15 Oktoberfest Party Foods To Get You In the Bierfest Mood

Bavarian soft pretzels might be the biggest must-have at your Oktoberfest party (after beer and a guy falling off a bench, naturally).

Actually, I take that back. An Oktoberfest without pretzels is not Oktoberfest. It’s just a keg party with weird outfits.

These pretzels, called brezeln in German, are huge, chewy, and the perfect beer compliment.

For smaller parties, go ahead and make the GIANT Oktoberfest version of these. Seriously, the bigger the better.

For larger parties, save some dough (lil pretzel humor) and opt for smaller sizes.

This Oktoberfest pretzels recipe was expertly developed by yours truly and they're so much fun to make!

Classic German potato pancakes are a cinch to make and are perfect as a party appetizer, a side dish, or just an everyday snack.

Ingredients and tools for this recipe are minimal and the process is quick and straightforward.

Top these with applesauce and a dash of cinnamon to enjoy the traditional way, or go all new wave with sour cream and chives. Check out my recipe here!

The smell of these cooking will instantly turn your house into an authentic Oktoberfest celebration.

These German candied almonds are sold at Christmas markets, Bavarian beer festivals, and just about any other opportunity.

The candied almond booths at Oktoberfest can be smelled throughout the entire Wiesn and I’m sure they taste just as amazing as they smell. (Almond allergy here, but I’m told they’re fantastic.)

And from what it looks like, making them is fairly simple!

This German cheese spread is made with flavorful soft cheeses like camembert and brie and is best when served with the Bavarian soft pretzels. (Can you even go wrong with a cheese spread though? Really?)

Obatzda also makes a great addition to the Oktoberfest charcuterie board I'm about to mention.

Charcuterie boards are very popular at Oktoberfest and many of the beer tent reservations include one of these with the table. All are a little bit different but there are a few things that need to be on there.

This recipe is the closest one I could find to the real deal but still leaves out one very important ingredient: radishes!

Add a big bundle of both whole and shaved radishes to this board and it'll be the perfect addition to your at-home Oktoberfest.

1/2 roast chickens (known as hendl) are the most popular food item at Oktoberfest, hands down. (Over half a million of them are consumed at Oktoberfest each year!) Obviously they'll be perfect for your backyard Oktoberfest.

For smaller groups you can roast a couple of chickens and serve them up beer tent style--just cut straight down the middle.

For larger groups, cut them into more manageable portions since maybe not everyone will be wearing an elastic waistband?

Check out this recipe and roast your own, or feel free to just snatch up all the fresh rotisserie chickens from your local grocery story to save tons of time, money, and potential kitchen commotion.

As you can imagine, sausages of all kinds are huge stars on all the menus at Oktoberfest.

You've got bratwurst, weisswurst, currywurst, schweinswürstel, wiener wurst, Nürnberger rostbratwurst, ox'nbratwürstl, just to name a few.

Let's just say the list of sausages you can eat in Germany is longer than David Hasselhoff's fan club roster.

This particular recipe involves cooking some traditional bratwursts with onions and beer in a skillet and is amazing and super easy.

Another option would be to just toss your brats on the grill outside and call it a day! This is probably the easiest main dish option for both large and small Oktoberfest-themed parties.

Sauerbraten is a big Oktoberfest favorite of everyone I've ever met (just not myself however). Sauerbraten is a tender beef roast coated in a sweet and sour gravy.

This would make a great entree for smaller Oktoberfest parties, or you could make a ton and serve in a chafing dish for the masses. Either way, people will love it.

An absolute must-have at your Oktoberfest party is spaetzle, a kind of "German macaroni and cheese," if you will.

Spaetzle is one of my most favorite things to eat at Oktoberfest each year. Also, it's the only thing to eat at Oktoberfest if you're a vegetarian. Vegans, you've got radishes.

Because of the amount of work that goes into making this, käsespaetzle is best suited to smaller parties. Or, it'd be perfect if you're attending an Oktoberfest potluck and only have to make one thing that day.

German potato salad is different from the good ol' American BBQ classic we all know and love.

While the American version is largely mayonnaise-based and served cold, German kartoffelsalat is served warm and prominently features vinegar, and bacon, and bacon grease in its makeup.

Every American in the room just perked up.

Probably the most famous of all German side dishes is sauerkraut. Homemade sauerkraut is the way to go for almost all occasions as you really can't beat that small-batch quality.

However, if you're hosting a huge Oktoberfest house party, you may just want to buy in bulk. If that's the case, at least look for higher quality stuff if you can swing it--so, like, jars instead of cans.

I've saved my favorite Oktoberfest side dish for last: red cabbage.

Take a head of red cabbage, mix in some other good stuff, simmer for a while, and the result is soft and sweet and, let's just call it what it is, basically candy. I regret nothing.

These puffy sweet dumplings covered in lightly sweet vanilla sauce were my first introduction to Oktoberfest desserts and I haven't looked back since.

They're perfect for a light dessert after a heavy Bavarian meal and would be easy to prepare for an Oktoberfest-themed party.

Check out my recipe here--complete with printable recipe card!

I am really excited about these. I'm a huge fan of gingerbread cookies and it hurts my sugar-loving heart that the ones we wear at Oktoberfest are simply inedible.

The real lebkuchenherzen you find at Oktoberfest are primarily for decorative, woo-ing your sweetheart purposes. I mean, you can eat them but you do not want to. (Been there, drunk ate that, regretted it.)

So for my at-home Oktoberfest I searched far and wide for a lebkuchenherzen recipe that would also make for some delicious gingerbread cookies. And here you go!

You can't get much more "German dessert" than apple strudel.

Making it from scratch can be a bit of work, but this recipe utilizes phyllo dough and is a much easier option! If you're hosting or attending a smaller Oktoberfest-themed shindig, this may just be worth the effort.