This recipe for Salisbury Steak is the absolute best! Juicy seasoned ground beef patties are seared then simmered in a savory, rich gravy!
When you’re craving comfort food, it’s hard to not think about dishes smothered in a rich, savory gravy. For me, that almost always means hamburger steaks, salisbury steaks, or something like my Slow Cooker Beef and Noodles.
Maybe you remember this comfort classic from those Banquet frozen TV dinners, but these simple ground beef patties are hearty, juicy, and there’s that delicious GRAVY!
Growing up, I always assumed that hamburger steaks and salisbury steaks were the same, but they’re actually a little different.
In hindsight, I guess I’d always just been making hamburger steaks until I ran across a recipe from Pioneer Woman for Salisbury Steaks that was a bit different. One taste and a new appreciation for salisbury steak was unlocked.
I’ve been making this recipe for more than 10 years now. During that time, I’ve tweaked and changed the recipe a bit – adding a few ingredients, swapping some others – to create a dish my family just adores.
What’s the difference between Hamburger Steaks and Salisbury Steaks?
For me, a hamburger steak is a simply seasoned all-beef patty topped with a savory brown gravy. Salisbury steak takes the basic hamburger steak to the next level by adding a lot more flavor.
Hamburger steaks are usually a simple, down-home dish made from ground beef seasoned with some salt and pepper. They’re shaped into patties, cooked in a skillet, and often served with some good ol’ gravy on top. Now, that’s a comfort food classic right there.
Salisbury steaks, on the other hand, are a tad fancier. They’re made from ground beef, too, but they often include breadcrumbs, other seasonings, and sometimes even an egg to hold it all together – sort of like meatballs. These patties are then simmered in a savory gravy (sometimes with mushrooms), giving ’em a more complex flavor profile.
So, in a nutshell, the main difference is in the ingredients and the gravy. Hamburger steaks are simpler and usually served with a basic pan gravy, while Salisbury steaks are a bit more dressed up with added ingredients and that delightful gravy.
What to serve with Salisbury Steak
In my house, anything with brown gravy comes served with mashed potatoes, egg noodles, or white rice, with the first being my starch of choice. My Mom’s Secret Ingredient Mashed Potatoes make for the perfect cradle for all that rich brown gravy.
Serve this easy salisbury steak recipe alongside a green veggie like my Roasted Green Beans or Roasted Broccoli and you’ve got a hearty meal that’s sure to please!
Ingredient FAQ
Most of the ingredients in this recipe are pretty self-explanatory, but there are a few that are worth mentioning.
- Ground Sirloin – When it comes to the ground beef in this recipe, I prefer a lean ground beef, like ground sirloin, but nearly any ground beef will work. Just keep in mind that the fattier meats may require you to drain some of the fat away after searing the patties.
- Seasoned Bread Crumbs – Standard, run-of-the-mill seasoned bread crumbs work here. You don’t need panko breadcrumbs or anything fancy.
- Seasoned Salt – This all-purpose seasoning works great to add a lot of flavor to this homemade salisbury steak recipe. I’m sure any brand will work. I used Lawry’s.
- Beef Bouillon Cube – These little cubes of umami deliciousness work great to pack tons of flavor into this dish. For the meat mixture, you’ll need to crush the cube. I often do this between two spoons. You could also use powdered beef bouillon or a beef base paste. For the gravy, you can use either of the above-mentioned swaps, or you can trade the water and bouillon cubes for beef broth.
- Browning and Seasoning Sauce – This is an ingredient you don’t often see from me, but I think it really amps this dish up. Sold under the brand names Gravy Master or Kitchen Bouquet, these seasoning sauces are a great way to add tons of savory flavor to gravies, soup, and stews. I think you’ll find a lot of other delicious ways to use this stuff.
Recipe Card
Best Salisbury Steak
Ingredients
- 2 pounds ground sirloin
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 cup seasoned bread crumbs
- 1 teaspoon seasoned salt ((My Y'all Salt works perfectly here!))
- 2 teaspoons dijon mustard
- 2 tablespoons ketchup
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 cube beef bouillon ((crushed))
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
For the gravy:
- 1/2 large onion, thinly sliced
- 2 cubes beef bouillon
- 2 cups hot water
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tablespoon ketchup
- 1 teaspoon browning and seasoning sauce like Kitchen Bouquet or Gravy Master
- salt
- pepper
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine the ground beef with the egg, bread crumbs, seasoned salt, dijon mustard, ketchup, Worcestershire, and the crushed beef bouillon cube. Work the mixture with your hands to get everything well combined. Portion the meat out into 5 or 6 equal portions and shape the portions into oval patties that are roughly 1 inch in thickness.
- Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat, then add the patties. Cook for about 4 minutes on each side until they get a nice golden brown crust. Reduce the heat if necessary to keep them from burning. Remove the patties from the pan to a plate and cover.
- Pour away all but about 1 tablespoon of the grease from the pan. Place the skillet over medium heat and add the onions. Cook, stirring frequently, until brown and tender – about 6 minutes. Add the water and bouillon cubes to the skillet, bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer. Smash the bouillon cubes with the back of a spoon if they've not dissolved. Add the Worcestershire, ketchup, and browning sauce. Whisk to combine. Add salt and pepper to taste.
- In a small bowl, whisk the cornstarch with about 2 tablespoons of cool water. Add the cornstarch slurry to the gravy and whisk to combine. Cooking, stirring frequently, until the gravy thickens. Return the steaks and the drippings in the plate to the skillet. Cover and simmer until the steaks are warm and cooked through. Add additional water if the gravy gets too thick. Serve warm.
Notes
Nutrition
* If nutritional values are provided, they are an estimate and will vary depending on the brands used. The values do not include optional ingredients or when ingredients are added to taste. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, I recommend grabbing your favorite brands and plugging those ingredients into an online nutritional calculator.
Donna Bagwell
I will be making this for dinner tonight. I don’t use bouillon cubes, I prefer Better Than Bouillon instead. How would I incorporate it into your recipe?
You can replace the 1 bouillon cube with 1 teaspoon of Better Than Bouillon. Enjoy!
Stacey
Absolutely delicious! The burgers were so tender just perfect! I also added mushrooms to the gravy otherwise as written. Over egg noodles was perfect! Looking forward to trying some of your other recipes 😊
Sounds great! So glad to hear you enjoyed it!
Linda C.
Stacey – I never knew that there was a difference between hamburger steak and salisbury steak but I certainly do now! This recipe is beyond amazing. I printed it and marked it excellent and know I will be fixing it often. Thank you for another wonderful recipe❣️
So happy to hear you enjoyed this, Linda!
TP
If you can get through PAGES of advertising you might see the recipe! My God! I understand you have to pay for the s
I’m so sorry to hear that a little scrolling was too much for your scrolling finger to get to the FREE recipe. 🤦♂️
Katie
Followed the recipe exactly as written and it was incredible! My husband said it was the best Salisbury steak he’s ever had! The ground sirloin really made this dish, too. It wasn’t greasy and it wasn’t dry. It was perfect!
Awesome! Love hearing that! So glad y’all enjoyed it, Katie!
Laura Elaine Soriano
We made the Salisbury steak with your gray for the firsttime yum. I made french fries instead though the next time I will definitely make the mashed potatoes. It was very good.
Love fried and gravy! So glad you enjoyed it!
Taneisha
This recipe was some of the best Salisbury steak I’ve ever had. The meat was so tender but didn’t fall apart. I did do 2 eggs instead of one, used plain bread crumbs because I like to use my own seasonings, and used bbq sauce instead of ketchup. I also did the gravy a little different. I omitted the bouillon cubes in the meat and the gravy, used broth with the onion gravy pack from the store. I will use this recipe forever it was such a hit w my family!!
Glad you were able to make it your own d that everyone enjoyed it, Taneisha!
Belinda
Question can I make the Salisbury steaks a day ahead and refrigerate them overnight???
The problem with gravies and sauces thickened with cornstarch is they don’t hold up when reheating. Doing so would risk the gravy/sauce getting super thin. I suppose you could always cook the steaks by themselves and then make the gravy when reheating or simply don’t add the cornstarch slurry until you reheat them in the skillet.
Jen
This sounds really delicious. Not sure I can find the finishing sauce ingredient in my local grocery. Is there a sub a sub I can use?
Hi Jen! There are a couple options that I mention up in the post, but you can certainly just leave it out. It’s not absolutely required if you can’t find it.
Lisa DiStephano
Hello.I have made many times the recipes that I have found on your website.I absolutely love ever one of them I have made.very easy to follow.iI so want to thank you for sharing them all with us.I look forward to continuing to follow your work. Again thank you so very much for everything.God Bless You and keep you and your family safe..🙏
Thank you, Lisa!
Debra Freeman
This is hands down the best Salisbury steak I have ever had. Didn’t change a thing and opted to use Gravy Master. Delicious! When I tried to pin it, it brought up key lime pie though. Any suggestions to pin it?
Thanks so much, Debra! Where on the page did you click to try to pin it? I can’t find that issue, but want to make sure we get it fixed! Thanks!
Erica Seter
I have made this recipe twice. The second time I added mushrooms. Yum and Double-Yum! Everyone loved it!
Glad to hear you enjoyed it, Erica!
Valerie
I would leave out the kitchen bouquet. I don’t know why it’s in there in the first place. My gravy tasted bitter. Needless to say my dish was ruined… it’s easy to make your own brown gravy. It’s called Mccormack or Hinze..
Well, it’s in there for flavor and color. It honestly sounds like maybe you added a bit too much. I’ve been guilty of not measuring it in the past and added too much and noticed a slight bitter flavor, so that’s my guess. And while the brown gravy mixes are super handy, making this one from scratch is a bit different.
Lisa
This was a wonderful dish and by the way the CORRECT way to make homemade gravy is with flour bacon grease and water
Glad you enjoyed it!
Virginia
Your recipe is just perfect!
The only thing I need to ask: do you think this would freeze well in individual portions?
Love this website. I hope that you will be on Food Network TV again soon
Thanks, Virginia! I’ve not tried it, but I think this should freeze just fine.
Christine
Hi Virginia, I have frozen these many times. It’s best to freeze in single or double portions and defrost in the fridge. They will keep best in the freezer up to 3 months. I usually just put the steaks and some gravy, enough for 2 meals in a
Hefty freezer bag. I don’t mean a specific brand but a strong thick freezer bag.
Hope you have good success.
Thanks for this, Christine!
bkhuna
My Mom often feed me and my ravenous brothers with hamburger steaks and a big pot of white rice. I’ve loved it for 6 decades.
There’s nothing more comforting in my book!
Christine
Stacey, I agree totally, best comfort food. I usually serve with egg noodles.
Mashed potatoes or rice works fine too. Really any side that you want gravy on.
Agreed! And I’ll eat gravy on just about anything! lol