The Best Double French Onion Beef Tips and Gravy Recipe Ever

Hearty double French onion beef tips sparkle with rich, mouthwatering flavors that promise comfort in every bite.

Caramelized onions create deep, complex notes that sing through tender meat chunks.

Savory beef swimming in silky gravy captures classic home-cooking magic.

Complex seasoning layers melt together, creating an unforgettable meal experience.

A single forkful transports you to grandma’s kitchen, where love simmers in cast-iron skillets.

Robust ingredients combine seamlessly, promising satisfaction beyond imagination.

Prepare to fall in love with this soul-warming culinary adventure.

Double French Onion Beef Tips Serve Comfort in Every Bite

• Quick and Effortless Comfort Cooking: Transform basic ingredients into a restaurant-worthy meal with minimal kitchen skills required.
• Melt-in-Your-Mouth Tender Beef: Slow-cooking method guarantees incredibly soft, flavorful beef tips that practically fall apart with each bite.
• Crowd-Pleasing Weeknight Winner: Perfect for satisfying hungry families with its rich, hearty gravy and deeply caramelized onion base that appeals to all ages.
• Time-Saving Culinary Magic: One-pot technique means less cleanup, with most cooking time happening unattended, allowing you to relax while dinner develops delicious depth.

Double French Onion Beef Tips Ingredients

• Beef Tips: Tender meat that becomes meltingly soft with slow cooking, choose well-marbled cuts for rich flavor.
• Salt, Pepper: Classic seasoning blend to enhance meat's natural taste, freshly ground is best.

• Butter, Olive Oil: Create rich flavor base and prevent sticking, helps with even caramelization of onions.

• Onions: Central ingredient for deep caramelized sweetness, yellow or sweet onions recommended.
• Garlic: Adds depth and complexity to the overall dish flavor profile.

• Red Wine: Optional ingredient for deglazing and adding depth, dry red varieties work best.
• Beef Broth: Provides moisture and intense meaty background, low-sodium recommended for better control.
• Worcestershire Sauce: Adds umami and tangy complexity to gravy.
• French Onion Soup Mix: Boosts overall flavor and helps thicken sauce.

• Thyme: Earthy herb that complements beef and adds subtle aromatic notes, fresh or dried both acceptable.

Double French Onion Beef Tips & Gravy Cooking Guide

Step 1: Caramelize Those Onions

Bring a large skillet to life with butter and olive oil melting together over gentle heat.

Toss in sliced onions and let them dance slowly for 30-40 minutes, transforming from pale to a rich golden brown.

Give them an occasional stir to prevent sticking.

When they’re looking gorgeous, add minced garlic and let it sizzle for one magical minute.

Scoop out the onions and set them aside for their next delicious mission.

Step 2: Sear the Beef Like a Pro

Crank up the heat to medium-high and get ready for some serious flavor action.

Sprinkle beef tips with salt and pepper, giving them a flavor boost.

Working in batches, drop those beef tips into the hot pan.

Let each piece develop a beautiful crusty exterior for about 3-4 minutes per batch.

Each piece should have a gorgeous golden-brown sear that locks in all those incredible juices.

Transfer the seared beef to a waiting plate.

Step 3: Create a Knockout Gravy

Pour red wine into the pan, letting it sizzle and bubble while you scrape up all those incredible browned bits stuck to the bottom.

These are flavor bombs waiting to happen!

Slide the caramelized onions back into the pan.

Pour in beef broth, splash of Worcestershire sauce, sprinkle of thyme, and French onion soup mix.

Stir everything together until it looks and smells incredible.

Step 4: Slow Cook to Perfection

Return those perfectly seared beef tips to the gravy bath.

Cover the pan and let everything simmer together.

If using a stovetop, cook for 1.5-2 hours.

Alternatively, transfer to a slow cooker and let it go low and slow for 6-8 hours.

You’ll know it’s done when the beef is so tender it falls apart with a gentle touch and the gravy has thickened into a luxurious sauce that begs to be spooned over everything.

Gravy Tips for Double French Onion Beef Tips

• Take time when browning onions, using low heat to develop deep, rich flavors without burning – patience is key for sweet, golden results.
• Choose well-marbled beef tips like chuck or sirloin for maximum tenderness and rich flavor that melts in your mouth during slow cooking.
• Add red wine during deglazing to enhance gravy complexity, creating deeper umami notes and tenderizing the meat simultaneously.
• Allow sufficient time for beef to break down connective tissues, ensuring incredibly tender meat that falls apart with minimal fork pressure.
• Adjust gravy consistency by simmering uncovered during the last 30 minutes if you prefer a thicker sauce, or add a cornstarch slurry for instant thickening.

Storing Onion Beef Tips and Gravy

• Store leftovers in an airtight container within two hours of cooking, keeping the beef tips and gravy together for maximum flavor preservation.
• Allow the dish to reach room temperature before sealing and placing in the refrigerator to prevent condensation and potential bacterial growth.
• Consume refrigerated leftovers within 3-4 days for the best taste and texture, ensuring optimal quality and food safety.
• Warm gently in a covered skillet over medium-low heat, adding a splash of beef broth to maintain moisture and prevent the meat from becoming dry or tough.

Double French Onion Tips: What to Add

• Enhance Beef Tips with Perfect Pairings
• Malty Red Ale Match: Select a robust red ale with caramel undertones that complements the rich beef and sweet caramelized onions, creating a harmonious flavor symphony.
• Rustic Roasted Potato Side: Prepare crispy rosemary-infused roasted potatoes that soak up the savory French onion gravy, adding delightful textural contrast to the tender beef tips.
• Fresh Herb Salad Companion: Create a light mixed green salad with fresh parsley, chives, and a tangy vinaigrette to cut through the dish's richness and provide a refreshing palate cleanser.
• Crusty Sourdough Bread Pairing: Serve warm, crusty sourdough bread for dipping into the luxurious gravy, allowing diners to capture every delicious drop of the complex sauce.

Beef Tips and Gravy with Onion Options

• Low-Carb Version: Replace beef tips with leaner cuts like sirloin or tenderloin and use cauliflower rice instead of traditional rice for serving, reducing overall carbohydrate content.
• Gluten-Free Adaptation: Swap French onion soup mix with gluten-free alternative and use cornstarch instead of flour for thickening gravy, ensuring safe consumption for gluten-sensitive individuals.
• Slow Cooker Method: Transfer all ingredients to slow cooker after initial searing, cooking on low for 6-8 hours for tender meat and deeper flavor development without constant monitoring.
• Vegetarian Alternative: Substitute beef tips with portobello mushrooms or plant-based protein chunks, using vegetable broth and maintaining caramelized onion base for rich umami flavor profile.

FAQs

• What are beef tips?

Beef tips are small, tender pieces of beef cut from the tenderloin or sirloin, known for their rich flavor and soft texture, perfect for slow-cooking dishes.

• Can I use a different cut of beef?

Yes, you can substitute beef tips with chuck roast, stew meat, or bottom round, which are more budget-friendly and become tender with slow cooking.

• Is French onion soup mix necessary?

The soup mix adds depth and complexity to the gravy, but if unavailable, you can replace it with beef bouillon, onion powder, and a pinch of dried herbs for similar flavor.

• How do I know when the beef is fully cooked?

The beef is done when it’s fork-tender and easily pulls apart, which typically occurs after 1.5-2 hours of slow simmering, allowing the meat to become soft and flavorful.

Double French Onion Beef Tips and Gravy Recipe

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4.5 from 20 reviews

• Total Time: 2 hours 15 minutes
• Yield: 6 1x

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Description

Hearty double french onion beef tips and gravy elevates comfort food with rich, savory depths of caramelized onions and tender meat. Slow-cooked perfection delivers a soul-warming meal that brings rustic charm to your dinner table.

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Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

Protein:

• 2.5 lbs (1.13 kg) beef tips (sirloin or chuck roast), cut into chunks
• 1/2 cup (118 ml) Gruyere or Swiss cheese, shredded
• 3 cloves garlic, minced

Fresh Produce and Seasonings:

• 3 large yellow or sweet onions, thinly sliced
• 1 teaspoon (5 ml) fresh thyme (or 1/2 teaspoon (2.5 ml) dried thyme)
• Salt & pepper, to taste

Cooking Liquids and Thickeners:

• 2 tablespoons (30 ml) butter
• 1 tablespoon (15 ml) olive oil
• 1/2 cup (118 ml) red wine (optional, for deglazing)
• 2 cups (473 ml) beef broth (low-sodium recommended)
• 1 tablespoon (15 ml) flour or cornstarch (for thickening)
• 1 packet French onion soup mix (or 2 teaspoons (10 ml) onion powder + 1/2 teaspoon (2.5 ml) salt)
• 1 tablespoon (15 ml) Worcestershire sauce

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Instructions

1. Prepare the onion foundation by gently melting butter and olive oil in a spacious skillet, creating a low-temperature environment for slow transformation.
2. Introduce sliced onions into the pan, allowing them to gradually caramelize over 30-40 minutes, developing a rich, amber-brown complexion through occasional stirring.
3. Incorporate minced garlic during the final minute of caramelization, infusing aromatic depth before removing the onion mixture and reserving for later.
4. Elevate the skillet’s temperature to medium-high, creating an ideal searing environment for beef tips.
5. Generously season beef with salt and pepper, ensuring comprehensive flavor coverage.
6. Execute precise batch searing, rotating meat to achieve a robust, golden-brown exterior on all surfaces, approximately 3-4 minutes per batch.
7. Deglaze the pan using red wine, meticulously scraping accumulated flavor-rich browned fragments from the cooking surface.
8. Reintroduce caramelized onions into the pan, establishing a flavor-intensive foundation.
9. Integrate beef broth, Worcestershire sauce, fresh thyme, and French onion soup mix, creating a complex, layered gravy profile.
10. Return seared beef tips to the liquid environment, ensuring complete submersion.
11. Reduce heat and allow a prolonged, gentle simmer, covering the pan to concentrate flavors and tenderize meat.
12. Continue cooking until beef reaches an exquisitely tender consistency and gravy achieves a luxurious, thickened texture, approximately 1.5-2 hours.

Notes

• Slow-cooking magic works wonders for tough beef cuts, transforming them into melt-in-your-mouth tender meat with deep, rich flavors.
• Caramelize onions patiently over low heat to develop sweet, complex notes that elevate the entire dish’s depth and complexity.
• Choose chuck roast or stew meat with good marbling for maximum tenderness and rich beef flavor during long, slow cooking.
• Enhance gravy thickness by optional flour dusting on beef tips before searing or adding a cornstarch slurry near the end of cooking for extra silkiness.

• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Cook Time: 2 hours
• Category: Dinner
• Method: Simmering
• Cuisine: French

Nutrition

• Serving Size: 6
• Calories: 400
• Sugar: 2 g
• Sodium: 900 mg
• Fat: 20 g
• Saturated Fat: 10 g
• Unsaturated Fat: 8 g
• Trans Fat: 0 g
• Carbohydrates: 16 g
• Fiber: 1 g
• Protein: 38 g
• Cholesterol: 120 mg