Maultaschen are Swabia’s answer to ravioli: large pasta parcels filled with spiced minced meat, served across southern Germany in everything from clear broth to pan-fried with onions. My favourite version is the gratinated one – the parcels go in whole in an ovenproof dish, get smothered in a creamy sauce and finish under cheese that bubbles and turns golden at the edges.
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The best part is that you don’t need to pre-cook anything. The parcels go straight into the dish, the sauce does the work, and the airfryer’s circulating heat gives you that crisp cheese crust in 18 minutes at 180 °C. Including prep, dinner is on the table in 33 minutes.
Estimated reading time: 4 minutes
Table of Contents:
Why I love Maultaschen au gratin in the airfryer
The oven is the classic route to a gratinated dish, but it needs preheating and typically takes 20-30% longer to brown the cheese. The airfryer sends hot air straight down onto the surface, which is exactly where the gratinating happens. The cheese crust turns crisp and nutty, while the sauce bubbles up around the sides beneath the parcels.
The portion size works out perfectly, too. Maultaschen are filling on their own, so two to three parcels per person is plenty, and they don’t take up more room than fitting in a single layer in a low dish that goes in the basket.
Cream, tomato or stock – which sauce?
The Swabians can’t agree among themselves, and that’s a good thing. Cream sauce with grated nutmeg gives the creamiest gratin. Tomato sauce with garlic and thyme makes the dish lighter and tangier. A rich beef stock sits closest to tradition, since Maultaschen were originally eaten in soup. Whichever you choose, the liquid needs to reach halfway up the parcels before the cheese goes on.
My kitchen test: Maultaschen au gratin
I tested this dish in my Philips XXL, where a low ovenproof dish just fits with air space all the way round. 180 °C is the right setting – not higher. After 18 minutes, the cheese was golden brown with dark spots at the edges, the sauce was bubbling, and the core temperature in the middle parcel hit 70 °C. With 15 minutes of prep, the whole dish is done in 33 minutes.
Turn up the heat to speed up the gratinating, and the opposite happens: the cheese browns long before the middle of the parcels is hot. That’s the main lesson from my test runs – keep the temperature down and let time do the work.
Always check the middle parcel with a meat thermometer. The cheese lies – it turns golden long before the filling is heated through.
Tips and tricks from the author: Morten Jensen
The typical mistakes and how to avoid them
The first mistake is too little liquid. Maultaschen soak up sauce as they heat, and a dish with only a splash in the bottom ends up with tough, dry edges – pour in enough for the sauce to reach halfway up the parcels. The second mistake is stacking them. They need to lie in a single layer, edge to edge, otherwise the bottom ones steam while the top ones dry out, and the core temperature becomes impossible to hit evenly. The third mistake is turning up the heat when the cheese isn’t browning fast enough. 180 °C was chosen because the filling needs time to reach 70 °C while the cheese melts at the right pace; higher heat gives you a burnt surface and a lukewarm centre.
How to serve Maultaschen au gratin
The dish is filling and comes with plenty of sauce, so the sides should be fresh and tangy rather than heavy:
- Swabian potato salad with vinegar, stock and onion
- Crisp green salad with mustard dressing
- Pickled red onions or a quick cucumber salad
- Crispy fried onions scattered over just before serving
- Coarse bread for mopping up the dish
Storage and reheating
Leftovers keep for three days in the fridge in an airtight container, ideally with a little extra sauce poured over so the parcels don’t dry out. Reheat at 180 °C in the airfryer until heated through all the way – the cheese actually turns even crispier the second time. Fully gratinated Maultaschen can be frozen, but the pasta turns softer, so I prefer to freeze the parcels raw and only gratinate them on the day they’ll be eaten.
Maultaschen au gratin is the kind of dish that looks like more effort than it is. One dish, one sauce, a handful of grated cheese – and 33 minutes later there’s something on the table that gets everyone sitting down at the same time.
FAQ
Yes. Place them frozen in the dish and pour the sauce over, but allow a little longer in the airfryer. Always check that the core temperature in the middle parcel has reached 70 °C before serving.
Grated Emmental or Gruyère melts evenly and gives the nutty crust Maultaschen deserve. A handful of grated Parmesan mixed in adds extra colour and saltiness.
180 °C throughout. That’s hot enough to gratinate the cheese golden in 18 minutes, while still being gentle enough for the filling to reach 70 °C without the surface burning.
Recipe
Maultaschen au gratin in the airfryer
Cooking Guide
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Cost of the dish
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Our estimate is based on average food prices for the current year 2026.
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Airfryer size
All our recipes are tested in a Philips Airfryer 2000 Series NA230/00 – 6.2 L
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Recommended equipment
- 1 Air fryer
- 1 Oven-safe dish - Must fit in the airfryer basket
- 1 Lille gryde
- 1 Cutting board
- 1 Knife
- 1 Grater
- 1 Meat thermometer
Shopping list
Ingredients
Maultaschen and cream sauce
How to make it
Preparation
- Peel and finely chop 1 pcs onion and 1 clove garlic.
- Melt 1 tbsp butter in a small saucepan over medium heat, and sauté the onion and garlic gently for 3-4 minutes, without letting them colour.
- Add 3 dl double cream, 1 dl vegetable stock and 1 tsp Dijon mustard. Let the sauce simmer for 4-5 minutes, until lightly thickened.
- Place 8 Maultaschen whole in an ovenproof dish that fits in the airfryer basket. They can sit close together and overlap slightly.
Cooking in the airfryer
- Preheat the airfryer to 180 °C.
- Pour the hot cream sauce evenly over the Maultaschen, so they’re covered all the way round.
- Sprinkle 150 g Emmental and 25 g Parmesan evenly over the whole dish.
- Place the dish in the airfryer basket and gratinate at 180 °C for 15-18 minutes. Turn the dish a half turn after about 9 minutes, so the cheese browns evenly.
- The cheese should be melted and golden with dark spots, and the Maultaschen piping hot all the way through. Insert a meat thermometer into the centre of one of the parcels – it should read 70 °C.
Serving
- Take the dish out of the airfryer and let it rest for 3-5 minutes, so the sauce settles and becomes easier to portion.
- Sprinkle 1 tbsp chives over and serve immediately, while the cheese is still stretchy.
Our notes for the recipe
Choose an ovenproof dish with at least 1 cm of clearance all the way round in the basket. The hot air needs to circulate around the dish, otherwise the cheese will turn golden in the middle and stay pale at the edges. Variation:
Swap the cream sauce for a spiced tomato sauce, or pour over a rich beef stock for a lighter version that’s closer to the classic Swabian way of serving it. Serving:
Serve with a crisp green salad tossed in a tangy vinaigrette. The acidity cuts nicely through the rich cheese gratin. Portion size:
If your airfryer is smaller, you can make the dish in two batches or divide it between two small dishes.
Your notes for the recipe
Nutrition per serving (Guideline)
Important about shelf life and nutrition
Nutrition per serving (guideline): Calculations are based on data from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Shelf life (guideline): Shelf life data is provided, as far as possible, by public institutions, including national food authorities. Our information is therefore only indicative, and it is your responsibility to obtain and calculate accurate information about shelf life and nutrition for all recipes on airfryerkogebogen.dk
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