Easy Beef 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!

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.

• 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

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

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.

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

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.

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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!

More comfort food classics

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 – I appreciate your feedback! Follow along on Pinterest, Facebook or Instagram. Sign up for my email list, too!

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