Curry Ketchup & Currywurst – Germany’s Favourite Fast Food
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 5 minutes
This easy homemade curry ketchup is the real star of Germany’s favourite fast food—currywurst! It’s quick to make, keeps beautifully in the fridge, and adds a tangy, spiced lift to everything from sausages and burgers to sandwiches and eggs.
Ingredients
Curry Ketchup
- 2 tbsp water
- 1 tbsp neutral oil e.g. mild olive oil, vegetable oil
- 1 cup tomato sauce (ketchup) 250ml
- 2 tbsp sugar or honey I like using honey
- 1 tbsp curry powder
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 2 tsp sweet paprika
- 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- Pinch of salt
- Pinch of black pepper
Serving Suggestion
- bratwurst knackwurst, or kransky sausages
- potatoes for chips
- Neutral oil for frying
- Salt to season
- Mayonnaise for topping
- Extra curry powder for sprinkling
Instructions
Make the curry ketchup
- In a small saucepan, add water, oil, and tomato ketchup. Place over medium heat and whisk to combine.
- Once it starts to simmer, reduce heat to low and add sugar (or honey), curry powder, chili powder, onion powder, paprika, Worcestershire sauce, salt, and pepper.
- Whisk well to combine. Turn off heat and let cool. Transfer to a clean jar.
Currywurst
- Peel and cut potatoes into chips.
- Place in a saucepan, cover with cold salted water, and bring to the boil.
- Boil for 5 minutes, drain well, and spread on a tea towel to dry completely.
- Heat oil in a frying pan and fry chips in batches until golden and crisp. Drain on paper towel and season with salt.
- Cook the sausages
- Heat a little oil in a pan over medium heat.
- Add bratwurst, knackwurst, or kransky sausages and cook, turning often, until browned and heated through.
- Slice into bite-sized pieces.
Assemble the currywurst
- Divide chips into bowls, top with sausage slices.
- Spoon over curry ketchup and mayonnaise.
- Finish with a light sprinkle of curry powder.
Notes
- Chip Method:
In this video, I preboil the chips before frying — not my usual method! I normally prefer double frying raw potatoes with no preboiling. But I was outdoors using a 2-burner stove, and this option worked best. Still crispy, still delicious. - Make-Ahead Tip:
The curry ketchup keeps well in the fridge for a couple of months in a sealed jar. - Serving Suggestion:
This curry ketchup is delicious on eggs, burgers, chips, and meats — and especially good paired with mayonnaise. It's a versatile condiment we always keep on hand. - Sausage Choices:
Bratwurst is traditional, but kranskys or knackwurst work beautifully — especially when cooking with what’s available.