Impress your family and friends with this delicious and authentic Beef Rouladen recipe. With tender beef, tangy mustard, and savory bacon, this dish will surely become a favorite in your household.
This is one of our absolute favorite German dishes. If you ever plan on having an Oktoberfest, this traditional German dish should be on the menu. It will knock your guests’ socks off, who will ask for more. I love to serve it with Skillet German Potato Salad, Brussels Sprouts with Bacon, or potato dumplings, but you could also do mashed potatoes.
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
See the complete list of ingredients on the recipe card below.
- Beef: Round roast, thinly sliced, is the way to go. Some grocery stores sell this ready-to-go as roulade or breakfast steak. It is about 8-10 inches long, about 5 inches wide, and ⅛-¼ inch thick. If you are having trouble finding it, ask your butcher if he can cut a round roast to this thickness. Other options include flank steak or outside round roast.
- Mustard: German mustard is ideal, but honestly, any spicy brown mustard will work. In a pinch, I have used Dijon mustard with good results.
- Bacon: Choose a bacon that is not too thick or too thin. I used Coleman naturally uncured hickory-smoked bacon, but any good-quality smoked bacon will work.
- Dill Pickles: Reserve a little pickle juice for the gravy.
- Butter: Salted or unsalted.
- Vegetable oil: You can use olive oil, but I find many things brown better in vegetable oil.
- Beef broth: Preferably low-sodium.
How to Make Beef Rouladen
This is a summary version; for the complete list of ingredients and instructions, please refer to the recipe card below.
- Spread the beef steaks and coat with a thin layer of mustard. Layer the bacon slices on top, then add the pickles and onions.
- Start rolling the side with pickles and onions tightly.
- Once completely rolled, secure with a toothpick.
- Brown the beef rolls on all sides and add beef broth and pickle juice. Cover with foil and bake. Plate the beef rolls.
- Place the skillet on the stovetop over medium heat. Scrape the bottom to remove any brown bits. Combine the cornstarch and beef broth and whisk it in. Cook until thickened.
- Season with salt, pepper, and a pinch or two of sugar. Add the roulade back to the skillet and simmer for a few minutes, spooning the gravy over them.
Preparation Tips
- These can be prepped up to 1 day ahead. Store in an airtight container in the fridge until ready to cook.
- Cut your pickles and onions into long, thin pieces.
- The rolls secure pretty easily with one wooden toothpick per roll. You will have it down pat once you have secured a couple.
- For extra flavor, throw in a splash of dry red wine, such as Merlot or Cabernet Sauvignon.
- I like to cook these up in an ovenproof skillet, so there is only one pan to clean. However, you can transfer the rolls to a covered baking dish if you don’t have one. Then add the beef broth and pickle juice. Now bake for about 90 minutes. Then, transfer the juices to the skillet and make the gravy.
Perfect Parings
Serve with mashed potatoes, boiled potatoes, spaetzle, carrots, potato pancakes, or red cabbage.
More Beef Recipes
German Beef Rouladen
German Beef Rouladen are rolls of thin, tender round steak stuffed with spicy mustard, bacon, onions, and pickles, all baked to fork tenderness. Then it is smothered with an easy-to-make beef sauce made from the delicious browned bits and beef juices.
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Servings: 4 servings
Calories: 356kcal
Ingredients
- 8 slices beef top round roast sliced very thin
- ¼ cup spicy brown German mustard
- 8 slices bacon
- 2-3 dill pickles thinly sliced
- 1 small onion thinly sliced
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1¼ cup low sodium beef broth
- ¼ cup dill pickle juice
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- salt and pepper to taste
- 2-3 pinches sugar to taste optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Spread out your beef steaks on a clean work surface. Coat each with a thin layer of German mustard. Lay a bacon slice on each one. Top with the pickles and onions, leaving the last couple of inches free of any.
- Start with the busy end (the one with the pickles and onions) and roll up tight, tucking the pickles and onions in as you go. Once completely rolled up, secure it with a toothpick. Repeat the procedure until all are rolled up.
- Heat the butter and vegetable oil in a large ovenproof skillet over medium heat. Brown the rolls on all sides. Add 1 cup of beef broth and pickle juice.
- Cover the skillet with aluminum foil and bake for 1½-2 hours. Remove the rouladen from the skillet and plate.
- Place the skillet on the stovetop over medium heat. Scrape the bottom to remove any brown bits. Combine ¼ cup beef broth and cornstarch. Whisk into the skillet and cook until thickened.
- Season with salt, pepper, and a pinch or two of sugar to taste. Add the rouladen back to the skillet and simmer. Spoon the gravy over the top and warm.
Notes
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat in a pot over low heat or in the microwave at reduced power.
- To freeze, first cool to room temperature. Then, add the rouladen and gravy to a sturdy freezer-safe container. Freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight and reheat on the stovetop over low heat or in the microwave at reduced power.
Nutrition
Calories: 356kcal | Carbohydrates: 10g | Protein: 20g | Fat: 26g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 10g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 68mg | Sodium: 1951mg | Potassium: 495mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 175IU | Vitamin C: 28mg | Calcium: 194mg | Iron: 2mg
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Megan
This was like a great new recipe to try on the family. My husband really enjoyed it. He loves to eat beef. I love that its different than what we normally fix.
Julie Shahin
I really appreciate the time and effort you put into creating this recipe. It’s clear that you have a passion for German food, and it shows in your work. I’m so glad I found your website, and I can’t wait to try more of your recipes
May
It already looks so good in the pan! And mustard and pickles? Mmmmmmm…..I can almost taste this beef!
Marysa
I’ve never heard of of this dish before. However my daughter is going to Germany this summer and it would be fun to make this dish for her to try!
Pedja
This was so delicious. I am not a fan of roasting…anything…but this was really good and tasty. My new favorite German dish.
Nyxie
This looks gorgeous! I’ve had something similar years ago while on vacation near the black forest in Germany. It was beautiful but have never been able to recreate it myself. My mother has even tried and she lived there for 4 years!
Beth Pierce
Thanks, Nyxie! It is delicious. You and your mother should give it a try!
Stephanie
I’ve never seen anything like this before, but my in-laws have when they were stationed in Germany many years ago. This isn’t something I would eat, but my husband would love everything about this! I’ll have to make it for him as a surprise one weekend.
Debbie
I had never heard of the German Beef Rouladen dish before. The recipe was amazing as I love steak and all the spicy brown mustard, bacon, pickles, and onion were so flavorful. Thanks for sharing.
April
What a great German recipe. We loved it. It is an odd combination of ingredients but we enjoyed it.
Maureen
We are always on the lookout for a new beef recipe that is easy and tasty! This recipe fits that bill. I love that this is something we haven’t tried before but easy enough to replicate. I can’t wait to get this dish on our menu!