Kohlrabi Schnitzel

This Kohlrabi Schnitzel recipe is breaded and either pan fried or baked. It's vegetarian, gluten free, and served with a creamy mustard sauce!

This Kohlrabi Schnitzel is a unique and delicious way to utilize the somewhat misunderstood bulbous green vegetable. It's a vegetarian version of the German favorite, which is often made using pork or veal.

This is precisely the time of year when kohlrabi starts to make its way into farmer's market stands and CSA boxes, leaving many of us curious but not entirely sure what to do with it.

Kohlrabi (also known as a German turnip) is a cruciferous vegetable found in the same family as Brussels sprouts, broccoli, cauliflower, and kale. It's taste lands somewhere between a cabbage and a radish.

This dish is hearty yet healthy, filling, and a great recipe to enjoy during the late summer and early fall months.

It's served with a tangy lemon mustard cream sauce.

Jump to:

• How To Cut Kohlrabi
• Do You Have To Peel Kohlrabi?
• How To Parboil Kohlrabi
• Ingredients For Kohlrabi Schnitzel
• How To Make Breading For Schnitzel
• How To Bread Kohlrabi
• How To Bake Kohlrabi Schnitzel
• How To Pan Fry Kohlrabi Schnitzel
• How To Make Creamy Mustard Sauce
• What To Serve With Schnitzel
• How Long Does Kohlrabi Last In The Fridge?
• Kohlrabi Schnitzel

How To Cut Kohlrabi

It's easy to take one look at a kohlrabi and wonder what the heck to do with it. However, kohlrabi is simple to cut and prepare once you get the hang of it.

The process is much like cutting a rutabaga, butternut squash, or any other bulbous produce with tough skins.

The key to cutting a vegetable like kohlrabi is to make sure that there is always a flat surface touching the cutting board. This prevents the kohlrabi from rolling around on the cutting board, which makes the process safer and helps prevent us from cutting our fingers with our knife.

Do You Have To Peel Kohlrabi?

The entire kohlrabi is edible, including the leaves. It's best to remove the outer skin, tough, as it's tough and fibrous. This is easy to do using a sharp knife.

1. The first step is to pull the shoots off the outer skin with your fingers or to cut them off with a knife. These fibrous shoots may be discarded.
2. Cut the leaves off the top of the kohlrabi with a knife. The leaves can be saved and used in another recipe or thrown in your compost bin.
3. Cut the top and bottom of the kohlrabi off with a knife and discard. This will give you a flat surface on both the top and bottom portion of the vegetable and make it easier to cut.
4. With the flat surface of the kohlrabi on the cutting board remove the skin with the knife and discard (the process is much like peeling a butternut squash or a pineapple).
5. Cut the kohlrabi in half and then cut the halves into slices, making sure that the slices are relatively uniform in size to ensure even cooking.

How To Parboil Kohlrabi

There are many ways to cook kohlrabi. It's a super versatile vegetable and can be prepared much like you would a potato.

Kohlrabi can be sautéed, roasted, fried, mashed, breaded, and added to everything from soups to stews to salads. It can be eaten raw or cooked.

The texture is firm and crunchy, much like a jicama or turnip. To make this Kohlrabi Schnitzel, the kohlrabi is first parboiled in order to soften the texture.

The parboiled slices are then breaded and either pan fried in a skillet on the stove top or baked in the oven. Parboiling the kohlrabi helps to create an optimal texture while retaining the flavor.

To parboil simply means to boil a vegetable until slightly softened but not to cook all the way through. It's a useful technique when preparing vegetables using multiple cooking methods (in this case parboiling and then either pan-frying or baking).

Ingredients For Kohlrabi Schnitzel

Here's what you'll need to make it.

• 1 Large Kohlrabi or 2 Medium Kohlrabi
• 1 cup Gluten Free Flour Blend (or AP flour if not gluten free)
• 4 Eggs plus 1 Tbsp. Water
• 1 ½ cups Gluten Free Panko Breadcrumbs (or regular Panko breadcrumbs if not gluten free)
• 2 ¼ tsp. Garlic Powder (split)
• 2 tsp. Onion Powder
• 2 tsp. Paprika
• 1 tsp. Kosher Salt
• ½ tsp. Pepper
• 4 Tbsp. High Heat Cooking Oil (such as Grapeseed, Safflower, or Peanut Oil) (split)
• ½ cup Sour Cream
• 2 Tbsp. Dijon Mustard
• 2 Tbsp. Lemon Juice + Lemon Wedges for serving

How To Make Breading For Schnitzel

The process for making Kohlrabi Schnitzel is to first parboil the slices, dry them out on a paper towel, and then coat each of the slices first in flour, secondly in eggs, and lastly in a spiced Panko breadcrumb mixture.

This process is called dredging and I use it all the time to make everything from Air Fried Fish Tacos to Eggplant Parmesan Fries to Breaded Mushrooms.

1. The first step is to place the sliced kohlrabi wedges in a pot of water on the stove top and bring to a boil. Once the water is boiling, reduce the heat slightly to a low boil and cook the kohlrabi for 10-12 minutes, or until they are slightly softened but not mushy.
2. Drain the parboiled kohlrabi and place the wedges on some paper towels or kitchen towels and allow them to dry out slightly and cool.
3. Add 1 cup gluten free flour blend (or AP flour if not gluten free) to one bowl.
4. In a second bowl, add 4 eggs and 1 Tbsp. of water. Stir until completely combined.
5. Add 1 ½ cups gluten free Panko breadcrumbs (or regular Panko breadcrumbs if not gluten free) in addition to 2 tsp. each of garlic powder, onion powder, and paprika, along with 1 tsp. kosher salt and ½ tsp. pepper. Stir until combined.

The kohlrabi should be cool to the touch and pliable when ready to coat in the egg and breadcrumb mixtures. It's best to pat both sides dry with a paper towel.

How To Bread Kohlrabi

After the kohlrabi has cooled to the touch it's ready to go through the dredging process.

It's a bit messy and I find it useful to place the breaded wedges on a sheet pan to keep the process a bit more organized.

1. Dip a cooled kohlrabi wedge first in the flour and toss until coated.
2. Next, dip the coated kohlrabi into the egg mixture and stir until completely coated.
3. Third, place the kohlrabi wedge in the spiced breadcrumb mixture and toss until coated.
4. Place the coated kohlrabi on a sheet pan.
5. Repeat with the remainder of the kohlrabi wedges.

How To Bake Kohlrabi Schnitzel

This recipe can be baked in the oven or pan-fried in a skillet on the stove top. I tried both methods and found them to be equally tasty.

Here are the instructions if you'd like to bake the kohlrabi in the oven.

1. Heat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Spray both sides of the breaded kohlrabi wedges generously with a high-heat cooking spray such as avocado oil or grapeseed oil.
3. Bake the kohlrabi for 10 minutes, flip, and bake for another 10 minutes.
4. After 20 minutes, the kohlrabi should be crispy and golden brown. Remove from the oven and set aside until ready to serve.

How To Pan Fry Kohlrabi Schnitzel

Schnitzel is traditionally made by pounding either slices or pork or veal very thin, breading it, and then pan-frying the slices of meat until the outside is crispy.

The process for making this version is similar, except that the kohlrabi is not pounded thin before frying.

The breaded slices are lightly fried in a skillet until the coating is crispy and golden brown.

1. To pan fry the kohlrabi, place a heavy-bottomed skillet on the stove top and turn the heat to medium-high.
2. Add 2 Tbsp. of high-heat cooking oil, such as grapeseed or safflower oil to the skillet and allow to heat through.
3. Once heated (the kohlrabi should sizzle as it hits the pan), place some of the kohlrabi slices in the skillet, being careful not to overcrowd the pan.
4. Cook for 5 minutes on the first side, flip, and cook for another 4-5 minutes on the second side.
5. Once the outside is golden and crispy, remove the kohlrabi from the skillet and place the wedges on dry paper towels to remove any excess oil.
6. Repeat with the remainder of the breaded kohlrabi, adding another Tbsp. or so of oil in between batches.
7. Sprinkle with a bit of kosher salt after removing from skillet.

How To Make Creamy Mustard Sauce

Schnitzel can be served on its own, with a squeeze of lemon, or topped with any number of sauces.

Popular sauces used to top schnitzel include creamy gravy, mushroom sauce, dill, or mustard sauce.

To keep things simple I went with a creamy lemon mustard sauce. This tangy sauce is made with sour cream, Dijon mustard, and lemon juice.

It's based on this Tarragon Cream Sauce that I've used a dipping sauce for years.

This sauce can be made while the schnitzel is either baking or frying.

1. To make the sauce combine ½ cup sour cream, 2 Tbsp. Dijon mustard, 2 Tbsp. lemon juice, ¼ tsp. garlic powder, and a pinch of kosher salt and pepper in a small bowl.
2. Stir until completely combined using a fork or small whisk.
3. Feel free to add fresh dill, tarragon, or herbs of choice (optional).

What To Serve With Schnitzel

Schnitzel is a dish full of German flavors and goes great with sides traditionally served with German or Austrian meals.

I love to serve Vegetarian Schnitzel with some buttermilk mashed potatoes, herb roasted potatoes, rotato salad, or fried potatoes.

It's perfect served with a side dish like German spätzle, red cabbage, creamy cucumber salad, or German potato salad.

Sauerkraut is also a great serving choice.

Roasted vegetables like garlic green beans, Parmesan cauliflower, and maple mustard Brussels sprouts are a nice pairing.

For a lighter pairing, check out this fresh mint pea salad, pickled beet salad, marinated green bean salad, or marinated tomato salad.

Once the dish is ready, squeeze some lemon over the top and dip the breaded kohlrabi into the creamy mustard sauce.

The lemon juice helps to cut down on the richness of the kohlrabi and the dipping sauce provides a creamy, tangy balance to the dish.

Feel free to top this recipe with some fresh dill or any herbs of choice.

If you like German flavors be sure to check out this Sheet Pan German Sausage and Potatoes!

How Long Does Kohlrabi Last In The Fridge?

Any leftover Kohlrabi Schnitzel may be stored for 1-2 days in an airtight container in the fridge.

Be sure to allow the schnitzel to cool completely before transferring to the fridge for storage.

The schnitzel may lose some of its crispiness as it sits in the fridge so it's best to enjoy fresh.

Any leftover sauce may be stored for 2-3 days in an airtight container in the fridge.

Love kohlrabi? Don't miss these recipes!

• Kohlrabi Slaw
• Mashed Kohlrabi

Love vegetarian meals? Check out these recipes!

• BBQ Sweet Potatoes
• Lemon Pea Risotto
• Eggplant Vegetable Lasagna
• Baked Eggplant Parmesan
• Vegetable Stew
• Veggie Fajita Bowls
• Greek Stuffed Peppers

Looking For More Kohlrabi Recipes? Don't Miss These!

Kohlrabi Beet Slaw

Kohlrabi Curry

Kohlrabi Apple Salad