Austrian Liptauer Cheese Spread Recipe

Liptauer is a delicious spread that you can get at any Heuriger or Buschenschank (Austrian wine tavern) in Austria. 

The combination of flavorful spices, paprika, cheese, and butter makes Liptauer a distinctly delicious spread. But it is also popular as a dip.

Since you probably don't have a Heuriger or Buschenschank nearby but have a craving for this savory spread, you can prepare Liptauer at home in no time with this simple authentic Austrian recipe. 

So the Austrian wine tavern feeling comes directly to your home, and it only takes 10 minutes! 

I also used the Liptauer cheese spread as a dip for my Christmas charcuterie board.

🥘 Ingredients

• Unsalted butter
• Brimsen - soft cheese made from sheep's milk
• Raw onions
• Capers
• Pickles
• Parsley
• Kosher salt
• Black pepper
• Ground caraway
• Garlic
• Sweet paprika

See the recipe card for quantities.

🔪 Instructions

The preparation of Liptauer is straightforward. Once you've got all the ingredients beforehand, it's just a matter of mixing and blending. So yey, it goes very, very quickly!

Before you mix everything together, it's best to prepare the ingredients like you will need them later. This way, everything will go even faster. 

1. Strain the Brimsen through a sieve. 

Brimsen (or any other salted fresh cheese made from sheep milk) usually floats in brine when it is delivered.

You might be familiar with brine from different cheeses, like feta cheese. Here, it's essential to strain the Brimsen before using it further, as you don't want the brine in the Liptauer. 

2. Chop onions, capers, parsley, and pickles

You can prepare onions, pickles, and capers in two different ways. Either you chop them by hand with a knife or throw them in the electric chopper.

It's up to you to decide what you have at home and how small you want everything chopped. 

I wanted the raw onions, pickles, parsley, and capers chopped very finely for my Liptauer, so I opted for the electric chopper.

3. Prepare the spices

The easiest thing to do is to have the spices ready as well. It's best to put them out right away; then, you'll save yourself time. 

4. Combine everything together

Take a mixing bowl and mix the butter with a mixer until fluffy. 

Since you've strained the Brimsen before, you can safely add it to the fluffed butter and mix it in well with the butter. 

Next, add the prepared onions, pickles, capers, and parsley to the butter and Brimsen mixture. Once again, mix everything well. 

Now you have to season and taste. Stir well once again, and you're finished making a yummy Liptauer! 

Serve the finished Liptauer cheese spread with slices of fresh brown bread and a delicious glass of white wine!

This Liptauer cheese spread on an instant pot bread is also a very special treat as well as for dipping with sourdough discard crackers!

🥠 Substitutions

Since Brimsen is challenging to obtain in many areas, here are some ways to substitute it:

• Cottage cheese
• Feta
• a mixture of sheep's cheese and curd cheese in equal parts. In terms of taste, the sheep's cheese-curd mixture certainly comes closest to the original.

🍽 Equipment

• Electric chopper
• Tablespoon
• Electric hand mixer
• Medium bowl
• Strainer

🌡️ Storage

Homemade Liptauer lasts up to three days in the refrigerator. This spread is not suitable for freezing.

🍷 Which wine pairs best with Liptauer?

At the Heurigen I prefer white wine. Mainly because when you sit at an Austrian wine tavern, it's summertime, when it is hot, and the red wine is not particularly suitable.

A "Grüner Veltliner" but also "gemischter Satz" are absolutely recommended here. Spritz the "Grüner Veltliner" with mineral water to make him more refreshing.

The sparkling water makes the wine lighter and better tolerated on hot summer days. 

If you make this recipe, let me know how you liked it by ★★★★★ star rating it and leaving a comment below. This would be awesome! You can also sign up for our Newsletter or follow me on Pinterest or Instagram and share your creation with me. Just tag me @combinegoodflavors and hashtag #combinegoodflavors, so I don't miss it.

📖 Recipe

⛑ Food safety

• Cook to a minimum temperature of 165 °F (74 °C)
• Do not use the same utensils on cooked food, that previously touched raw meat
• Wash hands after touching raw meat
• Don't leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods
• Never leave cooking food unattended
• Use oils with high smoking point to avoid harmful compounds
• Always have good ventilation when using a gas stove

See more guidelines at USDA.gov.