Whisky Cream Sauce

This Whisky Cream Sauce is absolutely delicious and so easy to make – perfect for steak or haggis!

Is a meal ever complete without drizzling a dreamy, creamy sauce over it?! I mean, not on this blog it isn’t 🤣 And if you’re a regular around here you know that! Anywho, creamy whisky sauce? Follow me…

Whisky Cream Sauce

Straight out the bat, I’m just going to put it out there – I do not like to drink whisky. However, in the context of a creamy sauce I’m absolutely down. You get a gorgeous background heat from the whisky which mellows through the rich creamy sauce just beautifully, without being all up in your face.

Whisky Sauce Ingredients

• Whisky – or Whiskey depending on where you are in the world (I tend to subconsciously flick between the spellings!).
• Cream – Double/Heavy cream to create the base of the sauce.
• Beef Stock – The other half of the sauce.
• Shallots/Garlic – Create a flavour base for the sauce. Both very finely diced, just to avoid big lumps in the sauce.
• Butter – To fry the shallots/garlic.
• Mustard – Amplifies the ‘heat’ from the whisky and helps cut through the richness of the sauce.
• Black Pepper – Again helps promote the heat from the whisky. It also helps give vibes of peppercorn sauce, which is never a bad thing!

What kind of Whisky to use?

I’m certainly no whiskey connoisseur, but I’ve used a variety of different Whisky’s for this recipe in the past and struggle to tell the difference. It’s just there to offer a mellow background flavour as most of the alcohol burns off anyway, so definitely don’t break the bank when choosing!

Making Whisky Cream Sauce

Do I have to ignite the whisky for this recipe?

A lot of whisky sauce recipes instruct to ignite/light the whisky once added to the pan. Whilst this does burn off the alcohol quicker and helps create more of a glossy sauce, the difference isn’t huge. Instead, here you’ll just need to simmer and reduce down the whisky to burn off the alcohol.

Can I make this ahead of time?

You sure can! Just allow to completely cool then tightly store in the fridge. You can reheat on the stove or in the microwave.

Process shots: fry shallots in butter (photo 1), fry garlic and black pepper (photo 2), add whisky (photo 3), simmer to reduce (photo 4), add stock, cream and mustard (photo 5), simmer to thicken (photo 6).

Whisky Cream Sauce for Haggis

One of the most classic ways to serve whisky cream sauce is with haggis. For my friends across the pond scratching theirs heads:

What is Haggis?

Haggis is a Scottish dish which is typically made of lamb offal. It’s packed with oatmeal, onion and various seasoning and spices; some varieties include other meats such beef as well. Its texture is somewhat like a crumbly sausage. It’s traditionally served wrapped up in the animal’s stomach, although nowadays more synthetic casings are used.

Haggis, Neeps & Tatties

The most traditional way to serve haggis is with ‘neeps’ (turnips) and ‘tatties’ (potatoes). Both are usually mashed, then doused in whisky sauce. Usually, you’d sub the turnip for swede as it’s more accessible.

Whisky Cream Sauce for Steak

Another awesome way to use whisky cream sauce is with steak! If I’m doing this I’ll start the sauce where the steak left off (i.e. in the leftover fat/butter). You can then also incorporate the resting juices of the steak into the sauce at the end, just for even more flavour! Below I’ve served with Asparagus and Roast Potatoes.

For more steak sauces check out my Creamy Peppercorn Sauce, Blue Cheese Sauce and Creamy Mushroom Sauce!

Alrighty, let’s tuck into the full recipe for this whisky cream sauce shall we?!

How to make Whisky Cream Sauce (Full Recipe & Video)

Whisky Cream Sauce

This Whisky Cream Sauce is absolutely delicious and so easy to make - perfect for steak or haggis!

5 from 3 votes

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Servings (click & slide): 4

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Scottish

Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes minutes

Total Time: 20 minutes minutes

Calories per serving: 206kcal

Author: Chris Collins

Cost per serving: £2.50 / $3

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Equipment:

• Frying Pan & Wooden Spoon
• Sharp Knife & Chopping Board
• Jug (for stock/cream)

Ingredients (check list):

• ▢ 3/4 cup / 180ml Double/Heavy Cream, at room temp
• ▢ 3/4 cup / 180ml Beef Stock
• ▢ 1/2 cup / 120ml + 1 tsp Whisky (see notes)
• ▢ 1 tbsp Butter
• ▢ 1 tsp Wholegrain Mustard
• ▢ 2 small Shallots, peeled & very finely diced
• ▢ 1 clove of Garlic, very finely diced
• ▢ 1/4 tsp Coarse Ground Black Pepper, or to taste (see notes)
• ▢ Salt, to taste

Instructions:

• Melt 1 tbsp butter in a pan over medium heat. Add shallots and fry until soft, then add in garlic & black pepper and fry for a couple of mins longer.
• Add whisky and simmer for a few mins to reduce it right down until mostly evaporated. This is important to burn off the alcohol and take the 'sting' out of the flavour.
• Once the pungent alcohol smell has disappeared, add in beef stock, cream, wholegrain mustard and a pinch of salt (to taste).
• Stir somewhat frequently over a gentle simmer for around 10mins, or until the sauce has thickened. Test for seasoning and adjust accordingly. If you want a stronger whiskey flavour then stir in more 1 tsp at a time. Careful, it'll be strong as you won't have burnt off the alcohol!

Quick 1 min demo!

Notes:

a) Whisky - The more you reduce and simmer down the whisky the less pungent it will be in the sauce. I recommend reducing down a fair bit initially as you can always add more in. Much harder to take it out! 

b) Black Pepper - This adds a bit of heat to the sauce, just to enhance the warm tones of the whisky. It also gives vibes of a peppercorn sauce, which is never a bad thing! I recommend cracked/coarse black pepper over the dusty variety. Much more flavour, especially when you fry it in the pan to release it's flavour.

c) Serving with Steak - Start the sauce where the steaks left off, i.e in the leftover fat/butter. If you've basted your steak(s) in lots of butter, you can skip the 1 tbsp in the recipe. Once the sauce is nearly done, I recommend pouring in any of the juices surrounding the steaks as they rest.

d) Serving with Haggis - Traditionally served as 'Haggis, Neeps & Tatties'. So just cook the Haggis to packet instruction, then whip up some Mashed Potatoes and Mashed Swede or Turnips.

e) Other Servings - Great with pork or chicken, awesome with mushrooms, also nice with potatoes and most veg! In all cases this recipe offer 4 small servings of sauce, 3 medium or 2 very large!

e) Make ahead - Just allow to completely cool then tightly store in the fridge for a few days. Reheat on LOW heat on the stove, stirring until just heated through. Or in short blasts in the microwave, stirring in between. In both cases you can add a dash of water to loosen it up if needed.

f) Calories - whole recipe divided by 4:

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Nutrition:

Nutrition Facts

Whisky Cream Sauce

Amount Per Serving

Calories 206 Calories from Fat 167

% Daily Value*

Fat 18.53g29%

Saturated Fat 11.488g57%

Polyunsaturated Fat 0.706g

Monounsaturated Fat 5.356g

Cholesterol 65mg22%

Sodium 80mg3%

Potassium 69mg2%

Carbohydrates 9.46g3%

Fiber 0.3g1%

Sugar 8.61g10%

Protein 1.3g3%

Vitamin A 718IU14%

Vitamin C 1.8mg2%

Calcium 36mg4%

Iron 0.19mg1%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Nutrition is based on the absence of salt unless stated as a measurement in the ingredients. Cost is worked out based on ingredients bought from UK supermarkets, then divided by the number of servings. In both instances these values are just for guidance. Please check out my FAQ Page for more info.

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