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!! I’m not a big beef or mushroom fan, but my husband is…I made this stroganoff without any expectations of enjoyment for myself, but holy cow!! It is REALLY good!! My whole family loved it, and I was totally surprised by how much I loved it!! I added garlic, a smidge of smoked paprika, and about 2 tsp of tomato paste (advice from a review) and it was a total home run. Thank you so much!!
Definitely something to enjoy when you feel you need something quick and easy. I definitely recommend this recipe
This is an awesome recipe Nagi, I love your recipes. My husband adores this one. I think if he could, he would probably have eaten the pan too. Saved for the future.
I made this today, and my Thai wife said it was “aroi”, which is high praise from a Thai person! I had some seriously tough sirloin, so I pounded it with a meat mallet. After I cut the meat to size, I velveted it with bicarb for 40 minutes. I used powered mustard, and some paprika and Worchestershire sauce. Also had a can of button mushrooms that I sliced (saved a trip to the market). Excellent recipe, and the meat tenderizing tricks are spot on. Thanks!
I make this with leftover roast beef and it’s fantastic … really easy to make and great flavour.
I made your Beef Stroganoff tonight and we all loved it. Thank you so much for sharing your recipe. It’s the best!
This is the best beef stroganoff we have ever tasted, we will definitely cook this often, love it. Thank you Nagi , we love all of your recipe, just wondering if you have a recipe for hummingbird cake.
I’ve been making beef stroganoff with round steak and caned mushroom soup for some 40 years. I never knew Stroganoff could taste so much better with a decent cut of meat and the addition of Dijon mustard. There is no going back, this is now my go to comfort food. It goes together so quickly and is nearly foolproof too, another reason there should be 6 stars.
Best recipe ever. Can’t wait to make it again so easy and fast and delicious. Everyone loved it. I served it with plain white rice but next time I’ll try with mash potatoes. Yum
The best recipe for Stroganoff!
This was my first time making beef stroganoff and I veganised this recipe with a few swaps.
I used:
500g vegan beef and cooked it as per package instructions
Added peas, cauliflower stem and leaves and carrot
Used vegan beef stock
Added dried thyme and parsley
Replaced the butter with olive oil
Added red wine
Used soy greek yoghurt instead of sour cream
I loved the simplicity of this recipe and it was so flavourful. I didn’t know what to expect and this recipe blew my mind.
I will definetly be saving this recipe to make it again and again. Thank you!
Booooo Ashleigh!
Why would you even comment this? This is an entirely different recipe for an entirely different website. Why would you even be looking for a beef stroganoff recipe if you are vegan? Get outta here with that craziness…
You completely changed the recipe though, so why on earth are you reviewing her recipe? Why do people always do this on recipe sites?
I understand you wanted a vegan version, but what you made was not Stroganoff, not by any stretch of the imagination.
Thank you Julzy- methinks Ashleigh just needs some attention. The vegan world must be a lonely one.
Thanks for the tips. I’m vegan and will use your suggestions.
I’ve never made or eaten Beef Stroganoff, so I was excited to try something different. Nagi, it was so good! I followed the recipe exactly, even though I struggled not to add garlic! Lol! It came together so easily and quickly. The flavors were great!! I sent a container with my granddaughter for her lunch at school. Thankfully they have a microwave to heat their food. She loved it!! She’s always excited to hear what new “Nagi recipe” I’m trying. Our little foodie in the making! Thanks again for a quick simple recipe!
I hate leaving a one star review but we really didn’t enjoy this recipe. Bought and browned good quality scotch fillet but it failed to impress. I only put in 1 cup of beef broth and added paprika and Worcestershire sauce but it still lacked flavour. We are so grateful for all the other recipes we’ve tried and also bought the book to support Nagi.
This was pretty good but next time I’ll add some Worcester sauce as mentioned in another recipe. Also it didn’t thicken as written so I added cornstarch. Sour cream separated. Hubby loved it!
Sounds great! How many people does this serve and size of serving?
Hi Frances.
Nagi has written at the bottom of the recipe that it serves 5 large servings or 4 smaller servings.
Hope you enjoy the meal.
Why was my fillet tough, although I followed the recipe exactly?
You may have boiled the meat in the sauce. Boiled meat = tough. That is also the reason some people recipes split, cream and boiling is a no no!
This was delicious! My mom always made stroganoff, but did it with cream of mushroom soup cans and ground beef. I prefer to make everything from scratch, so I tried this. I did use 1 lb of ground beef, as that is how I have always had it, but, by far, the best stroganoff I’ve ever had. It was so so good. Thank you!!
I have cooked this recipe more than once and my family loves it. Took less than 1 hour to prep and cook and that includes cutting the meat,onions and mushrooms.
After method step 4, you neglect to mention that the second batch of beef should also be removed from the pan.
Can the sour cream be substituted for plain yoghurt like the chicken stroganoff recipe?
I’m sure any acidic dairy product with a fairly good viscosity to it will work just fine. I’ve used ranch dressing the result was not at all disappointing.