My Round Steak Beef and Gravy Recipe is that super easy meal idea that every mom needs in their kitchen toolbox. Turn a simple round steak into a delicious meal with just a few simple ingredients probably found in your pantry.
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This is the first of the meals I make from my Three Easy Round Steak Meals. The other two round steak meals are Round Steak Beef and Noodles and Round Steak Beef Stew. If you don’t want to make all three meals, I also have the other recipes for each round steak recipe written individually.
Generally, you won’t find a large classic round steak at the grocery store anymore. They now like to cut the meat into separate cuts, usually bottom round steak, top round steak, or eye of round roasts. I like to use round steak to make this beef and gravy recipe because it’s lean and easy to cut into individual serving pieces.
If available, I like to buy sirloin tip round steak roasts, but thick-cut top or bottom round steaks or an eye-of-round roast work well, too.
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Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Simple ingredients: This recipe uses basic, minimal ingredients, probably in your pantry right now.
- Comforting: A classic comfort food dish.
- Cost-effective: Slow cooking in the oven is one of the easiest ways to take an affordable cut of beef and turn it into an easy and delicious meal—even great for a busy weeknight!
Recipe Ingredients
- Round steak roast – approximately 2 lbs.
- Vegetable oil
- Beef Bouillon
- Onion
- Corn starch
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
How To Make Round Steak Beef with Savory Gravy
Step 1. In a Dutch oven, brown 2 lbs round steak in vegetable oil.
Step 2. Sauté onion and deglaze with 1 cup water.
Step 3. Add enough water to almost cover the meat and stir in beef base. Cover with a lid and roast in a 325ºF oven for 1.5 to 2 hours until tender.
Step 4. Once cooked, remove the steak from the oven and slice into thick portions. Make the gravy and pour the mixture into the pan, stirring over medium heat until the gravy thickens.
Recipe FAQs
Yes, flour can be used as a substitute for cornstarch to thicken the gravy. The ratio may vary, so add gradually until the desired thickness is reached.
Yes, after browning the steak and sautéing the onion (if using), transfer everything to a slow cooker and cook on low for 6-8 hours or high for 3-4 hours until tender. Thicken the gravy as directed before serving.
Browning the steak before slow cooking adds depth to the flavor through caramelization, but it’s not strictly necessary.
Expert Tips
- Don’t skip deglazing: Using water, beef broth, or wine to scrape up the brown bits after browning the meat adds a ton of flavor to your gravy.
- Make it tender: Cutting the steak against the grain shortens the muscle fibers, making each piece easier to chew and more tender.
- Leftover magic: Leftover round steak can be repurposed into sandwiches, tacos, or salads, making it a versatile ingredient for meal planning.
- Rest before slicing: Allow the cooked round steak to rest for a few minutes after removing it from the oven and before slicing. This helps retain its juices, making a more flavorful and tender steak.
More Beef Recipes to Consider
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Round Steak Beef and Gravy
Ingredients
- 2 lbs round steak roasts top round, bottom round, eye of round, or sirloin tip round steak
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 3 cups of water
- 1.5 tablespoons beef base Better Than Bouillon* or substitute beef bouillon cubes
- 1 tablespoon ½ large yellow onion finely chopped
- Gravy:
- ¼ cup corn starch
- ¼ cup cold water
Instructions
- In a large Dutch oven, brown the 2 lbs of round steak on all sides in a hot pan with 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil. Ensure thorough browning for added flavor. Adjust the amount of oil if needed.
- If using fresh onion, sauté it in the pan with additional oil until tender. Carefully deglaze the pan with 1 cup of water, scraping up brown bits. Add remaining water, adjusting to almost cover the meat.
- Stir in beef base (Better Than Bouillon)
- Cover the pan with a tight-fitting lid and roast in a preheated 325º oven for 1.5 to 2 hours until the meat is fork-tender. Adjust time-based on roast thickness.
- Remove from the oven, place the round steak on a cutting board, and slice into thick individual serving portions.
- For the gravy, mix ¼ cup corn starch with ¼ cup water. Gradually stir into the pan on the stove top over medium-high heat until it thickens. Adjust consistency with more corn starch mixture or water. Season with salt and black pepper to taste.
- Serve sliced round steak in a dish, topped with the gravy.
Notes
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- Don’t skip the deglazing step. Using water, broth or beef stock, or wine to scrape up the browned bits after browning the meat adds a ton of extra flavor to your gravy.
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- Cutting the steak against the grain shortens the muscle fibers, making each piece easier to chew and more tender.
-
- Allow the cooked round steak to rest for a few minutes after removing it from the oven and before slicing. This helps retain its juices, making the steak more flavorful and tender.
- Leftover round steak can be repurposed into sandwiches, tacos, or salads, making it a versatile ingredient for meal planning.
Melanie
I added lots of mushrooms, and added red wine & a sm dollop of
Dijon mustard at the end. Excellent results!!
Alicia S
I am adding this to the rotation!
I made a couple changes that I think enhanced the flavor profile a bit. I used beef broth instead of water, and added a coupow tsp of Penzey’s beef roast spice blend. The taste was perfection!
Due to my Celiac Disease, I had to use gluten-free flour and the gravy never thickened. I think that is more the flour’s fault than the recipe, though. Next time I will try with cornstarch instead.
I served it with boxed mashed potatoes and ended up eating two plates!
Barbara Schieving
Glad it was a hit Alicia. Thanks for sharing your tweaks.
Charlene
You won’t be disappointed with the taste. This is my “go to” when I need an easy dinner night. I’ve even used the meat, minus the gravy, for fajitas. I saved the gravy, then just cooked the meat in the pressure cooker the next week, and dumped the gravy on it. This recipe is so versatile that you’ll find tons of ways to use it. I’ve even cooked it in the ninja foodie. By far, my favorite recipe on the internet.
Barbara Schieving
So many great ideas – thanks for sharing Charlene! So fun to hear how much you love the recipe.
Tommy
All I have is the eye of round steak.How do I cook it
Barbara Schieving
Hi Tommy – how much does the steak weigh?
PMS
Just finished a delicious meal! Never had an eye roast that u could cut with a fork. We’ll make the noodle and beef with the leftovers. So tasty cooked it with carrots and in the last hour added potatoes everything was sooo good. Thank you for a great recipe!
Barbara Schieving
So glad it was a hit – thanks!
Anita Charette
I dont have a round steak roast but I do have three patty sized thin steaks. I tried this once before just by fast frying with onions and some water, Did not enjoy this-very tough. Please suggest something I can do with this. Thank you.
Barbara Schieving
Hi Anita – if the meat is tough it needs to be cooked longer. Make sure you’ve covered the steaks with water so they’ll tenderize. When the meat pulls apart with a fork, it’s ready to eat.
Michele
On the instructions to add water until the meat is covered, you don’t mean the whole meat being covered under water, do you?
Barbara Schieving
Hi Michele – it depends on the size of pan you’re using and the shape of the meat you have, but you want to use plenty of water so you have lots of gravy. There are more pictures on this post https://www.barbarabakes.com/three-easy-round-steak-meals/ showing how much water I used.
Tina
I have used this recipe twice. It is perfect and the steak and gravy is delicious! I also made the beef and noodles which was also fabulous!!
Barbara Schieving
Thanks Tina! That’s great to hear that you loved both.
Rebecca Ledford
My gravy needed a little more flavor. But we do like highly seasoned foods. Got a suggestion for herb to add another layer of flavor?
Barbara Schieving
Hi Rebecca – if you’ve seared the beef well and deglazed the pan well, and still want to add some herbs, I recommend bay leaves and rosemary. Here’s a good article with more suggestions https://www.thespruceeats.com/culinary-herbs-for-beef-1761805
Larry Gaines
Post a recipe for round steak and gravy in the Instant Pot
Barbara Schieving
Hi Larry – here’s an Instant Pot version https://www.pressurecookingtoday.com/pressure-cooker-sirloin-tips-in-gravy/ – use a sirloin tip round steak.
Savannagal
Just FYI. Your last ingredient, presumably water, is missing from the ingredient list.
Barbara Schieving
Thanks! I’ve updated the recipe.
Kt
Thank you for this recipe! I saw top round steak at Costco and googled a recipe for it and found yours. I’ve been longing for a plain and simple recipe like this for a beef roast but never found one. Well this is all what i wanted it to be, absolutely delicious. I sprinkled the roast with salt and pepper before browning, and I did have to add a few more cups of water during roasting but not a big deal. For Christmas I’m going to buy a 4-5 lb roast and make this. Thanks again