A quick and creamy peppercorn sauce ready in under 15 minutes — perfect for steak, chicken or roasted portobello mushrooms. Rich, peppery and versatile, it also makes a brilliant dip for fries.😋
This recipe will be your go-to sauce for steak or chicken.
A classic steak sauce is made with black peppercorns, cream, and brandy. It is a rich and delicious sauce that's perfect for a date night or a special occasion.
Can you make peppercorn sauce without alcohol?
Brandy gives the sauce a nice kick, but it’s not essential, so you can skip it if you like. I happened to have a bottle in the cupboard, but there’s no reason to buy one just for three tablespoons!
Peppercorn sauce ingredients
- unsalted butter
- shallots
- Brandy
- whole black peppercorns
- 1 x Intense Knorr Rich Beef stock pot
- double (heavy) cream
No flour or cornstarch is needed, as it thickens nicely after a little simmering.
It's important to crush the peppercorns in a pestle and mortar or put them in a zip-lock bag and use something bashable to crush them; otherwise, someone will take a tooth out! 😱
How to make peppercorn sauce
Melt the butter in a frying pan, add the shallots, and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until they're soft but not browned.
Now add the peppercorns and the brandy, and turn the heat up.
Technically, you’re meant to ignite the brandy to burn off the alcohol—but there’s no way I’m attempting that in my tiny kitchen!🔥 😱
Cook until the liquid has almost gone - about 3 minutes.
Add 200 ml of the stock, and keep the heat on medium-high.
Cook until the stock has reduced by two-thirds.
Remove from the heat and allow to cool before stirring in the cream - this is to stop the sauce from curdling.
Let it cook for a couple of minutes until the sauce thickens, darkens, and is heated through.
Serve poured over steak or on the side.
Can I make it ahead?
Yes, you can, but make sure to let the sauce cool completely first. Once cooled, store it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to two days.
Reheat over a low heat, stirring until piping hot. Another recipe you might like is blue cheese sauce for steak.
Recipe top tips!
Shallots
You can also use finely chopped red onions.
Brandy
You can use any brandy, cognac or Marsala, but if you don't want to use alcohol, then you can leave it out.
Peppercorns
I enjoy adding plenty of peppercorns to my sauce, but if you’re not a fan of the strong flavour, you can opt for green peppercorns, as they’re milder than black ones.
Stock
I used a rich beef stock, but any good stock will do as long as it's strong.
Cream
Always go for double (heavy) cream instead of single (light) cream, or your sauce might split and lose a lot of its flavour.
Have you tried this recipe? Please leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ star rating in the recipe card below!
Easy Peppercorn Sauce for Steak
The perfect sauce for steak, although you could also pour it over pan-fried chicken, or dip fries into it!
Ingredients
- 10 g unsalted butter
- 3 shallots - peeled and very finely chopped
- 3 tablespoons brandy
- 1½ tablespoons of whole black peppercorns - crushed with a pestle and mortar
- 1 x Knorr Intense Rich Beef stock pot - dissolved in just 300 ml of hot water (you will only need 200 ml), but this ratio gets the taste just right
- 80 ml double (heavy) cream
Instructions
- Crush the peppercorns using a pestle and mortar, or place them in a zip-lock bag and give them a little bash!
- Heat the butter in a frying pan and add the shallots. Cook, stirring, over a medium heat until soft but not coloured.
- Now add the peppercorns and the brandy, turn the heat up and cook until the liquid has almost gone - about 3 minutes.
- Pour in 200 ml of stock, keep the heat at medium-high, and cook until it has reduced by about two-thirds.
- Remove from the heat and allow to cool before stirring in the cream - this is to stop it from curdling.
- Cook for a few minutes until the sauce thickens, darkens, and is fully heated. Serve it drizzled over the steak or on the side.
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