If you’ve already mastered how to cook the perfect steak and are looking for the best way to give your dish the wow factor, we’ve got plenty of suggestions for matching your meat with the perfect sauce. From classic peppercorn to chimichurri and béarnaise, these sauces are sure to take your steak to the next level, whether it’s a fillet, rump, sirloin or any other cut.
We asked our food team to compile 12 speedy steak sauces that are ready in 20 minutes or under, including our most popular steak sauce recipes as well as shorter versions. All these sauces serve two people unless otherwise specified.
Want to expand your steak knowledge further? We have plenty of supplementary guides, from how to check steak is cooked and how to choose your steak to recipe ideas for what to serve with steak, and a step-by-step video on how to cook steak that’ll help you perfect your technique. Also check out our main collection of steak recipes for plenty of ideas to accompany these speedy sauces.
12 quick steak sauce recipes
1. Cheat’s peppercorn sauce
Ready in… 20 mins
This classic, creamy steak sauce can be ready in no time.
Put 2 tbsp red wine vinegar into a large, non-stick frying pan and bring to a simmer. Add 150ml chicken stock and reduce the mixture by half over a high heat. Add 2 tsp green peppercorns, crushing a few of them gently in the pan with the back of a spoon. Season and reduce, then stir in 4 tbsp double cream. Simmer for 1 or 2 mins until the sauce is slightly thickened.
Also see our recipe for classic peppercorn sauce which takes 25 minutes.
2. Chimichurri
Ready in… 10 mins
Chimichurri is a South American steak sauce similar to salsa verde – but with a little kick. It’s the perfect balance for a rich steak.
Put 2 garlic cloves, 1 green chilli (deseeded), a small bunch each of coriander and parsley, 1 small sweet onion and 2 tbsp white wine vinegar in a small food processor. Blitz until finely chopped, then add 5 tbsp olive oil and blitz again. Season and refrigerate until serving.
See our full recipe for chimichurri sauce.
3. Béarnaise sauce
Ready in… 20 mins
If you like thick, creamy, mayonnaise-like sauces, opt for a tarragon-tinged béarnaise.
Put 2 egg yolks in a mini food processor and season with salt, pepper and a pinch of cayenne, then add 1 tsp tarragon vinegar. Finely chop a small bunch of fresh tarragon stalks and leaves separately. Melt 125g butter in a pan then add the chopped tarragon stalks and bring it to a simmer. Turn the processor on and add the hot melted butter slowly while the processor is running. Once all the butter has been added and the mixture is smooth and thick, pour it into a bowl and stir through the tarragon leaves. Season and serve with steak.
See our full recipe for cream sauce for steak béarnaise sauce.
4. Salsa verde
Ready in… 10 mins
This piquant Italian green sauce doesn’t require any cooking.
Chop a bunch of tarragon and 2 packs of parsley into small pieces and mix in a bowl with 1 tsp salt, 40g small capers, 3 tsp Dijon mustard and 2 crushed garlic cloves. Stir in 200ml extra virgin olive oil and add 2 tbsp sherry vinegar, little by little, stirring and tasting as you go!
See our full recipe for salsa verde.
5. Wild mushroom sauce
Ready in… 15 mins
We’d never turn our noses up at retro-style grilled mushrooms, but this creamy sauce is a little more refined.
Pour 1 tbsp olive oil into a saucepan over a high heat and add 6 sliced chestnut mushrooms. Fry for 5 mins or until golden, then stir in 1 crushed garlic clove and 2 tbsp brandy. Cook until the brandy has almost totally evaporated, then stir in 4 tbsp double cream and 1 tsp wholegrain mustard. Reduce the heat and bring to a simmer. Cook for 2-3 mins more, then season and serve.
See Tom Kerridge’s wild mushroom sauce, ready in 20 minutes.
6. Red wine sauce
Ready in… 15 mins
Cook this sauce while steaks are resting then drizzle over when it’s ready.
Pour the fat out of the pan you cooked your steaks in, but don’t clean it. Place the pan back on the heat with 1 tbsp butter and 1 finely chopped shallot and sizzle for 2 mins to soften. Stir in 1 tsp flour and cook to a sandy paste, then splash in 1 tbsp red wine vinegar and simmer for a moment. Pour in 150ml red wine and stir, scraping any sticky bits off the bottom of the pan. Bring to the boil and bubble for a minute, then whisk in 1 tbsp mustard and 200ml of stock. Boil the sauce down to about 200ml in total, then taste and season. Whisk in 1 tbsp butter and a handful of chopped parsley leaves, plus any resting juices from the steaks.
See Barney’s full recipe for a classic red wine sauce.
7. Horseradish sauce
Ready in… 10 mins
A sharp sauce made from grated horseradish root.
Mix 7cm horseradish root or 3 tbsp prepared jarred horseradish with 200ml crème fraîche, 2 tsp white wine or apple cider vinegar and 1 tsp English mustard in a bowl and season with salt and pepper to taste. Cover the sauce, chill and leave for at least an hour or up to two days for the flavours to mingle and develop. Give a good stir before serving. This recipe serves 6-8 people.
See our full recipe for horseradish sauce.
8. Honey & mustard sauce
Ready in… 20 mins
A moreish sweet-and-tangy sauce. Can be used as a marinade or dressing.
Put 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil into a large saucepan and add 2 crushed garlic cloves. Turn to a medium heat and gently soften the garlic for around 2 mins. Next, add 3 tbsp runny honey, 1 tsp Dijon mustard and 1 tsp wholegrain mustard and stir together, followed by 250ml stock. Simmer for around 10 mins before adding 2 tbsp double cream. Continue to simmer the sauce for a couple of minutes longer until thickened. This recipe serves 4 people.
See our full recipe for honey & mustard sauce.
9. Easy garlic sauce
Ready in… 5 mins
A 5-ingredient garlic sauce by Tom Kerridge.
Crush 3 garlic cloves. Combine the crushed garlic with 150g Greek yogurt, the juice of one lemon, 2 tbsp tahini and a handful of chopped mint. This recipe serves 8 people.
See the full recipe for garlic sauce.
10. Teriyaki sauce
Ready in… 15 mins
This Japanese sauce has the sweet/savoury balance honed to a tee.
Pour 350ml water into a small saucepan with 85g light brown sugar, 70ml light soy sauce, 1 large crushed garlic clove and a 4cm piece of finely grated ginger. Slowly bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally until the sugar has dissolved. Cook for 5 mins more or until glossy and slightly thickened. Combine 1 tbsp cornflour with 1 tbsp water and quickly whisk through the sauce. Whisk through 1 tbsp rice wine vinegar. If it’s still too thick, add a splash more water. Pour into a clean jar and leave to cool at room temperature.
See the full recipe for teriyaki sauce.
11. Super-swift mustard sauce
Ready in… 10 minutes
It doesn’t get much simpler than a two-component sauce.
Mix 2 tbsp Dijon mustard with 100g crème frâiche in a saucepan and heat gently until simmering. Season to taste and serve.
12. Blue cheese sauce
Ready in… 5 mins
Steak and blue cheese is a match made in heaven. The addition of stilton in this speedy recipe really packs a punch.
Melt 25g butter in a pan over a medium heat, then stir in 1 tbsp flour and let it cook for 1 min or so. Slowly add 150ml milk, stirring all the time, until the sauce is smooth and all the milk has been added. Bring to a simmer and add 50g chopped stilton (or another blue cheese) and stir. Cook until melted and the sauce has thickened slightly, then season to taste and serve.
See our full recipe for blue cheese sauce.
Learn how to cook the perfect steak with our video guide:
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We’d love to hear your ideas for steak accompaniments, too…