This slow cooker salisbury steak recipe is made with tender beef patties topped with mushroom gravy. Classic crock pot comfort food that’s super simple to make!
Comfort food has never been easier with salisbury steak in the slow cooker. This hearty dinner is full of rich flavors that the whole family will love. Serve it over cream cheese mashed potatoes with a side of sauteed asparagus and watch the rave reviews come in.
I am all about my slow cooker in the cold weather months, especially on busy weeknights when many days we don’t get home from school and activities until dinner time. I often make dishes like slow cooker beef bourguignon and slow cooker sloppy joes. Who wants to start preparing a big meal after a long day? Not me! This slow cooker salisbury steak is the perfect crowd pleasing meal that’s waiting for you at dinner time. This is a classic recipe with a few simple ingredients that never goes out of style!
crock pot salisbury steak ingredients
To make this recipe, you’ll need olive oil, ground beef, breadcrumbs, milk, garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper, salt, mushrooms, onions, gravy, beef broth, cornstarch, water and parsley.
How do you make slow cooker salisbury steak?
The first step to making salisbury steak is to form the patties. The patties are seasoned with spices and mixed with breadcrumbs. The salisbury steaks do need to be browned before they hit the slow cooker. I typically just brown them in the morning while I’m making breakfast for the family and then I’m good to go. Or, if you have a multi-cooker, you can use the “sauté” function.
The salisbury steaks are placed in the slow cooker along with mushrooms, onions and prepared beef gravy. Let everything cook together, then remove the beef patties and add some cornstarch to the sauce. The sauce will cook for a few more minutes to thicken. Pour the sauce over the patties, then add parsley and serve.
Tips for the perfect dish
- When you add the gravy and a little beef broth to the slow cooker, it might seem like there’s not enough liquid in the pot. Don’t worry, the meat and vegetables will also release liquids as they cook.
- I use 90% lean ground beef for this recipe, I wouldn’t recommend going any leaner than that as your patties might come out dry.
- To save time in the morning, you can prepare the meat mixture and brown the patties the night before.
I use pre-packaged beef gravy because it saves a ton of time and adds a lot of flavor. I typically choose the carton of beef gravy in the spice aisle made by McCormick.
recipe faqs
Yes, you can put raw ground beef in the slow cooker. That being said, I don’t recommend it for this recipe. If you put the patties in the crock pot without searing them first, they will all stick together as they cook. In addition, searing adds a lot of extra flavor as well as a golden brown crust.
Salisbury steak is not actually steak, in fact, it’s a term for ground beef patties. The patties are typically mixed with breadcrumbs, milk, eggs and seasonings before they are cooked.
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Slow cooker salisbury steak flavor variations
This recipe is great as-is, but you can also customize the flavors to suit your tastes.
- Protein: While not traditional, you can make this recipe using ground turkey, and substitute turkey gravy for the beef gravy.
- Seasonings: Amp up the flavor of your patties with additions such as finely minced onion, Italian seasoning, worcestershire sauce or paprika. For a creamier sauce, try using a can of low sodium cream of mushroom soup in addition to the gravy.
- Vegetables: Feel free to add more veggies to the pot such as carrots and potatoes.
My favorite way to serve this slow cooker salisbury steak is over mashed potatoes, but rice or egg noodles would also be great side dishes. However you serve it, this dish is sure to get rave reviews from your family, my children request it weekly!
Other recipes you’ll love
- Steak Kabobs with Garlic Butter
- Pepper Steak Stir Fry
- Steak Bites with Garlic Butter
- Asian Marinated Flank Steak
- Slow Cooker Beef Stew
Slow Cooker Salisbury Steak
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 lbs ground beef
- 1 egg
- 1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs
- 1/4 cup milk
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 8 ounces sliced mushrooms
- 1 small onion sliced
- 12 ounce container beef gravy
- 1/2 cup beef broth
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 2 tablespoons water
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine the beef, egg, breadcrumbs, milk, garlic powder, onion powder salt and pepper. Mix thoroughly then shape into 6 patties.
- Heat the olive oil in a large pan over medium high heat. Add the patties in a single layer and cook for 4-5 minutes on each side or until golden brown.
- Place the mushrooms and onion in the bottom of a slow cooker. Add the patties on top.
- Pour the gravy and beef broth into the slow cooker. Cover and cook on LOW for 4-6 hours.
- Remove the patties from the slow cooker and place on a plate. Cover to keep warm.
- Combine the cornstarch with the water and pour into the slow cooker. Turn the slow cooker to HIGH and cook for 3-5 minutes until sauce is thickened. Spoon the sauce over the patties. Top with parsley and serve.
Notes
- I use 90% lean ground beef for this recipe, I wouldn’t recommend going any leaner than that as your patties might come out dry.
- To save time in the morning, you can prepare the meat mixture and brown the patties the night before.
I had no idea you could make salisbury steak in the slow cooker! What an easy family dinner this will be for us!
Our family loved this easy salisbury steak recipe. It tastes as good as it looks in the photos. Thanks for another great recipe!
Could you use tenderized cube steak for this recipe instead of ground beef??
I think that should work!
Can I freeze this?
That should be fine!
Can I put this on high in the crockpot for a less amount of time?
Yes that’s fine!
I’m guessing this is one layer covered in gravy. Can you make more “steaks” and pile them on top of each other to get at least half or three quarters full? One layer seems to be a waste of space.
Yes that’s fine!
This was so ez to make and absolutely delicious!!! Served with Corn Maque Choux, Quinoa and cornbread. Great Sunday meal!
Hello, can this be made in the Instapot?
I think it probably could I’d try 8-10 minutes on high pressure. That being said I haven’t tested it this way so I can’t say with certainty!
What size slow cooker do you use? Meaning how many quarts?
You need at least a 4 quart slow cooker!
Could you bake this in the oven?
Yes that would work, cover and bake at 325 degrees F for about 30-40 minutes.
Do you need to caramelize the onions before adding it to the crockpot? And what does the internal temperature of the beef cooked on the stove top need to get up before placing it in the crockpot with other ingredients? I’m a vegetarian new to slow cooking, cooking for my fiancé, so any advice would be greatly appreciated.
You do not need to caramelize the onions, and you don’t need to worry about the internal temperature of the beef because it will cook completely through in the crock pot!
can we use unsweetened almond milk
How would you want to use almond milk? There’s no milk in this recipe
Yes there is milk in the recipe as written. I’m confused. You lost 1/4 cup milk in the ingredients, and then in step 1, you wrote: “In a large bowl, combine the beef, egg, breadcrumbs, **milk,** garlic powder, onion powder salt and pepper.” (Asterisks my own, added for emphasis)
Oops meant to write “list” not “lost”, apologies.
Don’t really need the milk, could skip or use the unsweetened almond
Wait so do we use milk or we don’t use milk? It’s on the ingredients list and in the recipe.
Yes you use milk!
How many packets of gravy do you use ?
You want a total of 12 ounces of liquid, so any jarred or refrigerated gravy will work.
I tried this recipe, I’ve never made Salisbury steak before and it was amazing! I did have to add just a bit more cornstarch at the end and leave that cook for longer as well to thicken up the end gravy. Would definitely make this again!
If using packet gravy do you need to cook it 1st?
Yes you should prepare the gravy according to package directions!
I love Salisbury Steak! We eat out often, and if it’s on the menu, I will order it. I’ve tried making it at home once before and it was just okay. I used this recipe for dinner last night and it was perfect! Even my husband kept commenting on how great it was. Just to be clear, he’s the cook and when I make dinner once or twice a month, he’s always gracious but he always has a recommendation or two for me. Not this time, just compliments. Thank you!
So happy to hear you enjoyed it, thanks for reporting back!!
I could not find them the liquid gravy can I use the packet if powdered
Yes just use the amount of liquid as directed on the packet!
So easy to make. This is a must keep for my family. Everyone had a hot mean returning from practice.
So happy everyone enjoyed it, thanks for reporting back!
Has anyone tried this without mushrooms? It sounds wonderful but neither hubby or I like mushrooms and I’m wondering if I can just skip them without affecting the quality.
You can skip them and it should be fine!
Hi. Is this a single layer in the Crock Pot or can I stack the Sailsbury steak 2 or 3 deep?
You can stack them!