Slow Cooker Cube Steak with Gravy Recipe Review
Tender cube steak slow cooked in rich brown gravy with just a few simple ingredients. An easy comfort food dinner that has earned a repeat spot in our kitchen.
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✔ Kitchen Tested
✔ Slow Cooker Tested
✔ Honest Review
✔ Kitchen Keep Status: 🌻 Yes
🌻 Recipe Snapshot
5 minutes
Slow Cooker
See recipe
4
Easy
Slow Cooker
🌻 From My Kitchen
There are some recipes that don't need a long list of ingredients or a complicated cooking process to make them worth keeping. This Slow Cooker Cube Steak with Gravy is one of those recipes.
I've made this recipe before, and this time I wanted to slow down and actually document it for the blog because it is just too good and too easy not to share. It is one of those dinners that I can put together with very little fuss and know that we are going to have a comforting meal waiting for us later.
What really surprised me, even though I've made it before, is just how little work this recipe requires. There are only a handful of ingredients, and the slow cooker does most of the work. For a busy day, that is exactly the kind of recipe I want in my back pocket.
The original recipe that inspired this version comes from The Country Cook. I'm sharing my experience making it here, along with the small change I made based on our preferences.
And that change is a simple one: I didn't thicken the gravy. By the time this was finished cooking, the gravy was already plenty thick for our liking, so I didn't see any reason to add another step.
Served over creamy mashed potatoes with a vegetable and some warm dinner rolls, this is exactly the kind of old-fashioned comfort food dinner that makes you want to sit down and stay awhile.
🌻 Why This Slow Cooker Cubed Steak Works
There is something really satisfying about a dinner that doesn't require a long ingredient list or a lot of preparation. That's exactly what I love about this slow cooker cubed steak with gravy. You only need a handful of ingredients, but the finished meal tastes like you spent much more time in the kitchen than you actually did.
The combination of cream of chicken soup, French onion soup, and au jus gravy mix creates a rich, savory gravy that cooks right along with the cube steak. The meat becomes tender while it slowly cooks, and the gravy is already thick and flavorful enough that I didn't feel the need to thicken it any further.
That's one of the things I appreciate most about this recipe. There aren't a lot of extra steps. Mix the gravy ingredients, add the cube steak, turn on the slow cooker, and let it do the work.
🌻 Busy-Life Friendly
This is exactly the kind of recipe I appreciate on a busy day.
If you work all day and still have to figure out what's for dinner, recipes like this can be a lifesaver. There is very little hands-on preparation, and once everything is in the slow cooker, you can get on with the rest of your day.
It's also a great option for busy families, single parents, working folks, and empty nesters who want a comforting homemade dinner without spending their entire evening in the kitchen.
🌻 My kind of weeknight dinner: minimal prep, maximum comfort, and the slow cooker does most of the work.
🌻 What I Like About This Recipe
- Very few ingredients: You don't need a long grocery list to make a satisfying dinner.
- Minimal preparation: Most of the work happens right in the slow cooker.
- Rich gravy: The combination of soups and au jus creates plenty of savory flavor.
- Tender cube steak: Slow cooking gives the meat plenty of time to become tender.
- No extra gravy step needed: I found the gravy was already thick enough for our liking.
- Comfort-food appeal: Served with mashed potatoes and a vegetable, this feels like a classic homemade dinner.
🌻 My Honest Take
I didn't change much from the original recipe. The one adjustment I made was skipping the step to thicken the gravy because, for us, it was already plenty thick. Sometimes simple really is better, and this is one of those recipes where I wouldn't overcomplicate it.
🌻 See More Honest Recipe Reviews →
🌻 What You Need to Make Slow Cooker Cubed Steak
One of the reasons I keep coming back to this recipe is the short ingredient list. You don't need a pantry full of ingredients or a complicated shopping trip to make a hearty, comforting dinner.
Ingredients
- 1 package tenderized cube steak
- 1 can cream of chicken soup
- 1 can French onion soup
- 1 packet au jus gravy mix
That's it. Four main ingredients are all you need to get this slow cooker dinner started.
Start by combining the gravy ingredients right in the slow cooker.
🌻 How to Make Slow Cooker Cubed Steak with Gravy
1. Prepare the Gravy Mixture
Add the cream of chicken soup, French onion soup, and au jus gravy mix to the slow cooker. Stir everything together until the ingredients are well combined and the mixture is smooth.
2. Add the Cube Steak
Place the tenderized cube steak directly into the prepared gravy mixture. Arrange the pieces so they are sitting in the gravy as much as possible.
The cube steak goes directly into the prepared gravy.
3. Let the Slow Cooker Do the Work
Cover the slow cooker and cook according to the original recipe's recommended cooking time and temperature, until the cube steak is tender and cooked through.
This is the part I love most. Once everything is in the slow cooker, there isn't much left for you to do. You can get on with your workday, errands, family responsibilities, or simply enjoy having dinner already underway.
4. Check the Gravy
When the cube steak is finished cooking, check the consistency of the gravy.
I did not thicken the gravy. It was already thick enough for our liking, so I skipped that additional step. If you prefer a thicker gravy, you can follow the original recipe's thickening instructions.
🌻 My Shortcut: Don't Thicken It Unless You Need To
This is one of those little things I think is worth mentioning because recipes don't always need every suggested step. The gravy was already thick and creamy enough for us, so I didn't see a reason to add another step. If yours looks good and tastes good, there's no need to fix what isn't broken.
🌻 Recipe Source
This recipe was inspired by the Crock Pot Cubed Steak with Gravy recipe from The Country Cook. I have made this recipe more than once and am sharing my experience with it, including the small change I made to skip thickening the gravy.
🌻 My Honest Review
As I mentioned earlier, I've made this recipe before, so this wasn't a first-time experiment for me. I already knew we liked it, but I wanted to make it again and actually take the time to document it and share it here.
What I like most is how little effort goes into a dinner that feels so comforting. There are only a few ingredients, the slow cooker does the heavy lifting, and the finished cube steak is tender and covered in a rich, savory gravy.
For me, this is exactly what a good slow cooker recipe should be. It doesn't need a long list of ingredients or a complicated preparation method to make a satisfying dinner.
🌻 What Worked
- The short ingredient list makes shopping simple.
- Preparation is quick and straightforward.
- The slow cooker does most of the work.
- The cube steak becomes tender as it cooks.
- The gravy has plenty of rich, savory flavor.
- It pairs beautifully with classic comfort-food sides.
🌻 What Didn't
Honestly, I don't have much negative to say about this one. It is already a very simple recipe, and that's part of the reason I keep making it.
The only thing I changed was skipping the step to thicken the gravy. For our taste, it simply wasn't necessary. The gravy was already thick enough, so I saved myself the extra step.
Tender cube steak, rich gravy, mashed potatoes, Brussels sprouts, and dinner rolls — now that's comfort food.
🌻 Would I Change Anything?
Not really.
The beauty of this recipe is that it doesn't need much tinkering. The only adjustment I make is leaving out the gravy-thickening step. If the gravy is already the consistency we like, why add another step?
That's one of the things I appreciate about cooking at home. You can take a recipe you enjoy and make those little adjustments based on what works for your family.
🌻 What to Serve with Slow Cooker Cube Steak
For me, this is a mashed-potatoes-and-gravy kind of dinner. You want something that can take advantage of all that good gravy!
- Mashed potatoes — probably my first choice because the gravy belongs on top.
- Roasted or steamed Brussels sprouts — a simple vegetable balances out the richness of the meal.
- Green beans — another classic vegetable side.
- Dinner rolls — perfect for catching any leftover gravy.
- Simple green salad — a lighter option if you're looking for some contrast.
🌻 A Dinner That Works Around Your Life
This is the kind of dinner I want in my recipe box when life is busy. You don't have to spend your evening standing over the stove. A few minutes of preparation gets everything started, and then the slow cooker takes over. For working folks, busy parents, single parents, and empty nesters, that can make a homemade dinner feel a whole lot more manageable.
🌻 Kitchen Keep Verdict
YES — Absolutely!
I've made this recipe more than once, and that says a lot. It's easy, comforting, inexpensive to make, and doesn't require much hands-on time. The fact that I can put it together without a lot of fuss and end up with a dinner my family enjoys makes this one a definite Kitchen Keep in my book.
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