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Home / Recipes / Dinner / Quick Meals / Easy Beef Stroganoff

Easy Beef Stroganoff

30 mins
| 21 Comments |
4.51 from 69 votes
Jump to Recipe 05/18/20 | Updated: 12/03/20 | by Nora
collage of stroganoff images, with text overlay saying "the best easy stroganoff"

I have to say, this beef stroganoff is one of my all-time favorite recipes. It’s easy and delicious – and it’s on the table in just 30 minutes. A wonderful classic that’s gaining popularity again – try it and see for yourself!

top down view on a skillet with beef stroganoff and buttered noodles

There is no easy way to say it: If you’ve never made stroganoff from scratch, you’ve been missing out. It’s so, so easy!

I make this dinner a lot for my family – mainly because it’s done so quickly, but also because it’s incredibly good.

Ingredients you’ll need

Here is an overview of the ingredients in the stroganoff (great to use as a visual grocery list at the store!). Scroll down to the recipe for quantities.

collage of ingredients needed to make a classic beef stroganoff
Ingredients for beef stroganoff: Butter, beef round, flour, onion, mushrooms, beef broth, sour cream (and your favorite side dish!).
  • beef: I urge you to use beef round – a stroganoff done the classic way cooks very quickly and is different from stroganoff made with ground beef/in the crockpot. You need a tender cut here. Chicken breast cut into strips can be used as a substitute.
  • mushrooms: if you don’t like mushrooms, you can just leave them out!
  • beef broth: chicken broth is OK to use if you don’t have beef; I recommend adding a teaspoon of Worcestershire sauce or soy sauce for both color and flavor.
  • sour cream: I recommend full fat sour cream, I’ve found it’s the easiest kind to add to a hot sauce without curdling.

Step by step photos

1 Brown the beef

collage of photos to show flouring and browning beef for stroganoff

The first step is the most important, and admittedly the most time consuming one: Brown the beef in batches. Do not overcrowd the pan, do it slowly. You’ll regret it otherwise. The beef strips only take about 30-60 seconds per side, so it won’t take ages.

2 Make the sauce

collage of photos to show making the gravy for stroganoff

The second part of the recipe is done in no time – sauté onions and mushrooms, make a quick pan gravy, then toss the meat back in and finish the dish with sour cream.

close up photo of beef stroganoff with noodles in the background

Tips and tricks

  • If you have your butcher cut the meat, ask him to cut it into around 2 inch strips. If you’re slicing the beef yourself, remember to cut it on the bias.
  • Don’t overcook the meat! Please don’t believe the recipes telling you to cook a classic stroganoff with beef round for a crazy amount of time. This cut of beef is delicate and only needs a very short cooking time.
  • I always stir a little hot gravy into the sour cream before I add it to the pan, this helps to keep it from curdling.
  • If your sauce hasn’t thickened enough to your liking, you can add a cornstarch slurry: Place 1-2 teaspoons of cornstarch into a jar and mix it with 1-2 tablespoons of cool water. Stir this into the stroganoff (you need to stir it in quickly and very well to evenly distribute!) and gently simmer until it has thickened.

Stroganoff FAQs

Why is my beef stroganoff tough?

Please use a tender cut here – a cut like beef chuck will not cook in the short amount of time my recipe calls for. If you used a tender cut and it’s still tough, the most likely answer is you overcooked it. It really only needs 30-60 seconds of browning per side.

Why is this dish called stroganoff?

Did you hear about the dish being named after the old Russian Count Stroganov in the 19th century, too? Well, I certainly did, until I found out this actually isn’t the most probable answer. The name still seems to go back to his family (I haven’t found anything conclusive), but the real popularity of the dish in the US only began after World War II, when foreign flavors and dinner parties started to pop up in the suburbs. Read more here.

Sorry about that food history nerd blip – I find it so fascinating!

Our favorite side dishes

My family really enjoys their beef stroganoff with something to mop up all of the sauce – think egg noodles or mashed potatoes (I have a great recipe for mashed potatoes made in the instant pot right here!). If you’re using chicken instead of beef, rice is especially great!

Personally, I love a side of my sautéed green beans, and a crisp and creamy cucumber salad.


Even if you’ve grown up with ground beef in your stroganoff – I do hope you’re going to give this more classic version a try. Named after Count Stroganov or not, it most certainly is royally delicious!

view from overhead on a white plate with stroganoff, egg noodles and cucumber salad

More comfort food classics

  • Homemade Shepherd’s Pie
  • Easy Swedish Meatballs
  • Instant Pot Pot Roast
  • Homemade Salisbury Steak

You can also browse all of my beef recipes here, and all of my quick dinner recipes here.

PS If you try this recipe, please leave a review in the comment section and add a star rating in the recipe card – I appreciate your feedback! Follow along on Pinterest, Facebook or Instagram. Sign up for my email list, too!

Printable Recipe Card
view down on a pan with stroganoff and egg noodles, kitchen tongs sticking in the noodles
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Easy Beef Stroganoff

This is such an easy classic, you'll make it again and again! To avoid chewy beef, make sure to only sear the strips of meat for a short amount of time – that way they stay tender. We serve stroganoff over egg noodles or with mashed potatoes, but you can use whatever will help you mop up all of that delicious sauce.
Recipe by Nora from Savory Nothings
made it? tap the stars to add your rating!
4.51 from 69 votes
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Recipe details

Prep 10 mins
Cook 20 mins
Total 30 mins
Servings 6 servings
Difficulty Easy

Equipment

  • Large Skillet

Ingredients
 

  • 1.5 pounds beef round cut into strips
  • 4 tablespoons flour or more as needed
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 1 onion finely diced
  • ½ pound mushrooms sliced
  • 1 (10 oz) can beef broth
  • ½ cup water or more as needed
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1 (8 oz) pot sour cream

Instructions
 

  • Prep beef:
    Toss beef strips in flour (add 1-2 extra tablespoons of flour for a thicker sauce).
  • Brown beef:
    Heat butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Brown the beef, 30-60 seconds per side (this cut of beef comes out tough if overcooked). Do not overcrowd the pan – work in batches if needed! Remove the browned beef to a plate, tent with aluminum foil and set aside.
  • Sauté vegetables:
    Add onion and mushrooms to the hot skillet and sauté until softened, adding more butter as needed.
  • Deglaze pan:
    Pour beef broth into the pan, scraping any browned bits off the bottom of the skillet. Simmer until it has thickened into a gravy. Add more broth as needed to yield preferred thickness of sauce, and season with salt to taste.
  • Finish sauce:
    Stir meat back into the sauce and warm through. Stir a litte of the sauce into the sour cream (to warm it up so it doesn’t split!), then quickly stir it into the sauce in the pan. Serve immediately with your favorite sides.
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Notes

Ingredient notes:

  • beef: I urge you to use beef round – a stroganoff done the classic way cooks very quickly and is different from stroganoff made with ground beef/in the crockpot. You need a tender cut here. Chicken breast cut into strips can be used as a substitute.
  • mushrooms: if you don’t like mushrooms, you can just leave them out!
  • beef broth: chicken broth is OK to use if you don’t have beef; I recommend adding a teaspoon of Worcestershire sauce or soy sauce for both color and flavor.
  • sour cream: I recommend full fat sour cream, I’ve found it’s the easiest kind to add to a hot sauce without curdling.

Cooking tips

  • do brown the beef in batches (I know it’s annoying, but it’s worth it!) – if you overcrowd the pan, it will turn out soggy
  • don’t overcook the meat! please don’t believe the recipes telling you to cook stroganoff for a crazy amount of time. This cut of beef is delicate and only needs a short cooking time.
  • If you don’t like mushrooms, you can just leave them out!
For a thicker sauce:
If your sauce hasn’t thickened enough to your liking, you can add a cornstarch slurry. Place 1-2 teaspoons of cornstarch into a jar and mix it with 1-2 tablespoons of cool water.
Stir this into the stroganoff (you need to stir it in quickly and very well to evenly distribute!) and gently simmer until it has thickened.

Not Freezer Friendly!

I frequently get eMails about freezing this dish, but I do not recommend it.
The quality of the meat will not be the same as cooked fresh, and the sauce with the sour cream and mushrooms is not the best for reheating.

Nutrition

Serving: 1servingCalories: 478kcalCarbohydrates: 9gProtein: 33gFat: 34gSaturated Fat: 15gPolyunsaturated Fat: 14gCholesterol: 131mgSodium: 468mgFiber: 1gSugar: 3g
Nutrition is an estimate.

More recipe information

Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American

I first published this recipe on September 16, 2019. I updated it on May 18, 2020 to make it more helpful to you.

Nora Rusev from Savory Nothings
About Nora 
When I got married to my professional chef husband, I realized I had to step up my game in the kitchen. Now I share my favorite foolproof family recipes here on Savory Nothings: Chef-approved, kid-vetted and easy enough for everyday home cooks like you and me!   Learn more.

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Comments

  1. anne morrison says

    April 07, 2022 at 6:00 am

    Made it ..it was good

    Reply
    • Nora says

      April 08, 2022 at 9:25 pm

      I’m so glad, Anne!

      Reply
  2. Rose says

    January 13, 2022 at 12:57 am

    5 stars
    My all time favourite I go to every time !!!

    Reply
    • Nora says

      February 05, 2022 at 2:36 pm

      I’m so glad, Rose!

      Reply
  3. Jmac says

    June 11, 2021 at 3:58 pm

    Company approved.

    Reply
    • Nora says

      June 14, 2021 at 3:48 pm

      I’m so glad!

      Reply
  4. Sharon says

    March 04, 2021 at 6:37 am

    5 stars
    Very happy with this meal/recipe. I am learning to cook and this was easy enough for me to get right.

    Reply
    • Nora says

      March 05, 2021 at 6:05 pm

      I’m so glad, Sharon!

      Reply
  5. Christine Rose Cunningham says

    November 13, 2020 at 2:22 am

    4 stars
    My family of 8 loved this and my 10 year old said she wants it for her birthday dinner 🙂 A ringing endorsement. For little ones I prefer really small cubes of beef or ground beef – just so it is easy to chew

    Reply
  6. Soitza Devlin says

    November 08, 2020 at 3:47 am

    5 stars
    I made it without cream and this recipe is a keeper!
    Thanks.

    Reply
  7. Nova Hauser says

    September 15, 2020 at 4:35 pm

    5 stars
    This recipe was good! My entire family ages 5-36 enjoyed it! We used boneless ribeye steak, gluten-free flour and gluten-free pasta and it turned out great!

    Reply
  8. Kentrell says

    August 10, 2020 at 5:01 am

    5 stars
    Had the chance to make this dish tonight. Very happy family..

    Reply
  9. Conscience says

    May 19, 2020 at 9:41 am

    I loved this recipe. I cooked it twice and it was a hit with the family.

    Reply
    • Nora Rusev says

      May 19, 2020 at 8:03 pm

      Conscience, I’m so happy to hear this!

      Reply
  10. Michael says

    May 17, 2020 at 10:09 pm

    It was pretty easy. Used 3 tbls of flour. I also added some cooking wine along with the beef broth when I deglazed.

    Reply
  11. Robin says

    May 06, 2020 at 5:58 pm

    4 stars
    In your directions it stated chicken broth, but in ingredients it stated beef. I did use the Chicken, though I thought you meant Beef, and it was great!

    Reply
    • Nora Rusev says

      May 06, 2020 at 8:03 pm

      Robin, so sorry about that! I fixed the recipe ASAP. Glad it still turned out well for you!

      Reply
  12. Deborah says

    April 27, 2020 at 12:14 am

    5 stars
    Exactly crazy delicious. Family loved it!

    Reply
  13. gill says

    March 11, 2020 at 2:27 am

    5 stars
    This was such a great recipe – so easy and delicious!

    Reply
    • Nora Rusev says

      March 15, 2020 at 2:25 pm

      I’m very glad to hear, Gill!

      Reply
  14. Tiffanie says

    November 24, 2019 at 12:00 am

    5 stars
    This is the best stroganoff I’ve ever made! Thank you!

    Reply

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Nora Rusev from Savory Nothings

Hi, I'm Nora! I wasn't always a good cook, but then I fell in love with a professional chef and learned my way around the kitchen. Now I share all my secrets to effortlessly great food here on my blog, bite-sized for home cooks just like me and you.

More about me →

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