I think everyone enjoys a schnitzel, and what’s not to love? Tender beef schnitzels, crumbed in crispy breadcrumbs and fried to golden brown perfection make the perfect meal. Follow my easy instructions and you can enjoy your very own crispy crumbed beef schnitzel tonight!
**As an Amazon affiliate, I earn from qualifying purchases.**
What is a schnitzel?
A schnitzel is simply a thin slice of meat that has been coated in flour, egg and breadcrumbs and then fried in oil until the coating is crispy and the meat is cooked. Because the meat is pounded with a meat mallet (or rolling pin) until it is very thin, a schnitzel only takes a few minutes to cook. This makes it the ideal meal for busy weeknights when you need to get something on the table in a hurry.
Traditionally schnitzels were made with veal, and known as Wiener Schnitzel, but the dish has evolved over the years to include other meats such as beef (Jäger Schnitzel), pork (Schweine Schnitzel), turkey or chicken (Hänchen Schnitzel) – I have a recipe for chicken schnitzel here if you’d like to try that too.
This crispy beef schnitzel is coated in toasted breadcrumbs. Toasting the breadcrumbs before using them to coat the schnitzel serves two purposes:
- it makes the coating extra crispy, providing a satisfying ‘crunch’ as you bite through it;
- the toasted breadcrumbs prevent too much oil from being absorbed during cooking.
And in case you were wondering, schnitzel is a German word that simply means ‘cutlet’ in English.
Ingredients you will need
**Get the complete list of ingredients and full instructions for making these crispy crumbed beef schnitzels on the printable recipe card at the end of this post**
- Beef – You will need about 120 grams or 4 ounces of beef per schnitzel. There are various cuts of beef that you can use, and you may know them by various names depending on where in the world you live. Here are some of the more common terms used in the UK – minute steaks, beef escalopes, beef medallions, frying steak.
You could also cut your own thin steaks from a piece of topside. If you choose to do this, slice the beef against the grain and cut it not more than 1 cm in thickness.
- Flour – This is used for the first layer of coating on the schnitzels. All you need is plain all-purpose flour, not self-raising. You could also substitute the flour for cornflour or cornstarch.
- Egg – This is the second layer of coating and the eggs should be lightly beaten.
- Breadcrumbs – The final layer of the coating. You can make your own breadcrumbs by grating slices of bread on a box grater (or just whizz them in a food processor). Toasting them in a dry frying pan crisps dries out the breadcrumbs and provides a much crispier coating than soft breadcrumbs. I used brown bread, but you could use white or even wholemeal bread.
You could substitute the fresh breadcrumbs with Panko breadcrumbs which I actually prefer because they give a lovely crispy coating. Plus you don’t have to toast them because they are crispy right out of the packet!
- Salt and pepper – for seasoning. This is mixed with the flour before coating the steak. You could also add other herbs and spices to the flour such as paprika or oregano, but this is totally optional.
- Sunflower oil (not pictured) – used for frying the schnitzels. You can use any neutral-flavoured oil. I wouldn’t use olive oil as it has quite a strong taste.
What to do
It only takes 6 minutes to fry 2 schnitzels, but they do have to be chilled in the fridge for half an hour to let the coating settle. Why not save yourself some time by preparing them the night before, then all you have to do is fry them up and have a delicious family supper in next to no time.
Place each schnitzel between 2 layers of plastic wrap and hit it gently with either a rolling pin or a meat mallet to flatten it out slightly.
The steak should be pounded to about 1/4 inch (about three-quarters of a centimetre) in thickness. Pounding the meat in this way not only thins the meat out but also tenderises it.
Get three shallow bowls and a plate to hold the coated beef.
- Place the flour in the first bowl and mix in the salt, pepper and any other spices you may be using.
- Beat the egg into the second bowl.
- Make the breadcrumbs (just grate slices of bread on a box grater) and toast them lightly in a dry frying pan until they start to turn brown and lose their moisture. Keep your eye on them – they burn easily. Place these in the third bowl.
- Dip the slices of steak first into the flour, taking care to coat the steak completely. Shake off any excess flour.
- Now dip the steak into the egg and let the excess drip off.
- Finally coat each piece of steak in the breadcrumbs, pressing them on well.
- Put the coated steak onto a plate, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for about 30 minutes.
This is the point at which you can leave the schnitzels overnight if you are preparing them to fry them the next day.
And this is how you fry them:
Heat the oil in a frying pan and fry the schnitzels over moderate heat for 3 to 4 minutes per side until they are golden brown and crispy. Drain on a paper towel before serving.
Top tips for frying the schnitzel
- Let the oil come to temperature. It should reach 165 degrees Celsius or 330 degrees Fahrenheit before adding the steak. If you don’t have a thermometer you can drop a few breadcrumbs into the hot oil. The oil will be hot enough when the breadcrumbs sizzle and start to turn brown after 15 seconds.
- If you put the schnitzels into cold oil they will absorb the oil and become soggy, and the coating may fall off.
- Don’t turn the schnitzels until they have been in the hot frying pan for at least 3 minutes. If you turn them too soon you run the risk of the coating falling off.
If you’d like to be notified of any new recipes, why not subscribe to my newsletter? As a thank-you gift, you will receive a free recipe e-book containing some of my most popular cakes and desserts.
Questions
Yes. Place the uncooked crumbed schnitzels onto a baking sheet and freeze until solid. Then transfer them to a suitably sized freezer bag and freeze for up to 3 months. You can let them defrost in the refrigerator before frying, or fry from frozen. If you fry from frozen you should allow an extra minute or two per side in the frying pan.
I wouldn’t freeze the cooked schnitzels as the coating will just fall off when they defrost.
Yes. You can leave the crumbed (uncooked) schnitzels in the refrigerator for up to 3 days before frying. Just be sure to cover them with plastic wrap before storing them.
Schnitzels are normally served with some form of potatoes and either salad or fresh vegetables. Some people just squeeze lemon juice onto their schnitzels; I prefer them covered with a sauce. Here are some ideas you might like to try:
German potatoes – crispy potatoes fried with bacon and onions
Saute potatoes – This is a link to my saute potatoes that I normally serve with Eisbein.
Buttered cabbage with leeks and mustard seeds
Spicy braised red cabbage
Honey mustard sauce with ricotta cheese
Marinara sauce – this is a link to the marinara sauce in my steak strips recipe
Hunter’s sauce – a delicious mushroom and onion sauce made with beef stock and cream.
If you would like to make extra schnitzels, just double the recipe. You should allow about 120 grams (or 4 ounces) of steak per schnitzel. One schnitzel should be sufficient for one person unless you have a large appetite.
Save for later
If you would like to try this recipe for crispy crumbed beef schnitzels, why not pin it to one of your Pinterest boards so you can find it easily? Just click on the image below.
Alternatively, you can save the recipe by clicking on the floating heart icon on the right-hand side of the screen.
Other German-inspired recipes
Why not take a look at some of my other German-inspired recipes while you are here?
- Crispy chicken schnitzel – a tender crumbed and fried chicken schnitzel smothered in a thick and creamy mushroom sauce.
- Spicy braised red cabbage – my favourite way of preparing red cabbage.
- Crispy pork knuckle with saute potatoes – a tender pork knuckle with crispy skin
- Crusty German breadrolls – a crispy exterior and a soft and dense chewy inside make these rolls perfect for sandwiches or for mopping up sauces and gravy.
- German meat salad – pair this salad with a crusty German breadroll (see previous link) for a delicious lunch or light main meal.
The recipe
Crispy crumbed beef schnitzels
(Click the stars to rate this recipe)
Ingredients
- 8 ounces / 245 grams minute steak (also called beef escalopes / frying steak / beef medalliions)
- 2 tablespoons flour for coating the beef
- 1 medium egg beaten
- ½ cup / 60 grams breadcrumbs for coating the beef
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ¼ cup / 60 ml sunflower oil
- ½ teaspoon paprika optional
- ½ teaspoon oregano optional
Instructions
- Place the steak between 2 sheets of plastic wrap and pound with a meat mallet (or heavy rolling pin) until flattened to ¼ inch thickness.8 ounces / 245 grams minute steak
- Make breadcrumbs by grating slices of bread on a box grater, then lightly toast them in a dry frying pan until they are golden brown.½ cup / 60 grams breadcrumbs
- Combine the flour with the salt and pepper, and optionally the paprika/oregano in a shallow bowl.2 tablespoons flour, ½ teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon ground black pepper, ½ teaspoon paprika, ½ teaspoon oregano
- Lightly beat the egg in a second bowl.1 medium egg
- Place the toasted breadcrumbs in a third bowl.
- Dip the slices of steak first into the seasoned flour, taking care to coat the steak completely. Shake off any excess flour.
- Now dip the steak into the egg and let the excess drip off.
- Finally coat each piece of steak in the breadcrumbs, pressing them on well.
- Put the coated steak onto a plate, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for about 30 minutes.
- Heat the sunflower oil in a large frying pan and then fry the steaks for 3 to 4 minutes on each side until crispy and golden.¼ cup / 60 ml sunflower oil
- Drain on paper towel and before serving.
Notes
Nutrition
I am not a nutritionist. The nutrition information has been calculated using an on-line calculator, and is intended for information and guidance purposes only. If the nutrition information is important to you, you should consider calculating it yourself, using your preferred tool.
If you made this recipe and enjoyed it, I’d love it if you could give me a star rating in the comments below. And if you’d like to get in touch, you can email me at [email protected]. I’d love to hear from you. And don’t forget to subscribe to my mailing list so you can grab yourself a copy of my FREE COOKBOOK!
If you’d like to continue browsing, just click on this link to all my recipes.
Leave a Reply