Salisbury Steak with Onion Gravy

Name: Salisbury Steak with Onion Gravy
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 40 min
Ingredients: 1 pound ground beef; 1/3 cup Panko bread crumbs; 2 teaspoons ketchup; 1 teaspoon mustard (regular yellow or dijon); 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce; 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder; 1/2 teaspoon onion powder (optional, use if not doing onion in gravy); 1 onion (optional if not using mushrooms); 1/2 cup sliced mushrooms (optional if not using onion); 1 teaspoon oil; 2 cups beef broth; 4 tablespoons flour; 1 teaspoon ketchup; 1/2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce; salt and pepper to taste

May 27, 2023 by Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan · Last modified: Aug 10, 2023 · 73 Comments

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Salisbury Steak with Onion Gravy is an easy old-fashioned comfort food. Homemade from scratch with tender beef patties and rich brown onion gravy in only 40 minutes.

closeup image of Salisbury Steak on a blue plate with potatoes and gravy

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🥣Ingredients
👨‍🍳How to Make Salisbury Steak
✔️Tips to get it right every time
⬇️How to make Salisbury Steak for two
🍴How to serve Salisbury steak?
❄️How to store leftover Salisbury steak
Step-by-Step Photo Instructions
📖 Recipe
❓FAQs

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

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

You may also like these other 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.

This recipe is another request by my wife—we both had the same vision and used Pioneer Woman as an inspiration recipe and filled in with our memories. We give it an A++.

🥣Ingredients

Ground beef—80/20 or leaner. But ground turkey or chicken will work.
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

👨‍🍳How to Make Salisbury Steak

Start by preparing and browning onions or mushrooms, then move to a bowl.
Combine ground beef with breadcrumbs, ketchup, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, garlic powder, and onion powder, then make into patties.
Fry the steak patties in a large pan with oil over medium-high heat until an internal temperature of 165°, then tent with aluminum foil on a plate.
Make a slurry by whisking flour with beef broth—set aside.
Bring some beef broth to a light boil over medium heat. Slowly stir in the flour slurry and add ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, pepper, and salt to taste.
Whisk until nicely thickened, 3-4 minutes. If using the browned onions or mushrooms, add them to the gravy and mix well.
Add the patties back into the mixture, and simmer for a few minutes until everything is hot.

✔️Tips to get it right every time

Ground beef is most commonly used. The standard 80/20 ground meat is most commonly used, but you can also use lean ground beef, ground turkey, or ground chicken.
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 to a darker brown for more caramelization flavor.
Do not add raw onion or mushrooms to the gravy—they should be cooked first.

⬇️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.

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Have you tried this recipe, or have a question? Join the community discussion in the comments.

Step-by-Step Photo Instructions

Note that while the pictures are for five servings, the discussion and the recipe are set for four—I had a bit more burger that day.

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. About 7-8 minutes for the onion, or saute the mushrooms until cooked. Set aside in a bowl.

Mixing ground beef with other ingredients in a glass 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, then add ½ teaspoon onion powder.

forming ground beef mixture into patties with a dimple on a white board

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 165°. It takes about 15-20 minutes, depending on the thickness, the pan, and the burners.

tenting the cooked patties on blue plate

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

adding flour to boiling liquid to make gravy

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 the gravy and mix well.

placing cooked Salisbury Steak patties into gravy

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

Serve mashed potatoes or as you wish.

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📖 Recipe

❓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 steak contains 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.

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