Vegan Kaiserschmarrn (with Strawberry Rhubarb Compote)

Vegan Kaiserschmarrn – a classic fluffy dessert from Austria that could be described as shredded pancakes, topped with powdered sugar, and served with a fruit compote. In this vegan but still authentic recipe, Kaiserschmarrn does not contain any eggs at all. Instead, it is prepared with aquafaba, which brings it very close to the original. On the side, there is a strawberry and rhubarb compote. I am happy to share with you my recipe in English and show you how to make a veganized version of delicious Austrian Kaiserschmarrn. 

Kaiserschmarrn – what is it?

Kaiserschmarrn is a classic Austrian dessert that is eaten both as a dessert and as a main dish (my preferred route, hehehe). One possible description would be scrambled or shredded pancake. But that’s not entirely true. Kaiserschmarrn usually contains a lot of eggs, I think more than pancakes, and the egg whites are beaten separately to make it fluffy. For vegan Kaiserschmarrn we will beat aquafaba, more about it below.

On the opposite of pancakes, Kaiserschmarrn doesn’t have any baking powder in the dough. Further, the dough is poured into the pan quite thick and gets fried slowly on low to medium heat, sometimes finished in the oven (I skip this part). It is often made with (rum-soaked) raisins and is usually caramelized a bit with some extra sugar until it is nicely golden brown.

Before serving, it is sprinkled with more powdered sugar, and usually served with stewed plums, plum compote (“Zwetschkenröster”) *), or applesauce. But you can eat it with any other compote, like strawberry and rhubarb compote, for which I share the easy and delicious recipe with you in this post.

Celebrity fan

There are some legends about the history of Kaiserschmarrn. Whatever it is: the namesake is always taken into account. Emperor Franz Joseph should have been very fond of this dish. Emperor, by the way, means Kaiser in German. So if you are wondering of the meaning and want to know what Kaiserschmarrn is in English, it could be translated as “Emperor’s Mess”.

By the way: If you like the Austrian cuisine, be sure to check out the other vegan Austrian recipes I shared so far. And if you were wondering about the origin of Kaiserschmarrn. It is a traditional Austrian dessert and is often connected with Vienna, Tyrol, or Bad Ischl. But it is also known in close by Bavaria, so you might find German Kaiserschmarrn recipes as well.

Thanks to Aquafaba

Let’s get back to the ingredients. I mentioned Aquafaba before and wanted to tell you a little bit more about it: Aquafaba refers to the water in which legumes have been cooked (from Latin: aqua for water and faba for beans). In vegan cuisine, this usually means the water from cooking chickpeas. It is slightly thick and jelly-like, which according to Wikipedia has to do with the proteins that transfered into the water. Therefore, Aquafaba can be whipped up really nice and fluffy – just like egg white. It gets so stiff too! If I hadn’t done it myself, several times, I would hardly believe it. And it doesn’t taste weird like chickpeas or anything.

You can make aquafaba out of the liquid from a chickpea can, or from the cooking water of home-cooked chickpeas, unless you cook them with baking soda (so that the chickpeas soften faster). In this case, it has not worked for me so far (I had 2-3 attempts, now I just let it go).

As mentioned before, Kaiserschmarrn is usually made with raisins, mostly with (rum) soaked raisins. Even if I love raisins, it gets a bit too sweet for me in combination with a compote.

Speaking of the compote: Incidentally, it is a little more than you would need for two to three servings of vegan Kaiserschmarrn. I like to eat the leftover compote just like it is. Or use it as a topping on porridge. Or eat it with plain yogurt… Believe me: you won’t be sad to have a little leftover.

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Vegan Kaiserschmarrn (English Recipe)

Author: Plantbasedredhead

Vegan Kaiserschmarrn Recipe (in English): Vegan but still authentic. This fluffy Austrian dessert is served with a homemade strawberry and rhubarb compote.

5 from 3 votes

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Course Sweets + Desserts

Cuisine Austria

Servings 2.5 as a main dish

Equipment

• kitchen machine *) (stand mixer)

Ingredients

 

MetricUS Customary

 

1x2x3x

Kaiserschmarrn

• 140 ml chickpea water 4.7 floz
• 1/2 tsp lemon juice
• 1 pinch salt
• 230 g all-purpose flour
• 50 g sugar
• 330 ml vegan milk
• 70 ml sparkling mineral water
• 2 tbsp vegan butter melted and cooled down a bit. Or use oil. For the batter.
• 3 tbsp vegan butter melted and cooled down a bit. Or use oil. To bake the Kaiserschmarrn.
• 2 tbsp raisins can be soaked in water or rum before
• some powdered sugar for caramelizing and serving

Strawberry and rhubarb compote

• 500 g rhubarb
• 5 tbsp sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla sugar
• 1 tsp starch such as corn starch
• 500 g strawberries

Instructions

 

Kaiserschmarrn

• Beat the chickpea cooking water (aquafaba) with the lemon juice and a pinch of salt for a few minutes until the jelly-like liquid turns into a white, fluffy, and firm foam that looks and feels like egg whites. I do this with my stand mixer with the whisk attachment.
• Mix the flour and sugar in a separate container.
• Then, while stirring, slowly (so that no lumps form) add the milk, then the sparkling water and then the butter (or oil).
• Then fold in the aquafaba (fold in = gently work in and do not stir wildly).
• Next, fry the batter. With this amount of batter, I do it in two steps. For one pan heat 1 tablespoon of oil or butter in the pan.
• Now add half of the batter, spread about 1 tablespoon of raisins evenly and slowly fry the batter.
• After a few minutes, when the downside is brownish, use a spatula to quarter the batter and turn each piece over.
• Now add ½ tbsp oil or vegan butter.
• Continue frying until the second side turns brown too.
• Then tear the pancake-like piece into smaller pieces and let them fry a little more. Stir. Just before serving, sprinkle some powdered sugar on top and stir so that the sugar can caramelize.
• Place the pieces onto a plate, sprinkle with powdered sugar, and serve with compote, apple sauce, or stewed plums.

Strawberry and rhubarb compote

• Wash, clean and peel the rhubarb (simply peel off the thin outer skin with your fingernails) and cut into pieces approx. 1-2 cm (1/2 to 1 inch) in size.
• Mix the rhubarb pieces with the sugar and vanilla sugar in a bowl and let them steep for an hour. Some liquid should collect in the process.
• Wash and clean the strawberries and cut them in halves or quarters depending on the size.
• Bring the rhubarb and the liquid (without adding any additional water) to boil in a saucepan and let simmer for about 3 to 5 minutes.
• Remove a little of the liquid (approx. 1-2 tbsp) and mix with the starch.
• Pour this mixture back into the pot, bring to the boil again and stir.
• Then add the strawberries and let everything cool down.

Notes

• This amount makes two to three portions Kaiserschmarrn, eaten as a main dish.
• The strawberry rhubarb compote is a little more than for just two to three servings of vegan Kaiserschmarrn. You can add the rest, for example, to your porridge as a topping, or eat it together with white yogurt, or just spoon it out.
• You can turn the chickpeas for example into a creamy hummus.