17 Sauces To Boost Your Steak Meal

From filet mignon to ribeye, and from New York strip to T-bone, steak is one of the most incredible meats you can put on your plate. Everybody has a favorite cut of steak, and many consider this protein powerhouse not only the ultimate comfort food, but also a delightful indulgence. 

Our passion for beef's choicest offering makes sense. Steak is tender and juicy, with beautiful — and flavorful — marbling. It caramelizes wonderfully, whether you cook it on your backyard grill, broil it in a cast-iron skillet, or sear it to perfection on the stovetop. With its world-class flavor, steak is also infinitely versatile. You can pair it with hearty mac and cheese or potatoes, but also freshly made salads and all kinds of vegetable-based sides.

Steak really is a perfect entrée, but it's also a special kind of dish that — while already exquisite — can be made even better. All you have to do is add a sauce! Beyond bottled ketchup and A1, here are 17 lush, delicious sauces to try the next time you want to transform any steak-based meal into something truly spectacular.

Another fantastic sauce to top your steak with — and one that is very different from chimichurri — is the classic French sauce known as béarnaise. Made from a mixture of butter, egg yolks, white wine (or white wine vinegar), shallots, and tarragon, béarnaise sauce is simmered and poured while still warm directly over meat, right before serving.

Rich and creamy with a velvety, luxurious texture, béarnaise sauce tastes like butter and egg yolk but also possesses a subtle tang from its wine or vinegar. The shallots and tarragon only heighten these flavors, providing bursts of fresh herb flavor while helping to balance the richness of the sauce so it doesn't overpower your steak.

An elegant and sophisticated finishing sauce, béarnaise is ideal when you want a meal that will impress. Round out your plate with crispy roasted potatoes, tender steamed veggies like asparagus, salad greens, and a full-bodied red wine.

As we continue to explore France — the land of incredible sauces — we next come to red wine reductions, another fantastic sauce to elevate any plate of steak. A basic red wine reduction takes the best parts of a glass of red wine, like that rich aroma and bold, deep flavor, and turns them into a flavorful sauce you can't help but want to devour.

As the name suggests, reductions are made by simmering red wine over low to medium heat so that moisture evaporates and the wine thickens and becomes more concentrated. In addition to a hearty cabernet sauvignon or merlot, most reductions also include beef stock, shallots or onions, herbs like thyme or rosemary, and lots of unsalted butter.

While some sauces are better for dipping, a red wine reduction should be drizzled directly over your meat, giving your steak a beautiful glossy sheen along with all that robust wine flavor. For a winning presentation, save some of the wine from your sauce to serve with your meal. Or, open a second bottle!

After that quick excursion south of the border, we're back to France for another "magnifique" sauce. This time, the sauce in question is sauce au poivre (or peppercorn sauce, for those of us who don't speak Fench).

Sauce au poivre is a pan sauce or sauce you create by deglazing a pan after you've cooked meat in it. To make it, first press raw, uncooked steak into a plate of cracked peppercorns so they completely adhere to one or both sides of the meat. Then, with peppercorns in place, sear your steak in a skillet like normal until it reaches your desired level of doneness. 

Finally, with the meat cooked and out of the pan, deglaze your skillet, splashing in some liquid (brandy or Cognac plus cream or butter) and scraping all the delicious brown bits to create that delicious homemade sauce. Your final sauce au poivre will be bold, peppery, and uber-buttery. Spoon it generously over the steak and dig in — dinner is served!

Rounding out our assortment of green, herb-based steak sauces, we have mojo sauce (pronounced "MOH-hoh," the "j" is silent). Popular in countries like Cuba, Puerto Rico, and Venezuela, mojo sauce is actually a blend of Spanish and Afro-Caribbean cuisines. It originated in the Canary Islands, a part of Spain off the coast of Northwestern Africa.

Traditional ingredients in mojo sauce include a blend of garlic, lime or orange juice, olive oil, cilantro or parsley, chili peppers, and cumin — an essential addition to the sauce that helps to give it its warm, earthy flavor and that also makes it distinct from other green sauces. To make the sauce, ingredients are kept fresh — not cooked — and are simply whisked together before a meal.

Mojo sauce gives steak a punch of tangy citrus flavor plus heat and that cumin-infused warmth, enhancing the flavor of the meat and making it deeper and more complex. Pair steak and mojo with grilled veggies, fries, grilled plantains, or even crispy yuca strips, and prepare for one delightful spread.

Beef and horseradish sauce go way back. But the two typically intersect most often on dishes like roast beef, prime rib, or a hearty sandwich. Our advice: Turn convention on its head and serve up your next grilled or broiled steak with a zippy side of "horsey" sauce as its plus one.

Horseradish sauce pairs wonderfully with beef for many reasons. The sharp, pungent flavor of the sauce helps to balance the salty, savory quality of the meat, creating a truly harmonious blend of flavors. It cuts through the richness and heaviness of any type of beef, including steak, and makes it more exciting and satisfying for the taste buds.

You can buy and reheat a favorite horseradish sauce to go with your steak, or whip up your own — you don't even need to cook it. Just whisk together some sour cream, prepared horseradish, mayo, apple cider vinegar, chives, and salt and pepper to taste, and serve immediately.

A cousin to steak au poivre, steak Diane is steak served with a pan sauce made with beef drippings, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, and heavy cream. Talk about building blocks for a fantastic sauce!

Originally named after Diana, the Roman goddess of the hunt, Diane sauce started out as a condiment for cooked venison or deer. But as wild deer became less and less common in people's regular diets, the sauce found new life as a topping for beautifully cooked steaks instead. 

Steak Diane hit its peak in popularity in the U.S. in the 1950s and '60s, during the height of the first fine-dining culinary revolution. In fact, cooking and serving the dish originally involved a theatrical flambée in which the Cognac in the sauce was lit on fire. However, those flames are no longer required. Instead, to make a fantastic modern-day Diane sauce, simply deglaze the pan with your sauce ingredients, whisking regularly until it thickens.

Our final French steak sauce is perhaps also one of the most delicious — it's called bordelaise. For those who've never sampled this exceptional creation, prepare for a treat. In many ways, bordelaise sauce is a red wine reduction, elevated and made even more enticing and fabulous. A typical sauce includes a dry red wine (usually a pricey option from the Bordeaux region, although any good quality red will do) plus chopped shallots, thyme, bay leaves, beef stock, and salt and pepper to taste.

To make bordelaise, all the ingredients are simmered together until the liquid thickens and reduces — sometimes by as much as 75% for an exceptionally flavorful sauce. (You can also add a mixture of flour and softened butter to help it thicken.) Coat your steak with a generous pour of the sauce and round out your meal with sides like mashed potatoes, asparagus, and crusty bread.

Like peanut sauce, coconut curry is another Asian-influenced sauce that's a staple in many noodle and rice-based dishes, from chicken and seafood curries to hearty vegetarian Thai green curry. But coconut curry sauce can also be used on its own, like when it's served paired with a beautifully cooked steak.

Prepared from a mixture of coconut milk, curry paste, lime juice, and spices like cumin, coriander, turmeric, and cinnamon, the sauce is perfect for transporting an ordinary grilled or broiled steak to somewhere a bit more unique and unexpected. It provides the meat with a punch of flavor and spice, and it really highlights the steak's umami qualities along with any caramelization developed while cooking. 

In addition to a side of rice or noodles, be sure to pile plenty of mango chutney or a variety of pickles on your plate to complement that curry flavor even further. Then, wash it all down with a crisp white wine — the perfect counterpoint to help balance the richness of that curry sauce.