When you’re looking for a quick way to elevate steak—this mushroom sauce is the answer! This simple mushroom sauce for steak is easy enough for a weeknight yet decadent and elegant enough for a date night in or dinner party. Make it once and you’ll want to spoon it over everything!
What Ingredients You’ll Need For Mushroom Sauce
- Mushrooms: for the creamy steak sauce, you’ll need 12 ounces of fresh mushrooms. We like to use 8 ounces of cremini mushrooms and 4 ounces of shiitake. You can use a mix of different types of mushrooms, like we do, or use all of one kind.
- Shallot: gives the sauce a nice savoriness.
- Crème fraîche: look for crème fraîche in the especially cheese section or fresh cheese section of your grocery store. It come in plastic containers (like cream cheese) and is sold in 5–8 ounce containers. You’ll need 8 ounces.
- Sherry: a splash of dry sherry deglazes the pan, picking up all the flavorful bits of fond and also infuse the sauce with a nutty undertone.
- Thyme: fresh thyme pairs beautifully with mushrooms, cream and sherry. You can also use dried ¾ teaspoon dried thyme.
- Pantry: olive oil, kosher salt and black pepper.
How to Make Mushroom Sauce for Steak
- Pick Out Your Mushrooms
- Wash the Mushrooms
- Prep the Mushrooms
- Start Cooking the Mushrooms
- Season the Mushrooms
- Add the Crème Fraîche
If the produce section of your grocery store has loose mushrooms in refrigerator bins—get your mushrooms from there. Not only can you pick out the best looking mushrooms, but you can also choose the smallest of each variety you plan to use. Why does the size matter? I find the smaller the mushrooms the less prep you have to do and the prettier (and more obvious) the sauce is.
If you’re using baby bellas (cremini) or button mushrooms, you will likely need to wash them. To do so, add the mushrooms to a medium bowl and fill with cold water. Dunk the mushrooms repeatedly to wash off any dirt. Brush off any remaining dirt, and dry the mushrooms well, with a clean kitchen towel.
For shiitakes, you generally don’t need to be too worried about cleaning them. If they have a bit of dirt on them, gently brush it off with a paper towel or clean kitchen towel.
Slice the cremini mushrooms and add to a bowl. Gently remove the stems from the shiitake mushrooms—they’re too tough to eat. Keep any small shiitakes whole and slice any medium or large shiitakes. Slice the shallot while you’re at it.
Start sautéeing the mushrooms and shallot in a skillet with olive oil. Avoid seasoning them with salt until a bit later. Seasoning later makes for more tender, not rubbery, cooked mushrooms. Once the mushrooms have softened, increase the heat to high and cook until the mushrooms start to brown, this should take about 10 minutes.
Stir the thyme, salt and pepper into the mushrooms and cook 1 minute. Carefully pour in the sherry (be careful, it will bubbly furiously) and cook just until it evaporates.
Stir in the crème fraîche and cook over medium-low until slightly thickened—this should take 5 minutes or less. Remove the sauce from heat and season with salt and pepper to taste. It’s ready to be spooned over your favorite steak!
Expert Tips for Making Mushroom Sauce
- Use a combination of mushroom types. We like cremini and shiitake. Whatever mushroom type(s) you use, try to pick out small mushroom. They require less prep work, are prettier in the sauce and make it very obvious to your guest(s) what you are serving.
- Don’t salt the mushrooms right away. Let them first cook in oil (or butter) until they start to brown. This allows them to naturally release some water, without drawing out too much water (which salt will do). Learn more about how to cook mushrooms!
- Keep an eye on the sauce once the crème fraîche has been added. It thickens pretty quickly and can easily cook too fast if the heat is too high.
How to Thicken a Mushroom Sauce
For this recipe, if the sauce is too thin, it just needs some additional time on the stove top. Simmer the sauce over medium-low until it has thickened. It will continue to thicken as it cools as well.
We don’t recommend adding a cornstarch slurry as this will make the sauce too gelatinous. But in a pinch, you can do this. Don’t add too much cornstarch (start with a teaspoon of cornstarch and 2 teaspoons water or milk).
If your sauce is too thick, you can thin it out with milk or half-and-half.
Serving Suggestions
This mushroom sauce recipe is for serving with steak! Here are some of our favorite steak recipes to serve this sauce with, plus a few other ideas!
Spoon this luscious sauce over a perfectly cooked Top Sirloin Steak. This is one of our favorite cuts and can be prepared in a variety of ways.
Make it a super quick dinner by spooning this sauce over a pan-seared Skirt Steak. You could even use it to make Steak and Eggs by swapping the gochujang sauce out in favor of this creamy mushroom sauce.
For the ultimate decadence, serve this mushrooms sauce over a ribeye steak. Pair it with some fries and make Steak Frites!
If you’re in the mood to try out a new technique (and make something restaurant-worthy), cook up a reverse seared steak and top with this gorgeous sauce!
Skip the steak (gasp) and instead serve this sauce with our Chicken Paillard.
This mushroom sauce can easily be tossed with spaghetti or angel hair pasta for a delicious date night in!
Storage and Reheating
- This sauce can be made up to 3 days ahead of time.
- Store this mushroom sauce in a glass container with a tight fitting lid in the refrigerator.
- Reheat the sauce over low-heat in a medium saucepan just until warmed through. This to desired consistency with a splash of milk.
- We do not recommend freezing mushroom sauce.
More Mushroom Recipes
Explore the different types of mushrooms then try your hand at our Pan-Fried King Oyster Mushrooms. They are the perfect side dish for two. The stems of king oyster mushrooms can also be used to make vegan scallops. Sounds wild, but give it a try!
In the cooler months, our Hungarian Mushroom Soup is a crowd favorite. It’s creamy and absolutely loaded with savory flavor.
When you’re in the market for a fun appetizer, try our Vegetarian Stuffed Mushrooms! They’re stuffed with a creamy goat cheese and lentil filling that is insane. Or try our Mushroom Crostini that’s made with sautéed mushrooms and a sweet-salty apricot goat cheese spread.
More Steak Recipes
- Enjoy a hearty breakfast of Steak and Eggs! Enjoy these two protein powerhouses with our sweet, salty and spicy gochujang sauce.
- Tacos al Carbón, aka steak tacos, are the perfect addition to your weekly meal plan. They’re simple but spectacular with the addition of a charred scallion salsa.
- Bring the steakhouse to your kitchen with our recipe for blue cheese steak salad. It’s savory, creamy and crisp.
- And finally, for a fun appetizer or date night dinner, try our recipe for Beef Negimaki (Japanese steak and scallion rolls).
FAQ
This is called reverse searing. We’ve got an entire article on How to Reverse Sear Steak which will walk you through the entire process.
We share all our secrets in How to Cook Mushrooms. But our top tips: cook over high heat, don’t stir them too often (so they have a chance to brown), and salt later in the cooking process.
Chimichurri is a classic Argentinian sauce made of finely chopped fresh parsley, oregano, onion (I like to use shallot), and garlic all combined with olive oil and vinegar and seasoned with salt and pepper. Basically, you add all those ingredients to a food processor and pulse into a slightly chunky sauce. Follow this chimichurri recipe for all the details.
This is what we like to call cast-iron steak! Preheat a skillet over medium-high for about 5 minutes. Pat the steak dry with paper towels, then right before adding it to the skillet, season it well with kosher salt.
Add the steak to the skillet and cook until the bottom side is nicely browned, flip and continue cooking to your desired doneness. (Medium-rare is between 125ºF and 130ºF.) Use this Internal Cooking Guide to help you determine your ideal internal temperature. And be sure to use a thermometer (this one is our favorite!).
Mushroom Sauce for Steak Recipe
Description
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 12 ounces mushrooms, sliced (we like a mix of cremini and shiitake)*
- 1 medium shallot, sliced
- ¼ cup dry sherry
- 8 ounces crème fraîche
- 1 teaspoon fresh thyme or ¾ teaspoon dried
Instructions
- Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat.
- Add 12 ounces sliced mushrooms and 1 sliced shallot and cook until softened, stirring frequently, 5–6 minutes. Increase heat to medium-high and cook until starting to brown, 10 minutes. Add 1 teaspoon fresh thyme and 1 teaspoon each kosher salt and black pepper, cook 1 minute. Add ¼ cup dry sherry and cook until evaporated.
- Stir in 8 ounces crème fraîche and cook until melted, reduce heat to low and cook until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Spoon over cooked steak and enjoy immediately.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
