A Creamy Peppercorn Sauce couldn’t be more simple and delicious to make! This Peppercorn Sauce without brandy is about to be your go-to sauce for steak, chicken, portobello mushrooms, potatoes and everything between!
A quick peppercorn sauce is the perfect addition to any meal. I’m serious, I pour this stuff over everything. I like to call it ‘dressing up your dinner’. That or just pouring calories over your dinner, because that’s also quite fun. Delicious calories nevertheless!
I’ve been obsessed with peppercorn sauce for as long as I can remember. It mainly started around the time became obsessed with steak, because steak with peppercorn sauce is juuuuuust the best.
And don’t get me wrong, I’ve had some pretty decent restaurant peppercorn sauce in my time, but honestly, finding a good peppercorn sauce is sometimes pretty tricky. For me the best peppercorn sauce is creamy, yet beefy with a kick of spice. Most of the stuff you get served these days is almost like gravy with a few whole peppercorns floating in it. Not for me.
So, after realising I was turning into a food snob (that or a just cream addict) I made it my mission to create the best homemade creamy peppercorn sauce! Guys, I can’t express to you how easy it is make and how much more delicious it is than any pepper sauce you’ve tasted before.
I know, what a claim! But it’s true. Let’s take a closer look at just how easy it is.
How to make a Peppercorn Sauce
- I’ll always take over from where I left off. So if I’m cooking steak, I’m starting in the same pan, using the leftover juices to get things started.
- From there it’s as simple as sautéing some shallots and garlic, chucking in some Worcestershire sauce, crushed peppercorns and beef stock, then pouring in some cream.
- Then it’s just a matter of simmering until thickened! No flour or cornstarch needed, it’ll thicken just beautifully by itself.
Easy right?
Just one more thing to cover.
Peppercorn Sauce without Brandy or Alcohol
There are a lot of peppercorn sauce recipes that use brandy and honestly when I first developed this recipe way back when, I did include brandy.
Brandy adds a nice little kick to the sauce. It’s nice. But to use it effectively you need to burn it off by igniting it into a flame, which turns it into a syrupy, glossy kind of texture. For some people that can be a scary process, which I totally get.
Also, all of these creamy peppercorn sauce ingredients are cheap and convenient. If you haven’t got brandy lying about the house it’s slightly annoying buying a bottle for the use of about 1/4 cup of it!
So weighing things up, the small benefit of using it isn’t worth the hassle, in my opinion.
Anywho, steak anyone?
Because realistically, pepper sauce for steak is literally the most heavenly thing on earth.
But things just got real intense and the potatoes came out.
If you thought pouring a creamy peppercorn sauce over a thick juicy steak was good, try pouring it over a hasselback potato and watch it side between the cracks.
Oh me oh my.
Anywho, I think that’s just about enough from me and my intense creamy peppercorn sauce addiction. It’s over to you.
How to make Creamy Peppercorn Sauce without Brandy (Full Recipe & Video)
Creamy Peppercorn Sauce
Equipment:
- Medium-Large Frying Pan
- Wooden Spoon
- Pestle & Mortar or Zip Lock Bag & Rolling Pin (for peppercorns)
- Jug (for stock & serving)
- Sharp Knife & Chopping Board
Ingredients (check list):
- 1 tbsp Whole Black Peppercorns, crushed (see notes)
- 1 cup / 250ml Double Cream, at room temp (Heavy Cream in US)
- 1/2 cup / 125ml Beef Stock
- 2 small Shallots, finely diced
- 1 clove Garlic, finely diced
- 1 tbsp Butter
- 1 tsp Worcestershire Sauce
- Salt, to taste
Instructions:
- If you're frying steak, chicken, mushroom etc leave the juices in the pan. This will add a huge amount of flavour to the peppercorn sauce. Melt butter over medium heat and deglaze the pan if necessary. Fry shallots until fragrant and translucent (2-3mins).
- Add in garlic and peppercorns and fry for a minute or so until the garlic just begins to brown. Pour in Worcestershire sauce and beef stock, then stir in your cream. Add salt to taste.
- Reduce to a simmer until the sauce thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon. (8-12mins). It will thicken, just keep simmering and gently stirring.
- Remove from heat and pour into jug. Just be aware it'll thicken the longer you leave it. Enjoy!
Quick 1 min demo!
Notes:
Nutrition:
For the perfect accompaniment to your peppercorn sauce, check out my Easy Homemade Skinless Sausages!
