This Peppercorn Sauce without brandy is about to be your go-to sauce for steak, chicken, portobello mushrooms, potatoes and everything in between. Better still, it couldn’t be easier to make!
Here I’ll show you how to whip up a classic peppercorn sauce that you can make from scratch, with or without steak. It also uses no flour or alcohol!
Reader, Paul says: ‘Omg this went down so so well it has to be one of the easiest and the best tasting sauce Iāve ever had ā ā ā ā ā ’
Peppercorn Sauce
I’ve been obsessed with peppercorn sauce for as long as I can remember. But honestly, it can be hard to find a decent pepper sauce in a restaurant. Most are watery and flavourless and many just aren’t peppery enough. In fact, a lot are almost like gravy with a few whole peppercorns floating in it.
As such, I made it my mission to create a gorgeous homemade peppercorn sauce that never fails.
Crushing the peppercorns
The first thing you want to do is crush some whole peppercorns. Do not use powdery pepper for this recipe. Crushing whole peppercorns gives you more texture. You can then also fry the crushed pepper, which releases its flavour.
To crush the peppercorns, I typically use 1 of 2 methods:
- Pestle & mortar
- Zip-lock bag & rolling pin
Steak and Peppercorn Sauce
Whilst this sauce goes tremendously with a range of foods, peppercorn is notoriously served with steak. As such, there are two main ways you could make it:
- With steak – This is my preferred method because you can use the leftover fat in the pan from the steak to get going with the sauce. You can then also stir through the resting juices from the steak for bonus flavour!
- From scratch (without steak) – This is for when you want to make it ahead of time, or you’re simply pairing it with something other than pan-fried steak. It’s not much different ,other than you’ll start with butter and you won’t get the bonus flavour from the steak.
Thickening the sauce
You do not need flour or any other thickening agent to thicken this sauce. Because you’ll be using double/heavy cream, it naturally thickens as you simmer it. It’ll look watery at the start, but if you just keep simmering and stirring away, it’ll thicken – promise!
Process shots: fry onion and garlic in butter (photo 1), add beef stock (photo 2), stir in cream and Worcestershire sauce (photo 3), simmer to reduce (photo 4), serve (photo 5).
Peppercorn SauceĀ withoutĀ Brandy or Alcohol
There are a lot of peppercorn sauce recipes that use brandy (or even cognac) and honestly, when I first developed this recipe way back when, I did include brandy.
It does add a nice background flavour, but I personally find the difference minimal. It’s rare that I’ve got brandy on hand and since the other ingredients in this sauce are fairly cheap, I begrudge buying brandy just to use a splash in the sauce.
Having said that, you can absolutely add brandy if you’d like to. You just have to simmer it down to burn off the alcohol to remove the pungent flavour.
Serving Peppercorn Sauce
This sauce goes perfectly with a range of foods. Here’s some of my favourites:
- Steak – The classic and my preferred option.
- Chicken or pork – If you’ve not got steak then pan-fried chicken thighs or pork chops work perfectly!
- Potatoes – You’ll sometimes catch me pouring this over roast potatoes or mash (so good!)
- Mushrooms – Portobello mushrooms act like cups for this sauce (yep, it’s as good as it sounds).
- Sausages – If you’ve never had sausages and peppercorn sauce, you’ve not lived.
Looking for more steak sauces? I’ve got you covered:
Alrighty, let’s tuck into the full recipe for this creamy peppercorn sauce we?!
How to make Creamy Peppercorn Sauce without Brandy (Full Recipe & Video)
Creamy Peppercorn Sauce
Equipment
- Sharp Knife & Chopping Board (for shallots/garlic)
- Pestle & Mortar or Zip Lock Bag & Rolling Pin (for peppercorns)
- Medium-Large Frying Pan
- Wooden Spoon
- Jug (for stock & serving)
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp Whole Black Peppercorns, crushed (see notes)
- 1 tbspĀ Butter (see notes)
- 2 small Shallots, very finely diced
- 1 clove Garlic, very finely diced
- 3/4 cup / 180ml Beef Stock
- 3/4 cup / 180ml Double Cream, at room temp (Heavy Cream in US)
- 1 tsp Worcestershire Sauce
- Salt, to taste
Instructions
- If you're frying steak leave the juices in the pan. This will add a huge amount of flavour to the sauce. Melt the butter over medium heat and fry the shallots until soft and golden (careful they don't burn).
- Add in the garlic and peppercorns and fry for a further 30 seconds or so until the garlic just begins to colour (again, be careful it doesn't burn).Ā Add the beef stock, then stir in the cream and Worcestershire sauce.
- Simmer and stir somewhat frequently until the sauce thickens (approx 8-12mins). It will thicken, just keep simmering and gently stirring away. If you've cooked steak or any other meat you can stir in any resting juices just before you finish, just for extra flavour! Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper if desired.
- Remove from heat and pour into a jug. Just be aware it'll thicken the longer you leave it. Enjoy!
Video
Notes
Your Private Notes:
Nutrition
Looking for more?
You’ll find plenty more delicious comfort food like this in my Debut Cookbook ‘Comfy’
Creamy Peppercorn Sauce FAQ
Yep! Just allow to completely cool then tightly store in the fridge for 2-3 days. You can reheat on the stove over LOW heat, stirring as you go to ensure the sauce doesn’t split. Only heat until it’s warmed through again, don’t rapid simmer or you risk the sauce splitting. You can also do this in short bursts in the microwave, stirring between each stint.
Just keep simmering and stirring away. It will thicken – promise!
Double/heavy cream is essential in this recipe. Not only for its fuller, richer flavour, but also to ensure the sauce thickens. Some lighter, say milk, will only thicken if you use a thickening agent (and the sauce won’t be as rich).
would it turn out fine if I substituted the Worcestershire sauce for something like soya sauce? š
I haven’t subbed this before so couldn’t say for sure, but soy sauce is probably your best bet. Here’s a great article on Worcestershire sauce subs: https://food52.com/blog/24403-best-worcestershire-sauce-substitutes š
Hi
Can I substitute the double cream with another ingredient ?
I cant wait to try it š
Thanks
Unfortunately the cream makes up the bulk of the sauce, so couldn’t offer a sub for this. Double cream is also known as heavy cream or heavy whipping cream in other parts of the world if this helps!
The sauce is wonderful! How long will it keep in the refrigerator and can you freeze it in small portions?!
Glad it went down well, Russell! I usually keep it tightly sealed in the fridge for 3-4days, just use your discretion past that. Freezing dairy is always a little tricky, but this has a fairly high content so you should be fine. I’d recommend thawing in the fridge then reheating, just to reduce the chance of it splitting. Upon reheating make sure you keep it on a very low heat and gently stir, again, to avoid the sauce splitting. Don’t allow it to bubble. If you do find it starting to split take it off the heat and stir in some room temp heavy/double cream, sometimes this helps bring it back together. Hope this helps!
Mate, this was awesome! Used half a diced small onion as had no shallots but still this was the best pepper sauce Iāve ever made. Nice
Lee, that’s awesome to hear! Glad it went down well š
I’ve never made a peppercorn sauce before but my husband asked for it and I’m always up for something new. After lots of reading I went with this recipe and it turned out delish! Even my teenage daughter that doesn’t like sauce on her food put it on her steak and mashed potatoes. Thanks for the recipe, definitely a keeper!
That’s awesome, Jackie! Glad it went down well with the family. Thanks for popping back and sharing your thoughts š
This is what I was looking for…thanks #Hannah_Short for your comment/recommendation! SlaintĆ©
This is by far the best peppercorn sauce I have had. My dad was in the meat business for 40 years. Iāve been fortunate to eat at some great restaurants. This is the best. Period. End of discussion. Now, if you can find me a good steak Diane recipe…..
Wow, what a compliment! Thanks Brian! And thanks so much for popping back and leaving a review. Steak Diane TBA
Turned out amazing. I added some garlic and thyme to it as well as I like herbs in my sauces. But upon reheating, it separated and didn’t hold it’s consistentcy. Any ideas on how to do that?
Great recipe regardless.
Thyme sounds like a delicious addition, glad it turned out to your liking in the first instance! š I’ve actually not experienced the sauce splitting when reheating before. I’d just recommend reheating on a low temp in a saucepan, whisking as you go to smooth out the sauce. Sometimes when something like cream hits heat straight from the fridge it can split, so maybe if the sauce was straight out the fridge bring it to room temp, and again, just a very gentle heat. Hope this helps!
Suitable for muslims.
Like this recipe, your site too..
try to add some pomegranate seeds to this sauce – itĀ“s great
Pomegranate sounds like an interesting addition! Glad it turned out well for you, thanks for popping back and sharing your feedback š