Name: Easy Peppercorn Sauce
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 10 min
Yield: 6
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 1/3 cup marsala wine; 3/4 cup low sodium beef broth; 1/2 cup heavy cream, room temperature; 1 tablespoon crush black peppercorns; 1 teaspoon cornstarch

This post may contain affiliate links. If you purchase through links on our site, we may earn a commission.

Jump to Recipe

Easy peppercorn sauce is the perfect toppings for your favorite steak or chicken recipe. This easy 5 ingredient pan sauce recipe takes just minutes to whip up and is the perfect finishing touch for your meal!

filet mignon with creamy peppercorn sauce

Want to save this recipe?

Enter your email & I’ll send it to your inbox. Plus, get great new recipes from me every week!

It is funny how something as simple as a creamy peppercorn sauce can make an ordinary steak seem so special. So why aren’t we making it more often?

This super easy peppercorn gravy recipe takes only 5 simple ingredients and less than 10 minutes to make. You can make it right in the same pan you cooked your steak in for the best flavor (and less dishes to clean up!)

Ingredients

marsala cooking wine
heavy cream – bring to room temperature
low sodium beef broth
peppercorns
cornstarch

crushing peppercorns with a marble mortar and pestle

Step by step

Crush whole peppercorns with a spice grinder, mortar and pestle, or rolling pin.
Preferably in the same pan you cooked your steak in, add marsala to the pan and scrape the bottom to deglaze and release all that flavor!
Reduce heat to medium and broth. Bring to a simmer until it reduces by half, about 5 minutes.
Add cream and peppercorns and simmer an additional 2 minutes.
Create a cornstarch slurry with the cornstarch and 2 tablespoons of cold water. Add to the gravy and stir until thickened. Remove from heat and serve!

Variations and substitutions

if you are not using a pan for your steak or want to cook this in a new pan, melt 2 tablespoons of butter in the pan first, then add marsala
you can substitute brandy or cognac for the marsala
to omit the alcohol altogether use non-alcoholic red wine or an equal amount of beef broth plus one teaspoon of Worcestershire sauce

Serving suggestions

While this savory sauce is a classic sauce for steaks you can serve it over baked chicken, pork, lamb, portobello mushrooms, or even roasted vegetables as well.

Storage and reheating

Store the sauce in an airtight container in the refrigerator up to 3 days.

Reheat on the stovetop over medium low heat, stirring constantly to prevent burning.

If you try this recipe, please comment and rate it below, I love hearing from you!