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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.
Very good. I didn’t use the brandy, but increased the beef broth. I also added garlic powder, onion powder, a little basil, and a little cornstarch. Oh my goodness is this a delicious recipe. I think the sour cream twang just makes it. Thanks for such a great recipe.
Thank you so much for your lovely review, Sheila. I am thrilled you loved it!
Can this dish be frozen after preparing?
I wouldn’t recommend freezing it. Sour cream sauces tend to separate when frozen and re-heated.
I thought stroganoff was served with buckwheat in Russia. I wouldn’t have it with anything else.
I am sure some people do eat it with buckwheat, however traditionally it is served with potatoes. You can enjoy it anything you choose including egg noodles.
Was delicious! Trying without brandy mainly for the kids, recommend substituting with tsp of minced garlic? or just omitting brandy?
I am so glad you enjoyed it, Kirk. You can omit brandy and just deglaze the pan with a bit of stock instead.
Absolutely delicious. I’ve made it twice now, this time I served it with fresh tagliatelle, was sooooo good
I am so glad to hear it, Yvonne. Tagliatelle is my favourite shape of pasta, so I am sure it was delicious with Stroganoff.
Is this cooking brandy? If so, can you buy small quantities of it in the grocery store ?
Hi Susan, it’s regular brandy, not cooking. You can still buy a small bottle of it in grocery stores.
Followed recipe except used my own mushroom potatoe stock made from scratch. Delightful. Must agree about the mashed potatoes as a better bed than noodles. Unless homemade noodles in which case – always noodles . Thanks ! Great on a winter evening !
Tried the recipe exactly as shown. My butcher cut the beef in strips for me. It was fabulous! Putting it in my file. Thank you. ❤️❤️
My pleasure, Nancy! So happy when my recipe becomes a family favourite! 🙂
Flavor was weak. Not enough strong beef flavor in sauce.. Perhaps too much sour cream for the sauce. Afterwards I added some better than bullion to left over sauce which seemed to help. But very disappointed and not saving leftovers.
To every recipe there are critics, in this case you seem to be largely outnumbered by those who love it. Perhaps my style of cooking is not for you?
Hey, Sheryl… Thumper said, “If you can’t say nothin’ nice, don’t say nothin’ at all.”
Sheryl I disagree with those who say you should only say nice things. The site has a rating system, which is pointless if all genuine ratings are not welcome. In your case you gave the reason for your lower rating, and you were not rude about it.
All ratings are published as long as the rating is on the recipe itself. If you have a difference of opinion on what Stroganoff is served with without cooking it, the rating will be removed as it has nothing to do with the recipe. As a side note, I was born and raised in Russia and also did extensive research on the origin of beef stroganoff if that helps.
My roommates loved this.
Excellent! Thank you for your review, Susan.
Hey Julia. What pickle do you recommend! Look forward to having this, this week evening with my two sons.
I usually go for Polish or Ukrainian style dill pickles (pickled cucumbers). Enjoy, Alex!
I had some thawed strip steaks I needed to use. We were tired of of the same-old, same-old, so instead of grilling them I made stroganoff. The Vikalinka recipe is a favorite with my family, but we dislike overcooked strips of meat that can be dry and chewy. I solved this by frying the steak first, BEFORE slicing it, and letting it rest while making the rest of the dish. I then sliced the steak into inch-thick strips (that were still medium-rare) and added them to the finished mushroom sauce, along with accumulated juices. The steak will lose most of its pinkness in the warm sauce but it remains tender and juicy.
Sounds delicious!!