My quick and easy peppercorn sauce recipe. It’s made without cream, instead using milk and other common store cupboard and fridge ingredients so you can whip it up whenever you want.
When I first decided to try making my own peppercorn sauce I wanted to find a recipe which could be made with ingredients I always have at home. I found that most recipes have a cream base, which I only have in when I know I’m going to need it. Then I came across this recipe for Quick & Simple Peppercorn Sauce on Stu’s Food which is made without cream. Instead it combines a roux base and milk to give it it’s rich creamy texture and flavour. My own peppercorn sauce recipe has grown from this idea and is the perfect accompaniment to steak, gammon or chicken.
This sauce can be prepared in advance and then reheated just before serving.
If you’re interested in a lower calorie, lower fat version of this sauce then have a look at my recipe for Peppercorn Sauce… with a healthy makeover.
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Peppercorn Sauce
INGREDIENTS
- 35 g butter
- 35 g plain flour
- 200 ml milk - I use skimmed but any type is fine
- 100 ml chicken stock - or ½ chicken stock cube with 100ml water
- 1 tbsp brandy
- 15 g (4 tsp) black peppercorns - vary this according to how powerful you want your sauce to be
- Salt
RECIPE VIDEO
INSTRUCTIONS
- Crack the black peppercorns (15g) in a pestle and mortar (if you don’t have one, put them in a plastic bag, wrap in a tea towel, and hit a few times with a rolling pin) – You want to make sure that the peppercorns are cracked, but do not over-grind otherwise the sauce will lose its intense peppery flavour.
- In a small saucepan, melt the butter (35g) on a low heat.
- Once the butter is fully melted, gradually add the flour (35g). After each addition mix well to ensure it is fully combined with the butter. Once all the flour is added you should have a thick smooth paste.
- Cook the butter and flour mix for a couple of minutes stirring regularly – Cooking the butter and flour mix for a couple of minutes before adding the other ingredients ensures that the flour is cooked. If you skip this step your finished sauce may have an odd floury taste.
- Add the brandy (1 tbsp) and mix well to combine with the butter and flour – adding the brandy at this stage ensures that the alcohol is cooked off.
- Gradually add the milk (200ml), mixing well after each addition to combine with the butter and flour – I like to switch to using a whisk at this stage as it helps to break down any lumps.
- Once all the milk is combined, add the chicken stock and black peppercorns and season with salt (I use approx. ¼tsp)
- Simmer gently until the sauce has reduced to your required consistency.
If you’re making the sauce in advance
- Once the sauce has cooked, pour it into a jug or bowl and immediately cover with clingfilm. It’s important that you push the clingfilm down into the dish so that it is in contact with the top of the sauce. This will prevent a skin forming.
- Just before serving, pour back into a saucepan and heat gently until warm. If you find that the sauce is becoming too thick, add a little milk to loosen it the the required consistency.
NOTES
NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION
Any nutritional information provided is the estimated nutritional information per serving. Please refer to my guide to Charlotte’s Lively Kitchen nutritional information if you would like to learn more about how this is calculated.
Free From/Suitable For…
- Egg-Free
- Nut-Free
- Soy-Free
The ingredients for this recipe are commonly available free from all these allergens. However, please ensure you double-check allergen information for all ingredients.
Helen MacGregor says
Beautiful thick sauce. Added a good bit more pepper and used whisky instead of brandy. That was awesome!!!! Might add some more water next time to thin it down.
Joe says
HELP?……lol……mine turned out to be too doughy….now what….?….i am no cook…..can it be saves or is that it?……
Charlotte Oates says
It sounds as though it was on the heat for too long and so thickened too much. Try whisking in some more milk and that should help.
Sarah says
Very quick and easy to make. I used less peppercorns and didn’t have any brandy but it tasted lovely anyway. Also pleased it’s a healthier recipe than using cream. I had it with steak and my husband and son with sausages! Thanks Charlotte
Alex says
Tried a few recipes and this is one of the better ones and simple
Paul B says
Very nice indeed. Cooked everything and realised we didn’t have any instant (don’t judge me!) peppercorm granules left (Asda variety – actually very good). I made this sauce up by hand instead and it rocked. Fine tuning with the peppercorns and some garlic and also probably use Dead Mans Fingers instead of Brandy in future to add a unique flavour. Thanks Charlotte, you saved the day m’dear 😉
Nicola McHugh says
I didn’t have any brandy to hand but this recipe was amazing even without it, I’m lactose intolerant so I substituted the milk for soy milk too and it was so good 🙂
Geoff Yates says
Love this pepper sauce, I used to pay£3.50 for it at my local butcher and this one is better and costs maybe 40p to make
Paul says
Made it a few times and it never fails took a while to get correct amount of peppercorns to suit everyone
Chris says
Used almost as per recipe apart from chicken stock which I didn’t have. It was great but will experiment with other minor ingredients in future as others have. Thanks.
Dan says
The Brandy makes a huge difference. I also used garlic for additional flavour and a touch of Dijon too.
I also added a teaspoon of tomatoe purée, to get that nice rich colour and some extra flavour.
Essentially is a bechamel sauce, but adding extra liquid, whether brandy or stock – you can get the same consistency as a traditional peppercorn sauce without noticing the difference.
Caitlin says
amazing!!!!
Sylvia taylor says
Absolutely beautiful
DollyDaydream says
Absolutely delicious.
I didn’t have any brandy, so replaced it with red wine – which actually worked well with the steak.
I added in a pinch of garlic and onion powder/granules too. Lovely creamy consistency and very tasty.
Scott says
Brilliant recipe, very tasty since we didn’t have cream on hand. We added a bit more brandy and chicken stock to make it a bit more runny, will definitely have it again. Thanks!!
Stuar says
Great simple recipe, I put some finely chopped mushroom stalks in… turned out fabulous!
Ally says
The recipe was quick and easy to follow but not to my liking. It’s effectively a béchamel sauce with peppercorns not a peppercorn sauce in the traditional sense of the term. I will not serve with steak again but might find some use for it with another recipe.
Jveggy says
Great was great first time and no cream!
I found it better to put pepper corns in a bag and hit them wit a hammer in the garage a few times
Great tip about cooking the flour in the butter for a few mins too!
Go Charlotte!!
steve says
wonderful creamy sweet sauce i took libertys with the recipe and swapped brandy for a tsp of jack daniels whisky (what i had to hand at the time) and 4 heaped tsp of crushed peppercorns which was great for me but if i was making for guests maybe 4 lvl tsp would be sufficient a definate recipe i will be using again and again
Heather Winkles says
Made it tonight with some rib-eye steaks. I changed it up a bit & added some minced garlic for added flavor.
Chante says
Fabulous recipe! All the family loved it!
Nirvana Jalalvand says
Disgusting
Charlotte Oates says
I’m sorry you didn’t like it! Perhaps if you let me know what you didn’t enjoy, we can troubleshoot what didn’t work well for you.
Gaz says
Quick, easy and delicious.
Garth says
Wonderful recipe I didn’t use brandy but it was really tasty after my 1st effort.