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!
Wow! This is the best stroganoff I have ever had. The sauce is so incredibly flavorful. I made it with ground turkey cause I’m a college student and that’s the kind of budget I have, so I can’t speak to the steak-cooking process here–but the sauce is actually incredible.
Caveat: instead of the Dijon mustard, I sprinkled the meat with nutmeg while it was cooking. But my family has always done that, so it’s definitely not the only thing that made this recipe so amazing.
Also added parsley after taking it off the heat, cause I like it that way. Worked great.
Sounds perfect Sarah – I love the addition of nutmeg! N x
I decided to prep the steak as normal but to sear the steak in one piece. When a little cooled I diced the steak and put it to one side while I prepped the sauce. Just seemed easier.
You could do it that way Chris, I like to sear chopped steak because the more colour = more flavour 🙂 N x
Fantastic recipe. Pro-tip for bumping up that beef flavor… forego the butter for the onion/mushroom sautee, and render the beef fat trimmings instead. Takes longer, but totally worth it.
Also, add some thyme to the onion/mushroom sautee. It adds depth.
Sounds great Nathan!!! N x
We made this recipe with scotch rib eyes and it was devine! We did use the dijon mustard, but next time we will use an additional spoon of hot english mustard too just for a “hit”! ( I didn’t have any on New Years Day and the shops were shut!) I’m dying to try your soda tenderiser but being IN Scotland we have the luxury of all beef being pretty inexpensive… 700g of rib eyes cost us under £6. A bargain for the meal an quantity! Thank you!
Sorry, forgot to rate this recipe!
Hi Nagi and Dozer. Happy new year to you both from cold, frosty Ireland. Just had to say this recipe was the tastiest, easiest beef stroganoff recipe I’ve ever made-and I’ve cooked many over the years. I stuck to the recipe religiously apart from adding one fat clove of garlic just before the onions just because I love garlic in most sauces. I served it with creamy mashed potatoes and green beans and it was truly delicious. Thanks for all your wonderful recipes over the past year and looking forward to more in 2021 !
New family favorite! Use leftover prime rib from our Christmas dinner. Thinly sliced the meat and added it after cooking the onions and mushrooms as the meat was already cooked. Did add the Worcestershire sauce as someone suggested, 1 Tbsp.
Made it for Christmas dinner last night. The NY steak came out so tender! Everyone loved it!
Excellent recipe, and had only one comment made by my son. It needed more tang! What ingredient can I add to increase the tang that is missing?
Maybe some Worcestershire!
Thanks Jules, I will try that next time! I will definitely use this recipe again!
Easy explanatory quick recipes that are quick and easy to cook . Thank you Nagi
I miss the fruits (sweet) and the pickle, so i added them to get the full range of taste from the original. Best are fresh mango and pineapple.
Great Recipe! I just love Russian cuisine. Although, I added red wine and capers because I just couldn’t resist!!
Just made this recipe and it was outstanding. Thanks very much. Loved the tender beef.
Simply deelicious!!
I agree with the 30 second sear and the velveting works well with economy rump steak but I add a tablespoon of tomato paste, 1/2 teaspoon of sweet paprika, a clove of garlic and some white wine
Great recipe! I made a pizza instead.
Hi Nagi, would gluten free flour work in this recipe?
Hi Alana, to make this gluten free, follow the instructions in the recipe note 2 🙂 N x
It very good but I added a splash of white wine a little more broth and sour cream for more sauce.
Delicious!
Very tender, tasty beef stroganoff! Easy to make too!
Hi. We have tried quite a few of your recipes and enjoyed them all and are now regular meals. Tonight I’m going to attempt beef stroganoff. We haven’t decided on pasta or mash yet though!
Hi Nagi I a, not a fan of onion at all so I was wondering with this recipe and your meatballs where you soak breadcrumbs in onion is there something else you recommend I can use instead?