Salisbury Steak Recipe with Onion Gravy (2024)

Dec 30, 2023 by Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan · Last modified: Dec 30, 2023 · 77 Comments

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4.31 from 401 votes

This old-fashioned homemade Salisbury Steak Recipe with delicious onion gravy is easy to make with simple step-by-step photo instructions. With tender beef patties and rich brown gravy like grandma's, make it from scratch in only 40 minutes.

🐄Ingredients

Ground beef
Pantry ingredients—garlic powder, onion powder, Panko breadcrumbs, ketchup, mustard, and Worcestershire sauce
For the gravy—flour, beef broth, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, salt, black pepper, plus onion or mushrooms if using

Salisbury Steak Recipe with Onion Gravy (1)

Table of Contents (scroll for more)

🐄Ingredients
👨‍🍳How to Make Salisbury Steak with Gravy—Step by Step
✔️Tips to get it right every time
Comfort food recipes
⬇️How to make Salisbury Steak for two
🍴How to serve Salisbury steak?
❄️How to store leftover Salisbury steak
❓FAQs
📖 Recipe

Salisbury Steak Recipe with Onion Gravy (2)

Featured Comment from Andrina:
"5 stars. Thanks for sharing this recipe! I made both the patties and gravy just as listed, and everything turned out PERFECT!"

Old-fashioned Salisbury steak is a classic American comfort food with tender seasoned ground beef steaks served with rich brown mushroom or onion gravy over mashed potatoes or noodles.

Unlike the TV dinners, this is a Salisbury steak recipe like grandma would make in the 50s. It is a supreme comfort food that will bring back memories and become a family favorite.

This recipe is another request by my wife—we both had the same vision. We used a Pioneer Woman recipe as a model and filled it in with our memories. Please enjoy the best Salisbury steak recipe with these easy and quick instructions.

👨‍🍳How to Make Salisbury Steak with Gravy—Step by Step

Salisbury Steak Recipe with Onion Gravy (3)

1. Use ground beef (80/20 or leaner), but ground turkey or chicken will work. The other ingredients are common pantry ingredients.

Salisbury Steak Recipe with Onion Gravy (4)

2. If you want caramelized onions or mushrooms in your gravy, start by thin-slicing a small onion or about 5 oz of mushrooms. Cook with 1 teaspoon oil over medium-high heat until nicely brown onions or cooked mushrooms. It takes about 7-8 minutes for the onion, or saute the mushrooms until cooked. Set aside in a bowl.

Salisbury Steak Recipe with Onion Gravy (5)

3. In a large mixing bowl, combine 1 pound of ground beef with ⅓ cup Panko breadcrumbs, 2 teaspoons ketchup, 1 teaspoon mustard and Worcestershire sauce, and ½ teaspoon garlic powder. If not doing the onions, add ½ teaspoon onion powder.

Salisbury Steak Recipe with Onion Gravy (6)

4. Divide the hamburger mixture into 3-4 equal portions. A quarter-size indent in the middle of one side prevents puffing up of the patties and makes cooking evener.

Salisbury Steak Recipe with Onion Gravy (7)

5. Place steak patties in a large frying pan with a teaspoon of oil over medium-high heat. Flip about every 5-6 minutes until an internal temperature of 160°. It takes about 15-20 minutes, depending on the thickness, the pan, and the burners.

Salisbury Steak Recipe with Onion Gravy (8)

6. Whisk 4 tablespoons flour with 1 cup beef broth. Remove the Salisbury steak to a plate and lightly tent with foil. Pour out most of the liquid, leaving about 3-4 tablespoons. Add 1 cup beef broth and bring to a light boil over medium heat.

Salisbury Steak Recipe with Onion Gravy (9)

7. Slowly add the flour-broth mixture while continuing to whisk. Add 1 teaspoon ketchup and ½ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Salisbury Steak Recipe with Onion Gravy (10)

8. Whisk until nicely thickened, a few minutes. If using the caramelized onions or mushrooms, add them to thegravy and mix well.

Salisbury Steak Recipe with Onion Gravy (11)

9. Add the steak back into the mixture and simmer for a few minutes until everything is hot.

Salisbury Steak Recipe with Onion Gravy (12)

10. Serve mashed potatoes or as you wish.

For more details, keep reading. See theRecipe Cardbelow for complete instructions and to print.

✔️Tips to get it right every time

Ground beef is most commonly used. The standard 80/20 ground meat is fine, but you can also use leaner ground beef, ground turkey, or ground chicken. If you use poultry, it should be cooked to 165°.
Do not use high heat to cook the steak patties. The outside will be done before the center is safe to eat.
Do not make your patties over ⅓ pound. They will be too thick to cook well on the stovetop.
When browning the onions and mushrooms, cook them to a darker brown for a more caramelized flavor.
Do not add raw onion or mushrooms to the gravy—they should be cooked first.

Comfort food recipes

You may also like these comfort food recipes with gravy, like Pot Roast with Gravy, Oven Fried Chicken with Gravy, Beef Tips with Gravy, and Fried Pork Chops with Gravy. Or ground beef recipes like Old Fashioned Meatloaf or Meatloaf Burgers.

⬇️How to make Salisbury Steak for two

This is an easy recipe to cut in half. The full recipe makes about 4 servings, so a half recipe is two servings.

Use the recipe card and adjust the number of servings from 4 to 2
Use the amount of ingredients in the ingredient list, not the instructions—those do not adjust.
Cook for the same amount of time.

🍴How to serve Salisbury steak?

Salisbury steak with gravy is usually served over or next to a starch. Mashed potatoes are the most common, but pasta, like egg noodles, is also an excellent combination. Rice, like oven-baked rice, is a third option.

I like to combine this with a vegetable that compliments this old-fashioned dish—Asparagus, broccoli, green beans, or corn are my choices.

❄️How to store leftover Salisbury steak

Salisbury steak with gravy is best stored in the refrigerator sealed in an airtight container for 3-4 days.

To freeze, seal the leftovers airtight in your freezer for 3-4 months.

To reheat, thaw overnight in the refrigerator if frozen. Reheat in the microwave, on the stovetop, or in an air fryer.

❓FAQs

Can I use cornstarch to make the gravy?

Yes, but please don't. It is easy to use, but gravy made with cornstarch can turn jello-like when refrigerated.

The recipe uses a straightforward slurry method to make gravy at home. Flour is whisked into a liquid and dissolved completely, which is then slowly added to a boiling fluid, usually a broth with meat drippings, while mixing continuously. After a few minutes, it will thicken into gravy.

Please see How to Easily Make Gravy from Scratch for more details on doing the gravy with the slurry method.

Is Salisbury steak the same as Swiss steak or Hamburger steak?

No. Swiss steak is made with real steak, but usually a tougher cut like round or sirloin, then braised in liquid to tenderize.

Salisbury steak is made with ground meat, similar to meatloaf, but is fried and served with gravy. Some Salisbury steaks contain eggs, but not all.

The term hamburger steak is sometimes used for Salisbury steak, but incorrectly. It will not have starch as bread crumbs added. Hamburger steak is usually just a big hamburger with a basic seasoning of salt and pepper.

Can Salisbury steak be made with cube steak?

Salisbury steak is made with ground beef, not cube steak. If you want a similar recipe with cube steak, try Chicken Fried Steak.

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📖 Recipe

Salisbury Steak Recipe with Onion Gravy

From Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan

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4.31 from 401 votes

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Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes minutes

Total Time: 40 minutes minutes

Servings #/Adjust if desired 4

Ingredients

US Customary - Convert to Metric

▢ 1 pound ground beef
▢ ⅓ cup Panko bread crumbs
▢ 2 teaspoons ketchup
▢ 1 teaspoon mustard - regular yellow or dijon
▢ 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
▢ ½ teaspoon garlic powder
▢ ½ teaspoon onion powder - optional, use if not doing onion in gravy

Gravy

▢ 1 onion - optional if not using mushrooms
▢ ½ cup sliced mushrooms - optional if not using onion
▢ 1 teaspoon oil
▢ 2 cups beef broth
▢ 4 tablespoons flour
▢ 1 teaspoon ketchup
▢ ½ teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
▢ salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

If you want caramelized onions or mushrooms in your gravy, start by thin-slicing a small onion or about 5 oz of mushrooms. Cook with 1 teaspoon oil over medium-high heat until nicely brown onions or cooked mushrooms. It takes about 7-8 minutes for the onion, or saute the mushrooms until cooked. Set aside in a bowl.
In a large mixing bowl, combine 1 pound of ground beef with ⅓ cup Panko breadcrumbs, 2 teaspoons ketchup, 1 teaspoon mustard and Worcestershire sauce, and ½ teaspoon garlic powder. If not doing the onions, add ½ teaspoon onion powder.
Divide the hamburger mixture into 3-4 equal portions. A quarter-size indent in the middle of one side prevents puffing up of the patties and makes cooking evener.
Place steak patties in a large frying pan with a teaspoon of oil over medium-high heat. Flip about every 5-6 minutes until an internal temperature of 160°. It takes about 15-20 minutes, depending on the thickness, the pan, and the burners.
Whisk 4 tablespoons flour with 1 cup beef broth. Remove the Salisbury steak to a plate and lightly tent with foil. Pour out most of the liquid, leaving about 3-4 tablespoons. Add 1 cup beef broth and bring to a light boil over medium heat.
Slowly add the flour-broth mixture while continuing to whisk. Add 1 teaspoon ketchup and ½ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Whisk until nicely thickened, a few minutes. If using the caramelized onions or mushrooms, add them to thegravy and mix well.
Add the steak back into the mixture and simmer for a few minutes until everything is hot.

Some recipes have an option to display the photos here with a switch above these instructions but the photos DO NOT print. Otherwise step-by-step photos are in the post.

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Recipe Notes

Pro Tips

Use the ground meat you like. Make the patties ¼ to ⅓ pound. ½ pound will not cook well on the stovetop. If you use ground poultry, cook to 165° for safety.
Don't chop the onion. Cut into rings and maybe cut the larger ones in half.
You can easily use mushrooms in place of or in addition to the onions in the gravy. They will cook faster than the onion. Do not add either to the gravy raw.
Use the depression in the center of the patties. It will help prevent them from puffing up during cooking, and they will cook more evenly.

To adjust the recipe size:

You may adjust the number of servings in this recipe card under servings. This does the math for the ingredients for you. BUT it does NOT adjust the text of the instructions. So you need to do that yourself.

Nutrition Estimate

Calories : 362.2 kcal (18%)Carbohydrates : 16.7 g (6%)Protein : 32.4 g (65%)Fat : 17.5 g (27%)Saturated Fat : 6.3 g (32%)Polyunsaturated Fat : 1 gMonounsaturated Fat : 7.6 gTrans Fat : 1.1 gCholesterol : 97.5 mg (33%)Sodium : 447.4 mg (19%)Potassium : 740 mg (21%)Fiber : 1.2 g (5%)Sugar : 2.8 g (3%)Vitamin A : 22.5 IUVitamin C : 2.6 mg (3%)Calcium : 51.6 mg (5%)Iron : 4.1 mg (23%)

Serving size is my estimate of a normal size unless stated otherwise. The number of servings per recipe is stated above. This is home cooking, and there are many variables. All nutritional information are estimates and may vary from your actual results. To taste ingredients such as salt will be my estimate of the average used.

Course : Main Course

Cuisine : American

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Salisbury Steak Recipe with Onion Gravy (24)

Editor's Note: Originally published September 25, 2016. Updated with expanded options, refreshed photos, and a table of contents to help navigation.

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