These Beef Tips are slow-cooked until tender and served with a rich, savory onion gravy that is full of comforting flavor. Served over mashed potatoes, this hearty dish makes an easy and satisfying dinner the whole family will enjoy.
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Holly’s Recipe Highlights: Beef Tips
Flavor: This is rich and savory, with tender beef, sweet onions, and a deep, comforting gravy.
Skill Level: This recipe is easy to prepare, and the long simmer means minimal effort.
Technique: Slow cooking is a great way to tenderize the beef, and it adds so much flavor.
Serving Suggestions: Serve these tender beef tips over creamy mashed potatoes, fluffy rice, or egg noodles to soak up the rich, savory gravy.
Total Time: 2 Hours Serves: 4 Cooking Method: Stovetop
Ingredient Notes
- Beef Tips: Use steak, stew meat, cubed chuck roast, or beef tips in this recipe. Beef tips are usually the tender parts of the tenderloin top. They can also be sirloin tips that come from a larger roast or tri-tip.
- Beef Broth: Beef broth creates the flavorful base for the gravy. Low-sodium broth works well when using condensed soup, since the soup already adds extra salt.
- Yellow Onion: Yellow onion adds a sweet, savory depth to the gravy as it cooks down. Dice it finely so it softens and blends smoothly into the sauce. Add mushrooms with the onions for a mushroom gravy version.
- Condensed Soup: This canned soup adds deep onion flavor and helps create a rich, savory gravy with minimal prep. Use condensed soup rather than dry onion soup mix for the best texture and consistency.
- Variations: Stir in a splash of cream after thickening for a softer, richer finish.
How To Make Beef Tips
- Season and brown the beef (full recipe below). Cook the onion in the same pot.
- Add the beef back with broth, condensed soup, Worcestershire sauce, and bay leaf. Simmer.
- Once tender, thicken the gravy with a cornstarch slurry.
Tips for Tender Beef
- Brown in Batches: Browning the beef in small batches sears it instead of steaming.
- Do Not Rush the Simmer: Chuck roast needs time to become tender.
- Cover the Pot: Keep the pot covered while simmering so the beef stays moist and the gravy does not reduce too quickly.
- Cut Beef Evenly: Cut beef into similar-sized cubes for even cooking.
- Make Perfect Gravy: Add the cornstarch slurry a little at a time. Stop when the gravy is as thick as you like it.
- For Extra Gravy: Add a splash more beef broth before thickening.
Leftover Beef Tips
Keep leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days and in the freezer for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator. Reheat on the stovetop or in the microwave, adding a splash of broth or water if the gravy has thickened too much.
Cozy Beef Dinners
Did you enjoy the this Beef Tips Recipe? Leave a comment and rating below.
Equipment
- Dutch Oven with a lid
Ingredients
- 2 pounds beef chuck roast cubed or stew meat
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 yellow onion chopped
- 1 (10.5 ounce) can beef broth
- 1 (10.5 ounce) can condensed French onion soup or condensed onion soup
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 bay leaf
- chopped fresh parsley for garnish, optional
To Thicken Gravy:
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch
- ⅓ cup water
Instructions
- Trim any fat from the beef and toss with salt and pepper.
- Heat 1 tablespoon of oil over medium-high heat in large pot or Dutch oven. Add the seasoned beef and cook in small batches until browned. Transfer the beef to a bowl and set aside.
- Reduce the heat to medium and add the remaining oil. Add the onion and cook until softened, about 5 to 7 minutes.
- Add the beef, beef broth, condensed onion soup, Worcestershire sauce, and bay leaf to the pot. Bring to a boil, cover, and reduce heat to a simmer. Simmer for 1½ to 2 hours or until beef is fork-tender.
- To thicken the gravy, combine cornstarch with ⅓ cup cold water. Pour into the beef mixture a little at a time while stirring until it reaches the desired consistency.
- Taste and season with additional salt and pepper if desired. Discard bay leaf and serve over mashed potatoes.
Video
Notes
- The onion soup in this recipe is canned condensed soup. It can be found in the soup aisle at your local grocery store.
- Serve over mashed potatoes, rice, or pasta noodles.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Reheat in the microwave or on the stovetop until heated through.
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Beef, Dinner, Entree, Main Course
Cuisine American© SpendWithPennies.com. Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited. Please view my photo use policy here.
Very flavorful. Definitely a keeper recipe! My family loved it. I used beef tenderloin & cooked in dutch oven instead of crockpot. It was delicious!
Oh my!! This is absolutely delicious Will definitely be making this again. It was very easy!!
It’s the kids new favorite meal!
I wanted to try it with 8lbs of stew meat for a larger groups. How long would I need to cook iff to?
Thanks!
Happy to hear that Josh! While I haven’t made that much at once, I think once it is at a boil, it’ll take a similar amount of time, maybe slightly longer. Be sure to brown the beef in batches. Softening the onions may take longer as well. Enjoy!
Quick question. Do you mix the onion soup up as the instructions on the can indicate or just use the condensed onion soup by itself?
Use it right from the can as is.
Omg! Stop what your doing and go get these ingredients, but also add 3 tablespoons garlic powder,2 table spoons onion powder and one shake Oregano!
This was first time I’ve made and ate tenderloin tips. I found them amazing. And the other 2 guys said they were super amazing so this chick knows her stuff( the author not me)!
Thanks girl
Love, love, LOVED this!!!! I wanted to make it following the directions but found that I didn’t have any cream of onion soup. So I used cream of celery along with a packet of Lipton onion soup mix. It turned out amazing!!!! I will definitely be making this again!!! Thank you for this recipe!!!!
If I were to add Mushrooms, when would be a good time to add them? Would it make it too watery?
Hi Elizabeth, I think mushrooms would be a delicious addition and it shouldn’t turn out too watery. I would sautee the mushrooms with the onions and then the excess water should cook off in that step. We would love to hear what you think!
If I decide to make this using the dry soup mix instead of the condensed soup to cut down on sodium should I mix it with water or beef broth? And how much? The condensed soup is 10.5oz so would that how much liquid I mix with it?
Hi Jennifer, I don’t think I would do the full 10.5 ounces of water since you want it to be a bit thicker but you can mix the onion soup mix with additional beef broth or water and add it in place of the condensed soup. We would love to hear how it turns out for you!
Made this recipe last night and it was a hit with my boys. My husband and son loved it as did I. I made it with everything the recipe called for but the french onion condensed soup because my husband is sensitive to gluten. It was delish and I served it over mashed potatoes (instant, because my husband prefers it).
Could this recipe also work using a slow cooker?
I haven’t tried this recipe in the slow cooker however other readers have had great success with it. I would suggest browning the beef before adding it and cooking for about 8 hrs on low or 4-5 hours on high. We would love to hear how it turns out for you!
This recipe was delicious and my wife said it was the best she has ever had.
I would give this more stars if I could. Rich and flavorful , I love this recipe. I did add a little bit of onion soup mix to the meat and the gravy but other than that I made it exactly is described. This is my go-to when I want to impress somebody.
This recipe was delicious. I have never made beef tips and gravy before. This was easy and very good.
Served over egg noodles. Family loved it. This one’s going in the recipe box for sure.
That is awesome, Dawn! So happy they enjoyed it.
I too made a few little adjustments: I caramelized the onions, and deglazed my dutch oven using red cooking wine (because everything goes better with red wine:)) and added about another 1/4 cup of beef broth. Fork-tender deliciousness!!
That sounds yummy! Thanks for sharing, Dawn!
Turned out awesome. I added sautéed mushrooms poured of mashed red garlic potatoes.
Really, really good. This was my 1st time making these ever. The only difference was I my own condensed soup for it and added mushrooms.
That would be a delicious substitution, Michelle! We love making our own too.
Just don’t like the onion soup part, too much salt
Wow! These turned out great! I made 2 very minor changes and presoaked my beef in soda water to tenderize. After browning the beef and caramelizing the onions, I deglazed my dutch oven using about a 1/4 cup of cooking sherry I had on hand and I didn’t have condensed French Onion soup so I used a package of dry onion soup mix. I followed the rest of recipe to a tee. It was so tender and tasty, I definitely will make again! Thanks so much!
Thanks for sharing your substitutions, Bonnie! That sounds delicious.
Hi,
I am going to share this with an elderly widowed neighbor. She has some physical challenges and can’t stand for too long. I am wondering if she can skip the browning step.
Thank you
Hi Kristi, we recommend browning for best flavor and have only made the recipe that way. However, while we have not tried it, other readers have reported success without browning. Let us know if you do try it!