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!
Well this is a keeper. YUMMO! Nagi how is it that you produce absolutely perfect recipes every time! What I meant to say was THANK YOU!!! x
I’m making the beef stroganoff tonight or tomorrow (looks fantastic!) but my comment is for Nagi: Anyone that would make their dog a central part of their food blog is OK in my book! (Hi Dozer you good boy!)
Delicious! So great. I added 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar for extra zing.
Serving beef stroganoff over pasta or noodles is ab insult to Russian, Italian and Chinese cuisine.
i made this recipe and it was delicious! my only feedback is, i’m a mom of 3 competitive soccer players and i don’t have lots of time for dinner. i made this recipe and didn’t realize until the end that the instructions for noodles aren’t included. so by the time i was done, i had no time to make the noodles and we had to wait 4 hours later (8pm) to eat it when we returned from all of the soccer. maybe a note at the beginning (make pasta according to package) or something for people like me who aren’t thinking of all the steps, just following along the recipe step-by-step. i will for sure be making this again, though! just wanted to share that in case anyone else runs into the same problem!
I made the beef stroganoff. My husband and I really liked it.
My tip is to use the bi carb on the whole of the meat,wash it off, sear the meat and slice after, no need for tossing and turning every individal peice. Add to the sauce and enjoy
2
Hi Nagi! I really wanted to love this recipe but it just didn’t turn out. I would velveteen the beef next time – my beef was bland and tough- but my main issue was that the sour cream (14% fat) didn’t melt. Ended up with a watery sauce with little dots of sour cream bits. Maybe my heat was too high? Maybe the sour cream was too cold? Can you help explain what happened ?
I’m going to try this tonight, with regard to your sour cream, if it contains stabilizers like guar gum etc I wonder if that could be it?
Hey June, did you add the sour cream while it very hot? It may had curdled. I use a full fat sour cream and added it right after the beef broth so it would stir right in
It sounds like you possibly curdled the sour cream from the high heat. Next time keep a lower heat and temper the sour cream by adding a few table spoons of the sauce to the sour cream before mixing in.
Hi June. I used scotch fillet beef and seared it so it was still extremely rare in the middle (blue actually). When I put it back in the sauce it coloured it up nicely and the meat was so delicious and juicy. I sear on super hot heat, and literally for 10 seconds each side.
My husband really likes it. I had to substitute heavy cream for sour cream because my husband hates sour cream lol. I put 4 tablespoons of flour. It turned out great! Excellent recipe definitely saving this for future meals.
Fantastic recipe, have been making stroganoff for years but it was never as good as your recipe it was amazing. thank you
My husband had Beef Stroganoff recently at a restaurant & it was served with gnocchi! It was so delicious. I would definitely take the gnocchi over egg noodles every time! Yum!
WOW! Better than I expected. Came out great!
Made this last night, amazing, way better than other Beef Stroganoff recipes. Thank you Nagi
Beef was so tender and the flavours were delicious. I served it with Fettuccine. A real winner! Thank you.
I notice you don’t use paprika in this recipe. I thought it was mandatory. 🙂
You are thinking of goulash. Stroganoff has never had paprika
Followed your recipe to the letter, Nagi, and loved it! I have two more serves… enjoyed it with steamed Jasmine Rice. I used top quality Scotch Fillet. Yum! Thanks.
Hi Nagi, I’m a big fan! Can you use greek yoghurt instead of sour cream?
Nagi, I simply CANNOT stop making this. I’m a vegetarian and my partner is a meat eater, I make it in two pots (one with beef and one with just mushrooms). It is one of our favourites. It’s totally foolproof and comes out delicious everytimeeeee. So good!
We make this as a mushroom stroganoff as well. It’s delicious.
The velveting method for the beef worked great on my stew meat! And the instructions & video were so nice. I made stroganoff to use up a jar of mushrooms I bought a long time ago (for who knows what). Let me just tell you, that was not it, people! The flavor and texture was awful. I’m going to try dried mushroom powder in the next go around because I do not like the texture of mushrooms.
Nagi, Silly question, most of the family does not like the texture of mushrooms but we all love the taste of beef stroganoff. What do you recommend? Should I cook it with the mushrooms for the flavor and then remove them when serving? Thank you! We love your recipes!
Lisa, my a couple of my kids don’t like mushrooms either so I took the extra step to put the sauce in a blender before adding the meat back in. Hope this helps.
You might want to consider adding a touch of dried mushroom powder for flavor and save yourself the expense of discarding all those beautiful mushrooms. You can buy it powdered or make your own with dried mushrooms in your coffee grinder.
Perhaps dried mushrooms blended to a powder. I use it in stews sometimes for flavor & thickening. I don’t like the texture of mushrooms either!
Absolutely banger of a recipe, one of my favorites that my dad would make (don’t know his recipe though). Forgot to buy beef broth, used Marsala wine instead, was still an excellent substitution.
Egg noodles are great, but I made spaetzle to go with it (as my dad would do) but nothing wrong with egg noodles either (and easier to cook)