This Creamy Mushroom Sauce Recipe is so silky and the perfect addition to chicken, steak or over meatballs! Ready in under 20 minutes and simple to make.
A wonderful sauce can change and enhance the same ole' same ole' recipe and make it feel brand new. This Creamy Mushroom Sauce recipe is the perfect addition to steaks, chicken, meatballs and even mashed potatoes. Seasoning with thyme, garlic and pepper for a classic combination that compliments the mushrooms.
This easy homemade sauce is also customizable and can be made vegan, use several different types of mushrooms or mix up the spices. Bonus, this sauce comes together at lighting speed in about 20 minutes.
Ingredient Notes
- Mushrooms: Any mushrooms will do for this recipe, and I would go with what is in season. I used sliced baby bella mushrooms (my go-to) for this sauce and it turned out great. You could go with baby bella mushrooms, shiitake mushrooms or Crimini mushrooms. Each mushroom has its own distinct flavor so using a different one will slightly change the sauce.
- Fresh Thyme and Garlic: You can use dried if you prefer, but the fresh thyme and garlic are going to make the flavor come through stronger.
- Half and Half: Alternatively, you could use milk, heavy whipping cream, or soy milk to make this sauce vegan. Depending on which liquid you use you may need to whisk the sauce longer or shorter for it to thicken.
Why You'll LOVE It!
Quick & Easy: Ready in Under 20 Minutes!
Versatile: Works with a Variety of Different Recipes
Minimum Kitchen Tools and Ingredients Required
Instructions
- Slice your mushroom of choice into thin slices. If using pre-sliced mushrooms you can skip this step.
- Heat a large skillet (I love using my 12 inch iron skillet) over medium heat. Once skillet is warm, add the butter, olive oil, and sliced mushrooms. Cook until mushrooms are browned and soft stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes
- Once the mushrooms are soft add the fresh minced garlic and cook for an additional 1 minute until fragrant.
- Add in the flour to the skillet and stir until completely dissolved. This will help the sauce thicken quicker.
- Add the half and half (or milk).
- Add in the fresh and dried thyme, and salt and pepper to taste and stir to combine.
- Turn the heat up and bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and whisk until slightly thickened, about 3-5 minutes.
- Remove from heat and stir in grated parmesan cheese quickly until the sauce is smooth and there are no clumps. I like to run a spoon over the bottom of the pan and when the mushroom sauce begins to leave a streak it is finished.
Storing Leftovers
Store leftover mushroom sauce in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Rewarm before serving with recipe of choice. If the sauce gets too thick sitting in the fridge you may need to stir in a small amount of milk when rewarming.
Pro Tips
Don't Let it Thicken Too Long: When whisking the sauce you want to let it thicken only slightly since you will be adding in the Parmesan cheese as well. On high heat I find that my sauce is ready to go after only a few minutes.
Season Gently: You can add a little salt, pepper and thyme at a time and taste as you go. Adding too much will overpower the mushroom flavor (the star here!), therefore I would just add a little at a time to reach your optimal sauce flavor.
Crush the Parmesan Cheese: I like to add in a bit of grated parmesan cheese for added flavor. Before adding make sure there are no large clumps in the cheese so it is easier to whisk into the mushroom sauce.
Customization Ideas
Some simple ways to customize this mushroom sauce would be using a different type of mushroom, swapping out the liquid, or using different spices. Some different spice you could use to change the flavor of the sauce would be fresh rosemary instead of thyme or even oregano. Also, you could add a pinch of cayenne pepper or red pepper flakes to add a punch of spice.
FAQS
You can add either flour or cornstarch in the help the sauce thicken and give it a more creamy texture. I like to add a bit of grated parmesan cheese as well that help the sauce thicken and also add more rich flavor.
No, I do not recommend freezing this sauce. When the cooked milk is frozen it will thaw strange and have a gritty texture. I recommend making this sauce right before you are ready to serve.
Pairing Ideas
- Grilled Chicken Spiedini: Use this creamy mushroom sauce recipe instead of the suggested lemon butter sauce to transform this crispy spiedini!
- Pepper Crusted Steak (Featured): This cast iron steak is is made for this mushroom sauce! Seriously, a match made in food heaven.
- Oven Baked Beef Meatballs: The perfect pairing for these meatballs that will take family dinners to the next (and delicious) level!
- Instant Pot Rotisserie Style Chicken: Another wonderful, quick option for a tasty family dinner. This creamy sauce pairs wonderfully with this juicy chicken recipe.
- Country Fried Pork Chops: A tasty comfort food option that will go wonderfully with this sauce.
- Ricotta Gnocchi: A great vegetarian option to pair this mushroom sauce with.
- Vegan Mashed Potatoes: These vegan potatoes are creamy and this sauce works great as a gravy alternative. To make this mushroom sauce vegan see alteration suggestions in the recipe notes.
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Happy Eating!
Creamy Mushroom Sauce Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon Unsalted Butter
- 1 tablespoon Olive Oil
- 8 Oz Sliced Baby Bella Mushrooms About 3 Cups
- 2 Cloves Garlic Minced
- ½ tablespoon All Purpose Flour
- 1 Cup Half and Half or Milk
- Ground Black Pepper To Taste
- Sea Salt To Taste
- ½ teaspoon Dried Thyme
- 2-4 Sprigs Fresh Thyme
- ¼ Cup Parmesan Cheese Grated- Optional
Instructions
- Heat a large skillet (I love using my 12 inch iron skillet) over medium heat. Once the skillet is warm, add the butter, olive oil, and sliced mushrooms.
- Cook mushrooms until they are browned and soft stirring occasionally, about 5-7 minutes. Once the mushrooms are soft add the minced garlic and cook for an additional 1 minute until fragrant.
- Add the flour to the skillet and stir until completely dissolved.
- Add the half and half, fresh thyme, dried thyme, salt and pepper to taste. Turn heat up and bring sauce to a boil for about 1 minute, then reduce heat to low and whisk until slightly thickened, about 2 minutes.
- Remove from heat and stir in grated Parmesan cheese (optional-for a thicker sauce) until smooth. Adjust seasoning to taste. Discard whole thyme sprigs and serve warm with recipe of choice, enjoy.
Sewing Bee
I've been cooking for over 46 years and I'm a really good cook but gravy is so tricky. I didn't usually cook with mushrooms because my partner doesn't like the consistency of them in any form. But using your recipe gave me an opportunity to try these in a gravy that would add the meaty flavour to enhance any gravy. Once I figured out that you needed to be patient and brown the mushrooms to divulge their flavor and a much better texture. The mushrooms were cooked in batches per your instructions and OMGoodness the flavor was spot on yummy beef flavoring. Since they were cooked in batches and because mushrooms sweat when fried so ding them in batches reduced the liquid so the mushrooms are not boiling but browning beautifully. I've made this recipe with beef stock, chicken stock, and vegetable stock. Thank you. So easy so delicious. Don't forget to mise en place available. Good luck.
Caitlyn Erhardt
Glad to hear u loved it so much!
I actually just made this with our steak a few days ago, and it is STILL a family favorite!
Cristina
Yum! Thickened just fine. Eyeballed everything - lol. Added brandy!!! Happy.
Caitlyn Erhardt
ohhh like the addition of brandy. Will have to give that a go sometime.
Christina
This was so so so easy and so so so good!!!!! I've been dying to make mushrooms in cream but every recipe I find seems so hard so I don't make it!!! This one was so easy and delicious! I added a wee bit to much flour because I added more cream than you called for. Now I know for next time I dknt need that much flour lol!!!
Caitlyn Erhardt
So happy to hear you liked the sauce and it was easy for you to follow and make! 🙂
Charlie
I would add a little more butter and flour in the beginning
Caitlyn Erhardt
Thanks, for your comment! For a thicker sauce, yes I would recommend adding more butter and flour.
Makenna
I loved the recipe the first few times I made it, but now it seems to be a lot different and is extremely thick. I miss the old sauce & didn’t write it down anywhere
Caitlyn Erhardt
Hey there! Yes, I did change the sauce because several people were having problems with it not thickening for them. The only additions I made where the flour and optional Parmesan cheese. Everything else is the same quantities and ingredients as the original. If you prefer the lighter sauce and not as thick you can leave the flour out and not stir in any cheese. Hope that helps you 🙂
Sydney
The taste was great, but like the other reviewer, mine never thickened up even after almost 20 minutes on low. I think there’s a misstep— maybe adding a roux/flour, less half and half, etc. I think you may need to try again yourself and edit the recipe 🙂 besides that, the flavor was spot of and we ate it all up, I just had to get creative to thicken it up.
Caitlyn Erhardt
Hey there! Thank you so much for your comment and I actually just went in and revamped this sauce after a couple people had some problems with it thickening, just like you did. I am sorry I didn't get to updating it faster 🙁 I remade the sauce myself and with the new updates thickened very quickly for me and had the same great flavor. If you even want to give it a go again I hope it turns out better for you! Thanks again for your review 🙂
Courtney Peters
This was pretty good! I was really worried because even after I brought it to a boil and then turned it down to whisk for 10+ minutes it wouldn’t thicken. At some point I just gave up and added it to my pasta hoping the liquidy state wouldn’t be so bad once it was mixed with something. I decided to add like 3/4 cup of shredded fresh Parmesan to it and then it thickened up quite a bit with the pasta. It turned out really well. Definitely recommend trying it.
Caitlyn Erhardt
I am glad you enjoyed the sauce and parm is such a great addition! Sorry it wouldn't thicken for you, I am going to look at the recipe and see if I can help others not have that happen. Thanks so much for your comment 🙂