My Secret Peppercorn Sauce for Steak (No Brandy Needed)
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Ditch the expensive steakhouse dinners because this peppercorn sauce for steak beats literally anything you’ll get at a restaurant. It uses a cheeky dash of soy sauce and fresh rosemary to upgrade any cut of beef. This easy steak sauce is perfect with my Air Fryer Ribeye Steak for an easy weekend treat.
A Quick Look At The Recipe
- ✅ Recipe Name: My Secret Peppercorn Sauce for Steak (No Brandy Needed)
- 🕦 Ready in:
- 🤝 Serves:
- 🧑🍳 Main ingredients: coarsely ground black pepper, soy sauce, single cream, rosemary
- ✨ Summary: The only peppercorn sauce for steak you’ll ever need! It’s creamy, budget-friendly & uses a secret ingredient to beat the bistro version.
Why you’ll love this recipe
- Umami flavour: I use a splash of soy sauce and Worcestershire for the peppercorn sauce for steak which sounds weird, but it deepens the beefy flavour massively. I do something similar in my Easy Caramelised Onion Gravy to make the gravy rich as well.
- So simple: If you need a peppercorn sauce recipe easy enough for a busy weeknight, this is it. You only need a few minutes to make this while your meat rests.
- Versatile: You can easily adjust the heat levels by adding more or less black pepper to suit your taste. And while it’s famously good with steak, this easy peppercorn sauce for steak works wonders over chicken breasts or even Roasted Mediterranean Vegetables.
If you are planning a full steak night menu, consider making sides like Cheesy Mashed Potatoes Recipe, The CRISPIEST Roast Potatoes, or Easy Cauliflower Cheese.
Table of Contents
Ingredients
- Soy sauce: This is the secret weapon that replaces the need for heaps of salt and adds a nice dark colour. It doesn’t make the peppercorn sauce for steak taste like soy sauce, just super savoury.
- Single cream: I love to use single cream in my peppercorn sauce recipe because it’s cheaper and lighter than double cream. You just have to be a bit gentler with the heat so it doesn’t split.
- Rosemary: Using whole sprigs of rosemary allows the oils to seep into the butter, making this steak sauce recipe aromatic without filling it with chopped leaves. I love using rosemary in these Parmentier Potatoes as well.
See the recipe card for full information on all ingredients and quantities.
Variations/ Adaptations
- Make it chunky: If you like steak sauce recipes with more texture, fry some finely diced shallots or mushrooms in the butter before adding the liquids. This bulks it out and helps it stretch further if you’re feeding a crowd.
- Dairy-free: Swap the butter for oil and use a dairy-free cream alternative or even coconut milk if you don’t mind a slight coconut taste. It’s a great hack if you are serving this easy sauce for steak alongside my Soy Garlic Chicken Breast.
- Boozy version: Pour a splash of brandy or cognac into the pan after frying the pepper to deglaze it before adding the stock. Let the alcohol burn off for a minute to get that authentic bistro flavour in your peppercorn sauce for steak. Poured over my Frozen Steak in the Air Fryer? Heavenly!
How to make Creamy Peppercorn Sauce for Steak
Step 1: Remove your steak from the pan and heat the butter in the pan with the black pepper and a rosemary sprigs.
Step 2: Fry for a couple of minutes over a low heat to bloom the pepper.
Step 3: Pour in the cream and heat through before slowly stirring the beef stock, Worcestershire sauce, and soy sauce into the pan.
Step 4: Let this bubble and reduce for about 5-8 minutes, or until nicely thickened. Taste to adjust the seasoning and dive in!
If you love creamy sauces, you should try this Steak Pasta with Creamy Sauce, Easy Creme Fraiche Pasta, and Easy Creamy Lemon Sauce.
Tips for the best result
- When making pepper sauce for steak, toast the peppercorns in the butter first as it releases way more flavour than just chucking them in liquid.
- Be patient with the reduction step – if you add the cream before the stock has reduced, the sauce will be too thin.
- If you accidentally reduce the peppercorn sauce for steak too much and it gets gloopy, just whisk in a tiny splash of water to loosen it up again.
- Taste before you add any extra salt because the soy and beef stock bring a lot of saltiness to this easy peppercorn sauce already. And make sure to try my Easy Beef and Broccoli Recipe if you’ve got leftover soy sauce!
Serving Suggestions
Once you learn how to make steak sauce, you’ll want to pour it over anything and everything. It’s that good!! Obviously this is a peppercorn sauce for steak, but it actually works really well on other things too. I sometimes pour it over a jacket potato for a quick lunch.
Try it with:
Leftover Storage and Reheat Instructions
I usually try to make just enough for the meal since this is such a quick steak sauce, but if you do have some left it keeps okay.
Refrigerator: Pop any leftover sauce in a sealed jar in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Freezer: I honestly wouldn’t freeze this peppercorn sauce for steak because single cream has a tendency to go grainy when it thaws.
Reheat: Warm it up very gently on the stove over a low heat. You might need to add a splash of water and whisk it to get that smooth texture back.
Recipe FAQs
You definitely can, though the colour will be lighter and the flavour slightly less intense. It’s a good option if serving this easy peppercorn sauce recipe with poultry.
Just let it simmer for another minute or two so more water evaporates. The single cream will naturally thicken as your homemade sauce for steak reduces.
My simple peppercorn sauce recipe has a warm kick from the black pepper, but the cream balances it out. Use fewer peppercorns if you are sensitive to heat, or if you like things properly spicy, add a pinch of dried chilli flakes.
Fresh is always better for the aroma, but you can use a pinch of dried rosemary. Add it with the pepper so it has time to rehydrate in the butter.
If you are looking for dessert ideas to follow this meal, try my Delicious Vanilla Sponge Cake Recipe, Chocolate Protein Muffins, or Giant Chocolate Cornflake Cake.
If you tried this Peppercorn Sauce for Steak, it would mean so much to me if you could leave a review & a star rating to let me know how you found it! I love hearing about your experiences – it motivates me to keep creating more and more recipes for you guys 💛 Let’s get cooking! – Mimi x
Ultimate Peppercorn Sauce for Steak
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp coarsely ground black pepper
- 1 tbsp butter
- 3 sprigs of rosemary
- 300 ml single cream
- 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 300 ml beef stock
- Salt
Method
- Remove your steak from the pan and heat the butter in the pan with the black pepper and a rosemary sprigs. Fry for a couple of minutes over a low heat to bloom the pepper.
- Pour in the cream and heat through before slowly stirring the beef stock, Worcestershire sauce, and soy sauce into the pan. Let this bubble and reduce for about 5-8 minutes, or until nicely thickened.
- Remove the rosemary sprigs and taste to adjust the seasoning, adding more salt & pepper if necessary.
Notes
- Make your sauce in the same pan that you fried your steak in, this will add flavour (and reduce cleaning up!).
- Toast the peppercorns in the butter first as it releases way more flavour than just chucking them in liquid.
- Be patient with the reduction step – if you add the cream before the stock has reduced, the sauce will be too thin.
- If you accidentally reduce the peppercorn sauce too much and it gets gloopy, just whisk in a tiny splash of water to loosen it up again.
- Taste before you add any extra salt because the soy and beef stock bring a lot of saltiness already.
Nutrition
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