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It’s easier than you might think to make the ultimate peppercorn mushroom sauce—rich, creamy, and perfect for steak, chicken, or pasta. Follow along with the recipe video and step-by-step instructions, and master this restaurant-quality sauce at home! (Heads-up, it’s a lovely addition to date night or Valentine’s Day dinner for you and your sweetie.)
Whether you’re drizzling this creamy sauce over a perfectly seared steak, spooning it onto tender roast chicken, or tossing it with pasta, this peppercorn mushroom sauce is pure magic.
What Makes This Recipe Special
- Restaurant-Quality at Home – This sauce adds a gourmet touch to your meals, making any dinner feel like a fine-dining experience.
- Pairs Well with Just About Anything – Perfect for steak, chicken, pasta, roasted vegetables, or even drizzled over mashed potatoes. I also like it with poached eggs and toast!
- Easy to Make, Packed with Flavor – For this recipe, we use a simple process and everyday ingredients, yet the result is rich, creamy, and deeply flavorful.
- Customizable to Your Taste Preferences – Use brandy or white wine, change up the mushrooms, or make it dairy-free. This sauce works for everyone!
- Elevates a Meal – Whether you’re hosting a dinner party or a romantic night in, this sauce instantly makes any meal feel special.
Ingredients
Breaking It Down
Ingredients Explained
In this section I explain the ingredients and give substitution ideas where applicable. For the full recipe (including the ingredient amounts), see the recipe card below.
- Ghee (clarified butter) – Or use 1 tablespoon olive oil + 1 tablespoon unsalted butter.
- Yellow onion – Adds savory flavor. For a more subtle flavor, you can substitute with shallots, which have a milder, slightly sweeter taste with a hint of garlic.
- Button mushrooms – You can use white button mushrooms or slightly more mature cremini mushrooms (which are brown). Or switch it up and use any variety of mushrooms you like!
- Garlic – Paired with earthy mushrooms and rich cream, garlic is a must-have ingredient here.
- Brandy – Or dry white wine (such as Sauvignon Blanc or Pinot Grigio).
- Minced fresh thyme and rosemary – Bright, citrusy thyme and piney rosemary pair well with earthy mushrooms. Go for fresh herbs over dried herbs here for the most bang for your buck!
- Chicken stock – I like the richness of chicken stock in this sauce, but vegetable stock will also work.
- Heavy whipping cream – Adds rich flavor and creamy texture.
- Dijon mustard – Dijon mustard adds depth and complexity to the sauce by providing a subtle tang and slight sharpness to balance the cream’s richness. It also enhances the umami flavors of the mushrooms and peppercorns while helping to emulsify the sauce and create a smooth, velvety texture.
- Worcestershire sauce – Adds depth and umami flavor.
- Salt – To enhance the flavor of everything else.
- Coarsely cracked black pepper – We need pepper in peppercorn sauce! This adds a sharp, piquant flavor that beautifully offsets the rich creaminess of this sauce.
How to Make Mushroom Sauce: Step-by-Step Instructions
Here are step-by-step photos to guide you through cooking mushroom sauce. For the recipe video, please see the recipe card below.
- Add the ghee to a medium to large skillet over medium heat. Once hot, add the onion and mushrooms and cook until the onion is translucent and the mushrooms are softened, about 5 minutes.
- Stir in the garlic and cook 30 seconds.
- Stir in the brandy and cook until it’s mostly evaporated, about 30 seconds, using a wooden spoon to scrape up any brown bits. Stir in the thyme and rosemary.
- Add the chicken stock, cream, Dijon, Worcestershire, salt, and black pepper. Stir the mixture, and bring it to a boil. Once boiling, cook until slightly thickened, about 2 to 3 minutes. Serve warm, garnished with more black pepper if desired.
Tips For the Best Peppercorn Mushroom Sauce
- Deglazing is Key: The brandy or wine helps lift all the delicious caramelized bits from the pan, adding depth to this simple sauce.
- Balance the Creaminess: To cut through the richness and wake up the flavors, a squeeze of fresh lemon juice added at the end of cooking can brighten it up.
- Want it Thicker? You have options! Simmer the sauce a little longer. Or at the end of cooking, add a cornstarch slurry (1 teaspoon cornstarch mixed with 1 tablespoon water) for extra thickness. Alternatively, whisk in 2 ounces of room temperature cream cheese.
Storage & Reheating
Once cooled to room temperature, store this sauce in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw before reheating. Reheat it gently on the stovetop, adding a splash more stock (or broth) or cream if necessary.
How to Use Mushroom Sauce
I came up with this recipe as a mushroom sauce for steak, but the options don’t end there! It lends itself well to a variety of uses, such as:
- Chicken: Instead of mushroom gravy for roast chicken, or spooned onto pan-seared or grilled chicken.
- Pasta: Tossed with your favorite pasta cooked to al dente. Brown up a pound of Italian turkey sausage and toss that in there as well!
- Mashed potatoes, egg noodles, or rice – With a generous amount of garlic, fresh herbs, and a lacing of brandy or white wine, mushroom and cream sauce jazzes up any starchy side dish. And if you want to keep the carbs down, go for cauliflower rice instead!
- Eggs: Along with poached eggs for an easy, nutritious breakfast.
- Toast: With a wink and a nod to Welsh rarebit, top a slice of sourdough toast with this creamy garlic mushroom sauce for a beautiful brunch or easy lunch! Add a soft-boiled egg for protein and to make it a restaurant-worthy meal.
- And of course steak: Serve this sauce on top of pan-seared New York strip or grilled ribeye steak for an elegant, romantic dinner. The creaminess of the sauce with the piquancy of the peppercorns and the earthy flavor of mushrooms is a lovely contrast to steak.
Brandy or White Wine?
Should you use brandy or white wine for the best mushroom sauce with cream?
Brandy and white wine both add depth to the sauce, but they offer slightly different flavors:
- Brandy brings a warm, slightly sweet, and rich depth with caramelized notes. It enhances the creamy elements of the sauce and pairs exceptionally well with steak.
- White wine adds a brighter, tangy acidity that balances the richness and brings out the freshness of the mushrooms, making it a great choice for chicken or pasta.
If you prefer a deeper, slightly sweeter sauce, go with brandy. On the other hand, if you want a lighter, more vibrant taste, opt for white wine.
FAQs
No problem! Use extra broth instead, and at the end of cooking, add 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice, white wine vinegar, or champagne vinegar. The flavor will be slightly different but still delicious.
Absolutely! Try portobello, shiitake, or even wild mushrooms for a unique twist.
Yes! Substitute the ghee with olive oil, vegetable stock for chicken stock, and use canned full-fat coconut milk (or another dairy-free alternative) instead of heavy cream.
More Easy, Elegant Recipes Perfect For Date Night
- Classic Swiss Cheese Fondue
- Pan Seared Duck Breast with Cherry Sauce
- 1-Skillet Chicken with Grapes
- Pistachio-Crusted Salmon
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Peppercorn Mushroom Sauce Recipe
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Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons clarified butter aka ghee (or 1 tablespoon olive oil + 1 tablespoon unsalted butter)
- 1/2 cup minced yellow onion or shallot
- 8 ounces button mushrooms thinly sliced
- 2 large cloves garlic crushed
- 2 tablespoons brandy or 1/4 cup dry white wine
- 1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme
- 1/2 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary
- 1/2 cup chicken stock
- 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1/2 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon medium ground or coarsely cracked black pepper plus more for serving if desired
Instructions
- Add the ghee to a medium to large skillet over medium heat. Once hot, add the onion and mushrooms and cook until the onion is translucent and the mushrooms are softened, about 5 minutes.
- Stir in the garlic and cook 30 seconds.
- Stir in the brandy and cook until it’s mostly evaporated, about 30 seconds, using a wooden spoon to scrape up any brown bits.
- Stir in the thyme and rosemary. Add the chicken stock, cream, Dijon, Worcestershire, salt, and black pepper. Stir the mixture, and bring it to a boil. Once boiling, cook until slightly thickened, about 2 to 3 minutes.
- Serve warm, garnished with more black pepper if desired.
Video
Notes
- Storage and Reheating: Once cooled to room temperature, store this sauce in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw before reheating. Reheat it gently on the stovetop, adding a splash more stock (or broth) or cream if necessary.
- To Make It Thicker: There are a few different ways you can do this. Simmer the sauce a little longer. Or at the end of cooking, add a cornstarch slurry (1 teaspoon cornstarch mixed with 1 tablespoon water) for extra thickness. Alternatively, whisk in 2 ounces of room temperature cream cheese.
- Net Carbs: 6g per serving
Nutrition
Nutritional information is automatically calculated and should be used as an approximate.
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I’m the writer, recipe developer, photographer, and food stylist behind this blog. I love finding the human connection through something we all do every day: eat! Food is a common ground that we can all relate to, and our tables tell a story. It’s my goal to inspire you to get in the kitchen, try something new, and find a favorite you didn’t know you had.
Free Bonus
Can you use half and half instead of the heavy whipping cream?
Linda, Absolutely! The sauce will be a bit thinner though. If you want to thicken it, you could add a cornstarch or flour slurry at the end.