This Poor Man’s Salisbury Steak is smothered in onion gravy and is ready in about 30 minutes! Serve with my favorite mashed potatoes and you have a meal that even the pickiest eaters will like! (If you want to get extra fancy, serve this Salisbury steak with my Restaurant Style Mashed Potatoes!)
What is Salisbury Steak?
How to Make Salisbury Steaks
The first step to making Salisbury steak is to make the hamburger patties. We always used 70/30 ground beef growing up because it was the most inexpensive, but these days I like to use a leaner percentage like 90/10. I also like to take my ground beef out of the fridge about 30 minutes before preparing this so that the meat is not cold.
Ingredients:
- ground beef
- potato chips
- eggs
- ground mustard
- garlic powder
- salt & pepper
A traditional Salisbury steak uses breadcrumbs, but we never seemed to have those on hand growing up so my mom would use crushed potato chips. I love the salty and crunchy component that the potato chips add to this recipe. It’s my “secret ingredient” and also where the name “Poor Man’s Salisbury Steak” comes into play.
The meat is mixed with potato chips and seasonings, then formed into hamburger patties. The patties are then fried in a skillet (I used a 12-inch) with the oil and butter until the juices no longer run pink.
Remove the patties from the skillet and then drain off any excess grease.
How to Make Onion Gravy
One of my favorite components of this meal is the gravy. I love to cook up a double batch and freeze it to use it different nights of the week. To make the gravy, start with the same skillet you cooked the Salisbury steaks in. With the temperature reduced to medium, add in the sliced onions and cook for about 3-5 minutes, or until they are golden brown and somewhat soft. Next, add in the beef broth and Worcestershire. Once that is combined you can add in the cornstarch and stir everything until it comes to a low boil and the sauce starts to thicken. If you get to a point where the sauce seems TOO thick, you can add more broth to thin it out. Return the steaks to the gravy and spoon gravy over everything.
The end result of this process is a tender flavorful Salisbury Steak, smothered in a rich onion gravy. An easy and flavorful dinner!
Can You Freeze Salisbury Steak?
This recipe freezes well, so you could absolutely make a double batch for later in the week. There are two methods for freezing:
- Freeze the uncooked steaks and then thaw and follow the rest of the recipe as listed.
- Freeze the cooked steaks in the gravy, and the defrost them in the fridge and simmer in a pan until they are warmed through.
The absolute best way to serve Salisbury steak is over mashed potatoes. I also add a vegetable side like garlic and parmesan roasted asparagus or brown butter brussel sprouts.
More Ground Beef Recipes
Philly Cheese Steak Sloppy Joes
Country Meat and Mashed Potatoes
Salisbury Steak
Hamburger "Steaks" smothered in an onion brown gravy!
Ingredients
Hamburger Patties
- 1 pound ground beef
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup potato chips, smashed
- 2 teaspoons dry mustard
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- Salt and pepper
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
Gravy
- 1 whole onion, thinly sliced
- 2 cups beef broth, more if needed for thinning
- 4 dashes Worcestershire
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- Salt and pepper
Instructions
Hamburger Patties
-
Combine the ground beef, eggs, potato chips, dry mustard, garlic powder, and some salt and pepper.
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Using your hands, mix all the ingredients until fully combined. Form into four hamburger patties.
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In a 12-inch skillet with the butter and oil over medium-high heat, fry the patties on both sides until no longer pink in the middle. (about 5 minutes a side)
-
Remove patties from the skillet and pour off any excess grease.
Gravy
-
Reduce the heat to medium and add in the sliced onions. Stir and cook until golden brown and somewhat soft, about 3-5 minutes.
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In a small bowl, combine the beef broth and the corn starch. Mix well.
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Add the beef broth mixture and Worcestershire sauce to the onions and stir as the mixture comes to a low boil. The sauce will reduce and thicken.
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If the sauce appears too thick, you can add more broth for thinning.
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Return the cooked hamburger patties to the gravy. Spoon the gravy over the top and let them simmer and heat back up for a couple of minutes.
DID YOU MAKE Salisbury Steak?
I want to hear about it! Take a picture and tag me on Instagram or on Facebook. I would love to see your finished product! Make sure to tag me @iamhomesteader or hashtag #iamhomesteader, or both!
What an excellent recipe. Perfect! Job well done.
I’m still unclear on the chip measurement. Do I measure one cup of whole potato chips then I crush them OR I crush the chips first to make one cup of smashed chips.
1 cup smashed potato chips
I never made Salisbury steak before so I followed this recipe. I cannot believe that this recipe calls for 2 tsp. of garlic powder and 2 tsp. of dry mustard. I ruined a good pound of ground beef.
Those are actually really average amounts for a recipe this size. Sorry you didn’t like it.
When I don’t have any potato chips could I sub them for corn flakes?
You definitely can. 🙂
Wonderful.
I made this today and it was delicious. I have Celiac Disease so using the crushed potato chips was great as they are Gluten Free. I also added a small can of mushrooms and also needed more cornstarch. I will make this again for sure. Thanks..
Helen, I also have to avoid Gluten and wondered if you used a gluten free Worcestershire sauce. I live in Canada and have not been able to find a gluten free brand as of yet!
Sure would like to make this recipe, It looks great!😊
This is a great recipe! My husband claims to not like onions so I use Durkee Fried onions in the meat instead of the potato chips so that I can still have the onion flavor…he loves it!
lol I had to laugh “my husband claims he doesn’t like onions”… I did this for the first 30 years of my life!! Now I can’t make a dish unless it has onions in it. 🙂
I made this tonight (sorry no photo) & it was so delicious! I followed the recipe, but cooked the steak in a cast iron skillet. I also added mushrooms with the onions – excellent & tasty. I’m a picky eater & I found this delicious. I served it with roasted baby red potatoes (recipe from the Little Potato Company) with parsley, garlic & lemon!
Sounds amazing Janice!
meatloaf and salisbury steak are the same to me…
Could u make it up n then transfer over to crockpot
have not tried that, not sure
Can’t wait to try sounds delicious just like my mom used to make!
Here’s one I always use that is good.
THE VERY BEST SALISBURY STEAK
Ingredients
1 (10 1/2 ounce) can French onion soup
1 1/2 lbs ground beef
1/2 cup dry breadcrumbs
1 egg
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper, to taste
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1/4 cup ketchup
1 -3 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce, to taste
1/2 teaspoon mustard powder
1/4 cup water
Directions
In a large bowl, mix together 1/3 cup condensed French onion soup with ground beef, bread crumbs, egg, salt and black pepper.
Shape into 6 oval patties.
In a large skillet over medium-high heat, brown both sides of patties.
Pour off excess fat.
In a small bowl, blend flour and remaining soup until smooth.
Mix in ketchup, water, Worcestershire sauce and mustard powder.
Pour over meat in skillet.
Cover, and cook for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
I don’t have dry mustard like I thought. Is there a substitute?
I couldn’t get the recipes delivered to my email address. It kept saying the page was missing.😵
I took screenshots
Made this for dinner tonight and I only have one word… FABULOUS! I didn’t change a thing, and it came out delicious and so favorable! I made a double batch, so I did find I needed to add a bit more cornstarch, but that’s it. Make sure you let the gravy take its time and reduce, you will not regret it! Thank you for a recipe that I’ll be making for years to come!
Are the chips crushed than measured for 1 cup or whole? Thank You.
The chips are crushed when measured.
I am interested in a recipe for larger hamburger steaks with cooked onions on top, I want them to be moist and juicy, mine is too dry. Please help
Use the recipe on the back of the Campbell ‘s beef gravy can It’s very good. I also like to add a squirt of ketchup and a sprinkle of Parmesan and Romano cheese. The powdered one from Sargento brand.
Use a cast iron skillet and cover your Burgers Once you turn them over
I always spread the ground beef in a layer about 2 inches deep, then sprinkle the top lightly with soy sauce. Mix it in with you hands, then form patties. Add to a hot skillet and fry until nicely brown, turn, sprinkle with coarse ground pepper and continue cooking until cooked through. Add a bit of butter and cook just until the butter melts. Serve with the butter drizzled over.
For hamburger steak/Salisbury steak, I always add egg and bread crumbs and cook them on a medium heat so that they do not cook to fast. If they are slightly pink in the middle, when you add them back to the gravy to simmer, it will cook them through. I am going to have try the chips in this recipe instead of the bread crumbs….sounds yummy!!
Mince onions and add to your hamburger meat mixture, will add flavor and moisture. Hope this helps.
For all my beef gravies onion or other, I always start wit Progresso French Onion soup !