This Crockpot Salisbury Steak is packed with tender beef patties smothered in a rich and creamy gravy. This quick and easy recipe is the perfect comfort food.
What’s not to love about this crockpot salisbury steak? It’s insanely easy, it’s kid approved, and it’s ultra cozy! Pro tip: make a side of mashed potatoes to smother in the extra gravy!
What is salisbury steak?
Salisbury steak is a dish made with ground beef, seasonings, and breadcrumbs. The meatloaf like mixture is formed into individual patties, browned in a skillet, then simmered in a creamy gravy.
In this crockpot version, everything remains the same, but instead of simmering the patties in the gravy on the stove, everything cooks together in the slow cooker.
What is the difference between chopped steak and salisbury steak?
Chopped steak and salisbury steak are almost identical — ground meat patties served with a gravy, but chopped steak is typically made with ground sirloin whereas salisbury steak is made with ground beef. Salisbury steak will also typically have a tomato component (ketchup in today’s recipe) and taste similar to meatloaf, but chopped steak does not.
Ingredients
Whip up a few hamburger patties and quick mushroom gravy and you’re ready to go!
Gravy
Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup – the creamy base for our gravy. Fresh mushrooms are often used in a salisbury steak gravy, but using mushroom soup is a tasty shortcut! If you’re not a fan of mushrooms, try another flavor of condensed soup such as celery or chicken.
Worcestershire Sauce, A1 Steak Sauce, and Soy Sauce – the seasoning trifecta for this gravy! The salty, tangy, umami flavor each of these brings is key to having super flavorful sauce.
Ketchup – provides a slightly sweet, acidic tomato flavor to balance out the richness of the mushroom soup.
Chicken Broth – thins the condensed soup so it’s not too thick of a gravy. Beef broth may be used, but you’ll likely need to reduce the amount of salt. Vegetable broth and water may also be substituted, but you may need to adjust seasonings to make it more flavorful.
Salisbury Steak
Ground Beef – the base for our hamburger/meatloaf patties. 93/7 and 80/20 ground beef have both been tested and they’re both delicious. 93/7 beef yields a slightly drier patty, but is fine when paired with the creamy gravy. 80/20 ground beef makes for a super moist patty. The gravy is greasier, but is fixed by simply whisking the sauce! Ground turkey, pork, or chicken *should* work in a pinch.
Dry Onion Soup Mix, Salt, and Pepper – our semi-homemade seasoning blend! Dry onion soup mix is made with dehydrated onions, salt, cornstarch, onion powder, sugar, and soy sauce. If you’d like, feel free to make your own! You’ll need enough to replace 1 (1 oz) envelope.
Italian Seasoned Bread Crumbs – give the patties additional flavor, structure, and help bind everything together. If only “regular” breadcrumbs are available, simply add additional Italian seasonings like dried oregano, basil, parsley flakes, garlic powder, and onion powder.
Egg – helps bind all of the ingredients together so the patties can hold their shape. Eggs come in all different sizes, but for today’s recipe, be sure to use a large egg.
Buttermilk – soaks into the meat to add moisture to the patties. The acidity in buttermilk also helps break down the ground beef for more flavor and tenderness.
Unsalted Butter – used to sear the patties to form a brown crust on the surface of the meat. This helps provide more flavor, maintain moisture, and keep the patties from falling apart. Unsalted butter is used in the recipe, but feel free to use salted if that’s what you have on hand although you may need to reduce the amount of salt.
All-Purpose Flour – coats the outside of the hamburger patties. This not only forms a crispy and flavorful crust on the outside of the meat, it also helps the gravy thicken, and keep the patties from drying out.
How to make
Gravy
- Whisk together the cream of mushroom soup, worcestershire sauce, steak sauce, soy sauce, ketchup, and chicken broth.
- Pour half into a greased 6 quart crockpot, then reserve the rest to top the patties.
Salisbury Steak
- Place ground beef, soup mix, bread crumbs, salt, pepper, egg, and buttermilk into a large bowl, mix together until *just* combined, then shape into patties.
- Dredge the patties in flour to lightly coat the outsides, brown on both sides in a buttered skillet, place browned patties into a crockpot, then pour the remaining gravy over the meat.
- Cover and cook on LOW for 4-5 hours or until the beef has cooked through.
What cut of meat is salisbury steak?
Ground beef is most commonly used to make salisbury steak. Both 93/7 and 80/20 ground beef have been tested. The leaner cut of meat results in patties that are slightly drier, but they’re still fine when coated in the gravy. The fattier ground beef makes for a gravy that’s slightly greasier, but a quick whisk of the sauce is all you need and it’s good to go!
If you’re not a fan of ground beef, try ground pork, chicken, or turkey, but keep in mind, the flavor and texture might be affected.
Do you need to brown the meat first?
It is recommended that you brown the patties before placing them into the slow cooker. This adds additional flavor, texture, and most importantly, keeps the patties from falling apart in the crockpot.
This extra step only requires a few additional minutes of time and one more dirty dish!
Why is my salisbury steak tough?
There are three reasons why your patties wouldn’t be tender:
- You used ground beef that’s too lean. You need SOME amount of fat in the patties or they’ll be dry.
- You overworked the meat. Handling the meat too much causes the muscle fibers and fat to break down, which results in tough meat.
- You cooked the patties too long. Overcooking any type of protein will cause meat to be dry and chewy.
What to serve with crockpot salisbury steak
Salisbury steak is best served over mashed potatoes with a side of bread, salad, and some veggies!
How to store
When stored separately, leftover patties and gravy will last 3-4 days in the fridge or up to 3 months in the freezer.
To reheat, thaw in the fridge if frozen then reheat in the crockpot, microwave, or on the stove.
– Jennifer
Crockpot Salisbury Steak
Equipment for this recipe
Ingredients
Gravy
- 2 (10.5 oz) cans condensed cream of mushroom soup
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tablespoon A1 steak sauce
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- ¼ cup ketchup
- 1 cup chicken broth
Salisbury Steak
- 2 pounds ground beef 93/7 or 80/20 are both fine
- 1 (1 oz) packet dry onion soup mix
- ½ cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs
- ½ heaping teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- 1 large egg whisked
- ¼ cup buttermilk
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
Instructions
Gravy
- Whisk together the cream of mushroom soup, worcestershire sauce, steak sauce, soy sauce, ketchup, and chicken broth.
- Pour half into a greased 6 quart crockpot, then reserve the rest to top the patties.
Salisbury Steak
- Place ground beef, soup mix, bread crumbs, salt, pepper, egg, and buttermilk into a large bowl.
- Use your hands to mix together until *just* combined, then shape into 8 patties.
- Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat.
- Dredge the patties in flour to lightly coat the outsides, then brown on both sides in the skillet, about 2 minutes per side.
- Place browned patties into the crockpot, then pour the remaining gravy over the meat.
- Cover and cook on LOW for 4-5 hours or until the beef has cooked through.
- Serve over mashed potatoes and enjoy!
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Nutrition Information
*Note: Nutrition information is estimated and varies based on products used.
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