- Why You’ll Love This Creamy Mushroom Sauce
- Ingredients & Substitutions
- How To Make Creamy Mushroom Sauce
- Tips For Adjusting Sauce Thickeness
- Storage Instructions
- Ways To Use Mushroom Cream Sauce
- More Sauces For Steak And Chicken
- Recommended Tools
- Creamy Mushroom Sauce (For Steak, Chicken & More) Recipe card
- Recipe Reviews
After I created my creamy mushroom chicken, I decided to experiment with the sauce on its own. I made a few tweaks to make it more versatile for a variety of recipes, and (after 5 tests) this is the result! You can use this creamy mushroom sauce for top sirloin steak recipes, chicken, pasta, or just about any savory dinner you like. With rich umami flavor, every bite of this mushroom cream sauce tastes hearty and satisfying. It’s the perfect way to make a meal more interesting.
This mushroom sauce recipe takes the savory taste of sauteed mushrooms (cooked in garlic butter) and turns them into a sauce. Whether you’re looking to add a punch of flavor to your favorite dishes or just want a clean recipe with no fillers, this mushroom cream sauce is the one you’ll want to save.
Why You’ll Love This Creamy Mushroom Sauce
- Savory umami flavor
- Rich, creamy texture
- Just 7 simple ingredients
- Done in 30 minutes
- Easy to adjust the thickness
- Versatile — you can use this in so many ways!
Ingredients & Substitutions
Here I explain the best ingredients for mushroom cream sauce, what each one does in the recipe, and substitution options. For measurements, see the recipe card.
- Olive Oil – Used for sauteing. You can use avocado oil, or any neutral cooking oil you prefer.
- Cremini Mushrooms – You can buy them pre-sliced or slice them yourself. If you don’t have cremini mushrooms on hand, white button or chopped portobello mushrooms are great substitutions. You could even use shiitake mushrooms or wild mushrooms if you like.
- Unsalted Butter – Adds a rich, creamy texture to the sauce.
- Garlic – I recommend using fresh garlic for the best flavor, but you could use 2 teaspoons of jarred minced garlic or 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder for convenience.
- Fresh Thyme Leaves – You can also add or substitute other fresh herbs like parsley, basil, or oregano. If you want to use dried herbs instead of fresh, use 1 teaspoon dried to replace 1 tablespoon fresh, or just use a teaspoon of Italian seasoning.
- Chicken Broth – I used reduced-sodium because I always have it on hand, but you can use regular broth, vegetable broth, homemade chicken broth or bone broth if you prefer. You might need to adjust the amount of salt depending on how salty your broth is. You can also replace half of the chicken broth with white wine, which delivers more depth of flavor.
- Heavy Cream – This is the key ingredient for creamy mushroom sauce. It thickens nicely when simmered. Don’t substitute milk here, as the sauce will be too thin (unless you also add cornstarch or a cornstarch substitute). You can probably use coconut cream or full-fat coconut milk instead though, if you need to.
- Salt & Pepper – As needed to taste.
VARIATION: Add onions!
I made this creamy mushroom sauce recipe with minimal ingredients, but diced onions are a common addition you can make. Simply dice 1/2 an onion and saute until browned before adding the mushrooms. (You can also throw in some leftover caramelized onions if you have them on hand — delicious!)
How To Make Creamy Mushroom Sauce
This section shows how to make mushroom sauce for steak or chicken, with step-by-step photos and details about the technique, to help you visualize it. For full instructions with amounts and temperatures, see the recipe card.
- Saute mushrooms. Heat the olive oil in a large cast iron skillet over medium-high heat, until shimmering. Add the sliced mushrooms to the pan and saute until they are browned and the juices evaporate.
Tip: Adjust heat as needed.
Medium-high heat will help the liquid evaporate, but you can reduce to medium heat if mushrooms start to brown too much.
- Saute garlic and thyme. Reduce heat to medium-low. Push the mushrooms away from the center of the pan to make a well and add the butter. Once melted, add the minced garlic and thyme. Saute until fragrant, then stir together with the mushrooms.
- Deglaze the pan. Add broth to the pan and use a wooden spoon to scrape any browned bits from the bottom. Increase heat to bring to a gentle boil, then simmer until liquid volume reduces by half.
- Thicken the sauce. Add heavy cream. Simmer until the mushroom cream sauce thickens to your liking. (See tips on this below!)
- Garnish. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Garnish with more fresh thyme or fresh parsley if desired. You can use creamy mushroom sauce for steak, chicken, and many other kinds of dishes — see ideas below!
Tips For Adjusting Sauce Thickeness
The beauty of this creamy mushroom sauce is you can adjust the thickness to your liking. Here are some tips for doing that:
- Sauce too thin? Simmer it for longer! The mushroom cream sauce will cook down to get thicker, so just play with the cooking time to get the consistency you like.
- Sauce too thick? If the sauce reduces too much and becomes too thick, you can add more broth and cream in a 1:2 ratio, then simmer to thicken just enough.
- You can also thicken with parmesan. If you like the flavor, add 1/4 cup of grated parmesan cheese at the end and let it melt over low heat to make your sauce thicker.
- Sauce thickens as it cools. Keep this in mind, as it will get thicker when it goes from piping hot to warm.
- Consider how you’ll use it. A very thick creamy mushroom sauce for steak is ideal, but for chicken or pasta, a thinner one works better.
Below are a couple pictures from two different times I made this recipe, showing different thickness levels you can achieve — and you can also do something in between.
Storage Instructions
- Store: Leftovers can keep in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. To store, cool completely, pour into an airtight container, and place it in the fridge.
- Reheat: The stovetop over medium-low heat is the best method for reheating creamy mushroom sauce. It can separate if you use the microwave.
- Freeze: Since this sauce is dairy-based and doesn’t contain thickeners, it’s not ideal for freezing. You can try it (for up to 3 months), but it may separate when thawing.
Ways To Use Mushroom Cream Sauce
You can use mushroom sauce to create all kinds of flavorful dishes! Here are some ideas to enjoy these rich, comforting flavors:
- Chicken – I created this creamy mushroom sauce for chicken above all else, and it works with just about any prep method. Try it on pan seared chicken, crispy air fryer chicken thighs, or even mixed in with some shredded chicken. You could also use it on top of or as a stuffing idea for spinach stuffed chicken breasts.
- Steak – Mushroom sauce for steak is one of the best ways to use it! Try it over a classic reverse sear steak, a tender London broil, or an impressive ribeye steak. It’s also delicious over a roast, such as a juicy beef tenderloin or tri tip.
- Pork – I like to drizzle it over mushroom stuffed pork chops for the ultimate meal. Or, add the perfect finishing touch to pork steaks in the oven, a hands-off Crock Pot pork tenderloin, or simple air fryer pork chops.
- Potatoes – Add flavor and moisture to mashed potatoes (or cauliflower mashed potatoes for a lighter spin).
- Noodles – Serve mushroom sauce over your favorite pasta, or choose healthier noodle options like zucchini noodles and roasted spaghetti squash in the oven.
More Sauces For Steak And Chicken
Looking for other ways to amp up your chicken or steak! Try these zesty, herby, sweet, or savory options:
Recommended Tools
- Cast Iron Skillet – Creates the perfect caramelized mushrooms for sauce.
Creamy Mushroom Sauce (For Steak, Chicken & More)
Use this creamy mushroom sauce for chicken, steak, pasta & more! It's so easy to make, with simple staples like mushrooms, cream, and garlic.
Instructions
Tap on the times in the instructions to start a kitchen timer.
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Heat the olive oil in a large (at least 10-inch) cast iron skillet over medium-high heat for 1-2 minutes, until the oil shimmers and slides around the pan easily when tilted. (You can make this recipe in a different skillet, but cook times will usually take longer.)
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Add the mushrooms to the pan. Saute for 5-6 minutes, stirring occasionally but not constantly, until mushrooms are browned and liquid evaporates. Medium-high heat will help the liquid evaporate, but you can reduce heat to medium if mushrooms start to brown too much.
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Reduce heat to medium-low. Push the mushrooms away from the center of the pan to make a well and add the butter. Wait for it to melt, then add the minced garlic and thyme. Saute for about 1 minute, until fragrant. Once the garlic has cooked a bit, stir together with the mushrooms.
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Add the broth to the pan and use a wooden spoon to scrape any browned bits from the bottom (this is called deglazing). Increase heat to bring to a gentle boil, then simmer for 4-5 minutes, until the liquid volume reduces by half.
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Add the heavy cream. Bring to a boil again, then simmer for 10-15 minutes, until the sauce thinly coats the back of a spoon and is slightly thinner than you want it – it will thicken a bit more as it cools.
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Turn off the heat. Let the creamy mushroom sauce cool for 5 minutes. If needed, season with salt and pepper to taste. (I didn’t find it necessary, as the broth already made the sauce salty enough.) Garnish with more fresh thyme if desired.
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Maya’s Recipe Notes
Serving size: 1/2 cup
Entire recipe makes 2 1/2 cups.
I provide nutrition facts as a courtesy. Have questions about calculations or why you got a different result? Please see my nutrition policy.
© Copyright Maya Krampf for Wholesome Yum. Please DO NOT SCREENSHOT OR COPY/PASTE recipes to social media or websites. We’d LOVE for you to share a link with photo instead.
Creamy Mushroom Sauce For Steak Or Chicken
8 Comments
Christopher
0Wonderful sauce I can use on a lot of meats and seafood. Thanks.
kristina maro
0delicious
Jeannette
0Delicious! I had some on my green beans!
Jessica
0OMG! I followed your recipe and added some onions for variation purposes, the result is so gooood! Truly umami and savory flavor <3. I used it as a sauce for my steak and the combination of the flavors is perfect! Thank you 🙂
Tina
0So glad to have found this easy and creamy mushroom recipe! I paired it with roasted chicken for dinner. We loved it!
Annie
0My husband loves mushrooms so I try to make every recipe I find that has mushrooms in it. He loved this one! I served it with grilled chicken and poured the gravy over chicken and white rice. It was a hit.
Jodie
0I made this sauce for a special dinner, and it stole the show. The depth of flavor is incredible!
Catherine
0Served this mushroom sauce over some pork chops and it was amazing! Totally loved it!