Chef Elsa

Chef Elsa

Austrian Salads

Updated March 28, 2026

Traditional Austrian salads from warm Erdäpfelsalat to Styrian Kernöl-dressed greens, the Beilagen that complete every Gasthaus meal.

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Karottensalat - Chef Elsa

Chef Elsa

Karottensalat

Bright raw grated carrots dressed simply with lemon, sugar, and oil. The little salad that quietly holds its own on every Austrian Gemischter Salat plate, year-round and without apology.

Vogerlsalat mit Kernöl - Chef Elsa

Chef Elsa

Vogerlsalat mit Kernöl

Styria's dark, nutty pumpkin seed oil drizzled over tender rosettes of lamb's lettuce, dressed with sharp cider vinegar and nothing else that doesn't belong.

Fisolensalat (Austrian Green Bean Salad) - Chef Elsa

Chef Elsa

Fisolensalat (Austrian Green Bean Salad)

Tender Austrian green beans dressed in warm Marinade the moment they leave the pot, absorbing every drop of vinegar and oil while they cool into something far greater than the sum of their parts.

Wurstsalat mit Käse - Chef Elsa

Chef Elsa

Wurstsalat mit Käse

Extrawurst and Emmentaler cut in matching strips, tossed with gherkins and onion in a sharp, vinegar-forward Marinade. The Heuriger buffet staple that proves Austrian salads are serious food.

Paradeisersalat mit Zwiebeln - Chef Elsa

Chef Elsa

Paradeisersalat mit Zwiebeln

Thick-sliced summer Paradeiser with sharp onion rings and a vinegar-forward Marinade, the side salad that shows up on every Austrian Gasthaus table from July through September.

Rettichsalat - Chef Elsa

Chef Elsa

Rettichsalat

Peppery grated radish, salted until tender, dressed in a sharp vinegar Marinade, and served the way they do at every good Heuriger in Vienna: simply, honestly, with a glass of wine.

Warmer Krautsalat mit Speck - Chef Elsa

Chef Elsa

Warmer Krautsalat mit Speck

Shredded white cabbage braised slowly with Speck and caraway, finished with a sharp pour of Apfelessig. The warm side salad that belongs next to every Schweinsbraten a Gasthaus has ever served.

Eiersalat (Austrian Egg Salad) - Chef Elsa

Chef Elsa

Eiersalat (Austrian Egg Salad)

Cool, creamy Austrian egg salad with sour gherkins and tart apple in a mustard-yogurt dressing, the kind of honest Jause food that tastes like an Austrian Easter table and works beautifully all year round.

Vorarlberger Käsknöpfle-Salat (Cheese Spaetzle Salad) - Chef Elsa

Chef Elsa

Vorarlberger Käsknöpfle-Salat (Cheese Spaetzle Salad)

Vorarlberg's beloved cheese spaetzle, cooled and dressed with sharp vinegar and crisp onions, the kind of Alemannic thrift cooking that turns yesterday's supper into today's best picnic dish.

Warmer Schwammerlsalat - Chef Elsa

Chef Elsa

Warmer Schwammerlsalat

Golden Eierschwammerl seared fast in Butterschmalz with shallots and fresh thyme, tumbled warm over a bed of Vogerlsalat and dressed with sharp apple cider vinegar while the pan is still hot.

Wiener Gurkensalat - Chef Elsa

Chef Elsa

Wiener Gurkensalat

Vienna's paper-thin cucumber salad dressed with sour cream and white wine vinegar, sharp with dill and served cold alongside everything that comes out of the pan.

Paprika-Erdäpfelsalat (Burgenland Potato Salad) - Chef Elsa

Chef Elsa

Paprika-Erdäpfelsalat (Burgenland Potato Salad)

Warm waxy potatoes dressed in hot beef broth and cider vinegar, stirred through with golden paprika onions and a good hit of sweet Hungarian noble powder. Burgenland's answer to the Viennese Erdäpfelsalat.

Fleischsalat (Austrian Meat Salad) - Chef Elsa

Chef Elsa

Fleischsalat (Austrian Meat Salad)

Extrawurst cut into strips and bound with mayonnaise, pickle brine, and diced gherkins. The Feinkost counter classic you can make at home in fifteen minutes and eat all week on a Semmel.

Roter Heringssalat (Red Herring Salad with Beetroot) - Chef Elsa

Chef Elsa

Roter Heringssalat (Red Herring Salad with Beetroot)

Matjes herring folded into beetroot, apple, potato, and gherkins in a creamy dressing that blushes vivid pink overnight, the dish that sits on every Austrian Silvester table because the new year deserves good luck and good food.

Selleriesalat - Chef Elsa

Chef Elsa

Selleriesalat

Crisp julienned celeriac dressed in a sharp mustard-vinegar Marinade, the kind of salad that waits for you on every Heuriger buffet counter in Austria and improves with every hour it sits.

Steirischer Wurstsalat mit Kernöl - Chef Elsa

Chef Elsa

Steirischer Wurstsalat mit Kernöl

Extrawurst strips and thin-sliced onions dressed with cider vinegar and drizzled with Styria's dark, nutty Kürbiskernöl. Cold, simple, and so purely Styrian you can taste the postcode.

Steirischer Erdäpfelsalat mit Kernöl - Chef Elsa

Chef Elsa

Steirischer Erdäpfelsalat mit Kernöl

Warm waxy potatoes dressed in hot beef broth and cider vinegar, scattered with crispy Speck and Vogerlsalat, finished with a generous pour of Styria's ink-dark Kürbiskernöl and a handful of toasted pumpkin seeds.

Saures Rindfleisch - Chef Elsa

Chef Elsa

Saures Rindfleisch

Cold boiled beef sliced thin and marinated overnight in sharp vinegar, sweet onion rings, and a slick of good oil. The Austrian grandmother's answer to what to do with yesterday's Tafelspitz.

Gemischter Salat (Austrian Mixed Salad Plate) - Chef Elsa

Chef Elsa

Gemischter Salat (Austrian Mixed Salad Plate)

Four Austrian salads on one plate: warm potato salad dressed with beef broth, paper-thin cucumber in vinegar, caraway-scented cabbage, and tender greens with a drizzle of dark Styrian Kürbiskernöl. The Beisl tradition that turns a Schnitzel into a proper meal.

Tiroler Graukäsesalat - Chef Elsa

Chef Elsa

Tiroler Graukäsesalat

Crumbled Tyrolean grey cheese marinated with sharp vinegar, raw onion rings, and a slick of good oil. Alpine peasant food that hits harder than anything on a Haubenlokal menu.

Steirischer Käferbohnensalat - Chef Elsa

Chef Elsa

Steirischer Käferbohnensalat

Speckled Käferbohnen in a sharp vinegar Marinade, finished with a generous pour of dark Steirisches Kürbiskernöl. The salad that anchors every Styrian Brettljause and proves legumes need nothing but honesty.

Häuptelsalat mit Marinade - Chef Elsa

Chef Elsa

Häuptelsalat mit Marinade

Butterhead lettuce dressed in Austria's tangy, vinegar-forward Marinade with finely minced onion, a pinch of sugar, and good oil. The side salad on every Gasthaus table, and the one that makes you stop and pay attention.

Wiener Erdäpfelsalat - Chef Elsa

Chef Elsa

Wiener Erdäpfelsalat

Warm Viennese potato salad dressed with hot beef broth and sharp wine vinegar, the side dish every Austrian Gasthaus puts next to Wiener Schnitzel and the quiet test of whether a cook understands Austrian food.

Tiroler Specksalat mit Äpfeln - Chef Elsa

Chef Elsa

Tiroler Specksalat mit Äpfeln

Thinly sliced Tyrolean Speck with crisp tart apple and celery, dressed in a sharp cider vinegar Marinade. The alpine pantry on a plate, smoky and bright, ready in twenty minutes.

Steirischer Gurkensalat mit Kernöl - Chef Elsa

Chef Elsa

Steirischer Gurkensalat mit Kernöl

Paper-thin cucumbers dressed sharp with Apfelessig and finished with a swirl of dark Steirisches Kürbiskernöl, the nutty, ink-green oil that makes everything it touches unmistakably Styrian.

Spargelsalat (White Asparagus Salad) - Chef Elsa

Chef Elsa

Spargelsalat (White Asparagus Salad)

Thick white asparagus spears poached just tender, dressed warm in their own cooking liquid with good vinegar and a touch of mustard. The salad that tells you spring has arrived in Austria.

Steirischer Backhendlsalat - Chef Elsa

Chef Elsa

Steirischer Backhendlsalat

Crispy golden breaded chicken torn over warm potato salad and tender Vogerlsalat, the whole thing drizzled with dark green Steirisches Kürbiskernöl that turns this Styrian composed salad into a proper meal.

Wiener Wurstsalat - Chef Elsa

Chef Elsa

Wiener Wurstsalat

Thin strips of Extrawurst and sharp raw onion rings dressed in white wine vinegar, oil, and a little patience. The cold plate at every honest Heuriger starts here, and it needs nothing else.

Schwarzwurzelsalat (Black Salsify Salad) - Chef Elsa

Chef Elsa

Schwarzwurzelsalat (Black Salsify Salad)

Winter's quiet treasure: black salsify peeled, simmered until tender, and dressed in a tangy sour cream and yogurt Marinade with white wine vinegar and fresh chives. Heuriger food at its honest best.

Erdäpfel-Vogerlsalat mit Speck - Chef Elsa

Chef Elsa

Erdäpfel-Vogerlsalat mit Speck

Warm broth-soaked potatoes and crispy Speck over tender Vogerlsalat, finished with a drizzle of dark Steirisches Kürbiskernöl and a soft-boiled egg that ties the whole bowl together.

Endiviensalat mit Speck - Chef Elsa

Chef Elsa

Endiviensalat mit Speck

Bitter curly endive wilted just so by a warm dressing of rendered Speck, sharp vinegar, and a touch of mustard, the kind of salad that makes a roast pork dinner feel complete.

Ochsenmaulsalat - Chef Elsa

Chef Elsa

Ochsenmaulsalat

Viennese Beisl nose-to-tail at its finest: tender ox muzzle sliced thin as a promise, marinated overnight in vinegar and mustard, and served cold with cornichons on honest sourdough.

Kalter Krautsalat mit Kümmel - Chef Elsa

Chef Elsa

Kalter Krautsalat mit Kümmel

Finely shredded white cabbage, salted until it weeps and softens, dressed in a sharp vinegar Marinade with whole caraway seeds. The salad that sits in a small white bowl next to every Schnitzel in Austria.

Rote Rüben Salat mit Kren - Chef Elsa

Chef Elsa

Rote Rüben Salat mit Kren

Cooked beetroot sliced and soaked in warm caraway vinegar until the color deepens to garnet, then hit with freshly grated Kren at the table. Earthy, sharp, and better tomorrow than today.

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