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 really like this recipe but it came out to watery for my tastes when following these directions. I would recommend either decreasing the amount of beef broth or simmering longer with more flour. I added a bit or garlic and fresh tarragon to mine which was nice.
Hi Farrah! Sorry to hear the sauce wasn’t thick enough for your taste. Is there a chance the sour cream was thin?? And you definitely added the mustard?? N x
Marbled not arbeld!!
Ba ha ha! I thought I had made a typo and I was searching for it!!!
Nagi try this with Feather or blade (often known as Jewish fillet) It’s highly arbeld incredibly tender and (in UK at least) dirt cheap. It cooks and tastes better than Ribeye which is my other favourite
Cook the whole blade (i’s the shoulder blade so there isn’t much of it and in some countries they chope it up for braising so you need to request it)
Cook it hard and whole on both sides like you would a rear steak then rest in an oven up to an hour at 56 degrees C or as close as you can get. Use the pan to cook the rest and then when ready to eat slice the beef and add to the sauce
Thanks for the tip Nicholas!!
Can this be frozen
This was quick, although probably not the 30 minutes you made it in. It has great flavor, too. Next time, I will add less broth and more flour. I was afraid the sour cream would curdle by adding it, then the meat, all the while, on the heat, but it worked. Thanks for a great recipe.
Awesome!!! Glad you enjoyed this Wavewatcher! N x ❤️
Oops! I misread the amount of flour. I only used 1 tablespoon. No wonder. It probably works fine.
This beef stroganoff was delicious. I used boneless ribeye steaks but cubed into about 1” cubes rather than the thin strips because I made a double recipe so I could freeze half and didn’t want the thin sliced beef to over cook too much when reheated. I also waited to add the sour cream after I reheated it. Used 6 tbsp flour for a thicker gravy. It was delicious both freshly made and after freezing. Served over egg noodles and over white rice. Will definitely make again. Thanks for a great recipe!
Absolutely fabulous. The steak was so tender and the sauce was fantastic. Super easy to make. Definitely going into the “keep” file. Thanks for another great recipe.
That’s great PJ! So pleased this was enjoyed – N x
I prepared this for lunch today and my family loved it very much. I followed the recipe exactly and did not make any amendments and it turned out very well. Thank you for sharing this wonderful recipe.
This is happening right now in my kitchen. My mouth is watering, cant wait for dinner. Thank you for all of your great recipes!
Hi! This looks wonderful! Any way we can make it without mushrooms – would you substitue something for them?
You can always make a dish to taste. Maybe use bell peppers or broccoli anything you like. Green beans will work as well
I just made your beef stroganoff for dinner. My step-dad has a hard time chewing steak so I used ground beef instead for him. He loved it. Thank you for the wonderful recipes, this is the second one I have made from here.
I made this last night….came out fantastic…I substituted 3 cans of brown gravy for the beef broth..made is a little thicker along with the flour…..served it over egg noodles…family loved it…
That’s terrific Vinnie! So pleased you enjoyed this, thanks for letting me know! N x
Absolutely delicious!!!! Meat came out tender and delicious!!
I’m so pleased you enjoyed this Laura! Thank you for letting me know! N x
I made this last night for dinner. My husband was surprised because it’s been a long time since I’ve made it. Your recipe is perfect. My husband had seconds, then as he was clearing his plate, he went to the stove and took out a few more spoons full. I would say this was a huge success. I did add some garlic powder (granules) and a scant tablespoon of tomato paste. It would have been equally delicious just as written, I’m sure. Thank you for inspiring me to bring something different and yummy to our table.
That’s wonderful to hear Suzy! Glad you both enjoyed it 🙂 N x
I had to laugh when my husband showed up in the kitchen tonight and smilingly asked, “What’s for dinner, Beef Stroganoff?” I guess he’s craving some more of your delicious recipe!
This is incredible! The secret of searing high quality steak for 30 seconds each side then taking away and making the sauce to allow the beef to finish cooking at the end is genius! Thank you;))
I just made this last night, and Wow! Best Stroganoff I’ve ever made, and I even cheated based on what I had in the pantry. I used canned mushrooms instead of fresh, eye of round steak, and I didn’t have Dijon, so I used a teaspoon of creamy horseradish instead. I also added a teaspoon of minced garlic. It turned out AMAZING!!!!
That’s great! So pleased you enjoyed this Jessica – N x
Great recipe! Thank you! Will use again!!
Glad to hear you enjoyed this Jennifer ! Thanks for letting me know – N x
Dear Nagi loved it as usual., you are totally amazing , I hope you realise that and what you do for people like me, I have always considered myself a good home cook but then you caught up in stuff like Masterchef and the like and start to doubt yourself and try to hard, and then I found you and you blow my mind. You are genius and lovely and you blow Masterchef and the like out of the water , so thankyou Nagi,I love dozer to I have a little guy named ,Wilson and I get it, nothing like them is there? So thankyou Nagi I love you❤️ Oh and by the way so does my husband😂
You flatter me Susan! 🙂 I’m glad you are enjoying my recipes and thank you for taking the time to write in. Pats to Wilson! N x
This recipe is amazing…as per usual. Made it just now and bf gobbled it up. For some reason my store didn’t have ribeye so I substituted with boneless NY strip. I might have used 3 tablespoons of sour cream (taste preference) and then added milk because I oversalted a bit. Nagi never ever disappoints. Thank you!
I have made many of your recipes. Loved most. But this is by far the best recipe of your I have made. I used a generous amount of baby portabellas and sliced the onions in a generous size so both added great texture. The ribeye was such a great surprise. Searing it and setting aside tomthe end was a great tip! Might have to make this very soon again!
I’m so glad! Thank you for letting me know Rachel! N x
Add tea spoon ketchup and one shot of cherry liquor. This is a awesome ingredient
Woah! Really! 🙂