Beef Tips and Gravy combine tender beef chunks, mushrooms, onions, and garlic in a rich and smooth brown gravy that is lightly seasoned. It is quick to prepare, mouthwateringly delicious, and made without canned soup.
Serve this comfort food dish over mashed potatoes, egg noodles, or rice. I love to serve it with a side of sauteed asparagus or roasted broccoli and French baguettes with sweet cream butter.
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
See the complete list of ingredients below on the recipe card.
- Beef: Purchase good-quality beef tenderloin, petite shoulder, or steak. You can also use porterhouse or T-bone steak. I do not recommend beef stew meat for this recipe as it is usually cut from the chuck roast, and it needs to be cooked low and slow to tenderize like in a stew.
- Butter: salted or unsalted
- Mushrooms: look for firm, blemish-free, and smooth mushrooms. They should be dry to the touch but not dried out. This recipe works with both cremini and white button mushrooms.
- Red wine: This is optional but recommended. Choose a dry, medium—to light-bodied red. Good choices are Merlot, Pinot Noir, or Cabernet. Always use wine of good quality—in other words, one that you would enjoy a glass of.
How to make Beef Tips and Gravy
This is the summary version; see the recipe card below for the complete list of ingredients and the instructions.
First, generously salt and pepper the beef chunks. Then, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat in a Dutch oven or large skillet. Brown and sear the beef chunks on all sides. Work in batches so you do not crowd the pan. Plate the browned beef chunks, reserve any pan juices, and cover to keep warm.
Then, melt the butter in the pot over medium heat. Add the mushrooms and cook for a few minutes. Add the onions and cook until they soften and the mushrooms turn a nice golden brown. Reduce the heat to low, add the garlic, and cook for one additional minute. Remove everything from the pan and place it with the beef chunks on the plate.
Pour the red wine into the pot and scrape it with a wooden spoon to remove all those tasty brown bits from the bottom and sides. Gently simmer the wine and reduce it by half. Stir in the beef broth, Worcestershire sauce, and soy sauce. Bring the mixture to a boil and then reduce to a simmer. Combine the cornstarch and the water in a small bowl or measuring cup. Slowly pour it into the simmering mixture while stirring.
Add the mushroom mixture and beef tips with any pan juices back to the skillet and gently simmer for 10 minutes to thicken the mixture and finish cooking the beef. Season with salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste. Serve over noodles, rice, or mashed potatoes. Garnish with chopped fresh thyme or fresh parsley.
Preparation Tips and Storage
- If the gravy becomes too thick upon simmering, add a few tablespoons of beef broth to thin it out.
- This recipe works well with the wine and the mushrooms. They add a depth of flavor that really shines through.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat on the stovetop over low heat or in the microwave at reduced power.
Serving Suggestions
I love to serve these tips with garlic mashed potatoes, loaded baked potatoes, or funeral potatoes. For vegetable side dishes, we love honey-roasted carrots and green beans almondine. Homemade dinner rolls or butter swim biscuits are perfect for sopping up all that gravy.
Crock Pot Cooking Method
Please remember that this method works better with stew meat and chuck roast. These cuts have more fat and collagen, so they benefit significantly from being cooked low and slow.
- Brown the beef and cook the mushrooms, onion, and garlic in the pot per the directions. Add the red wine, loosen the brown bits, and reduce.
- Add the beef, vegetables, and reduced wine to the crock pot. Add the beef broth, Worcestershire Sauce, and soy sauce.
- Cook on high for 3-4 hours or low for 7-8 hours.
- Turn the crock pot to high. Make the cornstarch slurry by combining the water and cornstarch until smooth. Stir it into the crock pot with the beef and vegetables. Cook for a few minutes or until thickened.
Freeze and Reheat
Beef tips and gravy freeze very well. First, cool completely. Then, spoon the contents into a zipper bag or freezer container and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight.
Reheat on the stovetop over low heat or in the microwave at reduced power.
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Beef Tips and Gravy Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 ½ lbs beef tenderloin sirloin tips, or petite shoulder cut in bite-size pieces
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 3 tablespoons butter
- ½ lb sliced cremini mushrooms or white mushrooms
- ½ cup finely chopped onion
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- ⅓ cup dry red wine optional
- 2 cups low sodium beef broth
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch
- ¼ cup cold water
Instructions
- Generously salt and pepper the beef chunks. Heat the olive oil over medium in a Dutch oven or large skillet. Brown the beef chunks on all sides. Work in batches so you do not crowd the pan adding more oil if needed. Plate the browned beef, reserve any pan juices and cover to keep warm.
- Melt the butter in the pot. Add the mushrooms and cook for a few minutes. Add the onions and cook until they start to soften and the mushrooms turn a nice golden brown. Add the garlic and cook for 1 additional minute. Remove everything from the pan and place it on the plate with the beef chunks.
- Pour the red wine into the pot and scrape it with a wooden spoon to get all those tasty brown bits from the bottom and sides of it. Gently simmer the wine and reduce it by half. Stir in the beef broth, Worcestershire sauce, and soy sauce. Bring the mixture to a boil and then reduce to a simmer.
- Combine the cornstarch and the water in a small bowl or measuring cup. Slowly pour it into the simmering mixture while stirring.
- Add the mushroom mixture and beef tips with any pan juices back to the skillet and gently simmer for 10 minutes to thicken the mixture and finish cooking the beef. Season with salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste. Serve over noodles, rice, or mashed potatoes. Garnish with chopped fresh thyme or parsley.
Video
Notes
- If the gravy becomes too thick upon simmering, add a few tablespoons of beef broth to thin it out.
- This recipe works well with the wine and the mushrooms. They add a depth of flavor that really shines through.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat on the stovetop over low heat or in the microwave at reduced power.
Nutrition
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Sara
I am so glad I saw this recipe! I’ve been needing to change up our weeknight dinners! Looks amazing; my mouth is watering already!
Erin Knight
This skillet savory beef recipe is brilliant. I love everything meat with garlic and red wine, so I will definitely enjoy it.
Beth Pierce
Awesome! Thanks Erin! I hope you enjoy it!
Lora Frost
Beef tips and gravy is one of my favorite go to comfort meals. Your recipe differs from mine slightly. I look forward to trying your version. Thanks for sharing!
Beth Pierce
You are most welcome Lora! I hope you enjoy it!
Toni
This will quickly become a favorite in my house!
Beth Pierce
Thanks so much Toni! It is delicious! I hope you enjoy it!
Emmanuel Damian
One Skillet Savory Beef Tips and Gravy seems like a good combo. I would like to make this on weekend for my family.
Shahrom Martijn
This looks like a great beef recipe for a lazy weekend. Going to try this out soon. Thanks for sharing.
Marcie W.
Yum! This type of comfort food is ideal for cold weather. I love that it’s a one skillet recipe too.
Heather
This is one of my family’s favorite dishes. Since I stopped eating meat, I stopped making it for them. I need to do it soon!
Bill Sweeney
Now this is a wonderful meal idea. I love beef tips, and this recipe sounds awesome.
jaye shields
This looks delicious. Since I’m trying to eat healthier, I’d probably put the meat over cauliflower rice.
Subhashish Roy
The dish looks awesome.Worth trying out with mutton instead as I do not consume beef.
Brianne Tursi Manz
What an excellent meal idea! This looks fantastic! Can’t wait to make it!
Beth Pierce
Thanks so much Brianne! I hope you love it!
Stacie
That looks so good! It’s been too long since I’ve made a good beef recipe, and I think this is the one to break the slump. I can’t wait!
Becky
My parents usually don’t eat anything that requires combining ingredients when they cook for themselves, but I knew they would like this, so I treated them to this delicious recipe tonight. I bought a half bottle of Black Box Cabernet (which is a perfect “visiting your parents” size for me 😉 ) and used trimmings from a tenderloin that they had in the freezer. I added more mushrooms and onion, and needed more wine to deglaze as well as more beef broth to make more gravy. I also followed the comments and added a sprinkle of thyme to the flour when I coated the meat. Delicious! This will go into my rotation, thank you!
Beth Pierce
How sweet that you cook for your parents. I am glad that you liked it. A tenderloin is a perfect cut for that. I have not made this in a while I really need to put it on this weeks menu.
Allie
Hello! Do I cover the dish at the final phase when it is simmering for 15 minutes? Thank you! Cooking as we speak.
Beth Pierce
Sorry Allie. I had some family problems last night. No you do not cover the dish but if you did it would not hurt anything.
Chuiqi
Good day! I posted a comment earlier but I could not see it posted. So I’m gonna try it again 🙂
I am planning to make this recipe tonight for my husband and lil girl. But sad to say, my husband doesn’t like wine in our food and both of them doesn’t eat mushroom. How can I go over without this 2? Having 2 picky eater, I kinda have a hard time preparing food for them. But I saw this one, and it looks mouthwatering and I really wanna serve this in our table for dinner tonight but I have to know first if I can either replace the mushroom and wine with something else or I can def skip them. I’m just worried how the taste would be like either way. Thank you.
Beth Pierce
Good day to you as well! I am not sure that I can advise this recipe as written without wine and mushrooms however there have been a couple of readers that made it without both but substituted cornstarch as a thickener in place of the flour (I would mix a couple of tablespoons of cornstarch in with the cool beef broth and then whisk in). If not thick enough repeat. If you try that I would also replace the missing wine with more beef broth. If you decide to try please let me know how it turns out.