The most amazing Beef Stroganoff you will ever have! Golden seared juicy beef strips smothered in an incredible sour cream mushroom gravy, this Beef Stroganoff recipe is an easy 30 minute recipe.
Never suffer through dry chewy beef or bland Stroganoff sauce again – this recipe delivers!!
Beef Stroganoff
If you’ve ever chewed your way through dry, overcooked beef, you’re going to LOVE this Beef Stroganoff recipe! Just two simple rules for juicy, tender beef:
using the right cut; and
the 30 Second Sear ( <– PS I totally made up this name)
The first rule is fairly self explanatory – for a quick cooking recipe like Beef Stroganoff, you can’t get away with using a better value tough cut like chuck beef.
Sure, you could do a slow cooker stroganoff.
But if you want to make this retro classic the way it’s intended and to experience all that Beef Stroganoff is when the beef is tender, juicy perfection, then there’s no getting around the fact that you will need a good quality steak that’s nicely marbled with fat.
I know, I know, you see juicy steaks like the rib eyes above and your instinct is to throw them on the barbie.
I hear you. I have to fight the urge myself. But then I remember that sour cream mushroom gravy, and I remind myself that the only way to experience a truly great stroganoff is to use a good steak, and it’s all good. We proceed with no regrets.
What cut of beef is best for stroganoff?
The best cuts of beef for stroganoff are tender, juicy cuts such as:
Boneless rib eye – also called scotch fillet (pictured above)
Boneless sirloin
Sirloin steak tips
Beef tenderloin
Some recipes recommend beef round steak (aka topside) which I do not recommend. The beef flavour is ok but but it’s not a good cut for fast cooking like in stroganoff, it’s dry with an unpleasant texture. It’s best slow cooked.
Want to use stewing beef?
Make this Slow Cooked Stroganoff with tender fall apart chunks of beef!
And now, the 2nd secret to never suffer through dry beef in stroganoff again……
The 30 second sear
Thin strips of beef overcook in a flash. But forgoing the sear would be a blasphemy (in my books). Sear = flavour on both the beef AND in the gravy.
Therefore, there is only one way around this. A super quick sear in a smoking hot skillet. And when I say super quick, I truly mean it. 30 seconds on each side, if you miss some pink bits too bad! GET IT OUT OF THE SKILLET!!!
The beef will still be raw at this stage but don’t worry! It finishes cooking in the gravy at the end.
What is stroganoff sauce made of?
Stroganoff sauce is a sour cream gravy made with beef broth that’s thickened with flour. It’s flavoured with mustard and has mushrooms in it.
I love the pale brown creamy colour against the deep golden brown seared beef!
If you happen to have leftovers or are meal prepping, beef stroganoff will keep for 3 to 4 days in the fridge. But be very careful when reheating not to overcook the beef!
Wondering if you can freeze beef stroganoff?
Yes you can! The sour cream won’t separate or congeal. Thaw, then reheat – be very careful not to overcook the beef when reheating.
What to serve with beef stroganoff
Serve it over noodles, pasta or mash – anything that’s a suitable vehicle to slop up all that gorgeous mushroom gravy. Try cauliflower mash for a low carb alternative!
If using noodles or pasta, I recommend using a short pasta. It just makes it easier to eat, ensuring you get a bit of everything with plenty of that sauce in every bite!
Dinner – on the table in 30 minutes. EVERYONE WILL LOVE THIS!!! – Nagi x
WATCH HOW TO MAKE IT
Sometimes it helps to have a visual – so watch me make this Beef Stroganoff recipe!
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Beef Stroganoff
Ingredients
- 600 g / 1.2 lb scotch fillet steak / boneless rib eye (Note 1)
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil , divided
- 1 large onion (or 2 small onions), sliced
- 300 g / 10 oz mushrooms , sliced (not too thin)
- 40 g / 3 tbsp butter
- 2 tbsp flour (Note 2)
- 2 cups / 500 ml beef broth , preferably salt reduced
- 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
- 150 ml / 2/3 cup sour cream
- Salt and pepper
Serving:
- 250 – 300 g / 8 – 10 oz pasta or egg noodles of choice (Note 3)
- Chopped chives , for garnish (optional)
Instructions
- Use your fist (or rolling pin or mallet) to flatten the steaks to about 3/4cm / 1/3″ thick. Slice into 5mm / 1/5″ strips (cut long ones in half), discarding excess fat.
- Sprinkle with a pinch of salt and pepper.
- Heat 1 tbsp oil in a large skillet over high heat. Scatter half the beef in the skillet, QUICKLY spread it with tongs. Leave untouched for 30 seconds until browned. Turn beef quickly (as best you can!). Leave untouched for 30 seconds to brown. Immediately remove onto a plate. Don’t worry about pink bits and that it will be raw inside.
- Add remaining 1 tbsp oil and repeat with remaining beef.
- Turn heat down to medium high. Add butter, melt. Then add onions, cook for 1 minute, then add mushrooms.
- Cook mushrooms until golden. Scrape bottom of fry pan to get all the golden bits off (this is flavour!).
- Add flour, cook, stirring, for 1 minute.
- Add half the broth while stirring. Once incorporated, add remaining broth.
- Stir, then add sour cream and mustard. Stir until incorporated (don’t worry if it looks split, sour cream will “melt” as it heats).
- Bring to simmer ,then reduce heat to medium low. Once it thickens to the consistency of pouring cream (3 – 5 minutes), adjust salt and pepper to taste.
- Add beef back in (including plate juices). Simmer for 1 minute, then remove from stove immediately. (Note 4)
- Serve over pasta or egg noodles, sprinkled with chives if desired.
Recipe Notes:
- boneless rib eye (aka scotch fillet)
- boneless sirloin, sirloin steak tips
- beef tenderloin
Nutrition Information:
Beef Stroganoff recipe originally published January 2018, updated March 2019 for housekeeping matters, no change to recipe (because readers love it as it is!).
More quick dinner ideas you’ll love!
Quesadillas (Beef, Chicken or Veg)
A Mushroom Sauce for Steak, Chicken or anything!
Beef and Rice with Veggies (One Pot)
LIFE OF DOZER
” Dozer! Catch the water!”
And so he obliged. Well, attempted to. Oh so enthusiastically!
I’ve used this recipe several times. It’s an excellent basic stroganoff, open to experimentation and personal additions. Though, as is is quite good and the recipe is thorough and easy to follow through. Nagi plays it safe by using the words “season to taste”. So, if it’s served to guests or willing to forgo health issues for a special occasion, add some salt. Otherwise it’s fine anytime as is.
The comments are right on; I’ve made stroganoff before but it was never so good or so easy. BF and I kept commenting on it throughout the meal. Didn’t miss all the other ingredients from some other recipes.
Fantastic recipe! I have never liked beef stroganoff and now I love it! Made this tonight and it was beyond belief. It will not disappoint, whether it is your first time making it or you are a seasoned veteran. The beef and searing it in my opinion is the key.
Step 4 1/2- remove beef from pan and set aside
YES!!!! It drives me crazy when these simple steps are left unsaid.
As I mentioned above to will, step 4 is basically saying to repeat step 3 with remaining beef and in step 3 it does mention to “immediately remove”. So I’d say this recipe isn’t forgetting a step.
Agreed. That’s a big step otherwise the beef is over cooked.
It mentions in the recipe to “immediately remove onto a plate” at the end of step 3, and since step for mentions to “repeat steps for remaining beef” one would assume they mean to once again “immediately remove”. Just my 2 cents
I’m cooking this for the third time right this second, and honestly, I’ve never had a single complaint! I make it with georgian cheese bread. (Also, crimini mushrooms seem to be a bigger hit then bella if you can find them!) awesome recipe!
Thank you for this great recipe.
I will make it again but will check my onion first. My large onion was very potent or too big and the flavor was a bit too oniony. I’ll try rib eye next time too. The top sirloin I used was delicious. I sliced it super thin. The sour cream and Dijon sauce- so good!
Beef stroganoff has been a family favorite for many years, but this ribeye stroganoff is a whole other level. I doubled the recipe for Sunday dinner and the only problem I had was that the sauce was really soupy. Can you give me any tips for the future? The flavor was out of this world! Jan
My sauce wouldn’t seem to thicken. Any ideas?
Hi Ella, if you simmer a little longer it should thicken, and you definitely added the flour in there? 🙂 N x
A good solid recipe, though as any stroganoff, it’s not quick and easy. Even though I need to watch my salt and the recipe sites low-salt several times, this is a good place to cheat. Use more salt and scrimp elsewhere. Of all the Stroganoff recipe on top of the Goggle list, this one is an ace. I recommend starting to boil the noodle water before adding the sour cream. Hence, they’ll both be ready at the same time.
I forgot to ask, does the calorie count above include pasta, or is it only the stroganoff?
This was phenomenal! It really wasn’t necessary, but I added a couple splashes of worcestershire sauce and a tad more dijon. My daughter and picky husband loved it. Just be careful not to overcook the steak once you put it back into the sauce. I’ll know better next time, but it was still fantastic! (She did advise 1 minute, so my bad.) Thank you, Nagi! You’re the best.
Your recipes are the bomb. Family love it!
I’m so glad they’re are a hit with your family Marika!
For how many porton
I used flat iron steak, a tender but generally flavorless cut of beef.
I seasoned the cut slices with onion and garlic powder and let them sit in the fridge for an hour (the wife doesn’t like sliced onions).
I also added 1/8 tsp of nutmeg just before removing from the heat.
Turned out fantastic!
This was lovely. Followed the instructions carefully and the meat was so tender (I used porterhouse steak as it was on special). Thank you for the scaling tool it is so handy. I use it all the time as there are only two of us.
I’ve made this 3 times now and hubby loves it! He’s not a fussy eater, but I know he loves something when he makes those sounds when you’ve eaten something delicious..
I use 2 garlic cloves plus sprinkle in some paprika probably a teaspoon worth an oh it makes it so much more yummy. Great recipe Nagi! Keep them coming!
Just delicious!!!
Simple to make, easy to follow and the temptation to eat before it hits the table is overwhelming
great recipe! very easy to make and tastes delicious! my husband asked if we can have this again.
We just had this for dinner tonight. I made it exactly as written, except I changed……nothing. Because there was no need! That’s why I’m writing this review. (I don’t write very many) I served this over home made egg noodles. The one and only complaint was I cut the onions too thick. (I just really hate slicing onions. )
I’ve never made beef stroganoff before. But during this pandemic, we’re all stuck at home (two males early 20s, one female early 20s, 17 and 12 year old, my husband and I. And my father) I’m trying all sorts of new recipes because frankly, we’re all getting bored.
It’s a 100 percent hit here! Even my grumpy old dad (who complains about pretty much everything) loved it and had seconds. I didn’t double the recipe, and we had enough for a full dinner. With just a smidge leftover.
Thank you!! Looking forward to more of your recipes!
Hate to say it. This was better than my last 50 incarnations. I run a food based company – so I cooked it exactly and it was very good. Then I tweaked it and eventually put it to a panel who held it was the best they ever ate
The first time I made this, I followed the recipe to the letter and it was the BEST stroganoff I’ve ever had! Thus, the 5-star rating. However, the second time, the sauce came out pasty and tasted like little more than flour and broth, so I’m hoping for some advice as to where I went wrong. Here is what I did differently: 1) The steak, mushrooms, and onions were leftovers and therefore cooked ahead of time 2) I used a non-stick pan as opposed to stainless steel 3) The steak was New York Strip as opposed to boneless rib eye. Any feedback appreciated!
First mistake: using “leftover steak”. The beef must be fresh.
Second mistake: using a lean “tough cut” of beef. You need a cut with much more marbling, or the meat of a “lazy muscle”, like tenderloin.
Thanks for the feedback, Randy. NY strip is actually one of the recommended cuts (on other websites), but think I will stick to raw, boneless rib eye from now on, based on the results!
Hi Adria! I love that you cooked it twice and compared. Pan searing creates lots of browned bits on the bottom of the pan, and they have concentrated flavor! De-glazing the pan with wine or broth adds all this flavor to your dish. When you start with pre-cooked leftovers, you lose that. You can still do it to save time, but you’ll want to bump up the flavor with something like good beef bouillon powder or paste, a bit of Worcestershire sauce, some garlic and onion powder… Start with a little and just keep adding and tasting til it’s savory enough. When you cook from scratch, you’ll probably find you get more browning with your stainless steel pan than your non-stick one, so the results will be more flavorful. I’d love to hear about the third time! Keep cooking!
Great tips, Carolyn – thanks! Browned bits are definitely where it’s at. 🙂