Creamy Garlic Mushroom Sauce is the best thick creamy sauce for savory dinner dishes. A simple sauce with mushrooms, garlic, and heavy cream.
This easy, creamy mushroom and garlic gravy is a delicious, rich topping for any number of Main Dishes from steak to chicken to pasta. It takes a bit longer to make than traditional gravy but the deep flavors are worth it! For more tasty versatile Sauce Recipes try my Easy Alfredo Sauce and Blue Cheese Sauce.
Table of contents
Sabrina’s Creamy Garlic Mushroom Sauce Recipe
My Creamy Garlic Mushroom Sauce is the perfect addition to any savory meal! Take any simple cut of meat to a whole new level with this rich and creamy gravy. Make a new favorite pasta dish by serving it over some baked meatballs and egg noodles. You could even use it as a gravy over warm Buttermilk Biscuits for a fancy, delicious Mother’s Day brunch dish. No matter how you serve it, this rich, creamy and flavorful mushroom sauce is sure to be a hit.
Ingredients
- Butter: This delicious mushroom sauce is made with 8 tablespoons of butter, or a full stick of butter, so it’s extra rich, buttery, and creamy. You’ll use half the butter to cook the mushrooms then the remaining butter to finish the sauce.
- Mushrooms: You need 1 pound of cremini mushrooms and you want to slice them about ¼ inch thick. Cremini mushrooms are more mature and have a bolder, earthier mushroom flavor than white button mushrooms.
- Onion: Thinly sliced yellow onion is cooked in the pan drippings from the mushrooms and butter so the dish has the same rich, earthy mushroom flavor throughout. You can also use white onion or sweet onion.
- Garlic: This mushroom sauce is also full of bold garlicky flavor which brings balance to the richness and earthiness. If you really like garlic flavor, you can add up to 5 cloves of fresh garlic.
- Thyme: Thyme is a fragrant woody herb that is great to add sauces because you can add it early and it will slowly infuse the dish with flavor. Plus you can add the whole sprigs without needing to chop them first, which saves on prep time!
- Flour: The ¼ cup flour helps thicken the sauce so it has a gravy-like consistency. You want to mix it separately so you don’t get clumps.
- Water: A little bit of water helps loosen the sour cream and flour so they blend together smoothly.
- Sour Cream: The ½ cup sour cream adds a tangy flavor that breaks up the heaviness from the butter and cream, while also adding some thickness to the sauce.
- Broth: To give this sauce an extra rich and savory flavor, I used beef broth but you could also use chicken broth or vegetable broth. You could also swap 1 cup of broth with white wine or water for a lighter flavor.
- Cream: This amazing sauce is finished with a ½ cup heavy cream to bring it all together and make it extra creamy.
Kitchen Tools & Equipment
- Cooking Pan: I used a Dutch oven to make this sauce because it is large enough to hold the mushrooms, and later 4 cups of liquid, without anything spilling out the sides. You can also use a large heavy bottomed skillet.
- Wooden Spoon: A wooden spoon or spatula is best for sauteing veggies because you can scrape all the tasty browned bits off the bottom of the pan without worrying it will scratch.
- Whisk: Use a whisk or a fork to mix the flour, water and sour cream so it gets really smooth and you don’t have any clumps.
How to Make
Time needed: 45 minutes.
- Cook the Mushrooms
Heat a Dutch oven, or large skillet, on the stovetop over medium heat and melt 4 tablespoons of butter in the base of the pan. Add in the sliced mushrooms and cook for 10-12 minutes until they’re browned. Make sure to stir them sometimes so they don’t get burned.
- Saute the Onions
Once the mushrooms are cooked, transfer them to a separate dish and add the onions to the same pan. Cook them for about 5-6 minutes, stirring occasionally until they are softened and slightly translucent.
- Season
Add in the garlic, salt, pepper, thyme sprigs, and the remaining 4 tablespoons of butter. Cook these ingredients for 1 minute until the garlic is fragrant.
- Thicken
In a separate small bowl, whisk the flour, water, and sour cream until smooth. Whisk the mixture into the onions and cook for 30 seconds.
- Add the Broth
Begin adding the beef broth a little at a time to the pan, whisking to absorb the flour before adding more. Keep whisking and adding until all the broth is added and the sauce is smooth. Add the mushrooms back to the pot and stir.
- Cook the Sauce
Bring the sauce mixture to a boil. Once it’s boiling reduce the heat to medium and continue cooking for 20 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes or so. The sauce is ready when it has been reduced by half and thickened to a gravy-like consistency.
- Finish and Serve
Remove the thyme sprigs from the sauce. It’s okay if some of the leaves fell off during cooking, just fish out the woody stalks. Stir in the heavy cream and remove the sauce from the heat. Serve hot.
Can this be made ahead of time?
While you can make this gravy ahead of time and reheat it later, it is best when you make it fresh. The mushrooms will continue to release liquid so the sauce will separate as it is cooled and reheated. However, if you want to make it ahead, it would make a great braising sauce for roasts, just hold off on the cream until just before serving.
Nutritional Facts
How to Serve Creamy Mushroom Sauce
This is such a versatile recipe that you can serve it with a variety of savory dishes as a gravy or finishing sauce. It works as a great braising sauce for beef pot roasts and pork roast too.
- Main Dishes: Serve this sauce over your classic Grilled Pork Chops or Oven-Baked Chicken Breasts to transform them into a decadent dish. Some Turkey Meatballs cooked in this sauce would be a great easy main dish too.
- Roasts: You can use this sauce for Pot Roast or Pork Roast instead of the regular braising liquid. However, you would want to hold off on adding the cream. Once the roast is cooked, remove the meat, whisk in the cream and remove the thyme, then return the meat to the pan.
- Pasta: You can use the gravy as a creamy-based pasta sauce. Serve it over egg noodles, penne, or your other favorite pastas. The creamy gravy makes a sauce similar to a stroganoff.
- Potatoes: Serve the gravy over Mashed Potatoes or Baked Potatoes for a tasty side for your favorite comfort food.
How to Store
Store: Don’t leave Garlic Mushroom Gravy at room temperature for more than 2 hours. Once the Gravy has cooled to room temperature, store it in an airtight container in the fridge. It will keep well for up to 4 days.
Reheat: The gravy will naturally separate in the fridge, but if you reheat it on the stove, it will come back together. Slowly reheat it over medium-low heat, stirring frequently until it’s simmering and hot.
Freeze: Unfortunately, the delicious cream-base in this gravy means it won’t freeze well and will separate too much when thawed. I don’t recommend freezing it.
Frequent Questions
If the flour doesn’t get fully absorbed into the broth, your sauce won’t thicken properly. Make sure to slowly add a little broth at a time, whisking until it is smooth and incorporated before adding more.
There are few ways to make your sauce more creamy. First is adding dairy like sour cream instead of milk because it’s already thick and creamy. Another way is using butter instead of oil to saute any veggies. Finally, adding heavy cream after the sauce is cooked so you get the rich creamy flavor without it breaking down or separating.
Recipe Card
Ingredients
- 8 tablespoons unsalted butter , divided
- 1 pound crimini mushrooms , sliced
- 1 yellow onion , thinly sliced
- 3 cloves garlic , minced
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper
- 3 sprigs fresh thyme
- 1/4 cup flour
- 2 tablespoons water
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 4 cups beef broth
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
Instructions
- Add 4 tablespoons butter to a large heavy skillet on medium heat.
- Add in mushrooms and cook for 10-12 minutes, stirring occasionally, until browned.
- Remove the mushrooms, add in the onions and cook for 5-6 minutes until softened.
- Add in garlic, salt, pepper, thyme, and remaining butter, cooking for 1 minute until garlic is fragrant.
- Whisk flour, water and sour cream together then add to the pot and cook for 30 seconds.
- Whisk in the beef broth slowly ensuring it absorbs all the flour and is smooth.
- Add the mushrooms back to the pot and stir.
- Bring to a boil, then reduce to medium heat and cook for 20 minutes until reduced by half and thickened, stirring every 5 minutes.
- Add heavy cream and remove thyme sprigs.
- Stir well and serve.
Nutrition
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