This old-fashioned Salisbury steak recipe is an easy-to-make classic that is done in under 30 minutes. Follow this homemade Salisbury steak recipe and the results will be nothing but beefy, saucy goodness. Get ready for some hearty comfort food!
My family prefers to go all out and make Salisbury steak with onion and mushroom gravy. I particularly love making this on a cool fall day or cold winter day, but you can have it pretty much any time of the year really.
To team up with it, I love making air fryer roasted potatoes, mashed potato casserole, or just some delicious garlic bread to mop up some of that rich onion gravy.
If you enjoy easy beef recipes, you might also want to check out Alfredo meatballs with pasta and stovetop pot roast.
Why You’ll Love This Old-Fashioned Salisbury Steak Recipe
- Quick and easy: This homemade Salisbury steak recipe is super easy to make from scratch. It can be on the table in under 30 minutes!
- Budget-friendly: You’ll need no expensive ingredients and the dish comes together with just a few kitchen staples.
- Family-friendly: The whole family will enjoy this savory, hearty, and wholesome meal!
- Incredible taste: The Salisbury steaks, topped with the homemade Salisbury steaks gravy is a match made in heaven.
Ingredients
Don’t be intimidated by the list of ingredients in this classic Salisbury steak recipe. Most are common ingredients you probably already have in the fridge and pantry.
- Ground beef: I would recommend using lean ground beef, which leaves less grease to drain from the pan. If you have ground beef with a higher fat count, you can make do with it too.
- Milk: This helps add moisture to the ground steak patties.
- Instant mashed potato flakes: This works as a binder and helps make the homemade Salisbury steak patties more moist.
- Seasonings: To add flavor to the gravy, I used a beef bouillon cube and a dash of salt and pepper.
- Butter: I used unsalted butter to control the amount of sodium in the dish. Feel free to use salted butter if that’s what you have at hand.
- Veggies: I used a simple mix of onions and mushrooms here. Choose yellow onions or white onions and sliced baby bella or white mushrooms.
- Garlic: This one’s a must for any good gravy, and lends loads of flavor and deliciousness. If you don’t have fresh garlic, a dash of garlic powder can do the trick too.
- All-purpose flour: This will act as the thickening agent for your gravy.
- Beef broth: Use good quality homemade or store-bought beef broth for the gravy base.
- Worcestershire sauce: I also added a dash of this salty, savory sauce.
- Mustard: A dash of any grainy mustard should work. This one’s again, great for adding more flavor to the gravy.
- Tomato paste: (optional) I highly recommend adding this, as it can lend a terrific flavor and can be a nice change to this wonderful gravy.
- Salt and pepper: Just a dash of these two, to season and add flavor to the gravy.
- Fresh chopped parsley: Just a little bit of this, to garnish.
See the recipe card below for exact ingredient amounts, nutritional information, and detailed instructions.
Variations
- Swap the broth: Don’t have beef broth? It is okay to use beef bone broth instead. It has a stronger, bolder taste than beef broth and will make the gravy taste even better.
- Veggie matters: The combination of mushrooms and onions is the classic version of the gravy, but if you don’t have either of these, you can choose to skip them too.
- Meat swap: If you don’t have ground beef, you can make do with ground turkey or ground chicken. Just remember that since these are lean meats, you will need to use some extra seasoning. Optionally, you can use part ground beef and part ground chicken or turkey.
How to Make Homemade Salisbury Steak
Step 1: Prepare patty mixture. In a large bowl, whisk the milk and potato flakes together. Now add in all the remaining ingredients for the patties.
Step 2: Shape patties. Shape the mixture into 8 equal-sized oval patties, transfer to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, and refrigerate.
Step 3: Brown patties. Heat butter in a skillet and brown patties on both sides. Transfer to a plate, cover with foil, and set aside.
Step 4: Saute veggies. Melt butter and cook mushrooms and onions until soft.
Step 5: Finish gravy. Add flour, cook for a minute, and then add the stock and remaining ingredients. Cook on low heat until you get a thick gravy.
Step 6: Assemble and garnish: Add the steaks back into the gravy and get ready to serve! Garnish with chopped fresh parsley.
⭐️ Hint: Cornflour is a great alternative to all-purpose flour. It thickens the sauce beautifully- just remember to use half the amount since it is much more powerful than all-purpose flour.
If you love this recipe you've got to try our hamburger steaks with onion gravy, Tri Tip Steak Or if you're feeling up for it, check out our Crockpot Ribeye Steak or our delicious Air Fryer Skirt Steak.
Storage
- Refrigerator: Got any leftovers? You can store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
- Freezer: You can also batch-make the homemade Salisbury steak patties and freeze them for up to a month. Remember to use freezer-safe bags or storage containers to prevent freezer burn.
- Reheat: Before reheating, thaw the patties in the refrigerator. Reheat them in the microwave or simmer on the stovetop until the patties are warmed all the way through.
Serving Suggestions
There are lots of ways to serve this Salisbury steak with mushroom gravy. You can go the classic way and pair it with some soft and fluffy dinner rolls or make it a healthier meal and team it up with veggies like slow cooker brussels sprouts, some easy air fryer garlic potatoes, or a hearty vegetable medley casserole that packs in green beans, carrots, potatoes and more.
Recipe Tips
- Mix it right: Make sure you do not over-mix the beef mixture or it will become tough.
- Extra flavor: To give the beef patties a great flavor, let them sear nicely and brown up before you flip them.
- Skip the oven: Don’t feel like turning on the oven? You can skip the oven step and cook the steaks all the way on the stovetop too. This can make them too brown though, but if you like steaks that are extra crispy, this one’s the perfect method.
- Gravy fix: A good way to lend some extra flavor to the homemade Salisbury steak gravy is to crush a beef bouillon cube in a plastic baggie and then add it to the gravy.
Recipe FAQs
The two primary ways are to make sure you don't over-mix or handle the meat mixture too much and avoid over-cooking the meat. The gravy does help a bit to cover up slightly dry meat but the flavor is better when the meat is nice and juicy.
This recipe calls for browning the steaks in a skillet and then finishing them in the oven. If you want to skip the oven you can continue to cook the Salisbury steak in the skillet until fully cooked. I prefer to use the oven as I find they get too brown in the skillet.
More Delicious Steak Recipes
Homemade Salisbury Steak with Onion Gravy
Equipment
- oven safe skillet 12 inches
Ingredients
For the Steaks
- 2 pounds lean ground beef
- 1 cup milk
- 1 cup instant mashed potato flakes
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 tablespoon pepper
- 1 beef bouillon cube crushed
For the Gravy
- ½ cup unsalted butter
- 1 large onion thinly sliced
- 8-16 ounces baby bella sliced or white mushrooms
- 3 cloves garlic or 1 tablespoon minced
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- 4 cups beef broth
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
- ¼ cup tomato paste if desired
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- sea salt or kosher salt to taste
- fresh chopped parsley for garnish, if desired
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Whisk milk and potato flakes in large bowl. Add beef, 2 teaspoons salt, 1 tablespoon pepper and crushed beef bouillon. Knead until combined. I like to mix by hand, do not over mix.
- Shape into eight even portions, into flat oval shapes and and transfer to parchment-lined plate. Refrigerate for 30 minutes or up to 4 hours.
- Heat an oven-safe 12-inch skillet (I like to use cast iron) with deep sides over medium heat. Melt 3 tablespoons butter and cook patties until well browned, about 2-3 minutes per side. Next, place the pan into the oven for 10-15 minutes until an internal temperature reaches 165°F.
- Take the steaks out of the pan and place them on a plate and cover them with foil, set aside.
- Wipeout any excess grease from the pan. Over medium heat, add the remaining butter and let it melt. Add the onion and mushrooms and cook.
- Stir occasionally, for about 5 minutes until the onions are softened.
- Add the flour and stir it in, coating the veggies, cook stirring constantly for 2 minutes. Slowly whisk in the beef stock, making sure there are no lumps. Add the Worcestershire sauce and dijon mustard, whisk it in. Taste and add additional Worcestershire sauce if desired.
- Add the garlic, pepper and tomato paste, if desired. Stir until blended. Let the gravy simmer for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add the steaks back to the pan and cover in the sauce, let simmer for 5 more minutes or until the steaks are heated through.
- Garnish with a sprinkling of chopped fresh parsley. Enjoy every bite!
Notes
- Mix it right: Make sure you do not over-mix the beef mixture or it will become tough.
- Extra flavor: To give the beef patties a great flavor, let them sear nicely and brown up before you flip them.
- Skip the oven: Don’t feel like turning on the oven? You can skip the oven step and cook the steaks all the way on the stovetop too. This can make make them too brown though, but if you like steaks that are extra crispy, this one’s the perfect method.
- Gravy fix: A good way to lend some extra flavor to the homemade Salisbury steak gravy is to crush a beef bouillon cube in a plastic baggie and then add it to the gravy.
Nutrition
This post was originally published August 2022. It has been updated with new content.
Dan Doyon says
Thanking the two of you for ALL these easy recipes!!
Hoping you are always as happy as you appear.
Karin and Ken says
As always you’re most welcome! I have to admit some days are definitely better than others but we always try to keep a positive attitude no matter what! I find that is key to staying happy regardless of the circumstances! Take care and enjoy your day! Karin