German Oktoberfest Party Menu

by: Gerhild Fulson  / Oma Gerhild shares German recipes rooted in family tradition.

When I put together an Oktoberfest menu at home, I want it to feel Bavarian without turning the day into a cooking marathon. My test is simple: the dishes should fit an Oktoberfest table and still be practical in my home kitchen, with very little last-minute work.

One ready-made Oktoberfest menu: Bavarian pretzels with obatzda, brathendl with southern German potato salad, followed by apple strudel for dessert.

Not sure how much food to prepare? My Oktoberfest Food per Person Guide gives you practical serving amounts and shows how I would scale this menu for 10 guests.

If you want more choices, Lydia's Oktoberfest Menu Ideas page is where we’ve gathered more options.

A Bavarian Oktoberfest Table That Works at Home

Oktoberfest is rooted in Munich and Bavaria, so I want this menu to feel Bavarian rather than simply collecting German favorites. For me, that means choosing dishes that really fit the festival while still being practical in a home kitchen.

The pretzels with obatzda set the Bavarian tone, while roast chicken with southern German potato salad gives me a main meal that's actually quite easy to make.

That’s the balance I’m after: Bavarian enough to feel like Oktoberfest, but practical enough that I’m not spending the whole party in the kitchen. After all, I’d like to eat too. 😉

Bavarian Pretzels and Obatzda

This menu starts with Bavarian pretzels and obatzda. Obatzda is a traditional Bavarian cheese spread, so paired with pretzels it immediately belongs on this kind of Oktoberfest table.

For my homemade pretzels, I don’t use lye. Traditional lye needs careful handling, and I wanted an easier method for my home kitchen. I’ll happily leave the lye bath to the Bavarian pretzel bakers. 😉

These homemade Bavarian-style pretzels use baked baking soda instead of traditional lye for an easier home-kitchen method.

I use a baked baking soda bath instead of the standard baking soda bath, which gives me the golden crust and chewy texture I’m looking for without having to work with lye. I think you'll like this method as well.

I’m also perfectly happy to suggest buying good fresh soft pretzels from a bakery or pretzel shop if that makes the party easier. Part of the reason I developed my own recipe was that I couldn’t find the Bavarian-style pretzels I wanted locally. I was after the kind of pretzel I remembered from Munich, not just a standard supermarket soft pretzel.

I put sliced radishes and cucumber alongside the pretzels and obatzda. They add something fresh and crisp that offsets the richness of the cheese spread.

Brathendl for the Main

For the main dish, I make brathendl using chicken pieces rather than roasting a whole bird. I season them simply with seasoning salt and paprika.

I usually buy whichever pieces are on sale, or cut up a whole chicken if that makes more sense. That keeps it economical, and for a gathering the pieces are easy to portion without having to carve a chicken at the table.

My practical brathendl recipe roasts chicken pieces in the oven, making this Oktoberfest main easy to portion and serve.

Southern German Potato Salad

For this Oktoberfest menu, I’m choosing southern German potato salad rather than the creamy northern-style potato salad I grew up with.

For years, the mayonnaise-style version was what I thought of when I heard “German potato salad,” so I was surprised when I learned that the tangy vinegar-and-broth versions were German too. Apparently Germany had been keeping a whole other potato salad from me.

This warm southern German potato salad has a tangy vinegar-and-broth dressing with bacon and makes a classic Bavarian-style side.

This southern style is the better fit for this Bavarian menu. Its tangy dressing gives the brathendl a very different companion from a creamy mayonnaise-based salad and keeps the plate from feeling quite so rich. My version also includes bacon. I don't think anyone will argue with that.

Apple Strudel With Vanilla Sauce

For dessert, there's apple strudel served with vanilla sauce. This is very southern German ... something we northerners didn’t do very often.

I use frozen puff pastry for my apple strudel, which makes it much more practical than the traditional stretched-dough method that I was originally taught.

Serving the strudel warm with vanilla sauce makes it feel very Bavarian. The strudel is best the day it’s made, so this is something I would bake on party day rather than several days ahead. Thankfully, this one is so quick and easy to make.

Vanilla sauce poured around that strudel gives this Oktoberfest menu its crowning finish. And that slice below? It’s still waiting for its vanilla sauce.

My easy apple strudel uses frozen puff pastry for a practical Oktoberfest dessert that’s best served warm.

What to Make Ahead

For this menu, I’d do whatever can safely be finished early, then leave the foods that are best warm or fresh for party day. That way, I’m not trying to make everything at once, but I’m also not sacrificing the dishes that really are better served freshly made.

Bavarian Pretzels and Obatzda

Do ahead: Make the pretzels in advance and freeze them. Make the obatzda up to one day ahead, cover, and refrigerate. Let it come to room temperature before serving, then stir and garnish.

Party day: Reheat the frozen pretzels in a 350°F (175°C) oven for about 8–12 minutes, until warmed through. A light brushing of water first helps refresh the crust.

Brathendl

Do ahead: Buy the chicken pieces ahead and make sure they’re fully thawed and ready to season on party day.

Party day: Roast the chicken fresh. This is the main dish I want coming from the oven rather than something I cook ahead and reheat. I check that the chicken reaches at least 165°F internally before serving.

Southern German Potato Salad

Do ahead: Earlier in the day, boil the potatoes and prepare the onions.

Party day: Make the hot bacon-and-broth dressing, toss it with the potatoes, then let the salad rest for about 30 minutes so the potatoes can absorb the dressing. This is the potato salad I want served warm.

Apple Strudel With Vanilla Sauce

Do ahead: Make the vanilla sauce ahead and refrigerate it. Reheat it gently over low heat or in a double boiler, stirring often and making sure it doesn’t boil.

Party day: Bake the apple strudel that day because it’s best freshly made. Warm the vanilla sauce gently before serving with the strudel.

How to Serve This Menu

I’d serve this menu in stages rather than putting everything on the table at once. Start with the pretzels and obatzda, with sliced radishes and cucumber alongside, while the roast chicken finishes in the oven.

When the chicken is ready, serve it with the potato salad while the salad is still warm. 

After the main meal, bring out the warm apple strudel with vanilla sauce.

And there you have it ... an Oktoberfest dinner that feels properly Bavarian without keeping me in the kitchen all day. I can get the food on the table and still sit down to enjoy it, which is exactly the kind of party menu I like.

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Hi, I'm Oma Gerhild! As a food writer and cookbook author, I'm always looking to find ways to pass on my German heritage using local ingredients. Quick and easy. That's my goal. Wunderbar food. That's the result.