This fork-tender cube steak recipe has a savory gravy to make a cozy meal!
Cube steaks become extra tender cooked low and slow and are packed with flavor cooked in a balsamic gravy with golden onions.
It’s an easy way to turn an economical cut of beef into a five-star entree.
What is Cube Steak?
Cube steak is sometimes called minute steak or cubed steak.
Taken from the top or bottom round, it is a more economical cut of beef that looks similar to ground beef although it’s a single piece of meat. It’s been tenderized and flattened by a machine giving it the texture you see in the image below which looks almost like little “cubes” hence the name.
I cook cube steak in the crock pot, quickly pan-fry, or bake in the oven as in this recipe. Minute steak can even be battered to make the famous “chicken fried steak.” It’s a flavorful cut of meat that can become very tender when cooked low and slow.
Ingredients
STEAK Use cube steak for this recipe, it is flavorful and cooks to tender perfection using the method this recipe describes. If you don’t have cube steaks, round steak is a good option.
ONIONS What could be better than a steak smothered in a savory gravy made with onions? Onions should be cooked until softened but don’t brown them too much.
BALSAMIC GRAVY The sauce or gravy is made with red wine, beef broth, and a handful of savory herbs and spices. It’s super easy with a different flavor than our usual beef onion gravy like we use in our beef tips recipe. For a version without wine, simply substitute extra beef broth in place of the wine.
How to Cook Cube Steak with Gravy
It’s so easy to pull this delicious meal together in just a few easy steps:
- Lightly dust steaks in flour (known as dredging) and brown on both sides.
- Cook onions in butter, add wine, & reduce.
- Add steaks back to the pan & add remaining ingredients except for the cornstarch.
- Slow cook in the oven (per recipe below).
- Once cooked, you’ll have a lovely flavorful broth that can be thickened into gravy with a cornstarch slurry.
This dish is great spooned over mashed potatoes (or garlic mashed potatoes) or egg noodles.
Tips for Tender Cube Steak
- Cook the steak low and slow for the best results. A higher temperature won’t work with this recipe.
- If your cube steaks are not tender, they likely need more cooking time to continue to cook and break down tough tissues. Cover them back up and cook another 20-30 minutes.
- No dutch oven? Brown the steaks & make the sauce on the stovetop, then transfer to a casserole dish (with a lid!) to bake.
Side Dishes For Cube Steak
- Crispy Brussels Sprouts – baked until golden & crispy
- Oven Roasted Veggies – sweet & savory
- Sauteed Green Beans – ready in 15 minutes
- Garlic Butter Oyster Mushrooms – so flavorful
- Air Fryer Broccolini – quick, easy, & elegant
Did your family love this Cube Steak with Gravy recipe? Be sure to leave a rating and a comment below!
Cube Steaks with Balsamic Onion Gravy
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 pounds cube steaks
- ⅓ cup flour
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 large onions sliced into ¼" rings
- ½ cup red wine or beef broth
- 3-4 cups beef broth + 1 cup, not low sodium
- 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon rosemary chopped
- salt and black pepper to taste
- 1 tablespoon corn starch
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Combine flour, salt, & pepper in a shallow plate. Dredge the meat in the flour mixture.
- Heat olive oil over medium heat in a dutch oven. Brown steaks on each side (adding additional olive oil if needed). Set aside.
- Melt the butter in the dutch oven and cook onions in it until they are tender, add the wine and cook until it reduces. Top with browned steaks.
- Add remaining ingredients except for cornstarch. Cover and place in the oven. Cook for 2 ½-3 hours or until fork-tender. Halfway through cooking, add 1 more cup of broth so the meat is covered with liquid.
- Remove the dutch oven from oven and remove the steaks from the pot and place on a plate covered with foil.
- Combine cornstarch with 1 tablespoon water. Bring liquid in the pot to a boil. Stir in cornstarch slurry and stir until thickened.
- Serve over mashed potatoes.
Notes
- Cook the steak low and slow for the best results. A higher temperature won't work with this recipe.
- If your cube steaks are not tender, they likely need more cooking time to continue to cook and break down tough tissues. Cover them back up and cook another 20-30 minutes.
- No dutch oven? Brown the steaks & make the sauce on the stovetop, then transfer to a casserole dish (with a lid!) to bake.
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.
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You mention: “No dutch oven? Brown the steaks & make the sauce on the stovetop, then transfer to a casserole dish (with a lid!) to bake.” What temp oven and still 2 1/2 – 3 hours?
The baking time and temperature remain the same.
I’ve done this low and slow on the stovetop without the oven by simmering and additional liquid as needed
very tasty
I have never left a review before but I had to for this one… I only had one cube steak to cook before it went bad so it only took 2.5 hours but LET ME TELL YOU… the gravy is divine with the balsamic and everything… it marries so well I can’t get over how good it is. My husband had the steak and he said it was amazing. If I could give this more stars I totally would. I’m saving the extra gravy for filet Mignon tomorrow!
I should also add that since I only had one steak..two cups of broth was perfect with the slurry at the end.
I’m making this for the second time….
It won’t be the last time….
Left overs make a great mini meat pies…
Delicious and deeply flavorful. Prep is a cinch, and then just chuck it in the oven. This reminds me of a simplified Bœuf Bourgignon. I naughtied it up and used bacon grease instead of olive oil and butter. I served it over polenta. Thanks for a great one-pot recipe!
Loved it! Reduced broth to 2 cups and cooked it 36 minutes in the instapot.
How would this work in the crock pot?
Hi Jean, we have a delicious crockpot steak and gravy recipe that you could follow the cooking instructions for.
This was excellent! Loved the addition of the balsamic vinegar. It gave it a totally different flavor than all the other recipes I have tried. Definitely add more water during the cooking process. I forgot and the level of liquid did get very low. Will definitely make again!
So happy you enjoyed this recipe, Nancy!
This was amazing! I cut the time in more than half by placing the steaks in my instapot for 25 minutes with a natural release then I followed the recipe butplaced in oven for 45 minutes. I used a cast iron skillet and covered with foil cz I don’t have a Dutch oven or any other oven dish with a lid. Steaks were so tender that I could break off a piece with my fork. Very flavorful! Thank you!
You’re welcome Elle. Thank you for sharing!
Thanks for sharing your alterations, Elle! So happy this recipe was such a hit for you ❤️
This was a really great recipe. I added a few of my own tweaks but I noticed there is an important step missing. The recipe never states when to move the Dutch Oven into the regular oven. It’s common sense to me but likely not to everyone. I placed it in the oven after step 5. I also started with 4 cups beef broth so never had to add any extra.
Thanks for catching that, Crystal! We have updated the recipe accordingly.
Every recipe is right up my alley. Want to try the Balsamic beef. Problem is it’s generally my Mom and I so I would have to do an over the top Sunday with my sister and her husband on a Sunday. My Mom isn’t a meat eater. Don’t like it at all but will have a nibble to be polite. The pizza dip looks amazing!
If you do try it out we would love to hear how it turns out for you, Roger!
My Mom bought cube steaks in little packs with butter pats on top. (in the 60’s-70’s) She made those 4 little patties feed her family of 5! She worked side by side with my Dad in their business, so dinner was never fancy and always cheap! Many nights we had waffles for dinner (and not the frozen kind!) I gave this 4 stars only because I don’t like to have to cook all the food and then slow cook it, dump and go is my favorite way to make a meal. I am going to give your grape jelly meatballs a try soon!
That is such a sweet memory, Nancy. Thanks for sharing with us. We think you will love the grape jelly meatballs!
Can I leave the rosemary out and use something else?
It will change the flavor but you can omit it if you prefer, Donna.
Yes, you can use whatever herb you like.
Could this be done in an Insta Pot?
Hi Faye, we have not tried this recipe in the instant pot but would love to hear how it turns out for you!