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!
Hungry for more? Subscribe to my newsletter and follow along on Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram for all of the latest updates.
Beef Stroganoff
Ingredients
Beef:
- 600 g / 1.2 lb scotch fillet steak / boneless rib eye (Note 1)
- 1/2 tsp cooking salt / kosher salt (halve for table salt, +50% for flakes)
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
To cook:
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil , divided
- 1 large onion (or 2 small onions), sliced
- 300 g / 10 oz mushrooms , sliced (not too thin)
- 50 g / 3 tbsp butter
- 2 tbsp flour (Note 2)
- 2 cups beef broth , preferably salt reduced
- 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
- 2/3 cup sour cream
- Salt and pepper , to taste
Serving:
- 250 – 300 g / 8 – 10 oz pasta or egg noodles of choice (Note 3)
- Chopped chives , for garnish (optional)
Instructions
- Pound and slice – 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 beef with the salt and pepper
- 30 second sear – Heat 1 tablespoon of the 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.
- Repeat – Add remaining 1 tablespoon of oil and repeat with remaining beef, removing onto the same plate once cooked.
- Sauté onion and mushrooms – Turn heat down to medium high. Using the same pan, add butter and 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 and cook, stirring, for 1 minute.
- Add stock/broth – Add half the broth while stirring. Once incorporated into the flour mixture, add remaining broth.
- Make sauce – 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), have a taste and add more salt and pepper to taste.
- Warm beef – 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!
This is a solid recipe. Make it just the way Nagi says to and everyone will love it. I had an extra table setting to feed so I added a little more volume here and there. I could have cut back a bit on the onions. Make sure you salt and pepper to taste. We used a NY Strip (ribeyes were questionable at the store) steak and, cooking it according to the recipe, the steak came out tender and juicy. I’ll use this recipe again.
Don’t use vegetable oils, they’re toxic. use butter or ghee. These are healthy animal fats. Veg oils are industrially processed and cause cellular inflammation and insulin resistance.
Absolutely delicious! I made it for myself and my parents and my mum was amazed at how tender the beef was, claiming that she always over cooks it. The meal is absolutely delicious and reheats perfectly. I freeze, thaw and then reheat separately to the rice – then I pour it over. My new fave! So easy.
Instead of beef broth I use a can of cream of mushroom and red wine for taste.
Hi, I am reasonably new to RTE recipes but have had mostly good experiences! Not so with the Beef Stroganoff. Not sure what I did wrong because I followed the recipe to the letter. But pretty tasteless AND I used eye fillet! Also I think you need to add notes about what to do if the sauce isn’t thick enough. I added cornflour but still it was flavourless? I used gourmet Swiss brown mushrooms too!
Does anyone know what kind of pasta/noodle Nagi is using in the video and photos? I can’t find it anywhere.
I’d say it’s just fusilli or spirali, which you would find in every supermarket in Australia (not sure where you are though). Hope that helps!
Any type of egg noodles will be just fine.
For classic beef stroganoff, use egg noodles.
Egg noodles
Great recipe as always!
One recommendation is to add 4 or so tsps of gelatine powder to the gravy so it sticks to the meat and noodles better.
I used rump but happy to try a different cut. I also added garlic, red capsicum and chicken stock. Yum thank you
Not the best I’ve made, but still very tasty. I liked the method the neat was cooked, it was very tender, but I do like a bit of tomato paste added. Still a good tasty recipe.
I’ve tried velveting the beef strips but it takes away all the flavour of the meat, replacing it with an odd-tasting blandness
Made this as a special dinner for my partner, I’m not a fan of mushrooms but omg this was amazing! I wasnt expecting it to be this simple to make either! I will Definitely be making this again
My husband cooked this (I was the assistant), it turned out absolutely delish!
We had just sliced a Black Angus Rump up and used the offcuts to make this, cooking it 30 second sear soooo tender! Used fettuccine. Will make again and again!
Absolutely delicious. Quick and easy to make.
For a fun twist make this and sub sausages for the beef and serve on chips to make loaded fries, my kids love it!
I love your recipes. There isn’t one I’ve cooked that hasn’t been a complete winner, and this is no exception. My husband LOVED it.
Add broth first, then scrape up brown bits. Much easier that way. When the cool broth hits the hot pan it will automatically “deglaze”, lifting everything that is stuck.
I used venison upper round steak sliced thin. My husband loved it. This will be made again and again.
For something different I used lamb chops. Lamb chops are typically a melt in your mouth piece of meat anyway, so thought I would give it a try.
AWESOME!
Great recipe! I had ‘spicy brown’ mustard on hand, but it still worked out great! I have no idea how much of each ingredient I used…
I had never tried cooking with either sour cream or mustard before today. This is giving me all kinds of ideas!
I like to make a little bit too much sauce so I can use it as a ‘base’ in place of water when making rice. I’m not sure how that will work out with a thickened sauce, but I’m going to find out…
Delicious! Next time I will add more Dijon. I skipped the salt.
I made this tonight. Only difference was I added 1 tbsp Worsestershire more thick sliced Mushrooms, prob 12 oz total. I used 1 1/2 medium size yellow onions diced and probably a few tsp extra salt and lots of ground pepper. I opted for velveted top sirloin. So anyway it was amazing!!! Thank you!! Now my wife’s second favorite meal I’ve made. Only losing out to my pan seared Basted ny strip steaks. It’s now saved in my recipe book!!