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Celeriac Schnitzel

Celeriac Schnitzel

Double coated with eggs and homemade bread crumbs before frying, this celeriac schnitzel makes a great vegetarian alternative to pork or veal schnitzel. Serve it for lunch, or dinner with any salad of your choice from potato salad, green salad to carrot salad.

Celeriac schnitzel (celery root schnitzel) is healthy, delicious, requires only 4 ingredients to make (including oil for frying) and it’s unbelievably easy to make.

All you have to do is peel the celery root, cut it into thin slices, then double coat the slices with eggs and homemade bread crumbs. From there, you fry them with a bit of oil until golden brown and serve with any side salads of your choice.

It’s really quite hard to go wrong with this recipe. Unless you cut celery root into slices thicker than 1 cm (0.39 inch), such that your celery schnitzel will be undercooked at the end of the day.

The first time my husband told me that this is one of his favorite meals and that his mother was making celeriac schnitzel for lunch, I was like: do I really have to come? Because I’m not a huge fan of celery.

I don’t like it’s dominant flavor and I cannot imagine it tasting over the top as you’re claiming. But I have to say that I was totally surprised with my first bite how great it tasted. I didn’t even miss the meat.

Here are some health benefits of celeriac

Celeriac also known as celery root is loaded with vitamins (B6, C and K), fibers, and antioxidants.

Studies had shown that celery helps boost energy, reduces heart disease risk, maintains a healthy digestion, lowers blood pressure and improves bone health.

What you’ll need to make celery root schnitzel

  • about 1 kg (2.2 lbs) celeriac (celery root)
  • 3 eggs
  • a dash of milk
  • homemade bread crumbs
  • vegetable oil, margarine or lard to cook

How to make celeriac schnitzel

Begin by removing celery root skin with either a peeler or sharp knife and cutting it into about 1 cm (0.39 inch) slices.

Not thicker than that, because the thinner you cut your celeriac, the better the schnitzel will get cooked through faster. Otherwise the chances of the schnitzel being under cooked is very high, if you use thick slices.

Put breadcrumbs onto a large plate. Then crack the eggs into a pasta or soup bowl, add a dash of milk and beat until blended.

Heat vegetable oil or Butterschmalz in the pan over medium heat. Use a large pan/ skillet to cook or two medium pans to speed up the deep frying process. You don’t need a large amount of oil, but enough oil to cover the bottom of the pan.

In the meantime (while the oil is getting ready for frying) coat celery root with eggs and bread crumbs. Simply dip celery root slices one at a time into the egg – milk mixture, coating all sides.

Using your hands lift the celery coated with milk and dip it into the breadcrumbs, coating all sides. Dip it in egg and milk mixture once again and coat with breadcrumbs for the second time.

Feel free to use the folk when coating the celery root slices for the second time.

Place the coated celery root slices on an extra plate to shake off the excess breadcrumbs and then fry (about 5 minutes per side) until golden brown.

Remove schnitzel from the pan and serve with any salad sides of your choice, from potato salad, carrot salad and green salad. Squeeze lemon juice from a slice of lemon and drizzle it over your schnitzel before eating and enjoy.

Put your schnitzel on a large plate or platter and put in the oven that’s preheated to 50 °C (122 °F) to keep warm, if you’re not eating immediately.

Love this celeriac schnitzel? Try my fried camembert recipe, too.

Celeriac schnitzel

Double coated with eggs and homemade bread crumbs before frying, this celeriac schnitzel makes a great vegetarian alternative to pork or veal schnitzel. Serve it for lunch, or dinner with any salad of your choice from potato salad, green salad to carrot salad.
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time30 minutes
Total Time45 minutes
Course: Dinner, Lunch, Main Course
Cuisine: European, German
Keyword: celery root schnitzel, fried celeriac, fried celery, Vegetables
Servings: 4 Servings
Author: Ester | esterkocht.com

Equipment

  • Sharp knife
  • Cutting board
  • Soup bowls

Ingredients

  • about 1 kg (2.2 lbs) celeriac (celery root)
  • 3 eggs
  • a dash of milk
  • homemade bread crumbs
  • vegetable oil, margarine or lard to fry

Instructions

  • Begin by removing celery root skin with either a peeler or sharp knife and cutting it into about 1 cm (0.39 inch) slices, not thicker than that, because the thinner you cut your celeriac, the better the schnitzel will get cooked through faster. Otherwise the chances of the schnitzel being under cooked is very high, if you use thick slices.
  • Next put breadcrumbs onto a large plate. Afterwards crack the eggs into a pasta or soup bowl, add a dash of milk and beat until blended. Then heat vegetable oil or Butterschmalz in the pan over medium heat. You don’t need a large amount of oil, but enough oil to cover the bottom of the pan.
  • In the meantime (while the oil is getting ready for frying) coat celery root with eggs and bread crumbs. Simply dip celery root slices one at a time into the egg – milk mixture, coating all sides, Using your hands lift the celery coated with milk and dip it into the breadcrumbs, coating all sides. Dip it in egg and milk mixture once again and coat with breadcrumbs for the second time. Feel free to use the folk when coating the celery root slices for the second time.
  • Place the coated celery root slices on an extra plate to shake off the excess breadcrumbs and then fry immediately (about 5 minutes per side) until golden brown. Remove schnitzel from the pan and serve with any salad sides of your choice, from potato salad, carrot salad and green salad. It's very important that you squeeze lemon juice from a slice of lemon and drizzle it over your schnitzel before eating.

Notes

  • Use a large pan/ skillet to cook or two medium pans to speed up the deep frying process.
  • The oil should be hot enough, but not too hot before frying celeriac slices.
  • If you're not eating schnitzel immediately, just put them on a large plate or platter and put in the oven that's preheated to 50 °C (122 °F) to keep warm.

Did you make this celery root schnitzel recipe? I’d love to hear from you! Simply write a comment and add rating to it.

Recipe Rating




Christine

Monday 19th of December 2022

Today's New York Times had a list of the "Best 25 Restaurant Dishes of 2022" and one of them was Celeriac Schnitzel. I had never heard of it. I searched and found dozens of recipes. Yours looked the best! I have been vegetarian for almost 50 years, but when I did eat meat as a child, Wiener Schnitzel was one of my favorites. My family went to a German restaurant and I always enjoyed it. I can't wait to try this dish!

Ester

Saturday 23rd of September 2023

Hello Christine, Thank you so much for your kind words and for sharing your personal connection to this dish! It's wonderful to hear that my Celeriac Schnitzel recipe caught your eye, especially among so many other options.

It's incredible how culinary trends can introduce us to new and exciting dishes like Celeriac Schnitzel. I'm thrilled to be your choice for trying this recipe, especially considering your long history of being a vegetarian. It's a fantastic way to enjoy the flavors of a classic like Wiener Schnitzel while maintaining your vegetarian lifestyle.

I hope you enjoy making and savoring the Celeriac Schnitzel. If you have any questions or need any assistance along the way, please don't hesitate to reach out. I'd love to hear how it turns out for you. Happy cooking, and guten Appetit! Ester :-)