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!). Skip 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
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.
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!
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, why not leave a star rating in the recipe card right below and/or a review in the comment section further down the page? I always appreciate your feedback! You can also follow me on Pinterest, Facebook or Instagram. Sign up for my email list, too!
Easy Beef Stroganoff
Recipe details
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1.5 pounds beef round cut into strips
- 4 tablespoons flour or more as needed
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 onion finely diced
- 1/2 pound mushrooms sliced
- 1 (10 oz) can beef broth
- 1/2 cup water or more as needed
- 1/2 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.
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!
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
More recipe information
I first published this recipe on September 16, 2019. I updated it on May 18, 2020 to make it more helpful to you.
Conscience says
I loved this recipe. I cooked it twice and it was a hit with the family.
Nora Rusev says
Conscience, I’m so happy to hear this!
Michael says
It was pretty easy. Used 3 tbls of flour. I also added some cooking wine along with the beef broth when I deglazed.
Robin says
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!
Nora Rusev says
Robin, so sorry about that! I fixed the recipe ASAP. Glad it still turned out well for you!
Deborah says
Exactly crazy delicious. Family loved it!
gill says
This was such a great recipe – so easy and delicious!
Nora Rusev says
I’m very glad to hear, Gill!
Tiffanie says
This is the best stroganoff I’ve ever made! Thank you!