This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
This easy Cube Steak and Gravy recipe is a 30 minute meal that’s economical and that the whole family will love.
Tender beef cube steaks are smothered in a rich brown gravy with onions and mushrooms. Serve over fluffy mashed potatoes, buttered noodles, or rice for the ultimate comfort food fix.
Table of Contents
Why We Love This Easy Cube Steak Recipe
- Economical – Beef cube steaks are a great option when you’re watching your grocery budget.
- 30 Minute Recipe – You won’t believe how fast this recipe is!
- Super Comforting – It’s hard to find a more comforting food than anything smothered in gravy.
Key Ingredients For Cube Steak and Gravy
- Meat – Cube Steak is an affordable and flavorful cut of beef that you can find at most large grocery stores. It’s taken from the top or bottom round and pre-tenderized so it looks a little like ground beef. Perfect for frying into Chicken Fried Steaks or sauteeing into patties with gravy.
- Spices – Salt, black pepper, onion powder, paprika.
- Yellow Onion – You can swap in a white onion too.
- Sliced Cremini Mushrooms – You can buy them pre-sliced or slice them yourself. Just make sure to wash them before using.
- Minced Garlic – Freshly minced is best, but you can also use the pre-minced garlic in a jar
- Beef Broth – Use a low-sodium variety.
- Low-Sodium Beef Base – This is optional to add more flavor.
- Brown Gravy Mix or Cornstarch – This helps thicken the gravy. I used the McCormick brown gravy mix.
How To Make Cube Steak and Gravy
See recipe card below for ingredient quantities and full instructions.
This recipe is made all in one cast iron skillet and in only 30 minutes.
Optional – Pound Cube Steaks – Pound cube steaks to a uniform ¼” for even cooking.
Dredge Steaks – Mix together the flour and spices then dredge the cube steaks in the mixture.
Cook Steaks – Heat a cast iron skillet over medium-high heat and coat the bottom of the pan with oil. Sear the steaks for 3-4 minutes per side then remove and set aside.
Saute Mushrooms and Onions – Add a little more oil to the skillet then cook the mushrooms and onions until softened before adding the garlic and cooking until fragrant.
Gravy – Dissolve the gravy mix or cornstarch in a little water or broth and set aside. Add the broth and beef base (if using) to the skillet, make sure to scrape any bits off the bottom. Bring it to a boil and add the dissolved gravy mix while whisking. Let simmer while whisking until thickened.
Add Steaks – Add the cooked steaks back to the gravy and simmer for a couple of minutes.
Serve – Serve with your side of choice and enjoy!
Recipe FAQs
The key to cooking cube steak so it’s not tough is not to overcook it on the stove. You can also cook cube steak in a slow cooker, after browning on the stove, to get it extra tender.
When cooked in a crockpot, cube steak does get more tender after a few hours. If you’re cooking cube steak on the stove, you don’t want to over cook it.
According to the USDA, it is not recommended to rinse any raw meat, including cubed steak, before cooking as it can spread harmful bacteria to other parts of your kitchen. Cooking meat fully is all that is needed.
Alternative Cooking Methods
Instead of cooking start to finish on the stove, you can finish the cube steaks in your crockpot or oven. It takes a little longer, but it makes the steak more tender.
- Slow Cooker Cubed Steak with Gravy – For fall apart tender steaks in the slow cooker, prepare steaks, mushrooms, and onions as directed, then add to a crockpot with the broth and beef base. Cook on high 3-4 hours and add the dissolved gravy mix during the last 15 minutes of cooking.
- Oven Cubed Steak with Gravy – Place all ingredients in a covered dutch oven in 350℉ oven for 1.5 – 2 hours. Then thicken with the dissolved gravy during the last 15 minutes of cooking.
- Instant Pot Cubed Steak – Saute the onions and mushrooms for a few minutes, then add all of the other ingredients to the pot (except the gravy mix). Pressure cook for 5 minutes then release pressure manually. Remove steaks and add the gravy mix, stirring until thickened. Add steaks back and coat with gravy.
How To Serve
This is a hearty comfort food type of meal that is perfect to serve with a variety of your favorite side dishes. Here are a few ideas to help with meal planning:
- Serve with mashed potatoes, Southern Green Beans, and Soft Onion Rolls.
- Serve with Instant Pot Baked Potatoes, Steakhouse Chopped Salad, and Cheesy Garlic Bread.
- Serve over white or brown rice, with Sauteed Broccoli.
Helpful Tips
- Other Steaks – If you can’t find cube steak in the grocery store, you could buy small sirloin or top round steaks and tenderize them at home with a meat mallet/tenderizer.
- Scrape those brown bits up – Don’t miss out on all the flavor at the bottom of your skillet when you go to make the gravy. Scrape up all those lovely brown bits and incorporate them into your gravy.
- Go Light on the Salt – Beef broth, base, and gravy mix all have salt. Do not salt the gravy until you taste it after the beef has simmered in it.
- Gravy Thickness – The flour on the steaks will thicken the gravy some, so you can omit the extra thickener if you don’t have either on hand, your gravy will just be a bit more thin.
Storage
Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months. Reheat on the stove, in a covered pan, over low heat until it reaches 165℉.
More Beef Recipes
- Beef Tips and Gravy
- Beef and Broccoli
- Crock Pot Beef and Noodles
- Pineapple Beef Stir Fry
- Beef and Macaroni Soup
Cube Steak and Gravy Recipe
Ingredients
- 1.5 pounds cube steak
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 1 ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- Canola or olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion sliced
- 8 ounce cremini mushrooms sliced
- 3 large cloves garlic minced
- 2 cups low sodium beef broth
- 1 teaspoon low sodium beef base optional
- 3 tablespoon brown gravy mix or cornstarch
Instructions
- If your cube steaks are thicker than 1/4″, you will want to pound them out until they are a uniform 1/4″.
- In a shallow dish, or gallon zip top bag, mix together the flour and spices. Dredge the meat in the flour and shake off the excess.
- Heat a cast iron skillet over medium high heat, add a drizzle of oil to coat the bottom of the pan. Sear the steaks for 3 – 4 min per side, remove from pan and set aside.
- If needed add a bit more oil to the pan and saute the mushrooms and onions together for 8 minutes, add garlic and saute for another 30 seconds.
- In a small dish, whisk together gravy mix or cornstarch with 3 tablespoons of beef broth. Set aside.
- Add the remaining broth and beef base to the pan, deglazing it and scraping any brown bits from the bottom. Bring to a boil and whisking, drizzle in dissolved gravy mix until desired thickness.
- Add steaks back into the pan with the gravy and simmer for 2 minutes. Add another splash of broth and stir if the gravy is too thick.
- Serve over mashed potatoes, egg noodles or rice. Or serve on it's own with your favorite sides.
