A comprehensive list of German food vocabulary, covering essential nouns, verbs, and adjectives for talking about meals, ingredients, cooking, and dining.
In this article, you’ll find a complete overview of German food vocabulary, organized into key categories. We’ll cover common nouns for ingredients and meals, useful verbs for cooking and eating, handy adjectives for describing food, and everyday phrases for ordering and dining out. Each section includes example sentences to show the words in context.
. Food & Ingredient Nouns
These are the most common German nouns for everyday foods and ingredients. They appear in supermarkets, recipes, and meal descriptions.
| German Singular / Plural | English Singular / Plural | German Example | English Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| der Apfel / die Äpfel | apple / apples | Ich esse einen Apfel. | I’m eating an apple. |
| das Brot / die Brote | bread / breads | Wir kaufen frisches Brot. | We’re buying fresh bread. |
| die Milch / (no plural) | milk | Ich trinke Milch. | I drink milk. |
| der Käse / (no plural) | cheese | Der Käse schmeckt gut. | The cheese tastes good. |
| das Ei / die Eier | egg / eggs | Ich brauche zwei Eier. | I need two eggs. |
| die Butter / (no plural) | butter | Die Butter ist weich. | The butter is soft. |
| der Zucker / (no plural) | sugar | Ich nehme keinen Zucker. | I don’t take any sugar. |
| das Fleisch / (no plural) | meat | Wir essen heute Fleisch. | We’re eating meat today. |
| der Fisch / die Fische | fish / fishes | Ich mag keinen Fisch. | I don’t like fish. |
| das Gemüse / (no plural) | vegetables | Gemüse ist gesund. | Vegetables are healthy. |
| die Kartoffel / die Kartoffeln | potato / potatoes | Ich koche Kartoffeln. | I’m cooking potatoes. |
| die Tomate / die Tomaten | tomato / tomatoes | Die Tomaten sind reif. | The tomatoes are ripe. |
Der ___ schmeckt gut.
What is the German word for 'cheese'?
Käse
'Käse' means cheese in German. The other words mean 'meat', 'bread', and 'apple'.
Ich trinke ___ (milk).
Which German word means 'milk'?
Milch
'Milch' is the German word for 'milk'. 'Butter' is butter, 'Wasser' is water, and 'Eier' means eggs.
. Meal & Dish Nouns
These nouns describe common meals and dishes you’ll encounter at home, in restaurants, or when reading recipes.
| German Singular / Plural | English Singular / Plural | German Example | English Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| das Frühstück / (no plural) | breakfast | Zum Frühstück gibt es Müsli. | For breakfast, there’s muesli. |
| das Mittagessen / (no plural) | lunch | Wir essen um zwölf Mittag. | We eat lunch at twelve. |
| das Abendessen / (no plural) | dinner | Das Abendessen ist fertig. | Dinner is ready. |
| der Salat / die Salate | salad / salads | Ich nehme einen Salat. | I’ll have a salad. |
| die Suppe / die Suppen | soup / soups | Die Suppe ist heiß. | The soup is hot. |
| das Sandwich / die Sandwiches | sandwich / sandwiches | Ich esse ein Sandwich. | I’m eating a sandwich. |
| der Kuchen / die Kuchen | cake / cakes | Zum Kaffee gibt es Kuchen. | There’s cake with coffee. |
| die Pizza / die Pizzas | pizza / pizzas | Wir bestellen eine Pizza. | We’re ordering a pizza. |
| das Dessert / die Desserts | dessert / desserts | Als Dessert gibt es Eis. | For dessert, there’s ice cream. |
| der Snack / die Snacks | snack / snacks | Ich esse einen Snack. | I’m eating a snack. |
. Cooking & Eating Verbs
These common verbs help you talk about preparing, cooking, and eating food in German.
| German Verb | English Verb | German Example | English Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| essen | to eat | Ich esse einen Apfel. | I am eating an apple. |
| trinken | to drink | Trinken Sie Kaffee? | Do you drink coffee? |
| kochen | to cook / boil | Ich koche heute Pasta. | I’m cooking pasta today. |
| backen | to bake | Meine Mutter backt Kuchen. | My mother bakes cake. |
| schneiden | to cut | Schneide die Tomaten! | Cut the tomatoes! |
| rühren | to stir | Rühre den Teig um. | Stir the dough. |
| braten | to fry / roast | Ich brate das Fleisch. | I’m frying the meat. |
| servieren | to serve | Der Kellner serviert das Essen. | The waiter serves the food. |
| bestellen | to order | Ich bestelle eine Pizza. | I’m ordering a pizza. |
| nehmen | to take / have | Ich nehme einen Kaffee. | I’ll have a coffee. |
. Food-Adjective Pairs
These adjectives appear commonly in food descriptions. We’ve paired them with example foods and example sentences.
| German Adjective + Food | English Adjective + Food | German Example | English Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| frischer Apfel | fresh apple | Ich esse einen frischen Apfel. | I’m eating a fresh apple. |
| heißer Tee | hot tea | Ich trinke heißen Tee. | I’m drinking hot tea. |
| süßer Kuchen | sweet cake | Der süße Kuchen ist lecker. | The sweet cake is delicious. |
| salziger Käse | salty cheese | Ich mag salzigen Käse. | I like salty cheese. |
| kaltes Wasser | cold water | Bitte ein kaltes Wasser. | Please, a cold water. |
| saftige Tomaten | juicy tomatoes | Die Tomaten sind saftig. | The tomatoes are juicy. |
| knuspriges Brot | crispy bread | Ich esse knuspriges Brot. | I’m eating crispy bread. |
| würziges Fleisch | spicy meat | Das Fleisch ist würzig. | The meat is spicy. |
| reife Banane | ripe banana | Die Banane ist reif. | The banana is ripe. |
. Ordering & Dining Phrases
These common phrases are used when ordering food, asking for the bill, or chatting with restaurant staff in German.
| German Phrase | English Translation | German Example | English Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ich hätte gern … | I would like … | Ich hätte gern einen Cappuccino. | I would like a cappuccino. |
| Kann ich … haben? | Can I have …? | Kann ich ein Stück Kuchen haben? | Can I have a piece of cake? |
| Die Rechnung, bitte. | The bill, please. | Die Rechnung, bitte. | The bill, please. |
| Ist das Frühstück inklusive? | Is breakfast included? | Ist das Frühstück inklusive? | Is breakfast included? |
| Was empfehlen Sie? | What do you recommend? | Was empfehlen Sie heute? | What do you recommend today? |
| Ist das vegan? | Is this vegan? | Ist das Gericht vegan? | Is this dish vegan? |
| Einen Moment, bitte. | One moment, please. | Einen Moment, bitte. | One moment, please. |
| Guten Appetit! | Enjoy your meal! | Guten Appetit! | Enjoy your meal! |
Conclusion
You’ve now covered the most essential German vocabulary for food—from ingredient nouns and meal names to cooking verbs, descriptive adjectives, and handy dining phrases. This foundation will help you navigate grocery stores, read recipes, chat about meals, and order confidently in German-speaking restaurants. For more practice, try using these words in your own sentences and conversations. Guten Appetit!
Flashcards (1 of 49)
- English Singular / Plural: apple / apples
- English Example: I’m eating an apple.
Last updated: Thu Jun 12, 2025
