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This classic beef stroganoff recipe comes together in 30 minutes with tender strips of beef, sauteed mushrooms, and a rich, creamy sour cream sauce. The best weeknight dinner!
The ultimate beef stroganoff recipe. Tender strips of beef, sauteed mushrooms, and a rich, velvety sour cream sauce all come together in one skillet in just 30 minutes. This is classic, homemade beef stroganoff at its absolute best, the kind of cozy, satisfying dinner that feels like it took hours but is completely weeknight-friendly.
I grew up eating this dish and have been making it for my own family for years. After testing every shortcut and technique out there, this is the version I keep coming back to. The sauce is deeply savory, the beef stays incredibly tender, and it comes together faster than you might think. Whether you serve it over egg noodles, mashed potatoes, or rice, everyone at the table is going to love it.
Erin’s Notes
- Ready in 30 minutes. This recipe is genuinely weeknight-fast. You can have a restaurant-quality dinner on the table in the time it takes to boil a pot of pasta.
- One skillet, minimal cleanup. Everything comes together in a single large skillet — less mess, less washing up.
- Deeply flavorful sauce. The combination of beef broth, Worcestershire sauce, Dijon mustard, and sour cream creates a sauce that is rich, tangy, and incredibly satisfying.
- Flexible with cuts of beef. You can use sirloin, ribeye, or flank steak depending on what is on sale or what you have on hand. See the notes below for the best options.
- Impressive enough for guests. The finished dish looks and tastes like something out of a nice restaurant, but it takes almost no effort to pull off.
Ingredients You’ll Need
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- Olive oil
- Onion
- Mushrooms — 16 oz of cremini or baby bella mushrooms. Slice them thin so they soften and meld into the sauce. White button mushrooms work too, but cremini have more depth.
- Garlic
- Sirloin steak — about 1.5 lbs. See the full cut guide below for alternatives.
- All-purpose flour — tossed with the beef strips to help them sear nicely and give the sauce body.
- Butter
- Low-sodium beef broth — this is the backbone of the sauce. Low-sodium gives you more control over the final seasoning.
- Worcestershire sauce — adds a deep, umami-rich layer that makes the sauce taste like it has been simmering for hours.
- Dijon mustard — just a tablespoon adds sharpness and complexity without making the dish taste mustardy.
- Sour cream — the classic finish. Full-fat sour cream gives the richest, creamiest result.
- Salt & Pepper
Beef Stroganoff
Ingredients
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- 1 cup onion, finely chopped
- 16 oz mushrooms, thinly sliced
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1.5 pounds top sirloin steak
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 4 Tablespoons butter
- 2 cups low sodium beef broth
- 1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1 cup sour cream
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- In a large skillet heat the oil over a medium high heat. Sautee the onions and mushrooms for 5-6 minutes until they are soft. Add in the garlic and cook for about a minute. Remove from the pan and keep warm.1 Tablespoon olive oil, 1 cup onion, 16 oz mushrooms, 1 clove garlic
- Meanwhile thinly slice your steak against the grain. Toss the strips of steak with the flour, salt and pepper.1.5 pounds top sirloin steak, 1/4 cup all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- Add the butter to the pan to melt of medium high heat. Once the butter is melted and the pan is very hot, add the strips of steak and sear on each side for just a minute, the steak will still be raw in the center.4 Tablespoons butter
- Reduce the heat to medium, add back in the mushrooms and onions and pour in the beef broth and Worcestershire sauce. Simmer for about 4-5 minutes until it starts to thicken and the meat is mostly cooked.2 cups low sodium beef broth, 1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- Remove from the heat and stir in the mustard and sour cream. Once well combined, taste and season with salt and pepper as desired.1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard, 1 cup sour cream, salt and pepper to taste
- Serve immediately over egg noodles, rice or potatoes.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
What Cut Of Beef Is Best For Stroganoff
This is one of the most common questions people ask, and the answer is straightforward: use a tender, quick-cooking cut that you would happily eat as a steak on its own. Avoid anything labeled as stew meat, round steak, or chuck — those cuts need slow, low cooking to break down properly and will be tough and chewy in a 30-minute stroganoff.
Here are the cuts that work best for this recipe:
- Top sirloin — the best everyday choice. It is well-marbled, tender, and budget-friendlier than the cuts below. This is what I usually reach for.
- Boneless ribeye — the most luxurious option. The extra fat content keeps the beef incredibly juicy even at high heat.
- Flank steak — great value and very flavorful, but it must be sliced thinly against the grain or it can be chewy.
- Beef tenderloin (filet mignon) — the most tender cut you can use, buttery soft in every bite. Save this one for when you really want to impress.
Pro tip: Pop your steak in the freezer for 20 minutes before slicing. A slightly firmer steak is much easier to cut into even, thin strips — and even strips mean even cooking.
How To Make Beef Stroganoff
- Sauté the vegetables. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onions and sliced mushrooms and cook for 5 to 6 minutes, stirring occasionally, until softened and starting to brown. Add the minced garlic and cook for one more minute. Remove everything from the pan and set aside, keeping it warm.
- Prep the beef. While the vegetables cook, slice your steak thinly against the grain into strips about a quarter-inch thick. Toss the strips in the flour, salt, and pepper until lightly coated.
- Sear the beef. Add the butter to the same skillet over medium-high heat. Once the butter is melted and the pan is very hot, add the beef strips in a single layer. Sear for just about one minute per side — the strips should be browned on the outside but still slightly raw in the center. Work in batches if needed so you are not crowding the pan (crowding steams instead of sears).
- Build the sauce. Reduce the heat to medium. Return the mushroom and onion mixture to the pan and pour in the beef broth and Worcestershire sauce. Stir to combine, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Simmer for 4 to 5 minutes until the sauce has thickened and the beef is cooked through.
- Finish with sour cream. Remove the skillet from the heat entirely. Stir in the Dijon mustard and sour cream until the sauce is smooth and glossy. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper as needed.
- Serve immediately. Spoon over egg noodles, mashed potatoes, or rice and serve right away.
Recipe Tips for Perfect Beef Stroganoff
- Slice against the grain. This is the single most important technique for tender beef. Look at your steak and find which direction the muscle fibers (the grain) run. Then slice perpendicular to those fibers. This shortens the muscle strands so each bite is naturally tender instead of stringy.
- Do not skip the sear. Adding all the beef at once and letting it steam together will give you grey, tough strips. Sear in batches if your pan is not large enough. You want a proper browning on each strip — this adds enormous flavor to the final dish through a process called the Maillard reaction.
- Pull the pan off the heat before adding sour cream. Sour cream can break (curdle and separate) if added to a sauce that is still boiling. Removing the skillet from the burner before stirring it in is the simplest way to guarantee a silky, lump-free sauce. You do not need to temper it or do anything complicated — just take the pan off the heat and stir it in.
- Use full-fat sour cream. Low-fat sour cream has a higher water content and is more prone to breaking in the sauce. Full-fat sour cream gives you the richest, most stable result.
- Season in layers. Season the beef with salt and pepper before cooking, taste the sauce before adding the sour cream, and taste again at the end. Layering seasoning throughout the cooking process is what separates good stroganoff from great stroganoff.
Easy Variations
- Ground beef stroganoff: Swap the steak for ground beef and brown it instead of searing strips. It is more budget-friendly and comes together even faster. Ground Beef Stroganoff is an easy one pan version.
- Chicken stroganoff: Use boneless, skinless chicken breast or thighs, sliced thin. The cooking time is nearly the same. My Creamy Chicken Stroganoff is always a big hit.
- Slow cooker version: Use a tougher cut like chuck roast. Brown the beef first, then slow cook on low for 6 to 8 hours before stirring in the sour cream at the very end.
- Gluten-free: Substitute a 1:1 gluten-free flour blend for the all-purpose flour and use gluten-free egg noodles or serve over rice.
How to Store, Reheat, and Freeze Beef Stroganoff
Storing leftovers
Let the stroganoff cool completely, then transfer it to an airtight container. It will keep in the refrigerator for up to 3 to 4 days. Store it separately from any noodles or rice to prevent the pasta from soaking up all the sauce.
Reheating
Reheat gently on the stovetop over low heat, stirring occasionally. If the sauce has thickened in the fridge, add a splash of beef broth or water to loosen it up. Avoid boiling it during reheating — high heat can cause the sour cream to break. Microwave reheating works in a pinch; use 50% power and stir halfway through.
Can you freeze beef stroganoff?
Sour cream-based sauces do not freeze particularly well — they tend to separate and become grainy when thawed. If you want to freeze this dish, the best approach is to make the sauce without the sour cream, freeze it in an airtight container for up to 2 months, and then stir in fresh sour cream after reheating.
The flour coating on the beef strips does most of the thickening work. If you want an even thicker sauce, you can whisk a teaspoon of cornstarch into a tablespoon of cold water and stir it into the simmering sauce (before adding the sour cream). Give it a minute to cook and thicken before removing from heat.
This almost always happens because the sauce was still too hot when the sour cream was added, or because the sour cream was stirred in while the pan was still on the heat. Remove the pan from the burner completely and let it sit for 30 seconds to a minute before adding the sour cream. Full-fat sour cream is also much more heat-stable than reduced-fat versions.
This is so good!! It quickly became a favorite meal at my house!