Creamy mushroom sauce
This creamy mushroom sauce recipe is simply delicious served with everything from steak to chicken and it’s a great stir-through pasta sauce. Flavored with garlic and herbs, this thick and creamy sauce will elevate any weeknight dinner you serve it with.
If you love this easy mushroom sauce recipe, try our Creamy Lemon Butter Sauce.
Ingredients
- Butter + Olive oil. I used salted butter and extra-virgin olive oil.
- Mushrooms. I used portabellini/chestnut mushrooms/cremini mushrooms but use any mushrooms you like.
- Fresh garlic cloves.
- Fresh thyme. Other herbs like oregano, rosemary and parsley can be substituted.
- Cream. Heavy cream/whipping cream.
- Milk mixed with cornstarch.
- Fresh lemon juice.
- Salt and black pepper.
- Fresh parsley.
How to make creamy mushroom sauce?
Melt butter and olive oil together in a large frying pan or skillet set over high heat. Add the mushrooms then fry until golden brown. For intense flavor, it’s important to let the mushrooms brown well. The mushrooms might release a bit of liquid, simply let that evaporate and cook until golden brown. Add garlic and allow to cook for another 30 seconds.
Reduce to medium-high heat then pour the cream into the pan and bring to a simmer. Stir in the milk and cornstarch mix. Allow to simmer until the sauce has thickened and any flouriness has cooked off. (If you prefer, you can omit the cornstarch mix and reduce the sauce down to thicken. You might need to start with more cream though as this will result in less sauce, overall.) Season with lemon, salt and pepper and serve.
Can I make mushroom sauce ahead?
Yes, you can. Make the sauce as instructed then allow to cool completely. Transfer to an airtight container and keep in the fridge for up to 3 days. Leftovers can be stored this way too. Reheat over medium heat in a saucepan until hot and bubbling. You could microwave the sauce but stir it every 30 seconds to prevent it from splitting. I wouldn’t advise freezing this sauce as it is likely to split once thawed.
Why did my sauce split?
With the use of cornflour in this recipe, your mushroom sauce shouldn’t split as there is starch keeping the water and fat molecules together. A sauce splits when too much water has evaporated and there is nothing for the fat to emulsify with. To save a split sauce, simply whisk in a few tablespoons of water to restore the balance between water and fat.
Why is my sauce lumpy?
It could be that you didn’t whisk the corn flour and milk well enough before adding it to the sauce. Whisk with a wire whisk until smooth and add a little more stock/water.
Why is my sauce pale in color?
If you didn’t allow the mushrooms to brown well, the end result will be a paler sauce. There’s nothing wrong with this but if you prefer a more golden sauce, make sure to allow the mushrooms to brown properly before adding the liquid. Also take care not to over-crowd the pan, rather frying the mushrooms in batches. Some mushroom varieties are also more pigmented. Button mushrooms are very pale in comparison to portabellini/chestnut mushrooms so it could also be the type of mushroom you used.
What to serve with mushroom sauce
This is an incredibly versatile sauce and makes a great easy dinner stirred through al dente pasta (it also makes a mean pasta bake) but is equally delicious on pork chops, chicken or steak. We also love this on thick slices of sourdough toast for a simple breakfast or brunch.
Creamy mushroom sauce
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 2 tablespoons oil
- 5 cups portabellini/chestnut mushrooms, halved/sliced approximately 500g/ 1 pound
- 2 sprigs fresh thyme
- 2 garlic cloves crushed
- 1 cup cream
- 1 cup milk mixed with 3 teaspoons corn flour/corn starch
- 1-2 tablespoon lemon juice to taste
- salt & pepper to taste
- 2 tablespoons chopped parsley
Instructions
- Heat the butter and olive oil together.
- Add the mushrooms to the pan with the thyme and season with salt and pepper.
- Allow the mushrooms to fry until golden brown then add the garlic and fry until fragrant.
- Pour in the cream and milk and allow to simmer gently for 5-10 minutes until the sauce has thickened and cooked through.
- Season with lemon, salt and pepper and add the parsley.
- Serve.
I actually made this and I must say it was the tastiest ever! I didn’t think the lemon would give it what was missing! Just to think I was gonna leave it out! And try it with roasted chicken today and mash. Should go down a treat
So happy to hear that. I find that often what anything creamy needs is just a squeeze of lemon. 🙂
What do you normally pair this with? Like chicken and pasta or pork hops and rice?
All of the above but mostly I serve it on grilled steak or stir it through cooked pasta for a quick and easy dinner.
Perfect mushroom sauce. So creamy and delicious.
So glad you liked it.
would it work with out the corn starch?
Yup! You just need to let it reduce for slightly longer.
Hi!
You seem like such a talented chef!!
What cream do you use for the recipe, and what brand is it?
Thank you so much!!
Any whipping/heavy cream will work perfectly well.
The directions don’t mention when to add the corn starch . ??
You’ll see in the ingredients list that the cornstarch is mixed into the milk. The milk and cream are added to the sauce together.
How do I make mushroom soup base for pasta besides what u said in ur recipe
I’m not sure what you mean, could you elaborate?
My family ask for this sauce every time we cook steak. Thanks for a great recipe!
I’m so glad you and your family like this recipe Ben!
Will this recipe be sufficient for sauce for 9 fillet mignon? Looks amazing!
I would make a little bit extra just in case. Maybe 1½ times this recipe?
This has become my go-to recipe for mushroom sauce. It’s easy and so tasty.
So pleased to hear you like it Lauren!
You left out when to add the garlic. I make a very similar sauce with dill.
This looks really good. I’m going to make it tonight and pour it over Italian sausage and creamy polenta.
Thanks for the recipe.
How do you think this would turn out with another cup of cream instead of the milk?
Just much richer. More is more, I say! 😉
What ‘cream’ you used to for your sauce ?
I used whipping/heavy cream.
Made this to try to copy the pizza express mushroom bruschetta – even better, thanks for the recipe!!?
Yay! So glad you liked it.
I made this sauce last night and served it with Woolies chicken schnitzel and it was delicious. Easiest mushroom sauce recipe I have ever tried and I actually scraped the sauce from my plate it was so tasty. Thanks for a great recipe!
I am so glad to hear that Diane!
I could dive into this sauce head first. Yum!
You and me both!
I am making this tonight to top some pork chops but added finely chopped onion as well. It smells and tastes great!
I hope you loved it, love the addition of onion!
I could probably eat the sauce by itself. It looks so rich and creamy!
I’m not going to lie, I have actually done that and it’s totally delicious.
I LOVE mushroom sauce. Yours looks so simple and easy to do. Definitely trying this soon!
I hope you love it Nadine!
Your favorite meal sounds like it would be my favorite meal too Alida! This mushroom sauce looks amazing and I’m sure it’s pure perfection! My husband Tom would absolutely LOVE this!
I always know I’m onto a goodie when Tom would approve. 😉