Best Beef Stroganoff (VIDEO)

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. 

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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.

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

4.89 from 135 votes

Best Beef Stroganoff

By Julia Frey of Vikalinka

Prep: 10 minutes mins

Cook: 20 minutes mins

Total: 30 minutes mins

Servings: 4

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Authentically Russian Beef Stroganoff cooked in a creamy mushroom sauce. 

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Equipment

• This is an affiliate link.Cast iron skillet

Ingredients 

1x2x3x

• ▢ 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

Calories: 467kcal | Carbohydrates: 7g | Protein: 27g | Fat: 34g | Saturated Fat: 16g | Cholesterol: 107mg | Sodium: 790mg | Potassium: 661mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 527IU | Vitamin C: 5mg | Calcium: 78mg | Iron: 3mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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