Based on the classic French steak sauce, our easy peppercorn sauce recipe is ready in minutes.
A rich creamy pan sauce made with simple ingredients, butter, shallots, garlic, peppercorns, brandy, stock and cream. We also give advice for making peppercorn sauce without brandy.
Peppercorn sauce for steak is the obvious way to serve it but can also be served with chicken, vegetables, mushrooms or as a pasta sauce.
Easy Peppercorn Sauce Recipe
How to make a creamy peppercorn sauce in only 15 minutes, the video shown below will show you the basics of this pan sauce.
What is peppercorn sauce made of?
The ingredients needed for this brandy pepper sauce is butter, garlic, shallots, freshly crushed peppercorns, a splash of brandy, stock and double cream (known as heavy cream in the US).
What peppercorns to use?
Freshly crushed peppercorns are key to the rich peppery taste in peppercorn sauce, we like to use a mix of peppery white peppercorns, fiery black peppercorns and fruity pink peppercorns.
You can buy a mixed pot of peppercorns also known as rainbow peppercorns which contain a mix of white, black, green and pink peppercorns.
Shallots
You can use a small onion finely chopped instead of 2 shallots if needed.
My brandy didn't catch alight?
One of the steps is to set your brandy alight, also known as flambe. This technique keeps the rich brandy taste whilst burning away the alcohol. If the alcohol level is below 40% alcohol, it will not light so well!
If using a gas hob ( we weren't) be very careful, do not pour the alcohol in near a naked flame! It can set alight to the whole bottle!
Peppercorn sauce without Brandy
Brandy, specifically Cognac is the traditional liquor to add to French Peppercorn sauce. You can substitute this with an equal amount of dry white wine, sherry or Madeira wine. (These will not need to be flamed)
Alcohol-free peppercorn sauce
To make peppercorn sauce without alcohol you can use ½ the amount of grape juice or apple juice instead of liquor
What stock to use?
The stock you use for this cream pan sauce depends on what you are serving it with? Making peppercorn sauce for steak, use beef stock. For chicken in peppercorn sauce, use chicken stock.
To thicken a pan sauce you want the stock to boil and reduce then lower the heat and add the cream. As the creams cools the sauce will thicken.
It is ready to serve when the pepper sauce sticks to the back of a metal spoon season with salt if desired.
What to serve peppercorn sauce with?
We like to serve our creamy peppercorn sauce over our medium-rare rump steak and onion loaf.
It can also be poured over roast rib beef, air fried chicken, mushrooms or other vegetables. Or use peppercorn sauce as a pasta sauce!
📖 Step by Step Recipe
Easy Peppercorn Sauce
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoon Butter
- 2 Shallots Finely chopped
- 1 clove Garlic Finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon Peppercorns We used a mix of pink, white & black peppercorns
- 2 tablespoon Brandy See blog post for alternatives
- 250 ml Beef Stock
- 250 ml Double cream
- Salt
Instructions
- Crack peppercorns in a pestle and mortar1 tablespoon Peppercorns
- If using a pan that steak or chicken has been cooked in, do not clean it out first, the steak remnants add great flavour to the pan sauce! Add butter to the pan2 tablespoon Butter
- Add chopped shallots and garlic, cook on low heat until soft.2 Shallots, 1 clove Garlic
- Add crushed peppercorns.
- Add brandy, catch it alight to burn the alcohol away.2 tablespoon Brandy
- Add beef stock turn to high heat.250 ml Beef Stock
- Allow to boil and reduce by half
- Turn heat down and add cream250 ml Double cream
- Stir through until thickened.
- The peppercorn sauce is ready when the sauce clings to the back of a metal spoon. Season with salt if desired.Salt
- Great served with Steak, Chicken, Vegetables or as a pasta sauce.
Video
Nutrition
If you like sauces for your steak try out our Red Wine Jus Sauce Recipe it's superb.
We hope you enjoyed this Easy Peppercorn Sauce recipe as much as we do.
Let us know how you got on and what you serve your peppercorn sauce with?
Mike
Just made this sauce for the family and everybody loved it. Great sauce, super simple.
Luke and Kay
Thank you so much for trying our Easy Peppercorn Sauce, Mike! We're so pleased to hear that your family enjoyed it. Our goal is to give home cooks everywhere a delicious and easy-to-make sauce they can feel proud to serve. 🙂
Mark Murphy
Can excess sauce be frozen?
Luke and Kay
Thanks Mark for the question
I haven't tried it because I don't like how cream sauces separate when frozen and don't come out as nice when defrosted.
Me personally i wouldn't recommend it 🙂
Nic
I LOVE a good peppercorn sauce!!! Normally I use a packet mix but this time I followed this recipe and made my own. It was soooo much better 😋😋😋
Luke and Kay
We’re glad to hear that you enjoyed making the peppercorn sauce recipe, Nic! Homemade cooking is one of the greatest joys and it’s so satisfying when your efforts pay off. We especially thank you for giving our recipe a try and for leaving such a positive review about it. 🙂
Allison Lipman
Hi there, I realize this is an older post but I was hoping you could tell me how much this makes?
I would like to serve it this weekend to about 10 peoples steaks.
Would this be ok doubled?
Thank you!
Kay
Hi Alison, that will be fine if you go to the x2 section in the recipe card it will double everything for you, hope you all enjoy our peppercorn steak 🙂
Alexandra
This sauce is so delicious and can be enjoyed with so many things. My favourite is with grilled chicken breast - it elevates the dish so much.
Kay
Thank you, Alexandra
We love this peppercorn sauce with chicken and pasta, such great flavours to such a wholesome meal 🙂
Enjoy!!
Megan Ellam
Absolutely my favourite sauce! The brandy is a must in my opinion too. Thanks for a cracker of a recipe.
Kay
Thank you, Megan
Oh yes, brandy is a must with peppercorn sauce; it gives it such a great flavour 🙂
Enjoy!!
Ramona
This sauce is delicious! It’s a total winner poured on almost anything. Soo good! Thank you for sharing this!
Kay
Thanks, Ramona
Glad you like the sauce 🙂
We love this sauce with steak but also superb with chicken; it's lush!!
serena
I bet this is delicious with a veggie and pasta dish. So simple to make!
Kay
Thanks, Serena
Thanks for the comment and rating
This peppercorn sauce makes a great pasta sauce 🙂
Enjoy!!
Sara LaFountain
Just the sauce I was looking for! Needed a little accompaniment to dinner tonight and this sauce was easy to make and delicious!
Kay
Thank you Sara
Great to hear this was the sauce you was looking for for your dinner, I hope it went well?
Linda
I'm in love with this sauce - it's so good and works well with grilled chicken
Kay
Thank you, Linda
This peppercorn sauce is perfect with chicken, we love this sauce and it always goes down well with all our family 🙂