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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.
Ik zal dit recept gebruiken op kerstavond met fijngesneden paprika en zelf gemaakte kalfsfond en vodka. Een rosbeaf van “het puntje” goed aan gebakken en bleu in sneetjes, overgoten met de ,vooraf gemaakte, saus, en aardappelkroketjes. Dank voor het receptje. Kan niet wachten om er samen met de kinderen en kleinkinderen van te genieten !!!
I will use this recipe on Christmas Eve with chopped peppers and homemade veal stock and vodka. A rostbeaf of “tip” well cooked and bleu slices, topped with the pre-made sauce and potato croquettes. Thanks for the recipe. Can not wait to enjoy with the children and grandchildren !!!
Sounds wonderful, Lieljan!! Merry Christmas!
Made this 2 weeks ago. Definitely a keeper! We love egg noodles with this; no apologies! Great recipe ????
Love your unapologetic attitude, Kathy!! In retrospect, perhaps I was a bit harsh in regards to noodles! 😉
I love that 2 years later you are still getting prayers about this. I was looking for a Stroganoff recipe as we decided to do that for our family supper on Christmas eve. I will use your recipe I feel confident it’ll be just the thing! Sorry turkey supper…. lol I’ll come back and rate it after the holidays 😉
You might not like my story, as my family was very poor on welfare, so mom made me beef stroganoff with hamburger, flat noodles, sour cream, and a packet that said stroganoff from the store. I really liked it. I like sour things. I do not drink either, and mom didn’t add any. Would Pinot noir work? Or for your recipe can you suggest alternatives if do not have Brandy on hand?
Is boiling beef bad? Can’t just fry it afterwards? I ask cuz I can make beef stick with boiling beef and onions and garlic.
Beef stock not stick
If you don’t have brandy on hand, you can just skip it, Dave. Pinot Noir or any other red wine is just a wrong flavour for Stroganoff, you can use a splash of white wine though. Also, are you asking if you can first boil beef and then fry it? I am afraid it would make it quite tough and flavourless. Searing the beef and then deglazing the pan with some brandy is what give flavour to the sauce.
I want to make this and have some the following day would I leave the crime fraiche out of the next days portion and add when hearing it? Or can I reheat with creme fraiche?
You can definitely make it and reheat it on the following day, Nicole!! Creme fraiche does okay when reheated as long the heat is not too intense.
Can this recipe be doubled for 8 people? Thanks
Looks delicious
This looks good, something like the Brazilian Stroganoff my Wife makes.
Thanks Paul, I am so curious what makes your wife’s stroganoff Brazilian? 🙂
I just cane across this recipe and want to cook it tonight, however as I’m not much of a drinker I don’t want to buy a whole bottle of brandy. However I agree if the way alcohol deepens the flavor so, I recently got a bottle of dark rum, do you that that would do the job?
You can use the dark rum in place of brandy, Marie, although it will change the flavour a little bit it will do the trick.
Question, Boris the gopnik puts vodka in his stroganoff. Is this recommended or conventially done in Russia?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hDybFLoOcGg
I have no idea who Boris the gopnik is but I do know that adding vodka to stroganoff or cooking with vodka in general is not traditional to Russia. I hope this helps.
Absolutely the Best Stroganoff recipe!!!!! Thank you Julia!!!!
Yes! Thank you so much for sharing, Ekaterina! 🙂
I just made this over the weekend. I followed the recipe exactly accept I added a bulb of shallot. When I cooked down the onion I had a good amount of liquid left over. Also, when I seared the beef (maybe because I do not have a cast iron pan) I had liquid leftover. I used all the liquid and added a bit of cornstarch slurry to thicken it a bit. Oh, I also added a bit of half and half too. I wish I could find some Russian sour cream! Thank you for this recipe, it is so delicious. We still have leftovers and we are enjoying it!
I am happy to hear you are enjoying it, Tony! I love where they are delicious leftovers in the fridge, especially after work!