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This Crock Pot cube steak recipe takes a cheaper, more budget friendly cut of beef and turns it into a tender, flavorful meal with the help of the slow cooker! The gravy cooks right in the slow cooker and the cube steak turns out so tender – total comfort food!
We love turning cheaper cuts of beef into something tender, flavorful, and worthy of a second helping! Our Crock Pot Cube Steak is one of those recipes!
Cube Steak Magic in the Crock Pot!
If you’ve ever been personally victimized by tough steak, I’m here for you. I won’t let it happen again.
In fact, I’d call this recipe for cube steak in the crock pot pretty foolproof!
Cube steak is a cheaper, more economical cut of beef that’s been mechanically tenderized (hence the ‘cubes’), but we ensure it turns out melt in your mouth delicious by cooking it in the crock pot in an easy gravy situation. Big flavor, totally tender, perfect for dinner.
You’re going to want to serve this one with something to soak up that extra gravy. Highly recommend our Instant Pot mashed potatoes, our Amish egg noodles, or our rice pilaf. All three are favorites in my house.
3 Reasons You’ll Love This Cube Steak Recipe
- Turns cheap meat into something fancy: No need to break the bank. This budget-friendly cut can be perfectly tender and flavorful with our slow cooker method.
- Zero babysitting required: Dump everything in the slow cooker, walk away, and come home to dinner that smells amazing. It’s the kind of recipe that makes you feel like you have your life together.
- Even the pickiest eaters approve: We leave the onions in rings so they’re easy to pick out, which is key for my picky eaters.
Ingredient Notes:
Cube Steak – This is that mechanically tenderized beef that looks a little funky but cooks up like a dream. It’s cheap, which is why we love it, and it becomes ridiculously tender in the slow cooker.
Garlic & Onion – I like to slice the onion into rings and place them over the cube steak along with the minced garlic. This allows picky eaters to pick out the onions if desired.
Cream of Mushroom Soup – You can keep things simple and use a can from the store or try out my homemade cream of mushroom soup recipe! I will warn you that sometimes the homemade soup separates in the crockpot, so we do usually go for store bought in this recipe.
Beef Broth – Broth, stock, or bone broth all work well.
Gravy Mix – This is where the magic happens. Two packets (beef AND mushroom) might seem like overkill, but trust me on this one. The combination creates this super savory, restaurant-quality gravy.
Seasoning – Just some pepper and garlic powder. I don’t think this needs any extra salt, the gravy mix and soup will add plenty of that! We also like to garnish these slow cooker cube steaks with some parsley before serving.
Crockpot Recommendation!
In the market for a new slow cooker? We love this 7 quart Crockpot. It’s simple to use, cooks evenly, and is very budget friendly. Plus, it has a 4 1/2 star rating with over 5,000 reviews on Amazon!
How to Cook Cube Steak in Crock Pot:
Season: To get started you’ll season the cube steaks with a simple mix of garlic powder and pepper. You don’t need a lot of seasoning for these, most of the flavor will come from the savory gravy sauce.
Helpful Tip!
This is totally optional, but feel free to brown the cube steak in a hot skillet before doing the slow cooking if you want a good sear on them!
Sauce: This savory gravy is made by mixing together beef broth, cream of mushroom soup, and packets of beef and mushroom gravy mix. You’ll whisk all that together and then pour it over the cube steaks.
Slice: Place the seasoned cube steak in the crockpot and then slice the onion into rings to place over each cube steak. Sprinkle the minced garlic over the top of that so you can get plenty of garlic and onion flavor. Pour the gravy over the top.
Slow Cook: Cover the crockpot and slow cook for 6-8 hours on low or 4-6 hours on high.
Helpful Tip!
Cube steak can be a pretty tough cut of meat but it should be perfectly tender and juicy after slow cooking! If the meat is still tough, let it continue to slow cook until it has tenderized.
Serve: Before serving these slow cooker cube steaks you’ll want to remove them from the crockpot and whisk the gravy and juices together until well combined.
Return the beef to the slow cooker and garnish with some parsley. Serve while good and hot! I’ve got a few recommendations below on what to serve the cube steaks with…
Karly’s Tips
Frozen cube steak? Let it thaw completely in the fridge first. Nobody wants uneven cooking, and your slow cooker will thank you.
Gravy too thin? Mix 2 tablespoons cornstarch with 2 tablespoons cold water and stir it in during the last 30 minutes. Boom, problem solved.
Want it even richer? Add a splash of Worcestershire sauce or a tablespoon of tomato paste. Your taste buds will thank you.
Cube steak still tough? Keep going! Some pieces are more stubborn than others and need the full 8 hours to surrender. Don’t give up – slow cookers are basically magic, but they need time to work their charm.
Gravy looks weird? Give it a good whisk. Sometimes it separates a bit, but whisking brings it back together like nothing happened.
Storage
Meal prep: This actually tastes better the next day. The flavors get all cozy together overnight.
Refrigerator: Leftovers keep for 4-5 days. Store in a covered container.
Freezer: We haven’t tried freezing this one and I’m a bit concerned about the gravy getting funky after thawing.
What To Serve With Crock Pot Cube Steak:
There are lots of side dish options that’d go well with the slow cooker cube steaks and gravy! Mashed potatoes are always my first choice, but here are a few other options:
Crock Pot Cube Steak
Ingredients
- 2 pounds cube steak about 6 pieces
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon cracked pepper
- 1 medium onion
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 packet beef gravy mix
- 1 packet mushroom gravy mix
- 10 ounces cream of mushroom soup
- ½ cup beef broth
- Parsley for garnish
Instructions
- Season the cube steak on both sides with garlic powder and pepper. Place in a 6 quart crockpot.
- Slice the onion into rings and place over the beef. Sprinkle on the garlic.
- Combine the dry beef gravy and mushroom gravy packets with cream of mushroom soup and beef broth. Whisk well to combine.
- Pour over the beef in the slow cooker and cover.
- Cook on low for 6-8 hours or on high for 4-6 hours, until beef is tender. Remove beef to a plate and set aside.
- Whisk the gravy well to combine and return the beef to the crockpot.
- Sprinkle with parsley and serve.
Adrienne Furgurson says
This recipe is so delicious. We had no left overs, my husband can’t quit telling me how good it is. He said it would even be good over a slice of white bread. LOL! So easy to make also. This is a recipe I will definitely make again.
Karly Campbell says
I’m so glad you and your husband enjoyed it so much! Thanks for the review!
Marilyn says
I would likevti know if I can substitute either London broil or round steak for ths cubs steak??, as that’s what is in my freezer
Thanks
Karly says
I’ve never cooked either cut in the crockpot, so I’m really not sure.
Marie says
Can this be made with pork cube steaks I get at Walmart… with a different soup and gravy?
Karly says
I’m sure that would work fine!
Rosaleen Delaney says
Can I substitute the beef gravy mix for brown gravy mix? I can’t for the life of me find beef gravy mix at the stores!
Karly says
Yes, I believe they’re the same thing or at least very similar. Will work work! 🙂
Robyn says
Are there any alternative soups you can use other then cream of mushroom?
Karly says
Yes, cream of chicken would work well. You could also try cream of celery.