Beef Tips and Gravy

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Beef Tips and Gravy is a classic comfort food style meal, made with chunks of tender beef in a decadent brown gravy. Serve over mashed potatoes, rice, or egg noodles.

beef tips and gravy in a black pot with wooden spoon

If you’re looking for a comforting, satisfying meal to add to your menu, this beef tips and gravy recipe is a sure winner! We like them over mashed potatoes, buttered noodles, or rice. Add a green salad or some Roasted Broccoli for a complete meal.

Beef tips are inexpensive, making this beef tips and gravy recipe a great budget-friendly option. The meat comes out so tender, that it just melts in your mouth. Plus it’s really easy to make! A majority of the 45 minute cooking time is letting the meat simmer. The gravy is made and thickened as the meat cooks – one pot for easy clean up!

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Ingredients

Beef tips – or cubed beef sirloin roast.
Common ingredients – Salt, pepper, olive oil, butter, onion, garlic. You can substitute garlic powder or onion powder for the fresh ingredients if you like. About a teaspoon of each.
Flour – to thicken the gravy.
Beef broth – to make the gravy.
Worcestershire sauce – for flavor.
Herbs – Dried thyme, bay leaf, parsley.

ingredients for beef tips and gravy

How To Make Beef Tips and Gravy

Brown the meat. Heat a large pot over medium heat, add oil and the meat. Season with salt and pepper and brown the meat on all sides. Use a slotted spoon to remove the meat from the pot and transfer to a plate.
Cook the onions and garlic. Melt some butter in the pot and cook some chopped onion and garlic. Sprinkle on some flour, which will thicken the sauce into gravy as it cooks, then whisk in beef broth.
Add remaining ingredients and simmer. Add the meat back to the pot, along with some Worcestershire sauce, thyme, and a bay leaf. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer (uncovered) for about half an hour. The liquid will reduce and the flour will help it to thicken into a gravy.
Add butter, salt, and pepper. I like to melt some extra butter for richness, then give it a taste and add salt and pepper as needed.

collage image of beef tips in black skillet
onions and garlic with flour
pots of beef tips cooking in a gravy

Serving Suggestions

This recipe makes a perfect topping for your favorite mashed potatoes recipe. They are also great with Garlic Mashed Potatoes or Cheesy Mashed Potatoes, and they are quite tasty served inside a Baked Potato.

If potatoes aren’t your thing, you can serve with some egg noodles. The gravy is so rich and delicious and coats the noodles perfectly. Rice is also a perfectly tasty option.

For side dishes, we usually go with Honey Roasted Carrots, Frozen Vegetables, or a crisp Wedge Salad.

beef tips with gravy over mashed potatoes

FAQs

Can I freeze beef tips?

Yes! Pour the tips and gravy into freezer bags and press out as much air as possible. Freeze for up to 3 months.

Can I prep beef tips in advance?

I recommend cooking this dish fresh, but yes you can prep a little in advance, by browning the meat on all sides, then storing until ready to finish cooking.

What Cut of Meat are Beef Tips?

Beef tips are the smaller scraps leftover after a larger piece of meat, like sirloin or tenderloin roast, is broken down. Sirloin and tenderloin are the best cuts for beef tips and gravy because they don’t require a long time to break down and become tender.

Are beef tips and stew meat the same?

Beef tips are cut from the sirloin or tenderloin, which is nice and tender and doesn’t require hours of cooking. If you can’t find tips, stew meat will generally work, but often is made from chuck which isn’t as tender.

Expert Tips

Be careful not to overcrowd the pan which will result in the meat steaming instead of browning. If needed, brown the meat in batches to avoid the pieces being too close together.
Sometimes I’ll add sliced mushrooms with the onions because they add a delicious flavor to the brown gravy.
To make the gravy even richer, add a splash of heavy cream, or a splash of red wine.
Storage:
Keep leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days or freeze for up to 3 months.
Reheating: I recommend reheating in a saucepan on the stovetop, but the microwave works too.

beef tips in gravy, over mashed potatoes on a plate.

Recipe Variations

You can make this recipe in your slow cooker or instant pot, but it will require changes to the recipe.

Slow Cooker: Saute onions for a few minutes in a tablespoon of olive oil and a tablespoon of butter, then add garlic and beef. Cook for 1-2 minutes just long enough to brown the beef. Add to the slow cooker along with beef broth, Worcestershire, and seasonings. Cook 7-8 hours on LOW or cook on HIGH for 5-6 hours. To thicken, make a slurry from about half a cup of beef broth juices/liquid from the pot and 2 tablespoons of cornstarch or flour. Whisk together and pour into the crock pot. It should thicken pretty quickly, but let cook for 15 minutes. To thicken more, add more slurry.

Instant Pot: Follow the same steps as the crockpot, but saute onions, garlic, and beef in the Instant Pot. Turn off saute and add liquids and seasonings. Stir to make sure liquid has reached the bottom of the pot. Seal and cook on Manual-High Pressure for 25 minutes. Natural release for 20 minutes, then manually release any extra pressure. To thicken the gravy, make a slurry as described above.

gravy and beef in a skillet with wooden spoon

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4.62

from

votesKristin Maxwell

Beef Tips and Gravy is classic comfort food, with chunks of tender beef in a rich brown gravy. Serve over mashed potatoes, rice or noodles.

Prep Time

mins

Cook Time

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Total Time

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Ingredients

▢

2

pounds

beef tips or cubed beef sirloin roast
▢

1

teaspoon

salt

or to taste
▢

1

teaspoon

pepper

or to taste
▢

1

tablespoon

olive oil
▢

3

tablespoons

butter

divided
▢

1

small white onion

finely diced
▢

3

garlic cloves

minced
▢

¼

cup

all-purpose flour
▢

4

cups

beef broth
▢

2

tablespoons

Worcestershire sauce
▢

½

teaspoon

dried thyme leaves

or 2-3 fresh springs
▢

1

bay leaf
▢

1

tablespoon

parsley freshly chopped

Instructions

Heat a 5 quart dutch oven over medium heat. Add oil and cubed meat. Season with salt and pepper and brown on all sides; about 3-4 minutes. Transfer to a plate.
Melt 2 tablespoons butter in the pot. Add onion and cook until translucent; about 3-4 minutes. Stir in garlic and cook for an additional 30 seconds to a minute.
Sprinkle in the flour and stir to coat. Cook for 2 minutes.
Whisk in the beef broth until well combined.
Add cubed beef, Worcestershire sauce, thyme leaves and bay leaf to the pot. Stir to combine and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, and simmer uncovered for 30-40 minutes, stirring occasionally until gravy is thickened and beef is tender. Stir in remaining tablespoon of butter until melted. Taste and add salt and pepper as desired.
Remove bay leaf and serve over mashed potatoes, egg noodles or rice, garnished with fresh minced parsley.

Notes

Be careful not to overcrowd the pan which will result in the meat steaming instead of browning. If needed, brown the meat in batches to avoid the pieces being too close together.
For added flavor add sliced mushroom with the onions.
For a richer gravy, add a splash of heavy cream.
Storage: Keep leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days or freeze for up to 3 months.
Reheating: I recommend reheating in a saucepan on the stovetop, but the microwave works too.