Beef Tips and Noodles
Published September 25, 2021 • Updated July 20, 2026
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Tender sirloin tips smothered in a rich mushroom gravy, served over low carb noodles for a comfort meal I make at least twice a month.
This is one of those recipes I come back to constantly because it delivers real comfort food flavor without knocking me out of ketosis. I started making beef tips and noodles years ago as a weeknight dinner, and over time I’ve dialed in every detail, from the sear on the meat to the thickness of the gravy. The result is a dish that tastes like it came from a slow Sunday kitchen session but actually comes together in about 30 minutes.
The secret is getting a hard sear on the beef before anything else. I pat the sirloin completely dry, season it generously, and let it hit a screaming hot skillet without moving for two full minutes per side. That crust is where all the deep, savory flavor starts. Once the meat comes out, I build the gravy right in the same pan with onions and sliced mushrooms. The fond left behind from searing gives the sauce a rich depth that you cannot get any other way. Most versions online shortcut with cream of mushroom soup. Mine is from scratch, and the difference is obvious.
For the noodle base, I rotate between a few options depending on what I have on hand. Shirataki noodles are my go-to because they soak up the gravy beautifully and add virtually zero carbs. Hearts of palm noodles give you a bit more bite, and my keto spaghetti works when you want a more traditional pasta feel. I’ve also started tossing in sauteed cabbage (just thinly sliced green cabbage wilted in butter) when I want something with more texture and fiber. One of my readers, Valerie, mentioned she uses konjac noodles and her non-keto husband loved the dish, which tells you this recipe crosses over easily for mixed households.
If you don’t have red wine on hand, a splash of Worcestershire sauce with an extra quarter cup of beef broth builds a gravy that’s actually darker and more savory. I’ve made it both ways and they’re both excellent. For a dairy-free version, I swap the sour cream for full-fat coconut cream and the gravy holds together well.
I like to round out the plate with cauliflower mash on the side, especially when I want that full meat-and-potatoes feel. The gravy pools into the mash and it might be my favorite part of the whole meal. If you love this kind of hearty keto dinner, my keto Salisbury steak and Keto Hamburger Helper scratch the same itch. For more ways to use affordable beef cuts, my Keto Beef and Broccoli keeps things interesting throughout the week.
What I appreciate most about this recipe is how well it holds up. I routinely make a double batch on Sunday, portion it into containers, and reheat servings throughout the week. The gravy actually thickens and deepens in flavor overnight, so day-two leftovers taste even better than the original serving. It freezes well too, which means I always have a solid dinner waiting in the freezer for those nights when cooking from scratch just is not happening.
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Ingredients
1 1/2 pounds beef tips (cubed sirloin or chuck steak) -
salt and pepper
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3 tablespoons avocado oil
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8 oz sliced mushrooms
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1/2 red onion, diced
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3/4 cup beef broth
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1/4 cup red wine
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1 teaspoon fresh thyme or 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
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1/2 cup sour cream
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2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
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9 oz hearts of palm spaghetti
Step by Step Instructions
Step by Step Instructions
Season beef tips
Pat steak tips with a paper towel to dry. Then season all sides with salt and pepper.
Sear beef tips
Add avocado oil to a skillet and heat over medium-high heat. Working in batches to not overcrowd the pan, add beef tips and sear for a few minutes on all sides until browned (6-8 minutes). Remove from the skillet when all have been cooked.
Sauté mushrooms and onion
To the same skillet, add mushrooms, onion and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Sauté mushrooms and onions until softened.
Braise the beef tips
Stir in broth, wine and thyme. Scrape the skillet as the liquid comes to a boil to get the brown bits of flavor off the bottom of the skillet. Add back in the steak tips and simmer until broth has reduced by half.
Make it creamy
Remove skillet from the heat and stir in sour cream, Dijon mustard and noodles.
Nutrition disclaimer
The nutrition information provided is an estimate and is for informational purposes only. I am a Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.); however, this content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult your physician or other qualified health provider before making any lifestyle changes or beginning a new nutrition program.
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Get My Macros + Recipes →Frequently Asked Questions
Can I make this without wine?
I've made this both ways and they're both winners. When I skip the wine, I use a tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce plus an extra quarter cup of beef broth. The gravy comes out slightly darker and more savory. One of my readers tried this exact swap and said the gravy was richer than he expected. I keep Worcestershire in the pantry specifically for nights when I don't have an open bottle.
How do I thicken the gravy without flour?
I rely on reduction most of the time, just letting it simmer until it coats the back of a spoon. If I want it thicker faster, I whisk in a quarter teaspoon of xanthan gum while the gravy is at a low simmer and it thickens within 30 seconds. A little goes a long way with xanthan, so I always start small. The sour cream also adds body once it's stirred in off the heat.
Can I make this dairy-free?
I swap the sour cream for full-fat coconut cream and it works well. The gravy is slightly thinner but the mushroom flavor still comes through strong. I skip the Dijon when I go dairy-free because the two together tasted off to me, and I add an extra pinch of salt instead. My friend who avoids dairy has made this version three times now and says it's her favorite keto dinner.
Can I make this in an Instant Pot or slow cooker?
I've made this in my Instant Pot on the meat/stew setting for 20 minutes with natural release, and it comes out perfectly tender. For the slow cooker, I sear the meat first on the stovetop and then let everything cook on low for 6 hours. Both methods produce fall-apart tender meat with minimal hands-on time. If you like using your Instant Pot for beef, my Instant Pot Swiss Steak is another one I keep in heavy rotation.
What other cuts of beef work for this recipe?
I've used chuck roast cut into cubes and tenderloin tips, and both work well. Chuck needs a longer braise (about 90 minutes) to get tender, but the flavor is incredible. Tenderloin cooks even faster than sirloin, so I pull it a minute earlier to avoid overcooking.
How do I keep the meat tender and not chewy?
The two things I always do are cut against the grain and avoid overcrowding the pan. I sear in small batches so every piece gets direct contact with the hot skillet. I also pull them at medium, since they continue cooking in the gravy. Overcooking is the main reason they turn rubbery in my experience.
What low carb noodle works best with this?
I rotate between shirataki noodles, hearts of palm pasta, and konjac fettuccine depending on my mood. Shirataki absorbs the gravy the best, while hearts of palm has a firmer bite that I prefer when I want something closer to traditional egg noodles. I've also started using thin-sliced cabbage sauteed in butter as a noodle stand-in, and it holds up better than I expected in the thick gravy. All of these keep this meal under 8 net carbs per serving.
Can I freeze the gravy for meal prep?
I freeze this all the time. I let the gravy cool completely, then portion it into freezer-safe containers without the noodles. It keeps well for up to three months. I add fresh noodles when I reheat because they hold their texture better that way.
Rich gravy, tender beef. Came out great on the first try.
Same on my first try. The gravy thickened on its own, which I didn't expect from a keto dish.
I deglaze with just wine first. The fond dissolves cleaner.
I was pretty sure beef tips needed hours in a slow cooker to actually get tender, so I almost talked myself out of this one, but the braising in the broth and wine gets them there faster than I thought and we're talking genuinely soft, not just chewable, which is a different thing. I've done a similar dish low and slow and the flavor here is better, more depth to it, and the sour cream at the end ties it together. Won't be going back to the six-hour version.
I've slow-cooked beef tips plenty of times and they get tender, but you lose that layered thing the wine builds in the pan. The fond from the sear is what a slow cooker just can't do. Sour cream landing on a reduced broth like that is the whole thing.
I've made this probably eight times now and spent about three of those trying different low carb noodles underneath it. Shirataki works but Kaizen holds up a lot better in the gravy and doesn't have that rubbery texture. The beef comes out fall-apart tender every time, and the sour cream stirred in at the very end is what keeps the sauce from breaking and going grainy. This one's locked in.
been making this on repeat honestly, thank you annie
On repeat is exactly where this one lands for me too, Riley. I make a double batch of the gravy and freeze half, so busy nights it's just boiling the noodles.
3 net carbs and reheats great.
Olivia, the gravy actually gets better the next day. I've eaten it cold straight from the fridge. No shame.
Sour cream in the gravy, yeah, it holds.
Heather, it has to be full fat. Reduced fat breaks on me every time with this one.
The gravy on this one made my father-in-law stop mid-bite to ask what I put in it. When I said red wine and thyme he gave me this look like I'd done something fancy on purpose. That's basically a compliment from him.
That look is the whole point. Red wine and fresh thyme for a weeknight stew and people act like you spent all day on it.
Ha, exactly. Turns out 'red wine and fresh thyme' does a lot of heavy lifting.
My aunt had this whole Sunday beef tips thing she'd do every few months (egg noodles, cream of mushroom, the works) and I stopped making anything like it when I went keto three years ago. Pulled this up last Sunday on a whim and the way the gravy came together with the red wine and thyme, scraping up all that fond, it was just... it hit the same way hers did. Haven't felt that full after a keto dinner in a while.
The 'hit the same way' is everything. I tested this so many times trying to nail that exact gravy without the cream of mushroom shortcut.
Brought this to a neighborhood dinner last weekend and my friend started spooning the mushroom gravy over everything else on her plate. I watched it happen and completely understood.
That gravy has zero respect for other dishes. I've poured it over cauliflower mash, cold chicken, a sad pile of roasted broccoli. It just makes everything better.
Made this on a Sunday about a month ago and I've been craving it ever since. The Dijon in the sour cream sauce sounds like it shouldn't work, but it does something really interesting to the braising liquid, pulls all the beef richness together in a way I didn't see coming. I rushed the sear once and immediately regretted it (the fond is doing real work in this recipe). Already have it planned again for this weekend.
Yeah, the fond is not optional. Rush it and the gravy tastes flat. Worth the extra couple minutes every time.
My son who barely touches anything that isn't pizza cleared his plate and immediately asked what the sauce was. The mushroom gravy just coats everything so well, and I wasn't expecting it to come together that easily my first time making it.
A pizza-only kid asking about the sauce is a better review than most. The gravy goes fast once the fond comes up, even on the first try.
Skipped the red wine, used extra beef broth plus a splash of Worcestershire, and the gravy still came out stupidly rich. Didn't realize how much the Dijon was carrying until I tasted it mid-cook. Four stars only because I'd do twice the mushrooms next time.
The Dijon sneaks up on you in this one. And yeah, go heavier on mushrooms, I usually do 12 oz instead of 8.
Really loved this, the gravy came together so much better than I expected for a beginner. One thing I'd tweak is cutting back on the Dijon a little (mine had a pretty sharp bite at the end that I wasn't expecting). Still made it twice now so clearly not stopping.
Backing off to 1 tablespoon is the right call. Some Dijons run much sharper than others too. Grey Poupon tends to be on the milder end if brand is the variable.
My husband doesn't drink so we never have wine on hand. If I skip the red wine and just add more beef broth, will it still get that deep gravy flavor? Or is there something non-alcoholic that gets closer to what the wine is actually doing?
Wine's mainly there for acidity, so extra broth alone won't quite fill the gap. A tablespoon of Worcestershire is what I use. Gravy comes out darker and more savory. If you want that brightness back, a teaspoon of red wine vinegar at the end does it. It won't taste like vinegar.