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A diner classic and a southern favorite, seasoned ground beef patties cooked with caramelized onion and gravy is a belly-pleaser. |
Hamburger Steak with Creamy Onion Gravy
Hamburger steak should be in everybody's go-to recipe box and this recipe is a perfect combination of flavors. It always gets a boatload of compliments, and isn't that what we're all after in this anyway?It's a common Southern meal because it's fast and easy and a super delicious comfort food when you put an onion gravy in the mix. The patties are tossed with a bit of chopped onion, simple seasonings, but unlike it's kissin' cousin salisbury steak, the only binder in hamburger steaks should be egg, no bread. Now... that said, I won't be mad at ya if you find that your meat needs a little binder. Use only enough bread crumbs to hold it together though.
By the way if you're short on time or energy, and you have pre-made burger patties on hand, they make a perfectly acceptable stand-in for a speedy transition to dinnertime during the week. Just omit the onion, egg and hot sauce and season the patties.
Then dip each patty into 1/3 cup of flour.
Remove and set aside.
Slice up an onion...
While the onions are cooking, mix together 1 cup of beef broth and 1 cup of water, or just use 2 cups of water alone, with some seasoned salt and pepper. Add 1/4 cup of flour to the seasoned water and whisk that all together well. I like to add a bit of Worcestershire sauce and Kitchen Bouquet too, although neither is necessary if they aren't pantry staples in your house.
A splash of Kitchen Bouquet, which is a dark browning and seasoning sauce and a pantry staple in this part of the Deep South where I'm from, adds a little more richness to the dish and gives it a nice color. It is made of herbs, spices and pureed vegetables. It is used in stews, sauces and gravies to add depth of flavor and often, as here, a deeper color. It's usually found either in the condiments aisle or with the herbs, spices and seasonings.
Slowly add the mixture to the onions...
...and start stirring it up. Cook and stir the mixture and bring it up to a boil. Keep stirring until you see it begin to thicken.
Return the browned patties to the skillet, right into that mess o'gravy, turn 'em and and push 'em around a bit so that some of the gravy goodness seeps right up on top.
Reduce the heat to simmer, cover them bad boys and let 'em cook for another 20 minutes or so.

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Recipe: Hamburger Steak with Creamy Onion Gravy
©From the Kitchen of Deep South Dish
Prep time: 15 min |Cook time: 30 min | Yield: About 4 to 6 servings
Ingredients
For the Patties:
For the Gravy:
- 3 tablespoons of cooking oil (canola, vegetable)
- 1-1/2 pounds of 80/20 ground chuck
- 3/4 cup of onion, finely chopped
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon Tiger Sauce, or hot pepper sauce, or to taste, optional
- 1 teaspoon of seasoned salt
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoons freshly cracked black pepper
- About 1/3 cup of all purpose flour, for dipping the patties
Instructions
- 1 large onion, halved and sliced (about 3 cups sliced)
- 1 cup of beef broth
- 1 cup of water
- 1/4 cup of all purpose flour
- 1/4 teaspoon of seasoned salt, or to taste
- 1/4 teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper, or to taste
- 1/2 tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce, optional
- 1 teaspoon of browning & seasoning sauce (like Kitchen Bouquet), optional
- 2 cups of sliced mushrooms, optional
Heat the cooking oil over medium high in a large heavy-bottomed stainless skillet. In a medium sized bowl, gently combine the ground chuck, chopped onion, egg, hot sauce, seasoned salt, garlic powder and pepper. Shape into 4 to 6 equal sized patties. Dip each patty into the flour and cook until browned on both sides; remove and set those aside.
Add the sliced onions to the skillet and cook over medium heat until lightly caramelized, stirring regularly. Whisk together the beef broth, water, 1/4 cup of flour, seasoned salt, pepper, and the Worcestershire and Kitchen Bouquet, if using, until well combined. Pour into the skillet with the onions and stir constantly, until mixture begins to thicken.
Return the hamburger steaks to the skillet, turn to coat, add sliced mushrooms if using, and reduce heat to simmer. Cook, covered, for about 20 minutes longer. Serve with mashed potatoes and some green beans, or a mixed garden salad on the side.
Cook's Notes: The brown gravy for these is pretty good all on its own since its reliant on the pan drippings, but if you have it, just that little bit of Worcestershire and Kitchen Bouquet adds a bit more depth and is delicious. If you find that you need a binder, add in a small amount of fresh bread crumbs to the ground beef. If using pre-made hamburger steak patties, omit the onion, egg and hot sauce, and sprinkle both sides of the patties with the seasoned salt, garlic powder and pepper, pressing in the seasoning a bit. Then dip each patty in the flour and proceed with the remaining recipe.
To Bake: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare dish as above, transferring patties to an oblong baking dish and pouring gravy over top. Bake for about 45 minutes to one hour, depending on thickness of patties, or until patties are cooked through and internal temperature is 160 degrees F.
Note: Tiger Sauce is a type of sweet and sour hot sauce found in the condiment shelf of your store. Regular hot sauce can be substituted, or simply omit.
Hamburger Steaks with Tomato Gravy: Prepare as above, except substitute chicken broth for the beef. Whisk together the broth, 1/4 cup of flour, seasoned salt and pepper. Omit the Kitchen Bouquet and mushrooms. Pour the mixture into the skillet with one (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes, stirring constantly, until mixture begins to thicken, adding water as needed to thin to desired consistency. Return the hamburger steaks to the skillet, turn to coat and finish as above.
Source: http://deepsouthdish.com
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Brings me back to dinners from a small town in northwest GA. I will make this soon for my two daughters just to remind them of thier roots. Thanks!
ReplyDeletewow those look really good. Like Neely, I have not had these in years, now the craving starts. Thanks for the clear easy to follow directions
ReplyDeleteYUM! I think I'm going to make these tonight.
ReplyDeleteMy go-to food! Eat the hamburger steaks with french fries and fresh salad! Cooking them tonight.
DeleteYum Yum!
DeleteWhat is Tiger Sauce?
ReplyDeleteLove hamburger steaks Mary. This looks so good. Got it donw on my menu. thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteHi Shae! Tiger sauce is a sort of sweet and sour hot sauce. You can substitute regular hot sauce, or just omit it if you like. Sorry about that! I usually put up a link to Amazon just so folks can see what it is, but forgot to.
ReplyDeleteI'm from Louisiana and we put tiger sauce on everything love it. Most people where I'm living at don't know what Kitchen Bouquet is
DeleteI come from a long line of amazing cooks! 6th generation south Louisiana...we use tiger sauce and we use Kitchen Bouquet religiously. :-)
DeleteI'm 8th generation south Louisiana, a long line of amazing cooks. We use tiger sauce and Kitchen Bouquet religiously!
DeleteThanks, I'll look for it on the shelf but I think it will be one of those "Not Sold in my area" type of products like the Dale's Sauce southernplate.com uses. I would like to try it though...
ReplyDeleteOh and I forgot to mention I tried some Slap Ya Momma for the first time last night and luv it!!
ReplyDeleteSlap Ya Momma is my go to for just about everything!!! Love that stuff!
DeleteMe too Erin!
DeleteOh Mary, you are so winning over my heart and my tummy! My mother fixes something similar to this....sort of a Salsbury Steak type dish. But mmmmm....does this ever look delish!! PS I Grabbed your button to put on my blog too! ~ Roz
ReplyDeleteShae, it'll be good without it, just substitute a little of that Slap Ya Mama and you'll be good to go! I love the Tiger Sauce because it's got that spicy sweet element to it. I'm so glad you got some SYM!! Now do you see why I love it in everything???!
ReplyDeleteAwww Roz... hey you reminded me, I don't think that I have put my Salisbury steak up yet! I haven't gotten around to redoing the buttons, but will be glad to reciprocate - thanks.
Can you use this recipe with regler stake?
Deleteand can you also just use regler Hamber patties
DeleteHi! This is written for ground beef burgers but I assume you're wanting to make steak and gravy. What kind of steaks?
DeleteYou may also use regular premade hamburger patties! You probably missed it, but up in the first paragraph of my post I wrote "This recipe uses fresh ground chuck to form into the hamburger patties, but certainly pre-made hamburger steak patties, would make an easy go of this dish, and for a speedy transition to dinnertime during the week." That applies to regular packaged hamburgers also. Directions on how to adjust for seasonings is also included in the recipe text.
Deleteyes i am to make stake and gravy and it is Pork Steak
DeleteI've never used this exact recipe for pork but you could probably use a chicken broth in place of the beef and use it! This is a good recipe for pork too.
DeleteOh dear!!! This looks delicious. I would just love a plate with some mashed potatoes right now :D
ReplyDeleteThat looks yummy!!!
ReplyDeleteHi There! Thank you for visiting me yesterday to celebrate my SITS Day! U are deeply appreciated!
Mary- I made these last night and they were great! Hubs loved them. Between the two of us, we ate 5 of them. (I ate two)...so much for Everything in Moderation, huh?)
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing it.
You are going to be the death of my hips...but I'm willing to accept that. Made this tonight and it was awesome
ReplyDeleteMamaFeelGood, from my hips to yours - thanks!!!
ReplyDeleteWould cube steaks work with this?
ReplyDeletePaige, I see no reason why not! Enjoy.
ReplyDeleteHubby made this and I devoured my entire dish before he had even taken 3 bites. It tasted like childhood...ahhaha!
ReplyDeleteYeah Mama, it's good old fashioned comfort food for sure!
ReplyDeleteI made this last night and it was AWESOME!!! Even my picky husband and 7 year old liked it, which is rare. It's now going in my recipe box. Thanks!!!
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome Tiffany! It's a good old fashioned favorite for sure. Thanks for taking the time to come back and leave a comment!
ReplyDeleteMary, I tried this yummy-sounding recipe last night. LOVED IT!!! It was wonderful with mashed potatoes, and steamed squash, zuchini, carrots and onions. Funny thing: I was cleaning up the kitchen counter while the steaks simmered, and found the egg hiding behind a jar - so it never made it into the meat mixture. It was still good, though!
ReplyDeleteThanks Sara - so glad you enjoyed the recipe. It's an oldie in my kitchen for sure, and it's been a site favorite since I first posted it. That is funny about the egg - sounds like my kitchen LOL!!
ReplyDeleteI have just made this as I had some leftover patties from a party , and its fantastic, I also picked up a few tips for making a truly great gravy.
ReplyDeleteMany thanks Mary.
What is the egg for?
ReplyDeleteDo you mean what is the purpose of the egg? It acts as a binder to help hold the hamburger patty together.
ReplyDeleteMaking this tonight. :) I have a question, Mary. What's the difference between regular salt and kosher salt- in cooking? (I know what kosher means, haha!)
ReplyDeleteHi Sunni - it's just a more coarse salt than table salt - just salt to taste. Any seasoning measurements that I give on my site are suggestions really, so just use some, then taste & add more if needed.
ReplyDeleteJust made this - it was DELICIOUS! Perfectly seasoned. I didn't have Tiger sauce (never heard of it) so I used sweet chili sauce (which looks like the asian sweet and sour sauce with bits of peppers, etc). I put this over white rice with corn and Bahamian Johnny Cake (I'm Bahamian) - man this was great thank you. If you think it's like a hamburger without the fixins, sittin in gravy - it's NOT. It really is a hamburger steak. A great way to use ground beef. I made them big (with and about 1/2" thick) because I had 1/2 lean half full fat and I knew some would cook away. It worked great! The family loved it! I'm 2 for 2 in the last week with this recipe and the brown sugar salmon. THANK YOU!!! :) XOXO ~Erin
ReplyDeleteThanks Erin! Glad you enjoyed it - it's a definite favorite in our house that's for sure. Sweet chili sauce would be very similar to Tiger Sauce which is pretty much really just a sweet hot sauce. It's just a nice spicy sweet addition but could be eliminated or simply substituted with regular hot sauce. Thanks again for taking the time to comment too!!
ReplyDeleteI made these tonight on a whim... they are the BEST hamburger steaks I have ever made. I didn't have the Tiger Sauce, I used chili sauce and hot sauce combined to equal the amount. I did add about 1/4 cup of dried breadcrumbs to my meat mixture. Awesome recipe!! Thank you so much!
ReplyDeleteThank you - so glad you enjoyed them!
ReplyDeleteThis was an AMAZING meal! Easy and soooooooooo good! :) Your recipes are the best!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much! This is one of the old stand-bys that has been around forever. I'm so glad that y'all enjoyed it & thanks so much for taking the time to come back by and let me know!
Deleteto add a little bam you could use some Worcestershire sauce an some mushrooms in the gravy too.just the way it is though makes my mouth water with a big scoop of smashed taters with that gravy all over it!!! man
ReplyDeleteI know Jim, it's so good isn't it? I actually do the Worcestershire sauce and mushrooms with my salisbury steaks. The recipe is here on the site, check it out sometime. You're right it is a great match!
DeleteI have Pickapeppa sauce on hand. Will that taste as good as the Tiger sauce?
ReplyDeleteHi Angie! It will be a bit of a different flavor profile - a regular red hot pepper sauce would be more fitting here - Pickapeppa is a little stronger & more robust, but you're only use a teaspoon for a little flavor punch so I think that it'd be good! You can also leave it out if you'd rather & the hamburger steak will be awesome without it. Enjoy!!
ReplyDeleteI'm a new cook and Have made this twice for my parents and they absolutly loved it, So easy and so simple! Thanks
ReplyDeleteYou are so welcome Hank - I'm thrilled they are enjoying the recipe! It's a favorite at our house too. Thanks so much for stopping back by to comment and let me know - I appreciate that!!
DeleteI just found your website and am loving all the recipes. The pictures and steps you offer simplify for a novice and are just a good reminder for those of us who have cooked for many years. Your Chicken Fried Steak looked sooooo goood. Thank you for offering a wonderful website.
ReplyDeleteAw thanks so much Kandy & welcome!!
DeleteThank you for offering such a comprehensive website with delicious recipes. This recipe and the one for chicken fried steak are good, comforting foods that bring back memories of growing up in Texas. Thank you!
ReplyDeleteLooks tasty,I think I'd add some Worcestershire sauce to kinda bump of the flavor a little more,but I'd still lick my plate clean the way it's made. :)
ReplyDeleteI've actually been known to do that myself Jim - enjoy!
DeleteI'm making this recipe right now as I type this. Quick question - I'm a bit unclear as to if you fully cook the patties in the beginning or *only* brown the outside. We just browned both sides per your instructions and now they're simmering in the gravy. About ten minutes into the simmer, I noticed red blood from the partially cooked beef floating in the gravy. :( Kinda freaks me out. Is this normal?
ReplyDeleteHi Carly! I'm sorry if my instructions weren't very clear. No, you aren't fully cooking the patties, only browning them to get them started cooking, so make sure your pan is hot so that there is a good sear on them. Then you remove them and set aside on a plate while you make the gravy. Once you return them to the gravy you should turn them to coat them with the gravy, then cover the skillet so that they finish cooking. Did you do all of those steps? Finishing them in the gravy helps to keep the patties nice and tender while they finish cooking. If you notice the juices pooling on top, simply turn them.
DeleteYou could certainly fully cook the patties rather than just searing them before returning them to the gravy, but then you wouldn't want to do much more than simply turn them and then serve them. It wouldn't have time to absorb the flavor from the gravy but it should still be tasty! I hope that helps.
Ended up using Sirachi Chilli sauce since I did not have Tiger sauce and it tasted good.The gravy was soooooo good!!! Thank you for this great website.
ReplyDeleteBet that addition was really good too Jane - I know I'd like it!! I'm thrilled you enjoyed the recipe & the website in general. Thanks so much for stopping back by to let me know!
DeleteI rarely go to any other site when I need a dinner recipe. You are a lifesaver!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much! I still have many to go - so many!!
DeleteOh yes, this is what we're having tonight, Thanks!
ReplyDeleteOh good - I hope y'all enjoyed it Dorothy!
DeleteWeren't no left overs....... nuff said :-)
ReplyDeleteFiled in the cookbook
That is a good sign!!
DeleteMade this tonight without the hot sauce, was still amazing!!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much!
Deletecan you use vegtable oil instead of canola oil
DeleteYou can use whatever cooking oil you want!
DeleteMade this tonight minus the hot sauce, was amazing :)
ReplyDeleteThanks so much!
DeleteI'm now on a diet. Do you know how many calories are in this?
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry, I sure don't! I can tell you that there can be some adjustments made to the recipe according to what dietary plan you are following to make it more diet friendly. A free site that I have used before when dieting is at myfitnesspal.com You can enter recipes and get the nutritional information which will help you to figure out ways to adjust some of your favorite recipes too! Best of luck with your diet.
DeleteWow! I never really like Salisbury Steak, but this was delicious. I made it tonight and basically eyed all the seasonings and it turned out wonderful. Thank you for adding another item in my family's dinner menu rotation!
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad that you enjoyed it & thank you for taking the time to stop back by to let me know!!
DeleteI just finished making this dish...my kids are begging to eat it now and not wait for dinner! I made gravy for the first time without CLUMPS! Thanks!!
ReplyDeleteI sure hope they enjoy it Joanne!!
DeleteI will beg to my wife to make me this dish. Now, I'm waiting for her to make me this dish.
ReplyDeleteI hope you don't have to wait too long!
DeleteDo I use the ingredients at the bottom?
ReplyDeleteHi! I'm afraid I don't quite understand the question. All of the information at the top of the post is basically a step by step tutorial just to give a visual of the preparation steps. The actual recipe with ingredients, amounts and instrutions, is what is located at the very bottom of the post. Hope that helps!
DeleteI think this needs some mushrooms added to the onions. .
DeleteI don't use mushrooms typically for my hamburger steaks, though I do for the salisbury steaks, however, they are included in the recipe as an option. You must've missed it?
DeleteJust made this... Delicious!!
ReplyDeleteWonderful! Thanks so much for stopping back by to let me know!!
DeleteHi Mary, just wanted to tell you thank you for this recipe. Made it for supper the other nite, and, I was amazed at how good the burgers tasted, as well as the gravy, simmered it about 45 min., fantastic. Had enough for leftovers next nite, and it was just as good as the nite before. I am glad I found your site.
ReplyDeleteLouise
Thanks Louise! You're so welcome. I just love this recipe - good ole comfort food!! Glad you enjoyed it & thanks so much for coming back by and letting me know.
DeleteFamily thrilled with the dinner. My daughter especially, she did not have to cook.:) I am not the cook at 79 I have slowed down and let others cook for me. This was easy and oh so good. Reminded of my Mommy who was the best cook.:)
DeleteWow awesome instructions and pics bout to try this rite now thanks
ReplyDeleteSure hope you enjoyed it!
DeleteI've made this a couple of times, and I have doubled up on the gravy for our Potatos. This is going in our family RECIPE book. I have a disease called Lupus so I am writing my daughters all the recipes of the dinners I have good in past times. Each meal comes with a story either about the meal or a funny memory. Like the first time I made this it was very bland then I looked and noticed I forgot the season salt.
ReplyDeleteI had a dinner party once and made our families famous mushroom gravy portk chops and I messed it all up, our friends ate the entire meal, and so did my husband and I and once we were drinking we all laughted and said THAT WAS SOOOO NASTY. Now at first I just thought it was me because my taste buds were messed up from medications, guess not. haha
What a treasure that recipe book will be!! I've had my fair share of cooking challenges that's for sure. Just ask my baby brother & sister about the "spanish rice" I tried to make them eat when mama was in the hospital with a miscarriage! That was awful!! I've improved a bit since then LOL!
DeleteMade them tonight just delicious
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad you enjoyed them & thank you so much for taking the time to stop back by and let me know!
DeleteOh My Goodness!!!!!!!!! Made this for the family and it was a big hit!! I made some slight changes because we have a large family, but certainly saving this!
ReplyDeleteThanks Kim! I'm so glad that your family enjoyed it and thank you so much for taking the time to stop back by and let me know, I really appreciate that!
DeleteThese instructions say to use a stainless skillet. All I have is a cast iron skillet. Would using a cast iron skillet change anything? Thanks...Joyce XOXOXOXO
ReplyDeleteNot at all Joyce! The only issue you may run into is that you need a tight fitting lid so you may have to try and cover it with a few layers of aluminum foil for the last step since most cast iron lids have a pouring spout on both sides.
DeleteNow that I'm pregnant, this is all I crave! I cook this all the time now! Its so delicious. All of your recipes I love and are so great! Thanks for sharing something so amazing! :)
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome Brittany & thank you so much for the sweet uplifting message! Funny because people often think of pregnant women craving odd things or sweet things, but I was the same way as you. I craved things like this - meat and meals!!
DeleteThis recipe is amazing. Thanks for sharing it! :)
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome & I'm thrilled to hear that you enjoyed it!!
Deletesoooooooooooooooooooo yummy and hubby cant get enough of it! thanks for bringing back all the recipes I enjoyed growing up in the south!
ReplyDeletesoooooooooooooooooooooooo yummy and hubby ant get enough of this! such comfort food and easy! thanks for bringing back to my memory all the these recipes that I grew up with in the south!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much Gina!
DeleteGood one!!! Sure will be a hit in our kitchen.
ReplyDeleteThanks William!
DeleteI added 1/3 C bread crumbs to the meat, and used a package of brown gravy mix. All is good.
ReplyDeleteI made this for dinner tonight and it was really good! Thanks for the recipe!
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad y'all enjoyed it Aubrey & thank you so much for taking the time to come back by and let me know!
DeleteHi Mary. I have never left a comment before but I had to let you know how much my husband and I enjoyed this. I'm not the best cook and I usually use envelope gravy. LOL! I nailed this. Thank you so much!! It was awesome.
ReplyDeleteAwesome!!
DeleteWhat is the Browning/ seasoning sauce? I have two packets of onion gravy mix I need to use? Is that it?
ReplyDeleteHi Brittney! Kitchen Bouquet is a browning and seasoning sauce. It adds a little more richness to the gravy and gives it a nice color. It's made of herbs, spices and pureed vegetables and is used in stews, sauces and gravies. You'll find it where they have the dried herbs, spices and seasonings at most grocery stores. While this recipe includes a homemade gravy, you can certainly sub in instant gravy packets too if you prefer. Just skip that part of the recipe.
DeleteDelicious! This was a stick to your ribs meal here, very filling. The gravy was full of flavor and we loved the onions too. The patties formed nicely for me as well. I used 1TBLS of the Tiger Sauce though, we really like that stuff. I read a fellow commenter above used some Sriracha chili sauce in their's, I wouldn't mind giving that a try in the future too.
ReplyDeleteThis is a homestyle and comfort dish to the max!! Thank you so much :)
You're welcome Mellie - glad y'all enjoyed it!
DeleteMade this tonight, It was such a big hit! My family loved it. Will make again.
ReplyDeleteYay! I'm so glad to hear that - thanks for letting me know!!
DeleteOh my, soooo good! I have a Celiac in the family, so I omitted the flour and used half as much cornstarch to dip the patties and in the gravy. My extra picky husband -- who prefers real flour -- could not tell the difference and thought this was great.
ReplyDeleteThank you - I'm so glad that y'all enjoyed it!
Delete