Learn how easy it is to make Beef Tips and Gravy from scratch on the Stove Top or in the Crock Pot. These Sirloin tips are smothered in the most flavorful brown gravy and served with mashed potatoes, egg noodles, or with rice.
Be sure to try my Chicken Pot Pie and Slow Cooker Beef Stew recipe next!
Beef Tips and Gravy
Welcome to one of my family’s favorite meals! We can’t resist this recipe with a side of creamy mashed potatoes and roasted carrots. I love assembling it the night before and cooking it in the Crock Pot during the day, or serving it as a quick skillet recipe!
You won’t believe how flavorful this gravy recipe is either. (I think I’ve definitely got easy gravy recipes down pat.)
There are plenty of seasonings in this recipe, but they really add the best flavor to the meat and gravy, mix them together ahead of time and cooking will be a snap.
Let’s get into everything you need to know to NAIL it!
What Cut of Meat is Beef Tips
Beef “tips” are smaller cuts of meat that are leftover from breaking down any of the larger, more tender sections.
For example, a Top Sirloin is a large, tender cut of meat. A Sirloin Tip is an outer ‘scrap’ from that particular section. It’s not quite as tender as the whole top sirloin, but works well for cutting into cubes to make beef tips or stews.
Sirloin or Tenderloin cuts are best for making beef tips on the stove top as they don’t require as much low and slow cooking to render down and tenderize.
- Tender Cuts of Meat: Sirloin, Flank, Ribeye, Tenderloin.
- Tougher Cuts of Meat: Chuck Roast, Rump Roast, Brisket. (Best suited for slow cooking.)
- This guide from Fix.com provides a good visual as to the location of these cuts of meats, why they have varying degrees of toughness, and approximate cost per pound.
Are Beef Tips and Stew Meat the Same
Beef tips and stew meat are generally not the same, but labels can make it vague and hard to distinguish. I recommend purchasing meat that is directly labeled as containing sirloin or tenderloin if preparing this recipe on the stove top.
- Stew meat usually contains a tougher cut of meat (such as a chuck or rump roast) which is best suited for making Slow Cooker Beef Stew.
- Beef Tips should be prepared with a more tender cut of meat such as sirloin or tenderloin, unless they’re being prepared in the Slow Cooker.
How to Make it
See recipe card below this post for ingredient quantities and full instructions.
Toss cubed beef in seasoning mixture, sprinkle with flour. Sear in olive oil for 30-45 seconds/side. Remove and set aside.
Deglaze with red wine, (optional). Sauté butter, onions, and garlic until softened.
Add beef broth, beef bouillon, Worcestershire sauce, and seasonings. Bring to a boil and whisk in cornstarch + cold water. Reduce heat.
Add beef + juices back to the pot. Cook, partially covered, for 10-15 minutes. Garnish with fresh parsley and serve with mashed potatoes, buttermilk biscuits, and roasted carrots.
Crock Pot Method
- Season/sear the beef tips and prepare the gravy as outlined in steps 1-8, then transfer it to the crock pot along with the beef tips.
- Cook on low for 7-8 hours or high for 3-4 hours.
- Combine the cornstarch and cold water until uniform in consistency and slowly stir it into the gravy over high heat. Remove from heat and serve.
How to Make Brown Gravy More Flavorful
- Worcestershire Sauce: This is my top choice. You can’t taste it at all but it enhances the other flavors of the gravy and adds a rich element to it. We’ll use just 1.5 teaspoons in this recipe.
- Soy Sauce: (An alternative option to Worcestershire sauce.) Soy Sauce is a great way to add ‘umami’, which is basically a savory characteristic that makes gravy so irresistible. Like the above choice, you can’t taste it when it’s added in the right quantity. I recommend using low sodium.
- Use a Combination of Chicken and Beef Broth : This adds a nice depth of flavor, especially because chicken broth has slightly more flavor and substance to it than beef broth does. To maintain a dark brown color, read my next tip.
- Kitchen Bouquet Browning and Seasoning Sauce: I like to add a few drops of this in combination with the ingredients noted above to add just a hint of a darker brown color. You can find it in the aisle where they sell gravy packets.
Make-Ahead Method
- Sear the meat and prepare the gravy as outlined. Let the gravy cool completely, then combine with the seared meat + juices from the meat.
- Store in an airtight container for up to 2 days.
- Finish cooking on Stove Top or in the Crock Pot as outlined.
Note: This is an overview. See recipe card below this post for ingredient quantities and full instructions.
Pro Tips
- Onions are optional, but add nice flavor. Use as much or as little as you’d like.
- Mushrooms can be added when the onions are added.
- Wine is optional. Dry varieties such as Pinot Noir or Cabernet Sauvignon are best in this dish. Broth may be used instead of wine as well.
- A hint of cream (about 1/8 cup), can be added at the end if desired.
- Measure the seasoning mix for the beef and the gravy ahead of time! (There are quite a few, but you can’t beat the flavor!)
- This recipe is in The Cozy Cookbook on page 72!
What to Serve with Beef Tips and Gravy
- Buttermilk Biscuits, Cheddar Bay Biscuits, Mashed Potatoes, Roasted Carrots, Roasted Green Beans, Corn Casserole
Storage
- Store in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months.
Tools For This Recipe
(Amazon affiliate links)– Check out all of my kitchen essentials here.
- Kitchen Tongs– Makes it easy to handle the meat during searing.
- Kitchen Scale– Perfect for weighing the meat if needed.
- Deep 13-inch skillet– You’ll have this one forever.
- Crock Pot– This is the one I have, you can sear meat right on the stove top with it, and it automatically switches to warm when the cooking time is up.
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Beef Tips and Gravy
Ingredients
- 1 ½ lbs. sirloin tips
- 3 tablespoons flour
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
Beef Seasoning
- 1 teaspoon brown sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon EACH: salt, garlic powder, onion powder, chili powder, paprika
Gravy
- ¼ cup dry red wine, optional
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 small yellow onion, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 cups beef broth
- 1 beef bouillon cube
- 1 ½ teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
- ¼ teaspoon EACH: dried thyme, dried rosemary
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- 3 tablespoons corn starch + 1/4 cup cold water
Instructions
- Combine beef seasoning mix and measure out gravy ingredients before beginning.
- Cut meat into 1-inch cubes, discard any large pieces of fat.
- Combine beef seasoning and sprinkle it over the meat. Toss to coat. Sprinkle flour over the meat and toss again.
- Heat 3 Tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the meat in batches, don’t overcrowd the pan. Brown on each side for 30-45 seconds. Add a splash of more oil if needed. Transfer to a plate. Repeat with remaining beef. *Don't cook the beef all the way through. You want it to cook in the gravy to add more flavor.
- Add ¼ cup wine and use a silicone spatula to “clean” (deglaze) the bottom of the pan, removing any brown remnants. The brown specks are called “fond” and will give the sauce lots of good flavor.
- Let the wine gently bubble and reduce by half. Reduce heat to medium and add the butter and the onions. Cook until softened, about 5 minutes.
- Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute.
- Add all remaining gravy ingredients except the cornstarch mixture. Bring to a boil.
- Combine the corn starch and cold water. Whisk into the sauce, a little at a time. Stir continuously. Continue until your desired consistency is obtained.
- Reduce heat to medium-low and add the beef along with the juices from the plate. Cook with the lid partially covered for 10-15 minutes, until beef is cooked through. Remove from heat.
- Optional: Swirl in 1 Tablespoon of COLD butter at the end, this is called “Monter au Beurre” and it adds a smooth, velvety finish to sauces and gravies.
- Serve with mashed potatoes, egg noodles, or over rice!
Notes
- Season/sear the beef tips and prepare the gravy as outlined in steps 1-8, then transfer it to the crock pot along with the beef tips.
- Cook on low for 7-8 hours or high for 3-4 hours.
- Combine the cornstarch and cold water until uniform in consistency and slowly stir it into the gravy over high heat. Remove from heat and serve.
Pro Tips:
- Red Wine is optional, dry varieties such as Pinot Noir or Cabernet Sauvignon are best in this dish.
- Sirloin or Tenderloin tips are best for this recipe. For more tender results, purchase a whole Top Sirloin or Beef Tenderloin and cut it into cubes.
- Avoid using Chuck or Rump roasts unless cooking in the Slow Cooker.
- This recipe is in The Cozy Cookbook on page 72!
Nutritional information provided is an estimate and is per serving. There are 4 servings in this recipe.
I had 3+ lbs of beef, sirloin & tenderloin. I doubled all ingredients except the broth which I used approximately 3 cups. I also added 12 oz of sliced mushrooms, doubled the garlic & onion, used fresh Thyme and left out Rosemary. The flavor was good but I didn’t have a bouillon cube and it was NEEDED. I meant to add generous teaspoon of Better than Beef Boullion but forgot. Also it was a bit runny after slurry which I didn’t double. I should have used just 2 cups broth so the spice would be perfect as well as consistency. Next time I would prep day before since this dish took me HOURS! Thank you for this recipe! We enjoyed it even though I messed up!😁
I’m so happy it worked out in the end Patti! Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a review!💖
This recipe is awesome! Perfect blend of ingredients, I substituted white wine for red and works just as good. Will be making again.
I’m so happy that you enjoyed the recipe Hannah! Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a review, I really appreciate it! -Stephanie
I haven’t made this yet, but I can already tell it’s delicious! I like the fact that you add butter to the gravy. Last night I made Chicken Marsala for dinner, and it calls for a total of 4 Tbsp butter, with 2 Tbsp of that being added as the final step. It makes all the difference in the world, without it the taste is a little flatter and less robust. Can’t wait to try your recipe!
Thanks so much for the great comments Laura! I love that you appreciate the butter in the end, it really does make a huge difference! Thanks again!💗
Made this with trimmed Tri Tip. The meat was so tender you didn’t need teeth! Put some of the leftovers in beef stew. Awesome recipe. A keeper for sure.
Thanks so much for the great comments Christine💗! I know what you mean, the meat is melt in your mouth tender!
So good! Looks like a lot of ingredients, but it was actually simple to make and tasted incredible! My family couldn’t stop talking about it. I did use merlot as the red wine listed as optional and was generous with the Worcestershire sauce. Next time I’ll sauté some mushrooms to add to it.
Mushrooms would be great, I wish my husband let me add them! I’m so happy your family enjoyed it so much Ashley, nice work! Thanks so much for the great review!
That sauce- I could take or leave the beef, but man! That sauce is so good I could eat it off the spoon (and did!!) so delicious.
Great tasting recipe (stove top), though I made 3 small changes, (1) 1/2 beef broth & 1/2 chicken broth, (2) added a couple of dashes of soy sauce, and (3) MORE wine – went for 1/3 cup. This was terrific over egg noodles. This is definitely on my “go back to” list!
I’m so happy this is on the “go back to” list Rick! Thank so much for sharing your tweaks and for taking the time to leave a review!💗
Very good
That’s so great to hear Claudia, thanks so much for the great review!💗
Wow, this was delicious. I made it as written and the flavor is sooo good! I was a bit skeptical of the brown sugar and chili powder on the meat but you can’t tell it’s there, except for delicious well rounded flavor. The red wine also provides depth. This is a new staple recipe in my house! Thank you!
You’re very welcome Tara! I’m so glad you went ahead with some of the ingredients even though you were skeptical. I know they sound a little crazy sometimes, but they add so much depth of flavor. Thanks so much for the great comments!💗
This was absolutely delicious!
The only thing I did differently is that I used leftover grilled steak from this summer that I had cut up and put in the freezer, so I skipped the seasoning and browning of the meat since it was already seasoned and cooked. The gravy was phenomenal and it paired perfectly with homemade mashed potatoes. I may have “accidently spilled” 1/2 of a beer into the gravy while I was cooking…lol! This will definitely go into our regular rotation!
Great call using leftover steak, and “accidently” spilling some beer into the gravy 😂, I like your style Jen! Thanks so much for the great review!