Name: How To Make Peppercorn Sauce
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 12 min
Total time: 17 min
Ingredients: ½ Red Onion (Or Shallots); 75 g Creme Fraiche; 2 tbsp Crushed Black Peppercorns; 10 g Stock Paste; 100 ml Water; Salt (To Taste)

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A Creamy Peppercorn Sauce Recipe Perfect For Steak

An insanely delicious peppercorn sauce recipe infused with stock and creme fraiche for the best steak sauce ever.

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Creamy Peppercorn Sauce With Creme Fraiche

Who doesn’t love steak with homemade peppercorn sauce? It’s the classic dinner recipe that turns home cooking into restaurant standard. Not only is it perfect for pouring over steak, but it also goes well with chips, chicken and pretty much everything. Your quest for finding the best peppercorn sauce recipe ends here!

I brought all the ingredients to make this creamy sauce from HelloFresh including the peppercorns! Making this recipe has been easy from start to end, check out my HelloFresh review here. This is a quick and easy sauce recipe you’re going to become obsessed with!

Crème Fraîche Steak Sauce

Making black peppercorn sauce can look fancy but it’s actually very easy to make and put together. The ingredients are quite basic and the recipe is super easy too, I’m not joking when I say this condiment will change your life.

It’s made with creme fraiche and without cream, creme fraiche makes this peppercorn sauce so creamy. It’s packed full of flavour and will take your steak to a whole new level!

You may notice some recipes add alcohol like brandy to their peppercorn sauce, but this recipe is without it. If you add brandy, you’ll have to burn off the alcohol by igniting it into a flame. This can look a little tricky but it adds a smooth and glossy texture.

Watch How To Make Steak And Peppercorn Sauce

Here’s a quick video on how I made sirloin steak with peppercorn sauce, I also served this with a side of roast potatoes and green beans.

How Do You Thicken Peppercorn Sauce?

The key to thickening a peppercorn sauce is allowing the sauce to reduce whilst simmering.

There’s no need for flour or cornstach as the sauce will naturally thicken by itself. The addition of cream or creme fraiche will help the sauce thicken.

Will Peppercorns Soften In Sauce?

Peppercorns will not soften in the peppercorn sauce, they do not dissolve in the sauce either. They will remain crushed if you crushed the peppercorns or whole if you add them in the sauce whole.

Recipe Ingredients

All the ingredients came from my HelloFresh box, I got 50% off 3 meals (this is one of them) and it took a total of 45 minutes to make!

Below are the 5 ingredients needed to make this creamy peppercorn sauce recipe with creme fraiche. There’s no cream, brandy or alcohol in this peppercorn sauce; the recipe ingredients are below:

Onion: I used a red onion but you can also use shallots or white onions. The onions are diced into small square chunks.

Black Peppercorns: To make the peppercorn sauce, whole black peppercorns are crushed. You can buy crackled black pepper or crush whole peppercorns using a pestle and mortar.

Stock: I used chicken stock paste but you can use any stock like beef stock. The stock paste is mixed with water and left to reduce until thickened. You could also buy stock in liquid form rather than dissolving the paste in water.

Creme Fraiche: If you don’t have creme fraiche you could also make the peppercorn sauce with double cream.

Salt: Added for flavour.

What Peppercorns To Use?

It’s best to freshly crush black peppercorns just before making this sauce. This will give you a rich peppercorn flavour. Alternatives like pre-crushed black pepper or black pepper powder can be used if you don’t have peppercorns.

You can of course you white peppercorns, pink peppercorns or even a combination of all three for an intense flavour. You can buy a pack of mixed peppercorns with all three types in one pack.

How To Make Creamy Peppercorn Sauce (With Creme Fraiche)

Below is a step-by-step guide on how to make creamy peppercorn sauce with creme fraiche. Full recipe instructions are on the recipe card at the bottom.

Step One:

Roughly crush the peppercorns into small pieces.

You can do this by placing the peppercorns in a sandwich bag and gently bashing it with a rolling pin. You could also do this in a pestle and mortar.

If you’re making steak, season with salt and pepper before frying.

Step Two:

Add oil to the frying pan and heat on a medium heat. Add diced onions, salt and black pepper to the frying pan and stir for 2 to 3 minutes or until the onions have softened.

Step Three:

Add water and stock paste to the onions and allow the sauce to simmer and thicken. This will take an average of 8 minutes, gently stir the sauce and it will thicken eventually.

Step Four:

Stir in the creme fraiche, turn the heat off and serve.

Can I Prepare The Peppercorn Sauce In Advance?

Yes! You can prepare this peppercorn sauce recipe in advance. Simply place the sauce in an airtight container, store in the fridge and reheat just before serving.

Is Peppercorn Sauce Spicy?

Peppercorn sauce is not considered to be spicy but you might notice a little kick from the peppercorns. To reduce the spiciness of the sauce, you can reduce the amount of black pepper used or use a milder peppercorn.

What Is This Recipe Free From?

Make sure to check the ingredients for any allergens before making this recipe. I brought the ingredients on HelloFresh, which lists all known allergens.

No alcohol

Egg-Free

This peppercorn sauce recipe is made without double cream, but it’s still made with creme fraiche. So this recipe is not dairy-free.

How To Freeze Crème Fraîche Steak Sauce

To freeze, simply store the sauce in an airtight container and place in the freezer until you are ready to use it. Once defrosted, as the sauce is heated it will thicken again (you may need to add a little cream).

My Top Tips

For the perfect timing, start making the peppercorn sauce whilst your steak is resting. It will take you around 12 minutes to make the sauce just in time for serving the steak.

Once I’ve fried the steaks, I like to make the peppercorn sauce in the same pan with all the meaty juices left from the steak. If you’re starting from a clean plan, add oil or butter; If you’ve just fried steak in a pan, use the same pan for the best flavour.

Once the sauce has reduced give it a try. If you want to add more heat to this sauce, add extra crushed peppercorns and taste to see if it’s to your liking.

What To Serve Peppercorn Sauce With?

Of course, peppercorn sauce goes so well with steak but below are few more options: