cooking
German Cooking Ingredients — Sauces, Spices, Fix Products & More
This is your starting point for everything you need to cook authentic German meals at home — no matter where in the world you live. Our Cooking category brings together sauce mixes from Knorr and Maggi, seasoning from Fuchs, pasta and potato products from Birkel and Pfanni, baking ingredients from Dr. Oetker, and much more. Knorr has been a household name since Carl Heinrich Knorr opened his factory in Heilbronn in 1838. Maggi, founded by Julius Maggi in 1886 in Switzerland, became inseparable from German home cooking through its Fix recipe mixes and iconic Maggi Würze seasoning sauce. Browse the subcategories below — Sauces Mix, Spices & Seasoning, Maggi Fix, Knorr Fix, Pasta & Potatoes, and more — to find exactly what your recipe calls for.
German cooking is built on quality staples — reliable brands, time-tested recipes, and ingredients that deliver consistent results every time. This parent category collects them all in one place.
Sauce mixes form the backbone of everyday German cooking. Knorr and Maggi dominate the market with their Fix products — pre-portioned seasoning sachets designed for specific dishes. A Knorr Fix für Sauerbraten or a Maggi Fix für Spaghetti Bolognese provides the exact spice blend, thickener and seasoning for one family meal. Just add the fresh ingredients listed on the packet. Knorr, now part of Unilever, draws on its Heilbronn heritage dating to 1838. Maggi, owned by Nestlé, traces back to Julius Maggi's factory in Kemptthal, Switzerland, in 1886 — though the brand's identity in Germany is so strong that most Germans consider it a domestic product.
Sauces and gravy go beyond Fix products. Thomy offers ready-made sauces — from Hollandaise to asparagus sauce — produced in Switzerland and trusted by German households since the 1907 founding of the original Helvetia company. Mondamin, introduced in Germany in 1896, supplies the starch-based sauce binders (Soßenbinder) that let you thicken any gravy to the perfect consistency.
Spices and seasoning from Fuchs, a leading German spice producer, cover everything from ground paprika to rubbed marjoram. German spice culture values precision — you will find specific blends for Gulasch, Bratkartoffeln and Grillgewürz rather than generic catch-all mixes.
Pasta and potatoes represent the two pillars of German side dishes. Birkel, founded in 1896, and 3 Glocken are among the best-known German pasta manufacturers. Pfanni, a Bavarian brand, specialises in potato products — Kartoffelknödel (potato dumplings), Kartoffelpüree (mashed potatoes) and Reibekuchen (potato pancake) mixes.
Baking ingredients round out the category with products from Dr. Oetker (founded 1891 in Bielefeld), Ruf (founded 1920 in Quakenbrück) and Alnatura (founded 1984 in Darmstadt). From flour and sugar to vanilla extract and baking powder, everything is covered.
All products ship from Erfurt, Thuringia — right in the heart of Germany.
FAQ
What is a Maggi Fix or Knorr Fix product?
Fix products are pre-portioned seasoning sachets designed for specific German recipes — for example, Fix für Gulasch, Fix für Geschnetzeltes, or Fix für Spaghetti Bolognese. Each packet contains the exact spices, herbs and thickeners needed for one family-sized meal. You just add the fresh ingredients listed on the packet.
Can I use these products if I live in the USA?
Yes. All products in this category are shipped directly from our warehouse in Erfurt, Germany. We deliver to the USA, UK and Canada. Most dry goods (spice mixes, sauce packets, pasta) have long shelf lives and travel well.
What is Maggi Würze?
Maggi Würze is a dark, savoury liquid seasoning that has been a kitchen staple in Germany for over a century. It was developed by Julius Maggi in 1886 in Switzerland and is used to season soups, stews, sauces and egg dishes. Despite its name suggesting a connection to lovage (Liebstöckel), the recipe is plant-protein-based and does not actually contain lovage.
What German cooking brands do you carry?
Our selection includes Knorr (Heilbronn, est. 1838), Maggi (Kemptthal, est. 1886), Thomy (Switzerland, Nestlé since 1971), Mondamin (in Germany since 1896), Fuchs spices, Birkel and 3 Glocken pasta, Pfanni potato products, Dr. Oetker, Ruf and Alnatura baking supplies, among others.
