This post contains affiliate links. When you purchase through our links, we may earn a commission.
Tender and juicy beef steak strips with mushrooms and onions, smothered in a savoury sour cream sauce. Making classic Beef Stroganoff is easy and quick too: ready in just 30 minutes! All you have to do is to follow my detailed instructions!
Serve this classic Russian dish with out creamy Herb and Garlic Mashed Potatoes and our homemade Rye Bread for a truly unforgettable meal.
Whenever Russian cuisine comes up in conversation, it usually starts with beef stroganoff. And it’s easy to see why.
Savoury beef pieces cooked in a creamy and slightly tangy sour cream sauce is the sort of thing that will go down well with so many people. It hits all the right notes in all the right ways, which explains its enduring popularity.
But I’m also convinced that most people haven’t tried beef stroganoff the way it is meant to be enjoyed. Even with just a few ingredients, it has astonishingly complex flavours for such a comfort food.
Just follow my authentic recipe to discover the best possible version of this legendary dish!
Traditional Beef Stroganoff
Invented and named after a member of a Russian noble family Count Stroganoff by his personal chef, this delicious beef recipe has travelled far and wide across the globe since the 19th century. It’s time I share my version, which I have to admit is classic.
The classic beef stroganoff recipe was heavily influenced by the French cuisine, which was very popular among the aristocrats in the 19th century Russia. You can see that in the creamy sauce.
However, the use of traditionally Russian ingredients like mushrooms and sour cream made this elegant dish stick around for centuries in its homeland. Given how popular creamy meat dishes are, it’s not a surprise that it has become popular the world over.
Although beef is traditional in stroganoff, the dish can be made with more. Meatball Stroganoff is particularly good and using pre-made meatballs makes the dish especially easy to make.
You can even use chicken as I did in this impossibly popular version of Chicken Stroganoff. I varied the recipe a bit to make the delicate meat of chicken shine. Or even more off the beaten path, I’ve made Beef Stroganoff Soup!
It seems to me that Beef Stroganoff to a Russian is like a Carbonara to an Italian. Something we just whip up without a recipe in little time using very few ingredients. And most importantly when extra comfort is needed.
The outcome is always the same. Immediate bliss followed by a food coma. It’s good and it’s very easy.
What cut of beef is best?
First off, the beef quality is paramount. Avoid stewing beef and buy sirloin or rump steak. I find ribeye too fatty for this dish since the sauce is already rich. I prefer using a leaner beef for a more balanced meal. Whatever cut of steak you choose buy the best quality you can afford. You only need a pound of it!
Secondly, if a steak is too expensive, go ahead and buy a more affordable pork tenderloin. Really, it’s allowed. Many Russian cooks make Stroganoff with good quality pork.
Recipe Tips and Notes
- Be careful not to steam the mushrooms and take the time to brown them. It’s important to get a good colour on them, so turn you heat up to make them look extra deep golden brown.
- A combination of olive oil and butter is a great way to get even more delicious flavour. Or use clarified butter to avoid burning as it has a high smoke point.
- Use a This is an affiliate link.heavy bottomed large skillet and avoid a non-stick frying pan. You want your meat to stick to the pan, so it gets coated with brown bits.
- The taste of sour cream in stroganoff can be too strong for some people, in which case heavy or double cream can be used in its place. Just make sure not to use low fat sour cream as it tends to produce a thin sauce and may cause the sauce to split.
- The brown bits are important because they get released once you hit the pan with a shot of brandy and go into the sauce. That’s where the wonderfully complex flavour comes from. Scrape the bottom of the skillet with a spatula or wooden spoon to make sure the pieces get released.
- The recipe calls for deglazing with brandy but madeira, sherry or a dry white wine will all be perfectly good substitutes. It’s important that dry wine, rather than sweet wine is used. If you prefer not to cook with alcohol, it is possible to use the same quantity of apple juice with a tablespoon of white wine vinegar.
Serving suggestions
Dill pickles and mounds of mashed potatoes make beef stroganoff the best dinner ever! If you are wondering why pickles are necessary, I am happy to oblige. Their acidity breaks up the richness of this dish and provides a great balance! The parsley garnish helps with this as well.
You might be surprised but potatoes are the most traditional pairing for Beef Stroganoff in Russia. We serve mashed potatoes at home and indulge in fried shoestring potatoes in restaurants. Give them a try and you won’t be able to go back to egg noodles.
You can, of course, serve beef stroganoff over egg noodles like I did with my vegetarian version here. This creamy dish also goes extremely well over plain rice or pasta. Let the sauce provide all the flavour!
Storage and leftovers
Sour cream and crème fraîche have a tendency to separate after freezing, making the texture less appetizing. To preserve a smooth sauce, it’s better to use double or heavy cream instead.
Leftovers will keep in the fridge for 4-5 days when stored in an This is an affiliate link.airtight container. Warm in a microwave or over low heat on a stovetop. Let the pieces of beef get hot all the way through, but be careful not to boil the sauce.
More Russian Beef Recipes
- Porcupine Meatballs in Creamy Tomato Sauce “Tefteli”
- Cabbage Rolls “Golubtsi”
- Russian Meat Patties with Wild Mushroom Sauce “Kotleti”
- Russian Sweet and Sour Beef Stew Solyanka
Best Beef Stroganoff
Equipment
- This is an affiliate link.Cast iron skillet
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp oil
- 1 tbsp butter
- 1 onion, thinly sliced
- 225g/1/2 lbs crimini mushrooms/chestnut mushrooms, sliced
- 450g/1 lbs beef steak (I used sirloin), cut in strips
- 60ml/1/4cup brandy
- salt
- pepper, freshly ground
- 125ml/1/2 cup beef stock
- 1 This is an affiliate link.bay leaf
- 1 tsp This is an affiliate link.whole grain mustard
- 250ml/1 cup full fat creme fraiche or sour cream
- 3-4 sprigs-flat-leaf parsley, chopped
Instructions
- Heat oil and butter in a heavy skillet and cook onions and mushrooms over medium-low heat for 7-10 minutes. Remove and set aside.
- Add cut steak to the same skillet and quickly fry over high heat for 3-5 minutes.
- Add brandy and continue cooking until alcohol burns off, add stock, mustard, bay leaf, salt and pepper. Scrape the bottom of the pan with a spatula to release all the brown bits, they will add much flavour to the sauce.
- Bring mushrooms and onions back to the pan and cook for 3 minutes until everything is heated through and bubbling. Stir in sour cream over low heat to prevent the sauce from splitting. Sprinkle parsley and take off the heat. Serve with mounds of mashed potatoes or rice.
Video
Notes
- If the sour cream taste is too strong for you, replace a half of it with heavy cream.
- Do not use low fat sour cream as it tends to produce a thin sauce and sometimes cause the sauce to split.
- If you do not want to cook with alcohol, substitute the brandy with the same amount of apple juice plus one tablespoon of white wine vinegar.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Hey i want to make ur recipe but cant put brandy… Can u tell me what to use instead??
Brandy deepens the flavour but if you’d rather not use alcohol it’s alright to skip it.
I add 1/8 c extra of beef stock and 1/8 c applesauce, it really helps if you don’t use brandy
So excited to find this recipe. Looks just like what we ate when we lived in Moscow. But missing the dill? Seems like everything was sprinkled with dill! Can’t wait to try it.
Hahaha…very true about dill but this recipe is much better with flat-leaf parsley, another widely-used herb in Russia. 🙂
Wow! Just made this and it was so delicious and easy! This is what I will make the next time I want to impress someone!
Great news, Vicky! 🙂
This looks like my kind of food! I love beef stews and anything with sour cream and mushrooms gets my vote. I used shin of beef recently and had the best results – just had to cook it low and slow. When am I coming round to dinner?
I do the same when I buy cheaper cuts and it’s still delicious! Come over soon!! 🙂
My mom used to make a version of it but use chicken and it was delish! Brings back many comforting memories.
Yum,I’ve never tried it with chicken but I am sure it’s equally delicious!
Strangely I said to my husband just the other day that it’s been ages since we had Beef Strog.
I’ve always used my own recipe without ever reading an authentic recipe. I decided to checkout your post when I saw it on FB simply to read an authentic recipe. So relieved to discover I got it right, except I’ve never added onions.
I’ve always served with rice though, but mash potato sounds good too.
I serve it with rice once in a while as well but usually only when we are out of potatoes! 🙂
I stumbled upon your blog and … Oh Boy…how delighted I am! I made your Beef Stroganoff tonight and it was FABulous!! The freshness of all the ingredients and “NO cream of mushroom soup!” I am looking forward to making the Chocolate Stout Cake for my husbands birthday next month.
YUM!!
So happy you loved it, Debbie.:-)I didn’t even know people add cream of mushroom soup to Stroganoff. No way!
I have never tried making beef stroganoff, but now I need too!
I hope you give it a go, Tieghan, such a comfort food item for me! 🙂
I love all the crimini mushrooms you added, my favorite!
Me too although I haven’t found mushrooms I haven’t loved yet. 🙂
This is going to be made in my house very soon. Love stroganoff, but have never really had a recipe. I’ve just been winging it 😉 So glad to find an authentic version and I will definitely serve it with dill pickles and mashed potatoes 🙂
Jennifier, I wholeheartedly approve of “winging it”. I hope you love this version. I call it authentic because I am Russian and it’s made by me but there are as many versions as there are cooks! 🙂
Thank you for posting this. For years we’ve been using the recipe from the Russian Tea Room cookbook. We assumed it must be authentic but were disappointed by the lack of flavor. This recipe is dramatically superior. Thanks again.
Thank you for such a compliment, Charles! Enjoy!!
This looks like the best recipe I can find, I was just wondering though could I use this in a slow cooker? If do I brown everything off first and how long do I cook for? Thanks
Hi Megan, I am sorry but I’ve never tried this recipe in a slow cooker, it’s a very quick recipe. There are Stroganoff recipes out there specifically developed for slow cookers though.
Hi Vikalinka (what a Beautiful name) 🙂 I’m not Russian and have never used a recipe for Stroganoff as I’ve only ever cooked it for my family . Yep, I’ve been winging it too!! My family love my stroganoff and it’s become a favourite in my house. Tonight I’m making it for my parents and thought I should really do the right thing and make a TRADITIONAL stroganoff. My search was brief in finding yours.
To my absolute surprise I’ve discovered that my “winging it” all these years is pretty much exactly your recipe! The only difference is that along with the brandy I’ve been giving it a generous lug of sherry as well. Maybe there’s a little Russian blood in me!! Thanks for posting and giving me a bit of a stroganoff ego boost as well. 🙂
Hi Marian, your comment made me smile! I am all about winging things! So great to hear you and your whole family love Stroganoff, it is my comfort food for sure although not the only one! Enjoy your dinner tonight! Best, Julia x
Just 2 questions, what is the substitiute for brandy? Something non alcoholic i mean. N wont the beef will be hard by cooking for such a short while?
You can skip brandy altogether, Abdullah. Beef shouldn’t be tough if you buy a good quality steak as the recipe suggests. Good luck!
I used thin New York steak and it was not tender at all. Husband not happy.
I think sirloin or rump steak might work better in the future, Vicky!
Is it ok to substitute a white wine in place of brandy. I dont want to compromise the flavor but i dont want to have to buy a bottle of brandy if i dont have to.
That’s fine, Lesley. White wine won’t give you the exact same taste but it is a fair substitute. Whiskey would work better if you have that!
Did you cut it against the grain. That could make a big difference.
You could try the following Chinese restaurant trick. Marinate the beef in 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon of baking powder for 1 to 2 hours. I usually add a little water to help mix it in. Finish by rinsing the meat with cold running water to remove surface residue.
I do this whenever I use “less expensive” cuts of beef like London Broil. It does change the texture a bit, and some folks don’t care for it, but it works for me…..
Sorry, I meant to write baking soda, not baking powder.
Ideally you should use fillet but nothing less than a good sirloin.
My mother taught me a little trick. Before adding the sour cream to the dish, I mix a couple of tablespoons of flour to the sour cream and it thickens the sauce beautifully. I know you said potatoes but I love noodles BUT we always were served the flat noodles, not the curly kind today. Hate them. After many years of going without because of this, I finally found where to guy them…… Walmart. We are eating Stroganoff again with the FLAT WIDE noodles.
That’s a great tip, Brenda, thank you for sharing!! Glad you are loving Stroganoff! 🙂
I just made this, have never had beef Stroganoff so I have nothing to compare it too. My husband on the other hand ….. loved it. It was easy to make and scrumptious. Thank you for sharing
Thank you for a lovely feedback, Sharon. 🙂
I have always winged it for my Beef Stroganoff and have never used mustard or cream cheese in mine and always used red wine……But happened upon your recipe while looking for an authentic Beef Stroganoff recipe and must try it….Sounds delish! The reason for four stars is because I haven’t tried it it…..
Do you keep the high heat when you add the brandy and the beef stock???
Yes I do, Shelly.
I have to say I’ve tried at least 3-4 beef stroganoff recipe’s and never liked them because they were too bland. This recipe was the best out of all of them. I still would like more flavor but this was good and will probably make it again. Thanks for sharing the recipe.
Hi there. I am SO super excited to make this for our Dinner Club we have tomorrow evening! One question – I am making it for 8 people, please can you advise if I can simply double up on ingredients? Kind regards, Nicci
I feel weird not adding fresh ground nutmeg but I’m trying your recipe out pure. Is nutmeg authentic or an American add-on?
I am allergic to milk so I’m using coconut milk but everything in the recipe looks amazing! Thank you so much for posting. Imma thinkin Imma follow you….
Yes, nutmeg is not authentic to stroganoff, at least not the modern version, Ria. Let me know if the recipe works with coconut milk, I am assuming it will taste quite different but hopefully still delicious!
My husband asked me to make this and after trying it “what felt like a hundred and one times” and both of us not quite loving it, I came across your recipe, and wow!! We love love love it has become a staple comfort food in our household. Thank you so much for sharing this great recipe.
Oh wow that is so lovely to hear, Kerri! Thank you for sharing with me!