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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
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
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