and cream. At this point, the sauce should no longer be boiling.
    Add salt and pepper to taste.
  4. Optional, you can sprinkle some fresh cut parsley to serve the sauce.
Basic Recipe for Rahmsauce – German Cream Sauce (2)

Recipe variations:

  • You can adjust the flavour by adding spices to the sauce. Popular is to add some
    paprika powder.
  • Add fresh herbs to the sauce such as thyme, basil or oregano.
  • Adding fried onions to the sauce will create a sweet taste.
  • For an Asian twist, you can also replace the cream with coconut milk. Add some curry
    paste to the sauce for flavouring.
  • You can give the sauce a rich flavour by adding in some sherry or brandy.

How to make Vegan Rahmsauce

This sauce is easily adapted for a vegan diet.

  1. Replace the butter with margarine
  2. Use vegetable stock (affiliate link) instead of meat stock
  3. Replace the cream with a vegan plant-based alternative. i.e. soya cream.
Basic Recipe for Rahmsauce – German Cream Sauce (3)

TIPS for the best Rahmsauce

Sometimes you can follow instructions to a tee but something still goes wrong. Here are some
suggestions on how to remedy your sauce.

  • If your sauce is too liquidy – leave it to boil out the water a little longer.
  • Your sauce is too thick – you can always add a little more water to achieve the right
    consistency.
  • Do you have lumps in your sauce? This can happen when you did not mix well enough while
    pouring in the broth, or if you added the broth too quickly. Don’t worry you can just use a
    hand blender to create a smooth sauce again.
Basic Recipe for Rahmsauce – German Cream Sauce (4)

What goes with Rahmsauce

This sauce is very versatile. Here are some suggestions on what to have with it:

  • Schnitzel. Schnitzel with rahmsauce is called rahmschnitzel. It is a popular alternative to Jager Sauce
  • Frikadellen (German meatballs). Frikadellen in rahmsauce with mashed potatoes is one of my favourite combinations. This is the best sauce for frikadellen. (PS. Ikea meatballs are also served in a rahmsauce)
  • Chicken in Rahmsauce. – Another one of our favourites. This sauce goes well with roast chicken, or with chicken breast
  • Pork medallions in a creamy sauce. Look no further for the perfect sauce – this rahmsauce goes great with pork.
  • You can also simply serve it with vegetables and pasta, spaetzle, schupfnudeln or rice.
Basic Recipe for Rahmsauce – German Cream Sauce (5)

Storage Instructions:

How long does Rahm sauce keep?

Store your Rahmsoße in the fridge and consume within 1-3 days.

Can I freeze this sauce?

I would advise against freezing rahmsauce, as the cream is likely to separate when thawing.

More German Sauces you might be interested in

  • Homemade Jager Sauce – German Hunter Sauce (Jägersoße)
  • Classic Frankfurter Green Sauce (Frankfurter Grüne Sauce)
  • Zigeuner Sauce (Gypsy Sauce)
  • Quark Dip with Herbs (Kräuterquark)
  • Currywurst Sauce

Did you try this recipe?

Please leave a rating or make a comment below. I would love to hear from you. You can send me an e-mail or comment on Facebook, Instagram or Pinterest.

Why not share our Facebook Group - Homemade German Food & Recipes. Here we chat about German Food and share recipes.

Recipe

Basic Recipe for Rahmsauce – German Cream Sauce (6)

Rahmsauce – German Cream Sauce

Marita

This creamy sauce is perfect for schnitzel, meatballs, chicken, pasta and spaetzle.

4.67 from 15 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 2 minutes mins

Cook Time 10 minutes mins

Total Time 12 minutes mins

Course Side Dish

Cuisine German

Servings 4 people

Calories 117 kcal

Ingredients

  • 25 gr butter 0.8 oz
  • 25 gr flour 0.8 oz
  • 400 ml beef broth/stock 13.5 fl oz (you can also use vegetable stock (affiliate link) or chicken stock. But the beef stock helps the sauce gain this brown colour,
  • 1 tablespoon tomato paste
  • 100 ml whipping cream 3.3 fl oz - (at least 30% fat)
  • salt and pepper

For serving (optional)

  • 2 tablespoon fresh parsley finley chopped

Instructions

  • In a saucepan, melt the butter. Add the flour while continuing to stir until you achieve a thick paste. Slowly pour in the hot broth. Keep on mixing continually so no lumps form. Bring to a boil and then reduce the heat to a simmer.

  • Leave the sauce to simmer for about 9-10 minutes to reduce the floury taste.

  • Stir in the tomato paste and cream. At this point, the sauce should no longer be boiling.Add salt and pepper to taste.

  • Optional, you can sprinkle some fresh cut parsley to serve the sauce.

Video

Nutrition

Calories: 117kcalCarbohydrates: 7gProtein: 2gFat: 10gSaturated Fat: 6gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 35mgSodium: 49mgPotassium: 86mgFiber: 1gSugar: 1gVitamin A: 607IUVitamin C: 4mgCalcium: 29mgIron: 1mg

Keyword cream sauce for meatballs, cream sauce for schnitzel, german brown gravy, german cream sauce, rahmsoße

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

More German Side Dishes

  • Simple Speckbohnen (German green beans with bacon)
  • How to make Hugo Cocktail at home
  • Easy Smoked Salmon Quiche with Puff Pastry
  • Creamy German Cucumber Salad with Sour Cream

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Kerstin

    Basic Recipe for Rahmsauce – German Cream Sauce (11)
    So here bin ich! Ich bin ein expat und wohne in Florida. Schon seit mehr als 20 Jahren bin ich Veganer. Koche aber noch immer deutsch aber auf vegan. Diese Soße habe ich schon öfter gekocht. Ich nehme einen Gemüse Stock und für den Rahm von nehme ich Kokonuss Milch. Ich habe immer eine Büchse im Eisschrank und nehme nur den Rahmen der nach oben zum Deckel kommt. Es ist sehr gut und schmeckt garnicht nach Kokosmilch. Ich nehme immer eine Kokosmilch von Thailand. . So gut! . Aber danke für das Rezept.
    Kerstin

    Reply

    • Marita

      Hallo Kerstin! Schön dich kennenzulernen! Danke das du vorbeischaust.
      Danke für deinen tollen Vorschlag die Rahmsauce vegan zu kochen. Dass probiere ich auch mal.

      Liebe Grüße
      Marita

      Reply

  2. Dagmar Tolentino

    How much/what kind of broth? Not listed under ingredients.

    Reply

    • Marita

      Hi Dagmar, thanks for noticing. I updated the recipe. It is 400 ml beef broth.

      Reply

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Basic Recipe for Rahmsauce – German Cream Sauce (2024)
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