You’ll love this rich and creamy mushroom sauce on everything from steak to chicken to pork. Flavorful mushrooms are gently simmered in heavy cream, with onion and garlic. The melding together of flavors creates a delightful cream sauce in just 15 minutes of simmering!
Keep reading and I’ll show you how easy it is to make a cream sauce from scratch.
This mushroom cream sauce recipe is so easy to make. And without the inflammatory oils and preservatives found in store-bought cream sauces. In fact, if you’re passionate about eating natural foods, you’ll never need to buy bottled cream sauce again after you experience how easy it is to make!
And if you prefer a mushroom sauce that isn’t made with cream, check out my mushroom gravy recipe.
My favorite way to serve this creamy mushroom sauce is over grass-fed beef that I’ve chopped and quickly sautéed. It is seriously good you guys – like “oh my God” good.
Ever hear the term food heaven? That’s where you’ll go with this creamy mushroom sauce served over tender pieces of grass-fed beef! You get the picture.
My mushroom cream sauce is also super versatile and tastes delicious with chicken and pork chops. It also pairs really well with ground beef per my meatballs and creamy mushroom sauce recipe!
Let’s get started!
Creamy Mushroom Sauce Ingredients
This recipe makes 2 cups of creamy mushroom sauce. If you only need 1 cup of sauce, cut the ingredients in half and it turns out just as well.
Heavy cream: This creamy mushroom sauce is made with heavy cream. It can also be made with half and half like I do in my meatballs and creamy mushroom sauce recipe. And if you’re wondering if you can make a cream sauce with milk – nope. Milk does not provide the richness and body you want in a cream sauce.
Cremini mushrooms: Use cremini mushrooms (aka Baby Bella) rather than white button mushrooms. Cremini mushrooms are much more flavorful.
Garlic: For the best flavor, mince two cloves of garlic right before you’re ready to start making this cream sauce.
Yellow onion: Slice and chop the onion into 1/2 inch pieces until you have half a cup.
Butter: We’ll use butter to create a roux for thickening the sauce, and to cook the onion.
Flour: I use gluten-free flour to thicken the cream sauce, but if you’re not gluten-free you can use regular flour.
Salt and pepper to taste
How to Make Creamy Mushroom Sauce in 3 Steps!
Step 1: Make a Roux
We’re going to thicken our cream sauce with a roux. A roux is a technique common in French cooking to thicken sauces. But don’t worry, it’s very easy to make one. We’ll create our roux with equal parts fat and flour. In this case, we are using butter as the fat.
How to Make a Roux
- Place a small sauce pan over very low heat on your stovetop. Add 2 tablespoons of butter and let it melt. When it’s melted, add 2 tablespoons of flour and stir quickly to fully combine the flour and butter.
- Remove it from the heat when the ingredients are combined and it starts to smell like pie crust. This will take less than a minute or so.
Step 2: Simmer the Sauce
Melt half a tablespoon of butter in a separate frying pan and add the onion. Stir frequently until the onion is soft.
Add the heavy cream to the onion, plus half a cup of water and the minced garlic. Stir well to combine.
Carefully add sliced mushrooms to the mixture and bring it to a gentle simmer. Avoid boiling the sauce. Boiling increases the risk of a broken sauce.
Stir occasionally until the mushrooms are cooked. This will take about 15 minutes depending on how lively the simmer is.
3. Thicken the Sauce
Next, add half of your roux to the sauce and stir well to combine. The sauce will start to thicken. Give it half a minute, then judge whether you want to add more roux for a thicker sauce, or less for a thinner sauce.
Continue adding roux and stirring the cream sauce until it reaches your desired consistency.
Remove the sauce from heat and stir before serving.
Recipe Tips and Tricks
– Prepare all ingredients before starting
In French cooking, the term mise en place means to “put in place” or gather your ingredients.
Ever watch a cooking show and the host has all the ingredients measured out into little bowls? Yep, that’s what we’re talking about.
Having the ingredients ready to go before you start is especially important when making a cream sauce. The sauce comes together so quickly that there isn’t time to stop and slice the mushrooms or mince the garlic.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is there a skin forming on top of my cream sauce?
A skin forms on top of a cream sauce because water on the surface of the sauce evaporates more quickly. The skin is harmless though, just stir it back into the sauce. Boiling cream sauce is what tends to cause the skin to form…so I recommend a gentle simmer instead.
Can I make creamy mushroom sauce ahead?
Absolutely. Store the sauce in a container with a tight lid in your fridge. Reheat over low heat on the stovetop when you’re ready to use it. Be sure to stir well.
How long will homemade cream sauce last in the fridge?
Let’s be honest, I haven’t done a study to see how long cream sauce keeps in the fridge. But aren’t our human instincts of sight and smell pretty spot on? If it smells bad or looks bad, throw it out.
Can I freeze this mushroom sauce?
I tried freezing this mushroom sauce and it did not work out. After a week in the freezer the sauce took on a gritty texture when I thawed and reheated it.
Can I make a mushroom cream sauce with milk?
I have not made mushroom cream sauce with milk and would not recommend it. Milk has a different flavor profile from cream. So even if you thicken the milk more aggressively, it won’t taste nearly as rich as a cream sauce made with actual cream.
Can I make creamy mushroom sauce with half and half?
Yes you can make cream sauce with half and half. Instead of 1.5 cups of heavy cream and half a cup of water, use 2 full cups of half and half. I make meatballs with mushroom cream sauce with half and half and it turns out just as well.
Can I substitute garlic powder instead of fresh garlic?
I do not recommend using anything other than freshly minced garlic in this cream sauce.
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If you try this recipe and love it, I’d be thrilled if you gave it a 5-star rating!
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Creamy Mushroom Sauce
Ingredients
- 2.5 tbs butter
- 2 tbs flour gluten-free or regular
- 1/2 cup yellow onion sliced & chopped into 1/2" pieces
- 1.5 cups heavy cream
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 8 oz cremini mushrooms sliced
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Make a RouxPlace a small sauce pan over very low heat on your stovetop. Add 2 tablespoons of butter and let it melt. When it’s melted, add 2 tablespoons of flour and stir quickly to fully combine the flour and butter.Remove it from the heat when the ingredients are combined and it starts to smell like pie crust. This will take less than a minute or so.
- Melt half a tablespoon of butter in a separate frying pan and add the onion. Stir frequently until the onion is soft.
- Add the heavy cream to the onion, plus half a cup of water and the minced garlic. Stir well to combine.
- Carefully add sliced mushrooms to the mixture and bring it to a gentle simmer. Stir occasionally until the mushrooms are cooked. This will take about 15 minutes depending on how lively the simmer is.
- Next, add half of your roux to the sauce and stir well to combine. The sauce will start to thicken. Give it about a minute, then judge whether you want to add more roux for a thicker sauce, or less for a thinner sauce.
- Continue adding roux and stirring the cream sauce until it reaches your desired consistency.Remove the sauce from heat and stir before serving.
Poured this over flank steak that we got at the farmers market yesterday and devoured it!! Thank you!
This mushroom sauce is delicious on steak, thank you for your review Charlotte!