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    Best Sauces for Steak

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    Finding the best sauce recipe for steak is a simple way to elevate an everyday steak dinner into a restaurant-quality dish! My list of the Best Sauces for Steak includes the perfect sauces for everything from weekday family dinners to dinner parties. You only need a handful of ingredients and a few minutes per recipe! Let the whisking begin!

    steak sliced on a white plate with potatoes and steak sauce
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    Best Steak Sauces FAQ

    What sauces should you eat with steak?

    The perfect sauce for steak is completely up to taste. Some people like a simple red wine pan sauce while others like a creamier au poivre or béarnaise. There are so many variations of different steak sauces, and this guide is the perfect place to find a variety of recipes for steak sauce all on one page.

    What ingredients are in a steak sauce?

    Steak sauce ingredients vary from recipe to recipe, but in general all sauces are made up of a liquid base such as wine or stock, dairy, and aromatic herbs. Some sauces only require mixing, while others will need cooking time to complete the recipe.

    What do I do if my sauce starts to break?

    In general, when making a sauce, always be mindful of your heat levels (usually medium is the best way to cook a sauce) and take time for each ingredient to incorporate before adding the next. While mixing a sauce, a whisk is your best friend. If you notice a sauce is starting to break, take your sauce off the heat and whisk vigorously until the sauce comes back together.

    What are the 5 Mother sauces?

    The 5 mother sauces in French cooking are said to be the building blocks to any other type of sauce you can make. Knowing how to make each of these sauces can lead to so many possibilities. These sauces include béchamel, espagnole, veloute, hollandaise, and tomato sauce. Many steak sauces include these recipes as a base.

    How to Choose the Right Sauce for Steak

    There really is no way to "correctly" decide which cut of steak should go with a particular steak sauce recipe; it's completely up to your taste! However, it can be daunting to decide which flavor profile will go best with a certain cut of steak.

    One solution I have is to think about the fat content of both the steak and the sauce I am wanting to serve with it.

    Think of it this way: a béarnaise sauce is a delicious lemon tarragon sauce with a secret ingredient- lots of butter! Though this is truly a magnificent sauce with beef, I prefer it with filet mignon (a leaner cut of beef) over something like ribeye, which has more marbling.

    Cuts of beef with lower fat contents (flank steak, tenderloin, sirloin, eye-round) do better with steak sauces loaded with savory flavor like red wine pan sauce, mushroom cream sauce, or au poiver sauce!

    Recipes for Steak Sauce

    Red Wine Pan Sauce for Steak
    My red wine pan sauce recipe is a must-have staple for your kitchen! It's flavorful, rich, and a perfect pairing for a pan-seared or grilled steak. My red wine reduction sauce uses drippings from steak as the base, complemented with fresh ingredients and herbs for an intensely satisfying sauce. And, it takes under 10 minutes to make!
    Check out this recipe
    red wine sauce in a pan with a spoon and parsley
    Easy Hollandaise Sauce
    My easy hollandaise sauce is so simple to make, and only 4 ingredients! It's a rich and mild sauce, with a silky texture and buttery flavor. Similar to a bearnaise recipe, this classic French sauce is the perfect pairing for grilled, pan-seared, or even air-fried steak!
    Check out this recipe
    hollandaise sauce poured over eggs benedict on a black plate
    Carne Asada Steak Sauce
    My Carne Asada recipe is not only a marinade but a delicious steak sauce as well! Packed with fresh Mexican flavor, this is the perfect way to tenderize tougher cuts of beef. This is a quick and easy sauce recipe with only a few steps, and it comes together in just under 10 minutes!
    Check out this recipe
    Sliced carne asada taco meat on a plate with vegetables
    Amazing Garlic Butter Sauce
    My Easy Garlic Butter Sauce recipe is a guaranteed way to make any steak taste amazing. This easy sauce recipe uses one bowl and 3 simple ingredients but is good on everything. Garlic herb butter is keto-friendly, gluten-free, and your new secret to making every steak extra special!
    Check out this recipe
    garlic butter sauce on a spoon
    Black Truffle Butter Recipe for Steak
    Learn how to make truffle butter using butter and truffle pate! This is the best truffle butter recipe for steak, burgers, prime rib, and more.
    Check out this recipe
    truffle butter over slices of thin steak
    How to Make a Roux
    My easy guide on How to Make a Roux Sauce is a benchmark for the best of show when it comes to learning the Mother sauces for any good steak sauce. You are not going to believe how a simple roux recipe (which takes no time to make!) will completely change not just the way you serve steak, but your entire way of cooking!
    Check out this recipe
    Creating a cheese sauce with a roux by adding cheese to roux
    Peri Peri Sauce (Homemade Nando's)
    My recipe for Peri Peri Sauce is simple, flavorful, and perfect for pairing with any cut of beef, from tender filet mignon to easy grilled ribeyes. Inspired by Nando's hot sauce, this recipe requires easy ingredients and can be ready in less than 10 minutes!
    Check out this recipe
    peri peri sauce served over chicken
    Best Chimichurri Sauce
    Chimichurri sauce is a quick and easy way to add fresh flair to any cut of beef (especially flank or skirt steak). My recipe for chimichurri sauce uses simple ingredients and is ready in minutes. All you have to do is mix it together in a bowl!
    Check out this recipe
    Chimichurri sauce on a spoon close up
    Cowboy Butter Sauce
    Decadent Steak Dipping Sauce, also known as cowboy butter, is a dream come true. Loaded with flavors of garlic, lemon, dijon mustard, and fresh parsley, this recipe can be whipped up in 5 minutes! Give it a try with dinner tonight!
    Check out this recipe
    Dipping steak bites into cowboy butter sauce
    London Broil Steak Sauce
    Turn an inexpensive cut of beef into a masterpiece with this easy London Broil Sauce! This simple marinade recipe makes steak juicy, tender, and so flavorful. This recipe is ready in minutes and perfect for making into a sauce to serve with your beef!
    Check out this recipe
    sauce poured over london broil
    Savory Mushroom and Onion Sauce
    My Mushroom and Onion Recipe is a perfect topping for steaks, burgers, and so more! This easy mushroom sauce recipe takes just 15 minutes to make with 6 simple ingredients. It's a mushroom sauce without cream, so it's light, too! I like to serve this sauce as a side, but loaded right on top of a juicy steak!
    Check out this recipe
    Mushrooms and onions sauteed in a cast iron pan
    Béchamel Sauce (White Sauce)
    My recipe for Béchamel Sauce uses just 4 ingredients and is ready in 10 minutes! This classic French white sauce recipe makes the creamiest pan, cheese, and cream sauces, perfect for savory steaks needing a little something extra. You will wow everyone with this easy béchamel sauce recipe!
    Check out this recipe
    bechamel sauce in bowl and pan
    Homemade Au Jus Sauce
    My easy homemade Au Jus Sauce recipe uses meat drippings and just 3 ingredients for the most amazing homemade au jus recipe! Ready in 5 minutes to use with your favorite recipes and sandwiches for dipping. You'll never want to use store-bought au jus gravy mix again!
    Check out this recipe
    au jus sauce in a bowl next to two slices of prime rib
    Vietnamese Steak Salad Dressing
    You can put together an easy and delicious Vietnamese Salad Dressing in just minutes using simple ingredients! This easy honey lime salad dressing with sesame oil and fish sauce is a beautiful complement to Asian beef salads of all kinds. It's ready in under 5 minutes!
    Check out this recipe
    Vietnamese salad dressing in a small pitcher next to the salad
    Amazing Birria Consume
    My Birria Consome is a rich and deeply flavorful Mexican sauce made with a mixture of savory, sweet, earthy, smoky, and spicy seasonings which bring incredible flavor to every single bite. Birria consome can be used as the base for a Mexican beef stew, but I love to take the consume and use it as a sauce for a porterhouse, ribeye, or sirloin steaks!
    Check out this recipe
    Birria consome in a bowl next to quesabirria tacos
    Sage Butter Steak Sauce
    My Sage Butter Sauce is the perfect brown butter sauce for steak pasta, steaking dipping sauce, and so much more It's so easy to make, using just 3 ingredients and 2 simple steps. You can have this simple sage brown butter sauce ready in 5 minutes, which is perfect if you need to whip up some extra!
    Check out this recipe
    Butter sauce in a skillet after cooking
    Best Asian Marinade for Steak
    My Asian Marinade Recipe is simple, delicious, and an easy way to boost flavor with any of your favorite Asian-inspired beef dishes! Using only 5 ingredients and coming together in under 10 minutes, my Asian marinade sauce is the perfect way to bring dinner together in a pinch.
    Check out this recipe
    Asian marinade on a spoon over a jar of marinade
    Creamy Mushroom Sauce Recipe
    My Creamy Mushroom Sauce Recipe is just the right combination of savory and earthy flavors, perfect for flame-broiled steaks! This sauce comes together in under 30 minutes all in one pan! You are going to love the versatility of this sauce, and I know you will make it again and again!
    Check out this recipe
    mushroom sauce with pasta in a pan
    Onion Gravy for Steak
    My homemade Onion Gravy recipe adds the perfect touch to so many classic kitchen favorites! It's easy, takes just 30 minutes to make, and is a guaranteed family favorite for pairing with pan-seared steak, Loaded with rich caramelized onions in a luxurious brown gravy sauce, I know your family will love it as much as mine does!
    Check out this recipe
    onion gravy in a skillet with pork chops

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    red wine sauce in a pan with a spoon and parsley

    Red Wine Steak Sauce

    Isabel Laessig
    Learn how to make red wine sauce for steak by following my Best Red Wine Steak Sauce recipe! This is an easy red wine reduction that is so flavorful.
    5 from 1 vote
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 5 minutes
    Cook Time 10 minutes
    Course Sauce
    Cuisine American
    Servings 2 cups
    Calories 357 kcal

    Equipment

    • Sauce pan

    Ingredients
      

    • 2 Tablespoons drippings from steak or 1 Tablespoon butter if you have no drippings
    • 1 Tablespoon minced garlic or garlic paste
    • ¼ cup minced shallots or red onions
    • 1 cup red wine of your choice or equal amounts beef stock if not using wine
    • 1 Tablespoon balsamic vinegar
    • 2 sprigs fresh thyme plus more for garnish
    • 1 cup beef stock
    • 4 tablespoons roughly chopped parsley leaves
    • 3 Tablespoons butter

    Instructions
     

    • Add steak drippings from a freshly cooked steak to a pan over medium heat. If you do not have steak drippings, melt butter in a cast iron skillet. Then add garlic and shallots and saute, stirring 1 minute until softened.
      2 Tablespoons drippings from steak, ¼ cup minced shallots, 1 Tablespoon minced garlic
      garlic and shallots cooking in a pan
    • Add red wine, beef stock, balsamic vinegar, and fresh thyme sprigs. Bring liquid to a rapid simmer over medium-high heat.
      1 Tablespoon balsamic vinegar, 2 sprigs fresh thyme, 1 cup beef stock, 1 cup red wine of your choice
      red wine added to sauce in pan
    • Allow the wine mixture to reduce until thickened, approximately 3 to 5 minutes.
      thickened red wine sauce in pan
    • Remove the thyme from the sauce and turn the heat to low. Whisk in butter.
      3 Tablespoons butter
      adding butter to wine sauce
    • Add parsley and season with salt and pepper if desired. Serve, and enjoy!
      4 tablespoons roughly chopped parsley leaves
      complete red wine sauce

    Notes

    • A drinking wine rather than a cooking wine works best for red wine reduction sauce. Trust me, you will taste the difference in flavor!
    • If you are making this recipe and you do not have steak drippings, you can substitute 1 Tablespoon butter to melt in the pan before adding the garlic and shallots.
    • When making a pan sauce, always monitor your heat. If the sauce breaks, it is likely because the smoking point of the fat was too high when the wine was added.
    • If you notice the sauce starting to break, immediately remove from heat and begin to whisk vigorously.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1cupCalories: 357kcalCarbohydrates: 13gProtein: 4gFat: 23gSaturated Fat: 14gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 60mgSodium: 453mgPotassium: 555mgFiber: 1gSugar: 5gVitamin A: 1425IUVitamin C: 16mgCalcium: 61mgIron: 2mg
    Keyword red wine reduction sauce, red wine sauce, red wine sauce recipe
    Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
    Isabel Laessig
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    About Isabel Laessig

    Hi! I’m Isabel Laessig, also known as Family Foodie, creator of Sunday Supper Movement and author of the Boujee Steak Cookbook. Sunday Supper is my mission to bring family back around the dinner table. Join me in making family meal-time a tradition to celebrate!
    » About Me

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