This liverwurst recipe is probably one of the easiest recipes for homemade liverwurst. You don't need any fancy sausage-making equipment or special ingredients to make it from scratch.
In fact, you can make it with basic ingredients from your local supermarket with minimal effort. And, as an added bonus, you can make it in small batches so you can try homemade liver sausage recipe without making a big commitment.
If you love spreads, give this Creamy Speculaas Cookie Spread a try. This is a delicious treat that is perfect for Christmas morning, but shouldn't be just limited to the winter holidays.
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Cultural Background
House slaughters, common in rural areas until well into the 20th century and still practiced in some small German villages today, are the origin of the liver and blood sausages.
At these home slaughters, the pig's entire body was utilized, including, of course, the liver and blood as well. Because both spoil quickly, they are turned into hearty, basic sausages and other delicacies right away.
In later years, new, fancier styles of "Leberwurst" recipes were developed, but they called for only a small amount of liver in each serving.
How is liverwurst called in German?
The German word for liverwurst is "Leberwurst". Die Leberwrust (f) in singular and die Leberwürste (f) in plural.
How to pronounce "Leberwurst" the correct way in German?
Listen to this audio file to hear how to say "Leberwurst" the right way.
Ingredients & Substitutes
This traditional recipe for this homemade liverwurst calls for a handful of basic ingredients, all of which are common and can be found in almost any supermarket.
- fresh pork belly
- calf liver or beef liver
- bacon
- water
- bay leaves
- whole allspice
- white onion
- garlic clove
- red onion
- salt
- white pepper
- ground allspice
- nutmeg
- marjoram
- thyme
See recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
Making homemade liverwurst is easy. Simply follow the step-by-step instructions to make the perfect liverwurst, just like the ones made by the best German butchers.
Step 1: Cut a large white onion into quarters. Add them with the water, bay leaves, and allspice to a large pot.
Step 2: Bring the water to a simmer and add the pork belly. Cook on medium heat for about 1 hour.
Step 3: Rinse the liver with cold water and add it to the pork belly for the last 10 minutes of cooking.
Step 4: Meanwhile, finely dice the onion, garlic, and bacon and fry until translucent before adding to the blender.
Step 5: Remove the liver and pork belly from the pot and reserve 1-2 cups of the cooking liquid. Cut the liver and pork belly into bite-sized pieces and place them in the blender.
Step 6: Add salt, pepper, ground allspice, nutmeg, marjoram, thyme, onion-bacon-garlic mixture and ¾ cup of the cooking liquid to the blender and mix to a chunky, smooth texture.
Step 7: This will create a liverwurst resembling the so-called "Grobe Leberwurst." Add more cooking liquid and blend longer if you prefer a smoother, softer texture like the "Feine Leberwurst".
Step 8: Fill the liverwurst into sterilized glasses. You can store these as is for up to a week in the fridge.
Hint: If you want to keep the liver sausage for up to a year, boil the jars. The amount of time it takes to boil depends on the size of the jar. It takes about 2 hours at 212° F for half-pint jars.
Variations
Liver sausage is available in fine or coarse variations. The texture of the fine "Leberwurst" (called "Feine Leberwurst") is similar to that of smooth liver pâté, whereas the coarse variation (called "Grobe Leberwurst") has more structure and visible small meat pieces.
Liverwurst is traditionally made with pork or veal meat, liver, onions, and spices. There are also numerous recipes using various meats, such as game meat and poultry liver.
You can also get liverwurst flavored with peppercorns, truffle pieces, or mushrooms.
Equipment
To make this recipe, you need these kitchen tools.
- large pot to cook the pork belly and liver
- sieve to rinse the liver
- cutting board
- knife
- blender
- 2 pint mason jars
Storage
Fresh, homemade liverwurst can be kept in the fridge for a week. However, you can boil the jars in a water bath or canner to make the sausage shelf stable for up to a year in a dark, cool place.
Top Tips
- Homemade liverwurst is a wonderful gift for anyone who enjoys German specialties. It's the ideal hostess gift, and it'll get you a lot of "wows" and big smiles.
- Don't be disappointed if your Leberwurst appears greyish. This is normal. Shop-bought liverwurst is commonly pink, but this is due to added food coloring. To achieve this pink color, simply add a drop or two of red, natural food color while blending.
How to Serve
Liverwurst goes well with fresh, homemade bread or rolls. Check out my kaiser roll recipe or this German potato bread. And of course, it goes great with pretzels or on pumpernickel.
Recipe
Homemade Liverwurst - German Liver Sausage in a Jar
Ingredients
- 1 pound fresh pork belly
- 1 pound calf liver alternatively beef liver
- 4 oz. bacon
- 6 cups water
- 4 bay leaves
- 7 whole allspice
- 1 large white onion
- 1 garlic clove
- 1 small red onion
- 1 tsp. salt
- ¼ tsp. white pepper
- 1 pinch ground allspice
- ¼ tsp. nutmeg
- 1 tsp. marjoram
- ½ tsp. thyme
Instructions
- Cut the white onion into quarters.
- Pour the water into a large pot and add the onion quarters, bay leaves, and allspice.
- Bring to simmer and add the pork belly. Cook on medium heat for about 1 hour.
- Rinse the liver under cold water and add it to the pork belly during the last 10 minutes of the cooking time.
- In the meantime, finely dice the onion, garlic, and bacon, fry until translucent, and add to the blender.
- Remove the liver and pork belly from the pot and reserve 1-2 cups of the cooking liquid. Cut the liver and pork belly into bite-sized pieces and place them in the blender.
- Add salt, pepper, ground allspice, nutmeg, marjoram, thyme and ¾ cup of the cooking liquid to the blender and mix to a chunky, smooth texture. Add more liquid and blend longer if you prefer a smoother, softer texture
- Fill into sterilized glasses. You can store these as is for up to a week in the fridge.
- If you want to keep the liver sausage for up to a year, cook the jars. The amount of time it takes to preserve the liverwurst depends on the size of the jar. It takes about 2 hours at 212° F for half-pint jars.
Notes
Nutrition
Frequently Asked Questions
Even though it is called liverwurst, the liver is only a small part of it. Pork meat or pork belly, bacon, onion, and spices are the main ingredients in liverwurst. Most liverwurst recipes today use only a small amount of liver.
Maria says
Thank you for sharing this!
I fell in love with liverwurst when I was a child in school by trading my peanut butter and jelly sandwich for my friend's liverwurst sandwich. It was love at first bite!
We were very young and my friend didn't even know the name of the meat. So it took a few years and some searching to discover what it was.
I'm really looking forward to making this recipe. I can't always find liverwurst, and when I do, it's either overpriced or too salty. I just know that this recipe is going to be wonderful!
Angela Schofield says
I am so glad you found the recipe, Maria. I am a huge fan of liverwurst and had the same problem, so I experimented a lot to create a recipe that taste just like the real thing and is easy to made with kitchen equipment that everybody has at home. I hope you will enjoy!
Jean Morrison says
Would I be able to freeze this liverwurst please? I'm looking forward to making it.
Angela Schofield says
Yes, you can freeze liverwurst. When you're ready to eat the frozen liverwurst, the best method for thawing is in the refrigerator. Depending on the size of the portion, this can take several hours to a day. Thawing it slowly in the fridge ensures that the texture and flavor remain intact.
Carol Miles says
I was wondering if I could use slab bacon in place of the pork belly because I can't find any near me?
Angela Schofield says
Bacon would definitely alter the taste, especially if it's smoked. Although I've never tried it with bacon, it could create an intriguing flavor combination. If you're keen to experiment, I'd suggest omitting the salt from the recipe since bacon tends to be salty enough on its own. Finding pork belly can be a challenge at times. I usually have luck at Asian supermarkets or Costco.
Angela Schofield says
I have never tried it, but I think it would work. It will alter the taste a bit — though it will probably be very tasty. I would reduce the salt, as the bacon is already salted.
Emily-Kay Harden says
What do you do with the other 5 cups of.... broth/stock after?
Angela Schofield says
You can use it in other recipes, such as cooking sauerkraut or Swabian lentil soup. I am also reducing the stock to about one-third by simmering it slowly, then cooling and freezing it for use in gravies
Angela Schofield says
I must admit, I often just discard the broth, but sometimes I use it as a base for a liver dumpling soup.
Terry Stephens says
Just made a batch. It isn't a strong as the liverwurst i buy but its still pretty darned good!
Angela Schofield says
Hi Terry, Glad you enjoyed it! I like it a bit milder, but the beauty is, you can tweak the spices it to your taste next time.
Yvonne Bristow says
I'm looking forward to trying this recipe, as I enjoyed eating liverwurst as a child but it is not easy to buy in New Zealand. But I have a question about the ingredients. Near the top of this page under "Ingredients & Substitutes" there is a photo showing the ingredients - including whole cloves. However cloves are not included in the instructions or in the written recipe. Are cloves part of this recipe?
Angela Schofield says
Hi Yvonne, great catch! The recipe doesn’t include cloves—I must have made an error in the ingredients photo. My apologies for the mix-up, and I hope you enjoy the Leberwurst!
Dee says
Thank you for the recipe, Angela. I enjoy liverwurst but the ones at the typical American grocery store are full of additives, sugar, or questionable ingredients. I’ve always wanted to make my own liverwurst and now I can because of your blog and recipe! I used a grass-fed beef liver, no-sugar added uncured bacon and grass-fed pork brisket instead of pork belly. It is delicious! Many thanks to you!
Angela Schofield says
I’m so happy you gave it a try — and your version sounds amazing!