Our Red Wine Steak Sauce takes your steak dinner to another level! A rich, delicious, smooth sauce that goes wonderfully on top of any steak. Forget about expensive steak houses, with this delicious sauce you can have the same dinner experience right in your own home.
Why We Love This Red Wine Steak Sauce Recipe
When we make a steak dinner at home, we want it to taste just as good as our favorite steak house. This Red Wine Steak Sauce is smooth and buttery and packed with flavor. Pour it over any type of steak, or use it as a dipping sauce on the side!
- Easy To Make: This steak sauce couldn’t be easier to make. Just a few simple ingredients and a few minutes to reduce the wine.
- Versatile: You can use this sauce with any cut of steak, from flank steak to strip steak to a beautiful filet.
- Elevates Your Meal: A steak dinner is usually a treat in itself, but something simple like this red wine steak sauce can really elevate the meal. Make this for a special occasion like a date night in or for holidays.
Ingredients You’ll Need
A photo of the primary ingredients you’ll need, minus the basics like salt and pepper. For a complete list of ingredients with amounts needed, head to the recipe card below.
After the photo we’ll talk about the ingredients, why they work in this recipe and also substitutions if applicable.
- Red Wine: A dry red wine is preferred such as pinot noir, Malbec, cabernet sauvignon or merlot. The flavor of the wine reduces and concentrates so make sure it’s a wine that you like to drink.
- Shallot: A slightly milder onion flavor so that it doesn’t overtake the overall taste of the sauce.
- Garlic: We like to use fresh garlic for the best flavor, jarred garlic sometimes has a vinegary flavor.
- Dijon Mustard: Dijon has a slightly spicy flavor to it, along with another wine note, so it goes perfectly in this red wine sauce.
- Butter: The butter is used for flavor, but it also gives the sauce that smooth, silky finish. Try and use a good quality butter for the best flavor.
- Parsley: Fresh parsley adds a bright flavor to finish the sauce. It is optional, so don’t worry if you don’t have some on hand, but we do like the flavor of it.
How To Make
Step by step photos here with brief instructions for a visual aid. For complete, detailed instructions, head to the recipe card at the end of the post.
- Cook the shallot and garlic: Add finely diced shallot and garlic to a pot over medium-low heat. We’re looking for a nice light brown color for flavor but definitely not burnt so make sure the heat is fairly low. Next whisk in 1 tablespoon of dijon mustard.
- Add red wine and reduce: Pour in the red wine and bring to a simmer. Simmer and reduce for 8-10 minutes until the wine reduces by half.
- Add butter: Add cold butter to the sauce, whisk to combine and then simmer for another 5 minutes until the sauce thickens. Season the sauce with salt and pepper to taste and serve.
How To Serve
Simply pour this red wine sauce over any steak that you’ve prepared. This steak sauce is literally so good, you’ll be using it with everything on your plate. Steak fries are a must for dipping, but we also love pouring a bit onto our mashed potatoes!
What’s The Best Size Pot To Use?
The type of pot that you use does make a difference in this recipe. A sauce pan that’s too small won’t allow the wine to reduce properly, resulting in a thinner sauce. Along the same lines, a pot that’s too large will reduce the wine too much and you’ll end up with hardly anything left.
The best size that we’ve found is a 7 inch to 8 inch wide pot that’s at least 4 inches deep. Give or take a little bit here and there isn’t going to matter too much, just make sure that you adjust the time the wine reduces if needed.
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Red Wine Steak Sauce
- Prep Time: 2 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 17 minutes
- Yield: 3/4 cup 1x
Print Recipe
Pin RecipeTake your steak dinner to another level with our Red Wine Steak Sauce! An easy to make, smooth sauce that goes perfectly with any kind of steak!
Ingredients
- 5 tablespoons butter, divided
- 1/4 cup shallot, finely diced
- 1 tablespoon garlic, finely diced
- 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
- 1 cup dry red wine (see post for more details)
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Add 1 tablespoon of butter to a 7 or 8 inch wide pot, about 4 inches deep. (The size of the pot does matter for the sauce to reduce properly, see the post for more details). Add the shallot and garlic to the pot and cook over medium-low heat for 3 minutes. We’re looking for a light brown color for flavor but be careful not to burn.
- Whisk in the dijon mustard and then slowly pour in the wine, whisking again to combine. Bring to a simmer and then let the wine reduce for 8-10 minutes until the wine reduces in half.
- Add the remaining 4 tablespoons of butter to the sauce. Whisk until the butter melts and then bring back to a simmer. Simmer for another 5 minutes until the sauce thickens.
- Season the sauce with the salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste. Serve immediately over steak.
Recipe Notes
Make sure to use the right size pot for best results! See the recipe card instructions and also the post for more details.
Use a dry red wine as opposed to a sweet wine for best flavor. Again, refer the post for details.
Store: Store leftover sauce in an air tight container in the refrigerator for 3 days. The butter will separate as it’s chilled, but you can whisk it back together upon reheating.
- Category: Sauce
- Method: Stove Top
- Cuisine: American
