This classic Beef Stroganoff recipe creates melt in your mouth strips of sirloin in a perfectly seasoned, rich and creamy mushroom gravy. A truly comforting, memorable meal.
I’ve always loved beef stroganoff. It’s a dish I’ve made since I first moved out on my own, armed with my Betty Crocker’s Cookbook and not much else. That old recipe called for ground beef which suited us and our economic situation just fine. It also called for cream of chicken soup so I knew instantly it was a winner! This is no joke, we loved those old cream soup recipes.
Since then I’ve made beef stroganoff a gazillion times and it has evolved into the dish I’m sharing here. This version is quite different from Betty’s. It is slightly more sophisticated and it is SO good. It has always been a favorite of Boy #4 since he was just a little tiny guy. Apparently he was a little tiny guy with a pretty darn discriminating palate.
Tender strips of beef and meaty mushrooms cooked together in a luxurious sauce. This is Beef Stroganoff, friends.
Ingredient Notes
The Best Cut of Beef for Beef Stroganoff
My cut of choice for beef stroganoff is top sirloin, thinly sliced. It’s an economical choice as far as the more tender cuts of beef go and plenty flavorful. It becomes perfectly fork tender after simmering in the stroganoff sauce for under an hour. Save the tougher cuts like chuck roast or top round for beef stew and recipes that have a longer simmer time.
Traditionally, beef tenderloin is used for beef stroganoff but it’s a very expensive cut and I think best cooked using other methods of preparation like my Roasted Beef Tenderloin with Port Wine Gravy and served for a special occasion. You can experiment with other tender cuts like strip steak or boneless ribeye but both are more expensive options than sirloin. Check out Certified Angus Beef for more information on all of the basic cuts of beef.
The Best Mushrooms for Beef Stroganoff
Cremini mushrooms are my mushroom of choice for most dishes, but especially beef stroganoff. They are exceptionally “meaty” and wonderful! Sometimes you’ll see them labeled as baby portobellos and they are usually in a bin next to the white button mushrooms in the produce section of the grocery store.
How to Make Beef Stroganoff
- Brown the beef quickly in melted butter and oil, in batches so that you don’t over-crowd the pan. Season with salt and pepper while cooking. Transfer the browned beef to a plate and set aside.
- Add onion and garlic to beef drippings and cook, stirring for a couple of minutes. Add a nice, full-bodied red wine and cook for another minute or two. Add the low-sodium beef broth, Dijon mustard, and Worcestershire sauce. Flavor!
- Add the beef strips back to the pan with the sauce and stir it all together. Bring the mixture to a low boil – increasing the heat under the pan if necessary, then cover the pot and reduce heat to low. Simmer for 45 minutes to an hour, until the beef is fork tender. Remove a small amount of the cooking liquid from the pan into a small bowl. Add the cornstarch and stir well until it has dissolved into the liquid. Pour the cornstarch slurry into the pan and cook and stir for a minute or two as the sauce thickens slightly.
- Mushrooms are added at the very end of the cooking process. They will only need to simmer in the sauce for about 10 minutes to become tender. Finally, add a little cream cheese and sour cream. This is what adds a creamy, velvet-like texture to this amazing sauce. Cook and stir until the cream cheese melts and is well incorporated. Taste and season with additional salt and pepper, if needed.
I love using fresh chives as a finishing touch for a dish like this. It really wakes it up and makes for a nice presentation.
Serving Suggestions
I like to serve beef stroganoff over long grain white rice but it’s also delicious spooned over cooked egg noodles or a mound of buttery Sour Cream Mashed Potatoes.
To round this meal out I typically serve my Beef Stroganoff with simply cooked green beans or roasted asparagus on the side.
More Comforting Beef Recipes
- Classic Stovetop Beef Stew
- Instant Pot Pot Roast
- Tender Eye of Round Roast Beef with Gravy
- Instant Pot Beef Burgundy
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Beef Stroganoff
Ingredients
- 3 pounds boneless top sirloin
- 1 ½ teaspoons salt
- freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 small onion, diced (about 1 cup)
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- ½ cup full-bodied red wine
- 2 cups low-sodium beef broth
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
- 12 medium cremini mushrooms, sliced (about 2 cups)
- ⅓ cup cream cheese or Neufchatel, softened
- ⅓ cup sour cream, (I use light sour cream)
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch, *see notes below
- additional salt and fresh ground pepper, to taste
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives,
- long grain white rice or egg noodles, prepared according to package directions
Instructions
- Trim edges of sirloin of any excess fat. Thinly slice the meat and then slice each piece in half again lengthwise. Slices should be about ½-inch thick by about 2-inches long.
- In a large skillet over MEDIUM-HIGH heat, melt the butter with the vegetable oil. Brown the beef strips quickly in batches, seasoning with salt and pepper as they cook. Be generous with the pepper. Remove beef from pan to a dish and repeat with remaining beef.
- Once all the meat is cooked, add onions and garlic to beef drippings in empty pan. Cook and stir for a couple of minutes. Add wine and cook for a minute or two. Add beef broth, Dijon mustard and Worcestershire sauce and cook and stir for another minute. Add beef strips and combine well. Bring to a low boil, reduce heat to low, cover pot and simmer for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until beef is fork tender.
- Remove about ¼ cup of the cooking liquid from the beef stroganoff to a small bowl. Add cornstarch to the liquid and mix until cornstarch has dissolved. Pour the cornstarch slurry into the beef stroganoff and cook, stirring, for a minute or two as sauce thickens slightly. Add sliced mushrooms and allow to cook, stirring occasionally about 10 minutes. Add cream cheese and sour cream, stir to combine and allow to cook another 5 minutes or until the cream cheese has completely melted into the sauce. Taste and season with additional salt and pepper if needed. Sprinkle with fresh chives and serve over rice.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated using generic ingredients, and is an estimate not a guarantee. For more accurate results, please refer to the labels on your ingredients at home.
This post was originally published on November 9, 2011. It has been updated with new text and images.
Cozy Dinner Ideas
Can this be made in advance?
I’d recommend serving it just after making for the best result. You can reheat it gently in the microwave or on the stove, but as with any sauce that contains sour cream, it can have a tendency to separate slightly. Just stir it frequently to help prevent this.
I have made this recipe time and time again! It is always a hit, no matter the audience. I usually just use 2 lbs of meat, but I keep the rest of the recipe the same.
This is the best Stroganoff I’ve tasted and have made it several times now. The family loves it! Cooking it again this evening and noted one slight discrepancy that I’m surprised I haven’t seen until tonight LOL! In the first set of instructions it says to add one tablespoon of corn starch, and in the ingredient list and second set of instructions it calls for two. I’ve found I like to add one myself. Again, Awesome recipe!
Hi William. I updated the recipe card to hopefully make the thickening process a bit clearer. I’m so glad you loved it and thanks so much for your comment!
This stroganoff recipe was a HUGE hit with the entire family. Even my grandkids loved it.
So great to hear this! Thanks for your comment, Debbie. 🙂
I used Greek yoghurt instead of sour cream and cheese, and chicken instead of beef.
It was delicious, definitely adding to my recipe folder.
Another vote for the absolute best Stroganoff I’ve ever had, anywhere. I’ve now made this several times and the whole family loves it.
All I do different is double the wine, and double the Worcestershire sauce. The flavor is intense and rich, and lets face it, you can never have too much Worcestershire sauce in anything!
Thank you for this recipe!
I normally don’t leave messages but I had to with this recipe! Hands down the best beef stroganoff I have ever had. My three kids said this was the best dinner I made in a long time. Absolutely worth making!
This was always a favorite of my youngest son and he used to request it all the time. So glad everyone loved it! It’s definitely a family favorite here. Thanks, Christy 🙂
Absolutely the most flavorful stroganoff recipe I’ve made yet! I used a $13 Cab Sauv and, adding Dijon mustard, and the cream cheese, perfected the taste. My teenage son who hates any “gravy type substance” ate every bite!! This is my new favorite! I only had about a pound and a half of chuck roast cut in chunks, so I used 16 oz of cremini mushrooms. I omitted the hour cook time and used my InstaPot for 12 min on high pressure. After releasing pressure, added the cornstarch, pre-sautéed mushrooms, cream cheese, and sour cream. Divine. Thank you!! This will be a regular in our home.
AMAZING! The whole family enjoyed it. Thank you.