It’s not often that I use such highly subjective descriptors and food writing clichés as “the best”, but honestly, life is too short for bad mushroom sauce.
I thought I’d share my secret mushroom sauce recipe with you… Just a few ingredients, it’s that simple: cream, mushrooms, pepper, garlic, salt, some parsley on top. And a little time, to let the sauce cook down and develop more intense flavors. I love watching it bubbling away, condensing, turning a golden caramel brown colour and waiting for the few minutes it takes to cook. You can really smell the mushrooms and the consistency becomes just right!
If you don’t believe me, I dare you to try it. After all, good steak deserves the best mushroom sauce. 
How to Make The Best Creamy Mushroom Sauce for Steak
-
Prepare the Mushrooms:
- Heat the cooking oil in a medium saucepan over high heat.
- Add the sliced mushrooms to the pan and stir-fry until they are lightly browned. This should take about 5 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium.
-
Cook the Sauce:
- Add the heavy cream to the saucepan with the mushrooms.
- Season with ground sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.
- Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat and let it simmer. Cook for 5-8 minutes, stirring occasionally. Be sure to watch that the cream doesn’t over-boil.
-
Add Garlic and Parsley:
- Once the sauce has reduced by half, add the crushed garlic to the saucepan.
- Cook for another minute to let the garlic flavor infuse into the sauce.
-
Finish and Serve:
- Remove the saucepan from the heat.
- Top the sauce with chopped parsley.
- Serve the creamy mushroom sauce hot over your favorite steak or pasta.
-
Reheat Instructions:
- To reheat the sauce, place the saucepan back on low heat.
- Let the sauce “melt” and heat through gently.
The Best Creamy Mushroom Sauce For Steaks
- Total Time: 17 minutes
- Yield: Serves 2
- Diet: Omnivore
Description
Rich and savory mushroom sauce, ready in under 20 minutes.
Perfect for steaks, schnitzels, or pasta.
Ingredients
- 6 oz (150 g) button mushrooms
- 5 fl oz (150 ml) heavy cream
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 0.5 tsp ground sea salt
- 1 tbsp chopped parsley
- 1 tsp cooking oil
Instructions
Prepare the Mushrooms
- Heat the cooking oil in a medium saucepan over high heat. Add the sliced mushrooms and stir-fry until lightly browned (about 5 minutes). Reduce heat to medium.
Cook the Sauce
- Add the thickened cream to the saucepan with the mushrooms. Season with ground sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 5-8 minutes, stirring occasionally, ensuring the cream doesn’t overboil.
Add Garlic and Parsley
- Once the sauce has reduced by half, add the crushed garlic. Cook for another minute to infuse the garlic flavor.
Finish and Serve
- Remove the saucepan from the heat. Top the sauce with chopped parsley. Serve hot over your favorite steak or pasta.
Reheat Instructions
- To reheat, place the saucepan on low heat and let the sauce melt and heat through gently.
Notes
- For a richer flavor, use cremini or shiitake mushrooms instead of button mushrooms.
- To prevent the sauce from separating, whisk the cream continuously while simmering.
- Store leftover sauce in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 12 minutes
- Category: Side Dish
- Method: Stir-Frying
- Cuisine: Continental
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/2 cup
- Calories: 200
- Sugar: 2
- Sodium: 200
- Fat: 18
- Saturated Fat: 10
- Unsaturated Fat: 6
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 5
- Fiber: 1
- Protein: 4
- Cholesterol: 20
Frequently Asked Questions
What type of mushrooms work best for a creamy steak sauce?
Cremini or baby bella mushrooms are a solid choice because they have a meatier flavor than white button mushrooms. You can also mix in some sliced shiitakes for extra depth.
Should I cook the mushrooms before adding the cream?
Yes. Saute the mushrooms in butter until they release their moisture and turn golden brown. This concentrates their flavor before the cream goes in, so you get a richer sauce instead of a watery one.
How do I prevent the cream sauce from breaking or curdling?
Keep the heat at medium-low once you add the cream, and avoid letting it boil rapidly. Stirring consistently helps the sauce stay smooth and emulsified.
We often have Sirloin steak for our treat. I love mushroom .sauce when dinning out, which isn’t often. It’s my 67 Birthday on Friday and yes, we are having steak. With your recipe I’m going to try mushroom sauce. With home made rhubarb, from the garden, crumble. I’m fed up with jacket potatoes though. Don’t want mash again. Any other ideas. Not chips thouvgh.
Kind Regards
Jacqueline Bird (Mrs)
Had to leave the garlic out but my husband lived it, thank you :)
This is the best!! Was so yum simple to make!! LOVE ?
Dear Martyna,
Thank you for sharing this recipe.
Your recipe is almost identical to my old favourite. The only difference is that I precook the sliced mushrooms in a microwave oven until they have shed about half their water. This makes stir-frying easier and faster.
Regards,
P.S. I also use that sauce on mushroom or chicken vol-au-vent — I then increase the quantity of cream and add chicken broth… and brandy.
I just made this and it was really delicious!!! Thank you for sharing your amazing recipe :) I will definitely be making a bigger portion next time!
I was recently in Portugal and enjoyed mushroom sauce on steak, so googled a recipe for it and found yours try it this evening and really enjoyed it. Delicious! I reduced the salt to half and next time I will reduce it a bit more. Thank you.
i like the sauce pretty quick and easy to make, made it in 8mins and super tasty. thanks
yummy recipe
in violation of a wide, wide variety of ‘saucing’ principals, here…
Unreal!!!excellent as good as the finest restaurant in San Francisco.
Ts delicious but had to double the cream, tasted like a salt block!
Usually that’s the stock cube or broth — go with a low-sodium version and taste before salting at the end. Doubling the cream works but it dilutes the mushroom flavor too, which kind of defeats the point.
Sounds great but wouldn’t you saute the garlic after the mushrooms and then add the cream? If you add it afterward will it cook properly?
You can go either way honestly. Garlic first just needs a low heat so it doesn’t burn while the mushrooms release their water, then bring the heat up when they start to brown. Adding garlic later is safer if your pan runs hot but you lose some of the base flavor infusion.
This is amazing. made it 3 days ago for steak, and made it again tonight, thinned it with more cream and milk, added shrimp and made it into a pasta sauce! OUT OF THIS WORLD…
i tasted this sauce with beef liver in Spain,it was a classic! i,ve since used your recipe at home.it tastes the same as i had.thank you.
Is there anything I can use instead of that thickening cream…..I have regular milk??