Calves Liver and Onions Recipe with Apples: Oma's Leber und Zwiebeln

by: Gerhild Fulson  / Oma Gerhild shares easy, authentic German recipes you can trust, rooted in family tradition and featured in her cookbooks.

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This easy liver and onions recipe, aka Leber und Zwiebeln, has a secret ingredient: apples. A hubby and kid-pleaser, this one is quick to make. 

It's a recipe I learned from my Mutti. It's what is popular in Berlin, the area she grew up in. With the added apples and onions, it was so good, that I used to wonder why other kids would make faces at me when I told them I had liver for dinner. 

Mutti would often serve bacon alongside this. Now, THAT was a treat! Take a look at the Notes/Hints section in the recipe card below for info on this.

The best liver to use for this is calves liver. Although it is usually pricier, it really is worth it. It's the tenderest and mildest in flavor. Next in quality is beef liver, then pork liver, and then lamb liver.

Check out what Oma says below!

I love to serve this with fries and veggies. It's also wunderbar served on a bed of rice. Quick and easy dinner for sure! I think you'll love this!

The secret About This Dish

Liver and onions is yummy, but with the secret addition of apples to the onions, well, that brings it over the top! Even non-liver lovers will enjoy this. Add bacon as Mutti does … and everyone will be coming back for seconds.

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Oma says:

If you are using a stronger flavored liver, such as beef, pork, or sheep, it is advisable to soak it for several hours in milk.

To use the liver, wipe it first with a damp paper towel, and then remove the thin outer skin and any veins. Never cook it too long, as it will become tough.

This is really nice if you fry up some bacon slices as well. Serve them alongside, just as shown in the above photo.

Ready for liver and onions?

Print Recipe

Calves Liver and Onions Recipe & Apples – Oma's Leber und Zwiebeln

This easy liver and onions recipe, aka Leber und Zwiebeln, has a secret ingredient: apples. A hubby and kid-pleaser, this one is quick to make. 

The best liver to use for this is calves liver. Although it is usually more expensive, it really is worth it. It's the tenderest and mildest in flavor. Next in quality is beef liver, then pork liver, and then lamb liver. 

This is really nice served with bacon. Check out the Notes/Hints below!

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes

Total Time 30 minutes

Servings:

Makes 4 servings

Ingredients:

• 4 slices calves' liver (about 5 ounces each)
• 3 tablespoons flour
• 5 tablespoons butter or oil, divided
• salt, pepper, sugar
• 3 apples, peeled, sliced ½-inch thick
• 2 onions, sliced

Instructions:

1. In saucepan, heat 2 tablespoons butter or oil.
2. Add apple and onion slices and sauté until soft. Sprinkle with a bit of sugar.
3. Remove from pan and keep warm.
4. Remove any skin from liver. Dust with flour.
5. In saucepan, heat 3 tablespoons butter or oil and fry liver on both sides about 4 minutes.
6. Season liver with salt and pepper. Add a bit of water to the pan and stir to make a bit of gravy to pour over.
7. Serve liver with onions and apples. 

Notes/Hints:

• Fry 8 slices of bacon in the frying pan. Remove from pan and set aside. Use the bacon fat to sauté the apple and onion slices, adding more butter if needed. Remove the crispy strips and serve them on top of the liver. 
• Like liver? Then do try the liver dumplings soup, a super traditional German recipe!

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Unless otherwise noted recipe, images and content © Just like Oma | www.quick-german-recipes.com

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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.