One of my favourite steak sauces – a creamy Peppercorn Sauce made with brandy or cognac, beef broth/stock, cream and plenty of crushed peppercorns. The creamy pepper sauce with juicy steak is a match made in heaven and calls for just 4 ingredients. FOUR!!!
Creamy Peppercorn Sauce – a Steakhouse classic
Creamy Peppercorn Sauce was always my first choice at steakhouses which I frequented quite regularly back in my corporate days. Having traded in suits and heels for an apron, there’s no corporate lunches for me anymore. I make my steaks at home!
There are a handful of truly great sauces in this world that are deceptively simple to make, and this creamy pepper sauce for steak is one of them. It’s the same sauce used in Steak au Poivre, a French classic, except the steak is not crusted with cracked peppercorns so there is more in the sauce. This recipe is more straightforward because you don’t have to worry about burning cracked peppercorns when searing the steak or finishing the steak in the oven to avoid that problem.
How to make Creamy Peppercorn Sauce
This is an exceptionally simple sauce to make with few ingredients, making for a quick dinner any night:
Cook steak to your taste, then remove and rest while you make the sauce;
Make sauce: In the same pan, add brandy or cognac, simmer rapidly for 1 minute until the alcohol smell is gone;
Add beef broth/stock, and simmer rapidly until it reduces by half (intensifies the flavour);
Stir through cream and crushed peppercorns. Serve over steak!
TIPS:
The alcohol brings incredible depth of flavour to the sauce, it’s the secret ingredient. Classic creamy peppercorn sauce is made cognac or brandy, but I’ve made this plenty of times with marsala too. I love ’em all!
Using freshly crushed peppercorns are best for a really great pepper flavour. Or use canned green peppercorns for less heat.
PS Note how I’m searing the sides of the steak ↑↑↑ Always sear the fat strip. Nobody likes a big fat rubbery strip of fat on their steak!
Quick for midweek!
Serve it up with Crispy Smashed Potatoes or Paris Mash and a quick Garlic Spinach side for a true Steakhouse experience! – Nagi x
PS It’s worth getting a decent steak for this one. If you get a really good value economy steak, try my Steak Marinade instead – it will tenderise and add subtle flavour. 🙂
Try these on the side:
For a Steakhouse experience – Paris Mash and Garlic Sautéed Spinach
And more great steak sauces:
A Mushroom Sauce for Steak
Garlic Thyme Butter Basted Steak – a simple, amazing Cheffy technique for cooking steak
Mushroom Gravy – use the sauce in this Chicken with Mushroom Gravy
Creamy peppercorn sauce for steak
Watch how to make it
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Steak with Creamy Peppercorn Sauce
Ingredients
- 2 300g/10oz New York Strip / Porterhouse steaks (or other of choice, Note 1)
- Salt and pepper
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
Sauce:
- 1/3 cup (85 ml) brandy or cognac (or marsala) (Note 2)
- 3/4 cup (185 ml) beef broth/stock , low sodium (important! Note 3)
- 1/2 cup (125 ml) cream , heavy/thickened
- 2 – 3 tsp coarsely crushed whole black peppercorns (or canned green peppercorns, drained) (Note 4)
Instructions
- Take the steaks out of the fridge 20 minutes before planning to cook.
- Crush the pepper using a rolling pin, mortar and pestle or the side of a hardy knife.
Steaks:
- Just before cooking, sprinkle both sides of steak generously with salt and black pepper.
- Heat oil in a skillet over high heat until smoking.
- Add steaks and cook the first side for 2 minutes until it has a great crust, then flip and cook the other side for 2 minutes (for medium rare).
- Stack the steaks on top of each other, then use tongs to sear the fat strip.
- Transfer to plate, cover loosely with foil to rest while you make the sauce.
Sauce:
- Add brandy or cognac into the same skillet and let it simmer rapidly, scraping the bottom of the pan, until it has mostly reduced and you can no longer smell the harsh alcohol smell (~1 min).
- Add broth, bring to simmer and let it simmer rapidly for 2 to 3 minutes or until it reduces by half.
- Turn heat down to medium. Add cream and pepper, stir, then simmer for 1 1/2 to 2 minutes until it thickens (do not let it boil rapidly).
- Taste sauce, adjust salt (and pepper!) to taste.
- Transfer steaks to warmed serving plates. Spoon over sauce. Serve immediately! Pictured with Crispy Smashed Potatoes and Garlic Spinach. (Note 6)
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Information:
Life of Dozer
Mandatory post knee-op daily icing involves building blocks, frozen veg and Dozer with his eyes closed the whole time – “OMG it’s so cold, it’s so cold, it’s soooo cooold!!!” (Update: Happy to report he made a full recovery and was bounding around like a loon within weeks!)
Made this a couple of times – so good. Thanks!
You’re so welcome Linda!
I really loved this recipe because I love pepper so much. Easy to make, and so so tasty. Thanks, Nagi and please give Dozer a hug and kiss from me!
Steak recipes spot on. Thank you.
👌🏼 Thanks so much Tom!
Ive tried this recipe twice and its so thin, like soup. We grilled the steak so I didnt have any drippings. What might I be doing wrong
Hi Cathie, are you reducing it to thicken it? You can alternatively add a slurry of 1 tsp cornflour and 1 tbls water to the sauce to thicken – N x
To make your peppersauce even more magic and heavenly delicious i will give you an extra secret ingredient. Make the peppersauce excactly as per your recipe but just before the end as a final last step add a heaped teaspoon of good qualiry instant coffee and stir it into the peppersauce. I would say a heaped teaspoon to a normal sized coffee mug amount of peppersauce. Your tastebuds will be most pleasantly surprised and you will realize that the adding of the instant coffee creates the best ever most sublime peppersauce. Amen👌
Sounds interesting Fred, I’ll have to try it!
Hallo again Nagi just an update……he amount of instant coffee should be about a flat teaspoon of instant coffee to a large coffeemug size amount of peppersauce. You can always add more to taste. Here are some great recipes where Instant Coffee Granules are the magic secret ingredient. I like using Nescafe Gold Instant Coffee Granules.
https://greatist.com/health/healthy-coffee-recipes
https://www.mashed.com/48721/recipes-use-coffee-secret-ingredient/
https://www.yummy.ph/lessons/cooking/6-unexpected-ways-to-use-instant-coffee-in-the-kitche
Oh by the way…I love LOVE curries, my favorite being a Lamb Curry. Add a teaspoon or more of instant coffee depending on the amount of Curry. It adds that secret magic touch to a curry as well
Hi Nagi you definitely must, you will be astounded. The measurement I gave you is perhaps a bit too strong though, rather start off with a flat teaspoon of good quality instant coffee granules to a coffee mug size portion of pepper sauce. You can always add more to taste if necessary. I like using Nescafe Gold Instant Coffee Granules. Here are some other links with great recipes where coffee is a secret ingredient. It just adds so much more depth to many recipes. Enjoy 🙂 https://www.mashed.com/48721/recipes-use-coffee-secret-ingredient/
https://www.foodnetwork.com/fn-dish/how-to/2012/02/how-to-use-instant-coffee
https://greatist.com/health/healthy-coffee-recipes
What kind of brandy do I use, I am no chef and rarely cook so I have no clue, I know there are different types of brandy.
Hi Kelly, any type of brandy or cognac would be fine here – N x
Can someone recommend a brand of Brandy or Cognac. There are so many varieties and flavors… Tried Grand Marnier, which is a cognac, but it didnt seem to fit the flavor…
I tried the Hennessy for cognac, it was perfect 👌
Hi Nagi
I loved the Creamy Peppercorn Sauce. Thank you and please keep posting more recipes. 5/5.
Made this last night. Wow!!! It was perfect!! Didn’t have low sodium broth and it was too salty. Next time low sodium broth like it calls for and it will be perfection!!
Just tried this with a set of thick Filet mignons (1.5-2″). Seared per instructions, then cooked at 400F for 7 min (they came out rare side of medium rare. I could not find the pepper mentions, so used one of those grinder/shaker things with “pepper medley” on course, only did about 1.5 tsps as my daughter has pepper fear. Tasted great but sause was very watery (I think I didn’t boil down the broth enough before adding cream) – Was AWESOME. Thanks so much!
I’m so glad you loved it Stu!!
Just bought porterhouse steaks … Gong to try this; can’t wait!
I assume you can make this with roast? If so, what roast would you recommend and what cooking method (baking or crock pot)?
Can I make peppercorn sauce in advance.
I’m always on the look out for good peppercorn sauce recipes. Thinking on trying this later. One fairly amateur question though. What do you use for the broth? In the UK we tend to use stocks (not sure if that’s the same thing). Often we’ll dissolve a stock cube or stock pot into about 500ml of water. Would you reduce that down to 185ml or use 185ml of the original 500ml? Or do you use something different entirely?
Thanks 🙂
Hi Stuart, yes stock/broth is the same thing. I’d just make up 185ml of stock or if it’s easier to make the full 500ml, use what you need and freeze the rest for later!
Thanks Nagi!
I think the ones I have suggest dissolving into 500ml water. So I guess I’ll just use 185ml of that? I thought about dissolving the whole cube into 185ml of water but I think that’ll be too strong?
Yes that will be too salty, I would just make up 500ml and freeze what you don’t use 🙂
It’s my husband’s new favorite dish! I used one whole can of beef consumme instead of broth and let it reduce. He loves it!! Thanks for the recipe!
Can someone please tell me the name of the song in the video?! Also great sauce we added a touch of French mustard for sweetness
Hi Nagi!
LOVED this sauce. My fave steakhouse in Melbourne (station hotel in footscray) does an amazing peppercorn sauce and this rivaled it.
My only note (and I’m sure it was obvious to everyone else haha) was that I passed the sauce through a sieve after it was ready – otherwise I had too many peppercorn bits in the sauce and made the texture a bit weird.
Also I (stupidly) used eye fillet for this – no pan juices. Lesson learned for next time. Can’t wait to make it again.
Thanks for your wonderful recipe!
Ps Hi Dozer!
Hi Adi! Glad you were able to adjust this to your taste! And thanks for the reminder re: eye fillet, I will add a note about this! (I use loads of butter when I cook eye fillet 🙂 ) N x
Update – I cooked this again with porterhouse and used some shallots as well. Mind BLOWN.
Thank you so much, Ms. Nagi! I just found your website this evening as I was looking for a ‘smash potato’ recipe. I made them straight away; they were fantastic!
Considering the success of the potatoes, I decided to browse your recipe index. I am blown away with all of the fantastic options, and looking forward to trying them all. However, this recipe is the next on my list.
When I was a little girl I was allowed to choose anything I’d like to eat for my birthday dinner. Every year I selected the same thing; steak with a creamy peppercorn sauce, macaroni and cheese, and spinach. My father’s peppercorn sauce used whisky in place of the cognac, but that’s the only alteration I’ll make. My birthday is just over a week away, and now I’m looking forward to ushering in my 30th year with your steak and macaroni and cheese. Thank you for the fond memories of yesterday, and tomorrow. God bless you, your loved ones, and this website. <3
An early HAPPY BIRTHDAY to you Ann!! I love hearing your birthday food choices – YUM!!!
Should I pour away the oil leftover from cooking the steak before I start making the sauce?
My sauce is too watery for some reason, I followed the recipe exactly but halved the amount since it was for one steak. Is it ok to continue simmering the sauce until it is creamy enough? Will the steak be overcooked? Or can I make the sauce first instead?
I love this dish; an old favorite I’ve made many times. The calorie content listed on the nutrition information seems off.
Hi Phyllis! I’ll have a look at it now – thanks for noting that! N x