What To Serve With Pork Hocks – Top 10 German Side Dishes For Hocks

➤ by Lydia Fulson

Something as good as German Pork Hocks deserve to be served with some wunderbar sides. Don't know what to serve? No worries! Oma and I are here to give you some delicious side dish ideas! 

A great meat recipe calls for a great side to go with it. As you scroll through these mouth-watering side dishes, you're guaranteed to find one that's to your liking.

Pork hocks are such a classic German dish. While its recipe is from southern Germany and you could find it more commonly there, eventually its popularity spread. Now we can enjoy them too. 

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When you order pork hocks in southern Germany, the serving size of the meat is massive! Especially if you're going near Oktoberfest time, so bring your appetite with you everywhere you go. 

Let's kick off our Top 10 German Traditional Side Dishes to serve with pork hocks by starting with...

Salad Sides

Everyone loves a classic German salad. Southern or northern, they all make a great pairing to almost anything! Pork hocks are no exception. 

First up,

1. Northern German Cucumber Salad

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This traditional German Cucumber Salad, aka Gurkensalat. This version is made with cream. Using sour cream, mayo and yogurt are very common in northern German heritage. They are used in lots of foods and cooking, ESPECIALLY in salads.

Although this is from northern Germany, and the roasted Pork Hocks are from southern Germany, together, this works perfectly! 

This one is my Oma's favorite! Since her Mutti is from northern Germany, this is the salad she grew up knowing and still loving to this day. It's always a staple at our summertime family get-togethers and special occasions. :)

Oma's Southern cucumber salad (the other famous cucumber salad) is made without cream. Most salads in the south have a type of vinaigrette for dressing instead.

Be sure to check out these easy dressings for some of those vinaigrette ideas as well!

Next up, a warm salad.

2. Southern Potato Salad

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This is an interesting one that I had never heard of until Oma introduced it. The warm potato salad, aka Kartoffelsalat ohne Mayo, is a popular one in southern Germany! 

Trust me, warm salad isn't a bad thing, you'll figure that out when you try this wunderbar recipe. It totally different than the northern creamy potato salad, which is always served cold! I love the comforting feeling both salads give. 

Warm or cold, potato salad is a wunderbar pairing for traditional pork hocks!

Next, let's check out some carb/potato sides! Potato sides are HUGE in German cuisine. Almost every dish comes with potato that is cooked, mashed, rolled, or baked in some way to make tasty sides.

So let's check out some of the best.

Carb / Potato Sides

These carb/potato sides are ones that can pair with just about anything at all. Some are more popular in southern Germany, and some in northern, but no matter what the origin, they're all traditional and ALL delicious !

Let's start with a southern German favorite ...

3. Oma's German Spätzle

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German Spätzle is a fun one and one that just has to be mentioned. This recipe is very popular in southern parts of Germany like Baden-Württemberg and Bavaria, just like bread dumplings. 

A popular contraption called a spätzle press is often used to make these noodles. My Oma picked one up on one of her trips to Germany and we've used it every time we make this recipe. 

I remember how tough it was the first time making it. Let's just say I had never seen a spätzle press before, and I definitely underestimated the muscle it takes to push the dough through the tiny holes (my dough was a bit too thick)! It may be tricky at first, but you'll get the hang of it as I did.

I can say, it is definitely worth the effort to have these funky and tasty little noodles accompany your german pork hocks at the dinner table!

Speaking of bread dumplings... let's get into our famous dumpling recipes!

4. Breading Dumplings

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Making bread dumplings, aka Semmelknödel, is a fantastic way to use up leftover bread rolls before they go bad. 

There is one rule while one is eating bread dumplings that can't be forgotten ... ALWAYS pull them apart with two forks, then pour that delicious gravy over the top. It's the most popular way in Bavaria and it's a huge tradition to use two forks instead of a knife.

If you still have some leftover bread, don't let it go to waste. You can make Oma's Kirschenmichel (bread pudding) for dessert! Turning leftovers into a yummy side, then using them again to make a wunderbar and even more traditional southern German dessert ... this dumpling recipe is full of opportunity!

Now, for our famous northern dumpling. 

5. Potato Dumplings

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Everyone knows these Potato Dumplings, aka Kartoffelklöße. This is my Oma's favorite. As she says, potatoes are king in Northern Germany!

Whether you buy the store-bought mix or are making them by hand, they're delicious either way. Always remember that there's no shame in taking the easy route and buying store-bought... I do it too!

I quite often take the easy route when cooking red cabbage as well. Oh, and don't forget to keep scrolling to the veggie sides section to see that red cabbage recipe!

Dumplings are a staple in German comfort food and cuisine, much like pork hocks. Did you know that it is very traditional to see these dumplings served with butter-fried bread croutons in the middle? YUM.

6. Boiled Potatoes

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Woohoo! Here we have Boiled Potatoes, aka Salzkartoffeln, are one of the most traditional of all German side dishes. They're also my Opa's favorite. He loves to mash them into any meat juice or gravy on his plate.

I love this recipe because of how simple and quickly it can be done. Everyone loves those recipes that take little effort and little time to do.You really can serve them however you want. Whether you want them in halves, quarters, small cubes, or mashed up, it can be done!

Just look how great they look on a plate with pork hocks. These are a must have for sure.

This next one is an honorable carb mention. This recipe isn't on the website, but is still a great candidate for the perfect pork hock side dish, as shown in the top photo!

7. Mashed Potatoes

Plain mashed potatoes are another great potato side. Just boiled potatoes mashed with milk, butter, and salt and pepper. Simple, classic, and delicious!

Mashed potatoes are always a good side to serve, and they go with anything! Add some roasted garlic for an extra kick.

Now that we've made it through those tasty carb sides, let's move onto our last category.

Want to know which recipes are Oma's favorites? Grab your copy of her very favorite recipes in Favorite German Recipes eCookbook.

Take a peek at all Oma's eCookbooks. They make sharing your German heritage a delicious adventure!

Vegetable Sides 

Now, let's add vegetables into the mix.

Vegetable sides, serve one or more if you wish. For a dinner party, Oma always chooses two. Red cabbage almost always being one. Keep scrolling a little further for that one!

First up, let's start with...

8. Bavarian Braised Cabbage

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Bavarian Braised Cabbage, aka Weisskraut popular in southern areas of Germany like, well, Bavaria of course! But it's become a much-loved recipe all across Germany. Just like the pork hocks, during Oktoberfest celebrations, this braised cabbage is a hit. This is a great and easy way to use up that head of cabbage that's been sitting in your crisper drawer.

There are so many health benefits to cabbage. But the best part of it is sitting around the table with family and watching their faces light up with enjoyment eating this yummy recipe.

9. Oma's German Red Cabbage

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Next up is my all time favorite side dish. This traditional German red cabbage recipe aka Rotkohl, is easy to make, and it tastes even better the next day! Red cabbage recipes are really a staple for German cooking. It's German food at its best! :)

This one has apples in it. Red cabbage is a very popular choice amongst our family. I love this recipe so much that I'll even make it as a late-night snack. I take the easy route and buy jarred cabbage with apples. Be sure to check out my Oma's recipe for jarred red cabbage as well.

Nothing beats going to Oma's for dinner and seeing her homemade red cabbage on the table. It will always be my go-to and favorite German food! It's just so tasty and adds a lovely pop of color. Can you already see it on a plate with your pork hocks? 

 Last but certainly not least...

10. Sauerkraut

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A MUST have at your dinner table. The one and only German sauerkraut! It's no surprise as to why sauerkraut is so popular. This recipe really can go with anything, making it the perfect side dish.

Prepping and cooking this side dish is such an easy task. No stress in the kitchen for this one! Although, knowing which brands are best to buy can get stressful. Check out the link above for tips on how to buy, make, and season your sauerkraut to perfection.

Sauerkraut recipes go back for centuries in Germany, but Oma's is one that is always guaranteed to impress. Speaking of great sauerkraut recipes.. Got leftovers? Make German sauerkraut casserole! No food goes to waste in Oma's kitchen. 

Don't those all look so amazingly lecker? Now that we've made it to the end of our top 10 sides to serve with pork hocks, it's time to get cooking, boiling, mixing, and creating!

Just follow the links, get your favorite apron out and enjoy some kitchen time.

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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.