Salisbury Steak with Mushroom Gravy is a comfort food favourite that’s easy to make. Juicy seasoned beef patties made with ground beef (mince) smothered in an outrageously delicious mushroom gravy, this Salisbury Steak recipe has been tried and loved by readers from all over the world. And now it’s your turn to experience it!
And next time – try Salisbury Steak Meatballs!
Salisbury steak
There’s a man who lives in his car at our local dog park. He’s a valuable member of our community – he knows all the locals, looks after the park like it’s his own backyard, has gun-barrel views over Sydney’s beautiful Pittwater waterways and he tells the worst jokes. 😂
Anyway, the story of this Salisbury Steak recipe is that I regularly take hot meals down to him, sometimes even fancy-sounding things like duck confit. As we approached Christmas one year, I asked him what, of all the meals I took to him that year, his favourite meals were.
And he said “Oh, those burgers with the mushroom gravy were spectacular!” So I made them again for him, then I published the recipe on my site the next day. 🙂
This was back in 2015, and that’s how this Salisbury Steak recipe came to be on my website!
How to make Salisbury Steak
Salisbury steak involves making seasoned beef patties using mince / ground beef, then making a mushroom gravy. In my recipe, there’s just two little things I do differently to the usual Salisbury Steak recipe that I think makes them even tastier:
Grate onion and soak the breadcrumbs in the juices – guaranteed to make the steaks softer and tastier, a tried, proven and much loved method that I use for my classic Italian Meatballs (plenty of reviews substantiating this!). Plus it’s much more efficient than cooking chopped onions (raw onion bits in steak is not nice), and you avoid the risk of the steaks falling apart if the onions aren’t chopped finely enough ; and
Sear beef patties briefly then finishing cooking IN the gravy: I like to sear them in a stinking hot skillet to brown the steaks so they are still raw on the inside, then finish cooking them in the gravy so the juices that seep while they are cooking flavours the gravy. Never waste free flavour! That’s my motto! Plus, the gravy infuses moisture in to the steaks. Double bonus!
What is the difference between a Salisbury Steak and Hamburger patties?
Great Hamburger patties are made with nothing more than good quality ground beef, salt and pepper. Whereas the ingredients in Salisbury Steak patties are more like meatballs – including breadcrumbs, onion and flavourings such as Worcestershire sauce.
Salisbury Steak is pretty much me on a plate. Wholesome, homely, down to earth good food that’s economical, packs a flavour punch but is not fiddly or time consuming to make. Hope you love it as much as I do! – Nagi x
Watch how to make it
Sometimes it helps to have a visual – so watch me make this Salisbury Steak!
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Salisbury Steak with Mushroom Gravy
Ingredients
Salisbury Steak
- 1/2 onion (white, brown or yellow)
- 1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs (or 1/3 cup ordinary breadcrumbs)
- 1 lb/500g ground beef (mince)
- 1 garlic clove , minced
- 1 egg
- 2 tbsp ketchup
- 1 beef bouillon cube , crumbled
- 1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- 3 tsp dijon mustard OR 2 tsp dry mustard powder
Gravy
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves , minced
- 1/2 onion , finely chopped
- 5 oz/150g mushrooms , sliced
- 30g / 2 tbsp unsalted butter
- 3 tbsp flour (all purpose / plain)
- 2 cups beef broth / stock , low sodium
- 1/2 cup water
- 2 tsp dijon mustard
- 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- Salt and pepper
Instructions
Salisbury Steaks
- Onion grating – Place breadcrumbs in a bowl. Use a box grater and grate the onion over the breadcrumbs. Mix with fingers, leave to soak for a few minutes.
- Mix – Add remaining Salisbury Steak ingredients into the large bowl. Use your hands to mix until just combined. Mix well for a couple of minutes until the mixture becomes a bit "pasty" which will ensure your patties hold together well.
- Form patties – Divide into 5 and pat very firmly into oval patties around 3/4" / 1 2/3 cm thick.
Cooking and Gravy
- Brown patties – Heat oil in a skillet over high heat. Add the steaks and cook the first side for 1 minute or until browned, then gently flip and brown the other side (they will still be raw inside). Remove onto plate.
- Cook aromatics – If skillet is looking dry, add a touch more oil. Add chopped onion and garlic and cook for 2 minute until onions are a bit translucent.
- Cook mushrooms – Add the mushrooms into the skillet and cook for 2 – 3 minutes until golden.
- Make gravy roux – Turn heat down to medium. Add butter. Once melted, add flour and cook for 30 seconds, stirring constantly.
- Gravy – Gradually add in beef broth, stirring as you go. Once mostly lump free, whisk in remaining Gravy ingredients.
- Finish cooking steaks – Add steaks along with the juices on the plate. Cook for 5 – 7 minutes, or until gravy is thickened, stirring occasionally around the steaks. If the gravy thickens too quickly, add more water.
- Season gravy – Remove steaks onto a plate. Taste gravy and adjust salt and pepper to taste.
- Serve salisbury steaks topped with the mushroom gravy – over mashed potato is ideal! Sprinkle with a bit of parsley if desired.
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Information:
Life of Dozer
Every morning over the summer break. PS He’s leaping to catch sand. No interest in the usual toys!
Could you make the burgers ahead & freeze them until needed & would the sauce freeze OK?
Hi Linda! Yes this freezes very well! Just defrost and when you reheat, the sauce will need stirring 🙂 N x
What kind heart you have Nagi to feed the homeless with same recipes you are sharing to us…gourmet for the homeless…wow so admirable! And you have quite a good and superb recipes yet practical and easy to make. Thank you. BLess your heart.
Thank you for the lovely message Chit! I do hope you try this and enjoy it! N xx
Hi Nagi
I made this last night for dinner and oh yea, the flavours are wonderful. The Dijon really works well in this recipe giving the gravy a different flavour to the ‘norm’.
I’d never heard of Salisbury steak before I read this recipe.
Lately our dinners have been Asian style (thank you again Nagi) so it was nice to have something completely different.
Fortunately we have leftovers for lunch today, can’t wait. I served them with corn & beans, so nice!
thanks again.
Oooh! I love hear that Barb! I actually made this the other week to film the video and my mother tried it for the first time. She LOVES it. And it’s one of the homeless man’s favourite meals! N xx
Hi Nagi
I made this last night for dinner and oh yea, the flavours are wonderful. The Dijon really works well in this recipe giving the gravy a different flavour to the ‘norm’.
Fortunately we have leftovers for lunch today, can’t wait. I served them with corn & beans, so nice!
thanks again.
That’s wonderful to hear Barb, thank you for letting me know! Hope you are having a lovely weekend – N xx
I made countless recipes from u. Site, never falls always a winner gonna try ur salsbury STK recipe
Ooh! Thanks for reminding me – I have a video for this recipe I filmed recently, I have to make the video asap! 🙂 N xx
I made this today..first time ever making gravy..my, it was so good! my husband was surprised i made the gravy with water and broth vs milk..he really enjoyed the Salisbury steak! Thank you..Kelly
That’s so great to hear Kelly! Thanks for letting me know! N xx
Making this tomorrow night for dinner! Can’t wait! Loved salisbury steak as a kid…but mom never made it freshb always had the Banquet brand frozen dinners! Still a childhood favorite though!
You will love this!!! I promise!❤️
7i gave this in my cast iron skillet right now. I stumbled upon the recipe when I searched for ground beef recipes for dinner on Pinterest had all ingredients except for the Worcestershire sauce (go figure) so I subbed soy sauce. Still just as delicious! I have leftover mashed potatoes and made fried mashed potato patties to go with it. Feeling lazy so frozen corn a long with it. Lol. Thank you. I just love your recipes. Pssst….got a recipe for sloppy joes? And are you on the InstantPot bandwagon yet?
I hope you enjoyed it Karen!!! And as for sloppy joes, I do have a recipe I just haven’t shared it yet. It’s on the list! Not on the Instant Pot wagon yet but my slow cooker is actually a slow cooker / pressure cooker / steamer / saute which I think is are the main functions I’d use on the Instant Pot! 🙂 N xx
Nagi,
I LOVE your blog! And you seem so nice. The story about the feeding the homeless man made me cry. Keep the recipes and kindness coming.
Thank you for the lovely message Mary! And I fully intend to keep the recipes coming!!!
I have made this several times already for my husband. It is his most requested meal ! I Stumbled upon it one day while trying to find something different for dinner. In 25 years my husband Will ask for something every so often. But this ( and homemade sloppy joes ) are his favorites bay far !
Easy, ingredients are something I always have as a staple in my home. The only difference is that I use bouillon that is a powder, much less expensive than canned broth, and quicker than crushing up a cube.
I cannot wait to try something else to cook from your site !
❤❤❤❤❤❤❤
So pleased to hear you enjoyed it Sherry! 🙌🏻 Thanks for letting me know. 🙂 N xx
I made this a few weeks ago. Best Salisbury Steak ever. My 87 year old Mother loved it. She requested it for Mothers Day dinner. Thank you
Ohhhhhh…..I LOVE hearing that! ❤️
Made this last night yummo. Never fails love it.
So pleased you enjoyed it Carol! Thanks for letting me know! N xx❤️
Would it be ok if I used canned mushrooms? Or will that effect the flavor?
It will be different in that canned tastes different to fresh mushrooms but still delish!!!
Had this tasty pub fare for dinner and it was a hit! Flavourful thick gravy and delicious patties cooked to perfection! Husband says it’s a keeper!
Thank you!!!
Fantastic to hear! 🙌🏻 So pleased you enjoyed it Pat! N xx
Just made this today and oh my goodness, is it delicious! I just love how all the ingredients are all readily available in my kitchen pantry! And the gravy was amazing and super simple to make! It’s definitely a gravy I can use for other dishes. Thank you!
Whoot! Fantastic to hear you enjoyed this Janis, thanks for letting me know! N xx
Doubled this recipe. It turned out so too! All I have to say about the gravy instructions is…I love you! Lol. Its the first time I’ve made gravy successfully! Thank you so much.
I’m so pleased to hear that Angie, thank you for letting me know! N xx
Thank you for this reciipe. I like to cook from scratch and every other recipe I looked at used soup mix or gravy mix etc. looking forward to trying some more of your recipes.
You’re welcome Jo! I do hope you enjoyed it! N xx
Made this tonight for dinner. My husband loved it. Thanks!
So glad your husband enjoyed it Angela! Thanks for taking the time to come back and share your thoughts on this recipe! – N x
Made this dish tonight. Complete disaster. Hamburger mix did not hold together during the “sear” process. I tried to salvage the meat by forming it into meatballs, but they melted into the very thin gravy. Yikes!!!!!!
I’m sorry to hear that Georgi, wish I could have been there to help troubleshoot. Did you remember the egg in the mixture? Because that is the binding agent for the steaks. 🙂 N xx
I just made this for my husband and I and it was so good. I wanted a bit of a richer flavor so instead of the 1 cup of water for the gravy I added 1/4cup of nice red wine and 3/4c water, so so good, just adds anot her dimension to the flavors, im3ill definitely make this again. Thanks for sharing your wonderful recipes.
Oooh WOW! YUM! 🙂 I’m so pleased to hear you enjoyed it Julia!! Thanks for letting me know! N xx