Beef Tips and Gravy (Stove Top or Crock Pot!)

Discover how simple it is to make Beef Tips and Gravy right from scratch, whether on the Stove Top or in the Crock Pot. These tender sirloin tips get smothered in a rich, flavorful brown gravy and pair beautifully with mashed potatoes, egg noodles, or rice.

Don’t forget to check out my Chicken Pot Pie and Slow Cooker Beef Stew recipes next — they’re family favorites, too!

Welcome to one of our family’s all-time go-to dinners! I love serving this dish alongside creamy mashed potatoes and some roasted carrots for a warm, comforting meal. Sometimes, I prep it the night before and let the Crock Pot work its magic all day. Other times, I whip it up quickly on the stove when time’s tight.

And the gravy? Oh, you’re going to love it. Trust me, I’ve got easy gravy recipes down to a science, and this one’s no exception.

There’s a nice blend of seasonings here that really boost the taste of both the meat and the gravy. Mix them together before you start cooking, and you’ll breeze through the prep.

Alright, let’s dive in and get you set up to make this recipe shine!

If cozy, straightforward comfort food is your jam, you’re absolutely in the right spot. This Beef Tips and Gravy recipe transforms tender cubes of sirloin into a meal that’ll have everyone licking their plates — all wrapped up in a rich, savory brown gravy and perfectly paired with mashed potatoes, egg noodles, or rice.

Keep reading and you’ll learn exactly how to:

• Whip up a simple seasoning mix and get the beef ready in about 15 minutes.
• Pick your cooking style: a quick one-pot stove top method that takes about 25 minutes or a hands-off Crock Pot option for tender, melt-in-your-mouth beef.
• Build big flavor easily — sear the meat to create fond, optionally deglaze with red wine, and thicken the sauce with a cornstarch slurry, plus my secret gravy flavor boosters like Worcestershire sauce.
• Make it ahead, store it in the fridge or freezer, and reheat without losing that luscious richness.

This intro section gives you the backstory and basics — scroll down to the recipe card for exact ingredient amounts and step-by-step directions. You’ll also find plenty of photos, pro tips, and a Crock Pot variation so you can make this your own, whether you need a quick dinner or a slow-cooked feast. Let’s get cooking!

What Makes This Recipe Great

This Beef Tips and Gravy recipe is classic comfort food, stripped down to the simple essentials for big flavor. The steak tips soak up a rich, homemade brown gravy, and you can make it fast on the stove or slow and easy in the Crock Pot. Searing, deglazing, and seasoning build deep, savory layers without any tricky cooking moves.

• Quick weeknight dinner: about 15 minutes prep and roughly 25 minutes cook time on the stove (feeds 4).
• Hands-off Crock Pot option: sear the beef first, then cook low for 7–8 hours or high for 3–4 hours for tender results.
• Flexible serving ideas: great over mashed potatoes, egg noodles, or rice, plus it pairs wonderfully with biscuits or roasted veggies—or add a fresh, crisp side like Classic Spinach Salad.
• Flavor packed with easy tricks: the fond from searing, optional red wine deglaze, and umami boosters like Worcestershire or soy sauce make the gravy extra savory.
• Make-ahead and freezer-friendly: prep and refrigerate up to 2 days, or freeze for 3 months to save time on busy nights.
• Adaptable with the cut of beef: sirloin or tenderloin tips are perfect for a quick stovetop, while tougher cuts work beautifully for slow cooking in the Crock Pot.

Ingredients and Measurements

• 1 ½ lbs. sirloin tips
• 3 tablespoons flour
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon brown sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• ½ teaspoon EACH: salt, garlic powder, onion powder, chili powder, paprika
• ¼ cup dry red wine, optional
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 small yellow onion, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 cups beef broth
• 1 beef bouillon cube
• 1 ½ teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
• ¼ teaspoon EACH: dried thyme, dried rosemary
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• ½ teaspoon garlic powder
• 3 tablespoons corn starch + 1/4 cup cold water

Stove-Top and Crock Pot Steps

1. Mix the beef seasoning and assemble all gravy ingredients.
2. Cut sirloin into 1-inch cubes and trim away large pieces of fat.
3. Sprinkle the seasoning over the beef and toss to coat, then dust the beef with flour and toss again to coat.

4. Heat 3 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.

   

5. Working in batches without crowding, sear the beef 30–45 seconds per side until browned, adding more oil if the pan is dry; transfer browned beef to a plate.
6. Optional: pour 1/4 cup dry red wine into the pan and scrape up the brown bits (deglaze).
7. Simmer the wine until reduced by half.

8. Turn heat to medium and stir in 2 tablespoons butter and 1 diced small yellow onion; cook about 5 minutes until onions soften and begin to brown.

   

9. Add 3 cloves minced garlic and cook 1 minute.
10. Stir in beef broth, beef bouillon cube, Worcestershire sauce, dried thyme, dried rosemary, onion powder, and garlic powder; bring the mixture to a boil.
11. Whisk together 3 tablespoons cornstarch and 1/4 cup cold water until smooth, then slowly pour the slurry into the boiling sauce while whisking and cook until the gravy thickens to your liking (stovetop method).

12. Lower heat to medium-low, return the seared beef and any accumulated juices to the pan, cover loosely, and cook 10–15 minutes until beef is tender and cooked through; remove from heat.

    

13. Optional: swirl in 1 tablespoon cold butter at the end to finish and enrich the gravy.
14. Crock Pot option: after searing and assembling the gravy base, transfer the beef and sauce to the slow cooker and cook low 7–8 hours or high 3–4 hours.

15. For Crock Pot finish: whisk 3 tablespoons cornstarch with 1/4 cup cold water until smooth and slowly stir into the hot gravy to thicken before serving; remove from heat.

    

Pro Tips for Richer Gravy

• Worcestershire Sauce: This is my go-to. It doesn’t add a strong flavor itself but lifts all the other flavors in the gravy, adding richness and depth. We only use 1.5 teaspoons here.
• Soy Sauce: (A great alternative to Worcestershire.) It adds a delicious ‘umami’ – that savory note that makes gravy downright addictive. Go for low sodium soy sauce to keep salt levels in check.
• Mix Chicken and Beef Broth: Using both adds a fuller flavor. Chicken broth has a bit more body, which rounds out the beef broth nicely. If you want a darker gravy, keep reading for my next tip.
• Kitchen Bouquet Browning and Seasoning Sauce: A few drops of this will give your gravy a beautiful darker color and a subtle flavor lift. You’ll find it near gravy mixes in most grocery stores.

• Onions are optional, but they add nice sweetness and depth. Use however much you prefer.
• Mushrooms are a tasty add-in, tossed in when you sauté the onions.
• Wine is optional. Dry reds like Pinot Noir or Cabernet Sauvignon work best, though you can swap broth if you’d rather skip the alcohol.
• A splash of cream (about 1/8 cup) stirred in at the end makes the gravy extra silky.
• Mix your seasoning blend ahead of time to save steps during cooking — it’s worth it for that layered flavor!

• Onions add a lovely flavor, but feel free to leave them out if you prefer. Use as much or as little as you want.
• Mushrooms are a great bonus, added when you cook the onions.
• Wine is totally optional. Dry kinds like Pinot Noir or Cabernet Sauvignon work beautifully, or use broth if you prefer no alcohol.
• A splash of cream near the end makes the gravy extra lush and silky.
• For best results, mix your beef and gravy seasoning blends ahead of time — the flavor payoff is so worth it!

Serving Ideas and Add-Ins

• Serve alongside Buttermilk Biscuits, Cheddar Bay Biscuits, Mashed Potatoes, Roasted Carrots, Roasted Green Beans, Air Fryer Asparagus, or Corn Casserole for a hearty, family-friendly meal.

Storing, Make-Ahead, and Reheating

• Sear the meat and prepare the gravy as directed. Let the gravy cool completely, then mix it with the seared meat and any juices.
• Store everything in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days.
• When you’re ready to eat, finish cooking on the stove or in the Crock Pot as usual (or check out my BBQ Pulled Chicken recipe for another easy, crowd-pleasing dinner idea).

Pro Tips

• Onions add a lovely flavor, but feel free to leave them out if you prefer. Use as much or as little as you want.
• Mushrooms are a great bonus, added when you cook the onions.
• Wine is totally optional. Dry kinds like Pinot Noir or Cabernet Sauvignon work beautifully, or use broth if you prefer no alcohol.
• A splash of cream near the end makes the gravy extra lush and silky.
• For best results, mix your beef and gravy seasoning blends ahead of time — the flavor payoff is so worth it!

• Store leftovers in an airtight container and keep refrigerated for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months. For another make-ahead weeknight dinner, try Dolly Parton’s 5-Ingredient Casserole.

Tools For This Recipe

• Kitchen Tongs — These make flipping and moving the beef so easy during searing.
• Kitchen Scale — Handy if you want to weigh your meat precisely.
• Deep 13-inch Skillet — The perfect size for searing and simmering all in one pan.
• Crock Pot — The one I use lets you sear meat right on the stove, and it switches to warm automatically when done. Such a lifesaver!

Common Questions Answered

Beef “tips” are smaller pieces of meat trimmed from larger, more tender cuts. They’re perfect for cube-style dishes like this, but might confuse you at the store.

For instance, a Top Sirloin is a big, tender steak cut. A Sirloin Tip comes from the outer ‘scrap’ area of that steak. It’s still tasty but a bit less tender, so slicing it into cubes makes the most sense for recipes like this.

Sirloin or Tenderloin are your best picks for stove top beef tips, since they don’t need low and slow cooking to become tender.

• Tender cuts: Sirloin, Flank, Ribeye, Tenderloin.
• Tougher cuts: Chuck Roast, Rump Roast, Brisket — these are best saved for slow cooking in the Crock Pot.

Sometimes labels can get confusing, so here’s my tip: if you’re cooking on the stove top, buy meat labeled as sirloin or tenderloin. That guarantees you get a tender, quick-cooking cut.

• Stew meat often contains tougher cuts like chuck or rump, which flavor up beautifully in slow cooker recipes.
• Beef tips are usually from more tender cuts and work great on the stove top or in quick skillet meals — or in the slow cooker if you prefer low and slow.