This old-fashioned Salisbury steak recipe with onion gravy is a classic homemade comfort food. It's easy to make from scratch in 40 minutes using ground beef and common pantry ingredients. With tender beef patties and rich brown gravy with onions or mushrooms, just like grandma used to make.
🐄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
Jump To (scroll for more)
- 🐄Ingredients
- 👨🍳How to Make Salisbury Steak—Step-by-Step Photo Instructions
- 🤔Make it right the first time.
- 🐄Meat patty options and variations
- 🥣Gravy options and variations
- 📋Comfort food recipes
- ⬇️How to make Salisbury Steak for two
- 🍴How to serve Salisbury steak
- ❄️How to store leftover Salisbury steak
- ❓FAQs
- 👨🍳Recipe
Featured Comment by Andrina
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"Thanks for sharing this recipe! I made both the patties and gravy just as listed, and everything turned out PERFECT!"
Salisbury steak is a classic American comfort food recipe with tender, seasoned ground beef patties simmered in rich brown mushroom or onion gravy served with mashed potatoes or noodles. Unlike the TV dinners of the 1950s, this Salisbury steak recipe has lots of juicy meat and rich onion gravy.
My wife requested this recipe—we both had the same vision. We reviewed many salisbury steak recipes and filled them in with our memories. Please enjoy the best Salisbury steak recipe with these easy and quick instructions.
👨🍳How to Make Salisbury Steak—Step-by-Step Photo Instructions
1. If making onion gravy, trim an onion into full and half rings.
2. Caramelize the onion or saute the mushrooms for your gravy. Set aside in a bowl.
3. Mix ground beef, Panko breadcrumbs, ketchup, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, and garlic powder.
4. Make patties of equal size with an indent in the middle to prevent puffing.
5. Fry the patties in oil over medium-high heat until an internal temperature of 160°—about 15-20 minutes. While they cook, make a slurry of flour and beef broth for the gravy.
6. Remove the Salisbury steak to a plate and tent with foil. Pour out most of the liquid in the pan, add some beef broth, and bring it to a light boil over medium heat.
7. Slowly add a flour-broth mixture while continuing to whisk. Add ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper to taste.
8. Whisk until nicely thickened—a few minutes. If using the caramelized onions or mushrooms, add them to the gravy and mix well.
9. Add the steaks back into the mixture and simmer for a few minutes until everything is hot.
10. Serve mashed potatoes, noodles, or rice.
For more details, keep reading. See the Recipe Card below for complete instructions and to print.
🤔Make it right the first time.
Do not make your patties over ⅓ pound. They will be too thick to cook well on the stovetop.
Add a dimple about quarter size ¼-inch deep on one-sided of the pattie. This will prevent the patties from puffing during cooking which may lead to over cooking the outside and increase the cooking time of the patties.
Do not use high heat to cook the steak patties. The outside will be done before the center is safe to eat.
If your Salisbury steak patties tend to fall apart, add an egg to the mixture.
Do not add raw onion or mushrooms to the gravy—they should be cooked first.
🐄Meat patty options and variations
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°.
🥣Gravy options and variations
Brown gravy is easy to make from scratch 👍, or you can use gravy mix 👎 if you wish. I suggest using a flour slurry, but you can also use cornstarch. See How to Make Gravy for more information.
The ketchup helps flavor the entire dish. And the Worcestershire sauce will enhance the flavor of the beef. Both are optional but suggested.
When browning the onions or mushrooms, cook them to a darker brown for a more caramelized flavor.
📋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 and Gravy, and Fried Pork Chops with Gravy. Or try my Small Meatloaf for Two or 30-Minute Chicken Fried Cube Steak with Gravy.
Baked Meatloaf Burger Patties
Meatloaf Burger Patties make a perfect single serving of meatloaf or serve as juicy, flavorful meatloaf burgers. It's easy to cook these meatloaf patties in the oven, on the grill, or fried on the stovetop.
⬇️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—roasted asparagus, broccoli, sauteed 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 4 days. To freeze, seal the leftovers airtight in the freezer for 4 months.
To reheat, thaw overnight in the refrigerator if frozen. Reheat in the microwave, on the stovetop, or in an air fryer.
❓FAQs
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.
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.
Salisbury steak is made with ground beef, not cube steak. If you want a similar recipe with cube steak, try Chicken Fried Steak.
👨🍳Recipe
Old Fashioned Salisbury Steak Recipe
Video Slideshow
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Ingredients
- 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. The onion takes about 7-8 minutes, or saute the mushrooms until tender. 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, 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce, and ½ teaspoon garlic powder. If not doing the onion gravy, add ½ teaspoon onion powder.
- Divide the hamburger mixture into 3-4 equal portions. Add a quarter-size ¼-inch deep indent in the middle of one side to prevent puffing up of the patties and make 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.
- Remove the Salisbury steak to a plate and lightly tent with foil. Whisk 4 tablespoons flour with 1 cup beef broth.
- 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 of ketchup and ½ teaspoon of 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.
- Add the steak back into the mixture and simmer for a few minutes until everything is hot.
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 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. This will help prevent them from puffing up during cooking and ensure that they cook more evenly.
Your Own Private Notes
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
© 101 Cooking for Two, LLC. All content and photographs are copyright protected by us or our vendors. While we appreciate your sharing our recipes, please realize copying, pasting, or duplicating full recipes to any social media, website, or electronic/printed media is strictly prohibited and a violation of our copyrights.
Editor's Note: Originally published September 25, 2016. Updated with expanded options, refreshed photos, and a table of contents to help navigation.
Samantha Stone says
So I just made this for dinner. I followed the recipe exactly. I couldn't be happier with it. My husband and 2 year old liked it so much that I am adding it to our rotation of dinners :)
For sides we did homemade garlic mashed potatoes, sautéed onions, and corn with Mccormick brown gravy. Amazing dinner thank you!
Livia says
I don’t have a comment, but a question. I have a lot of seasoned breadcrumbs. Can they be used? And if so, what other adjustments might need to be made? I’m concerned about textured and saltiness. Thank you.
Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan says
Hi Livia,
Welcome to the blog.
Generally the seasoning in the bread crumbs won't matter much. You could cut back the garlic powder a bit if they are heavy in taste. There is so much other taste going on here that the little flavor they add won't be noticeable I think.
Dan
tgobbi says
The instructions are incomplete!
Under "gravy" the ingredients list "1 onion - small chopped" but nowhere is the cook told what to do with it.
Also, calling this a recipe for 2 is misleading. First, a pound of beef is excessive for 2 people. Second, if it's a recipe for 2 why call for making THREE patties? It doesn't make any sense.
Better testing and editing would help a lot.
Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan says
Sorry to disappoint. I will give you that the word chopped should not have been there (removed). What to do with the onion is the first instruction. The size of the patties is discussed in the recipe card tip area. See https://www.101cookingfortwo.com/recipes-not-two-servings/ for more discussion.
Dan
Margie says
Are you serious? How about seconds or leftovers? Save some money on buying lunch and enjoy it twice. Crazy...
aimeeeebeeee says
I just made this last week for our senior center bi-weekly dinner. Everyone loved it! My boss and I loved it so much, she made it for dinner last night and I am making it tonight. I really like that everything is from scratch, no pre-packaged items to worry about! I am super happy I found it! Thank you so much!
Cheryl Willaman says
can ground Turkey be used? that's what I am defrosting. or other recommended recipes? we don't like mushrooms but will do cooked onions.
Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan says
Hi Cheryl,
Welcome to the blog.
The ground turkey should be fine. You have the breadcrumbs in the recipe that will hold the moisture. Previously frozen ground turkey can be dry due to the loss of moisture but I think you will be fine. There is lots of taste in the seasoning so the taste profile should be good.
Dan
Kathy Atkins says
I made this for dinner tonight and there were delicious. I made 14 servings and there is 2 left for the moment. I fed 9 people. Next time I will add more onions because we all like them. I will make this again. Makes me proud that I made this from scratch.I will be looking through your recipes for sure.
mes says
OMGoodness....i literally just made this for dinner tonight & y'all..I gotta tell yall..I got soo excited when I took that first bite & I just couldn't hide it! Started doin my lil happy dance & stuff! Lol..Soo good. I did tweek the gravy a lil bit so instead of 4 Tbs I put 2 Tbs of flour & used Italian bread crumbs & used 2 tsp of "better than bouillon" roast beef base. Oh & I added about a Tbs of chopped garlic to my meat & no onion powder nor fresh onion. Very tasty..glad I picked this one to make. & Very easy to make..u have a fan for life my friend.😁 Good on ya.
Judy says
Wow! Just made for dinner tonight... HUGE HIT. Thanks for keeping it simple!
DrDan says
Hi Judy,
Welcome to the blog.
I do love this recipe.
Thanks for the note.
Dan
Auntie OO says
Great recipe!! I went off script a little. As I like mushrooms n mine. But this was a huge success. Thank you!!
DrDan says
Hi Auntie,
Welcome to the blog.
Most of the model recipes used mushrooms but we have food allergies in the family and tend to not use mushrooms.
Thanks for the note.
Dan
Sue says
This is the second time I've made this recipe.
It is delicious both times
DrDan says
Hi Sue,
Welcome to the blog.
I do love comfort foods.
Thanks for the note.
Dan
Terry says
Thank you for your attempt at an "Old Fashion Salisbury Steak" recipe. This recipe is just seasoned hamburger patties with gravy. The ingredient that stands Salisbury Steak out is the use of the spice thyme. Most recipes have an amount varying from 1/4 tsp to 1 tsp for between 1 lb and 1 and 1/2 lb of ground beef. I am astonished no one noticed the missing ingredient nor noticed the difference in flavor. Are there no supertasters here ?
Anna says
For the most part, isn't the "spice(,) thyme" a seasoning? To add in the thyme, wouldn't it then be just seasoned hamburger patties with gravy? And for that matter, when was Salisbury Steak (Old Fashioned, Swanson's Hungry=Man TV dinner or otherwise) ever 'not' just seasoned hamburger (ground beef) patties? I am astonished and humored at the idea that one 'seasoning' merits a snarky comment and attempts to elevate a basic ground beef dish into a Chateaubriand status (supertasters?! ...lol).
I mean no disrespect to you, DrDan but that comment was just 'super-ridiculous'.
DrDan says
Hi Anna,
Welcome to the blog.
Yep, just a fancied up burger with onion gravy. That is what my wife and I feel is Salisbury Steak. I still like this recipe and have repeated it a number of times.
I tend to just leave comments like Terry's out there hanging with no reply. It's an opinion but there is not much I can say. There is no cussing, I wasn't physically threatened (I have been over this recipe, seriously), there were no health implications or miss information. I think it just makes the commenter not look very good.
Thanks for the "defense" and have a great holiday.
Dan
Tanya says
@ Terry, I have never seen Thyme used in a Salisbury steak recipe. And what is Salisbury steak other than Seasoned Hamburger Patties with Gravy. To be honest, I'm astonished at your attitude, lighten up! If you don't think the recipe sounds good then don't make it. Or make it, then in your review tell us that you added Thyme and how well it turned out.
Jackie says
Dr. Dan, I love your recipes. We made your crock pot chili yesterday. My husband said it was definitely a 5. He said it was the best chili he has ever eaten. I am going to try your oven baked chicken wings next. He love chicken wings but mine have not been so good. I will let you know about yours. The Salisbury steak sounds delicious too. Thank you for sharing your wonderful food with us.
Jackie
DrDan says
Hi Jackie,
Welcome to the site.
I do love that chili. Around here, I call it Wifo Chili since it is her favorite one out of all my chilies.
I think you will really like the chicken wings. It gets great reviews by most people.
Let me know if you have any questions.
Dan
Bobbie says
I loved this recipe!! The texture of the patties was very light. I like that it didn't have a lot of filler or eggs. I love mushrooms with my Salisbury Steak, so I sauteed some in butter in a separate pan and added to the gravy along with the onions. The gravy was a little thicker than what I am used to, so I would cut the flour down next time. The addition of ketchup and Worcestershire really made for a tasty dish. Thanks so much this recipe. I is now my go to one now.
Tara says
This is, hands down,the BEST salisbury steak recipe I have ever made. Great flavor,texture and checks all the boxes for true comfort food. It is so good, I called my Mom up and gave her your recipe. Well done!
Kolita says
Followed the recipe exactly and it has came out great each time, such a good recipe, love it
DrDan says
Hi Kolita,
Thanks for the note.
Dan
Sharon says
Awesome!
DrDan says
Thanks. I do love everything with gravy.
Dan