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These Slow Cooker ribeye steaks are tender, hearty, and covered in rich onion-mushroom gravy. With just three ingredients and no browning required, this is easy comfort food for mashed potatoes, egg noodles, or rice. You’re going to love how the Slow Cooker turns a simple soup mixture into a savory, spoonable gravy.
Why You’ll Love It
- Just 3 ingredients — ribeye steaks, condensed mushroom soup, and dry onion soup mix.
- No browning needed — everything cooks right in the slow cooker.
- Rich, built-in gravy — the steak juices loosen the soup mixture as it cooks.
- Fork-tender steaks — low, slow cooking makes the ribeyes wonderfully tender.
- Easy to serve — perfect over mashed potatoes, buttered noodles, or white rice.
Ingredient Notes
Use boneless ribeye steaks that are about 1 to 1 1/2 inches thick. They don’t need to be pretty, and you don’t need to trim every last bit of fat. If there are big, thick hunks of surface fat, trim those off. A little fat, though, is flavor. We can all calm down.
For the condensed cream of mushroom soup, the regular familiar canned kind is exactly what you want. Store brand works just fine. This is not the moment for homemade mushroom sauce. Save that project for a Saturday when you’re feeling ambitious.
The dry onion soup mix brings most of the seasoning, so hold off on salt until the end. Salt can sneak up quickly with this kind of recipe. Black pepper at the table is usually enough.
Ingredients
- 2 pounds boneless ribeye steaks, about 1 to 1 1/2 inches thick
- 1 (10.5-ounce) can condensed cream of mushroom soup
- 1 (1-ounce) packet dry onion soup mix
- A pinch of salt and black pepper, only if needed at the end—I usually wait and see
Instructions
Place the raw boneless ribeye steaks in a single layer in the bottom of your ceramic slow cooker. Trim away only any very large, thick pieces of surface fat; don’t fuss over every little edge. Keep the steaks refrigerated until you’re ready to put them in the crock—this is one of those small things that matters.
In a small bowl, stir together the condensed cream of mushroom soup and the dry onion soup mix until they are thoroughly combined. It will look thick, almost too thick, and you may briefly wonder whether you missed something. You did not. Don’t add water. The steaks release plenty of juices while they cook, and that’s what turns this concentrated mixture into gravy.
Spoon the soup mixture evenly over the raw steaks, spreading it gently so the tops are coated. It doesn’t have to be perfect. Just make sure the mixture is distributed over all the meat.
Cover the slow cooker with the lid and cook on LOW for 5 to 6 hours, until the ribeye steaks are very tender when pierced with a fork and the sauce is smooth and gravy-like. Try not to lift the lid every hour to check, tempting as it is. Every time you do, you let heat escape and drag the whole thing out longer.
Taste the gravy once the steaks are tender, then add a pinch of salt and black pepper only if it needs it. The onion soup mix is already fairly salty, so go easy. The beef should reach at least 145°F for safety, though with this long, tender slow-cooker method it will generally cook beyond that point.
Use a wide spatula or tongs to carefully lift the steaks out, because they can be soft enough to break apart a little. Spoon the hot gravy over each steak and serve right away over mashed potatoes, buttered egg noodles, or white rice. Green beans, Corn, or a plain tossed salad on the side make it feel like a proper supper, and a warm roll for gravy-swiping certainly won’t hurt anybody.
Variations
If you like a looser gravy, you can stir 1/4 to 1/2 cup water, beef broth, or milk into the soup mixture before pouring it over the steaks. The recipe is delicious as written, thick and clingy.
For a creamier finish, stir 2 tablespoons of sour cream or cream cheese into the hot gravy right at the end. Whisk it in until smooth.
Fresh sliced mushrooms can be scattered over the raw steaks before the soup mixture goes on. They cook down into the gravy beautifully. You can also add 1 to 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce to the soup mixture for a little sweet-savory depth.
Keep the crock no more than about two-thirds full if you add quartered potatoes or thick carrot chunks, so everything has room to cook evenly.
Storage & Reheating
Get leftovers into shallow containers and into the refrigerator within 2 hours. The steaks and gravy keep well for a few days, and the gravy may taste even better the next day.
Reheat the steak gently with some gravy in a covered skillet or microwave-safe dish until steaming hot. Don’t blast it to kingdom come in the microwave or the meat can turn a little sad and stringy. A splash of water, broth, or milk can loosen the gravy if it thickens up in the fridge.
Final Notes
Meals like this are especially welcome when life gets noisy. Dinner is there when it’s needed: warm, filling, and a little old-fashioned.
There is something nice about putting raw steaks in a crock, covering them with that thick, unpromising-looking soup mixture, and trusting the afternoon to do its work. By supper, it’s gravy. Tender beef. A savory smell filling the Kitchen.
Serve with potatoes or noodles.
Slow Cooker Ribeye Steaks with Rich Gravy
Ingredients Â
- 2 pounds boneless ribeye steaks About 1 to 1 1/2 inches thick; trim only very large, thick pieces of surface fat
- 1 10.5-ounce can condensed cream of mushroom soup
- 1 1-ounce packet dry onion soup mix
- 1 pinch salt Only if needed at the end
- 1 pinch black pepper Only if needed at the end
InstructionsÂ
- Place the raw boneless ribeye steaks in a single layer in the bottom of your ceramic slow cooker, trimming away only any very large, thick pieces of surface fat.
- In a small bowl, stir together the condensed cream of mushroom soup and dry onion soup mix until thoroughly combined; do not add water.
- Spoon the soup mixture evenly over the raw steaks, spreading it gently so the tops are coated.
- Cover the slow cooker with the lid and cook on LOW for 5 to 6 hours, until the ribeye steaks are very tender when pierced with a fork and the sauce is smooth and gravy-like.
- Taste the gravy once the steaks are tender, then add salt and black pepper only if needed, ensuring the beef reaches at least 145°F for safety.
- Use a wide spatula or tongs to carefully lift the steaks out of the slow cooker because they may be soft enough to break apart slightly.
- Spoon the hot gravy over each steak and serve right away over mashed potatoes, buttered egg noodles, or white rice.