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Steak Sandwich Recipe With Caramelized Onions
This steak sandwich recipe is the kind you’d order at a good pub: thin slices of juicy, well-seared steak, sweet caramelized onions, melted provolone, peppery arugula and a quick garlic aioli on a crusty toasted roll. The onions take a little patience, but everything else comes together in about 20 minutes, and you can make the onions days ahead. It’s a great way to turn one steak into dinner for four.
Below you’ll find the best steak for sandwiches, the ingredients, step-by-step instructions, how to caramelize onions properly, a Philly-style version, tips and storage. The printable recipe card is at the bottom.
Why You’ll Love This Steak Sandwich
- Steakhouse flavor, sandwich price. One 1¼ lb steak makes four hearty sandwiches.
- Big contrast in every bite: crisp bread, tender beef, jammy onions, creamy aioli and fresh greens.
- Make-ahead friendly. Caramelize the onions and mix the aioli up to 3 days before.
- Perfect for leftover steak, too: this steak sandwich recipe works with any cooked steak.
Best Steak for a Steak Sandwich
| Cut | Why it works | How to cook it |
|---|---|---|
| Ribeye | Rich and very tender; the most luxurious sandwich | Sear 3 to 5 minutes per side |
| Top sirloin | Beefy, lean and budget-friendly; our everyday pick | Sear 3 to 5 minutes per side |
| Flank or skirt steak | Big flavor; must be sliced thin across the grain | Very hot pan or grill, 2 to 4 minutes per side |
| Flat iron | Tender, well marbled and affordable | Sear 3 to 4 minutes per side |
| Leftover steak | Already cooked; just slice and warm briefly | Warm slices in the pan for 30 to 60 seconds |
For a tender cut with lots of flavor, try our flat iron steak.
Ingredients You Need
For the steak and onions
- Ribeye or top sirloin steak, 1¼ lb (565 g), about 1 inch thick.
- Diamond Crystal kosher salt, 1½ teaspoons (or ¾ teaspoon table salt), and black pepper, ½ teaspoon.
- Neutral oil, 2 tablespoons, divided.
- Yellow onions, 2 large (about 1½ lb / 680 g), thinly sliced.
- Unsalted butter, 2 tablespoons, divided.
- Balsamic vinegar or Worcestershire sauce, 1 teaspoon (optional, for the onions).
For the sandwiches
- Ciabatta or hoagie rolls, 4, split.
- Provolone cheese, 4 slices, or Swiss or white cheddar.
- Baby arugula, 1 cup.
- Garlic aioli: ¼ cup mayonnaise, 1 small garlic clove (finely grated), 1 teaspoon lemon juice, 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard and a pinch of salt.
Equipment You Need
- A large cast-iron or heavy stainless skillet.
- A second skillet for the onions (or cook them first in the same pan).
- An instant-read thermometer and a sharp knife for thin slicing.
- A sheet pan if you want to melt the cheese under the broiler.
How to Make a Steak Sandwich (Step by Step)
1. Salt the steak
Pat the steak dry and season it all over with the salt. Leave it on a rack in the fridge, uncovered, for 45 minutes to 24 hours if you can; this seasons it more deeply. Otherwise, salt it just before cooking.
2. Caramelize the onions
Heat 1 tablespoon oil and 1 tablespoon butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and a pinch of salt and stir to coat. Cook, stirring every few minutes, for 30 to 40 minutes, lowering the heat if they start to scorch. When brown bits build up on the pan, add a splash of water and scrape them back into the onions. They’re ready when they’re soft, sweet and deep golden brown. Stir in the balsamic or Worcestershire, if using.
3. Make the aioli
Stir the mayonnaise, garlic, lemon juice, Dijon and salt together. Refrigerate until needed.
4. Sear the steak
Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until it shimmers. Pat the steak dry again, season with pepper, and sear for 3 to 5 minutes per side, flipping once or twice, until the thickest part reaches 125°F to 130°F (52°C to 54°C) for medium-rare or 135°F to 140°F for medium. Add the remaining butter in the last minute and spoon it over the steak.
5. Rest and slice
Move the steak to a board and rest it for 5 to 10 minutes. Meanwhile, toast the cut sides of the rolls in the steak pan or under the broiler. Slice the steak as thinly as you can, across the grain.
6. Build the sandwiches
Spread the aioli on both sides of each roll. Layer arugula on the bottom halves, then the sliced steak, onions and provolone. To melt the cheese, set the open sandwiches (without the arugula) on a sheet pan and broil for 1 to 2 minutes, then add the greens. Close and serve warm.
How to Caramelize Onions (Without Burning Them)
- Slice evenly, about ¼ inch thick, from root to tip, so they cook at the same rate.
- Use medium to medium-low heat. High heat browns the outside before the sugars inside develop; you get burnt, bitter onions instead of sweet ones.
- Be patient. True caramelized onions take 30 to 45 minutes. In 15 minutes you’ll have golden, softened onions, which are also tasty but less sweet.
- Deglaze with water. A tablespoon or two of water lifts the brown bits off the pan and back into the onions, where they add flavor.
- Make a big batch. They keep 3 to 4 days in the fridge and freeze well, ready for burgers, eggs and pizza too.
Steak Sandwich Recipe Tips
- Slice across the grain, and thin. Look for the lines of muscle fiber and cut across them. Thin slices make the sandwich easy to bite without the steak pulling out.
- Use a thermometer. Steak goes past medium-rare quickly in a hot pan. Pull it 5°F below your target, since it rises while resting.
- Toast the bread. A toasted cut side keeps the juices and aioli from making the roll soggy.
- Season the steak well. Bread and onions mute flavors, so don’t be shy with salt and pepper, or use our homemade steak seasoning.
- Know the safe temperature. The USDA recommends cooking whole beef steaks to at least 145°F (63°C) with a 3-minute rest, per the FoodSafety.gov safe minimum temperature chart. Medium-rare is popular but below that guideline, so cook to at least medium for anyone pregnant, very young, older or with a weakened immune system.
Want a deeper crust? Our cast iron skillet steak shows how to sear and butter-baste step by step.
Philly-Style Steak Sandwich
To turn this steak sandwich recipe into a Philly cheesesteak-style sandwich, freeze a 1¼ lb ribeye for 30 to 45 minutes, then slice it paper-thin. Cook 1 sliced onion (and 1 sliced green bell pepper, if you like) on a hot griddle or skillet with oil until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the shaved steak, season with salt and pepper, and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, chopping it with two spatulas, until no longer pink. Divide into 4 piles, top each with 2 slices of provolone or a spoonful of warm cheese sauce, and let it melt for 30 seconds. Scoop each pile into a toasted hoagie roll. For more ideas, see our shaved steak recipes.
Easy Variations
- Horseradish cream: swap the aioli for ¼ cup sour cream mixed with 1 to 2 tablespoons prepared horseradish.
- Mushroom and Swiss: sauté 8 oz sliced mushrooms with the onions for the last 10 minutes and use Swiss cheese.
- Chimichurri: spoon chimichurri over the steak instead of aioli, and skip the cheese.
- Open-faced on toast: pile everything on thick slices of toasted sourdough and eat it with a knife and fork.
- Leftover steak: slice cold leftover steak thinly and warm it in the onion pan for 30 to 60 seconds; any longer and it overcooks. See our leftover steak recipes for more ideas.
- Chicken instead: our air fryer chicken cutlets make a great sandwich with the same toppings.
What to Serve With It
- French fries, sweet potato fries or potato chips
- A simple green salad or Caesar salad
- Coleslaw or a pickle spear
- Tomato soup on a cold night
Browse all our steak recipes for more ideas.
How to Store and Reheat
- Best fresh. Assembled sandwiches get soggy, so store the parts separately.
- Refrigerate the cooked steak and onions in separate airtight containers within 2 hours, for up to 3 to 4 days. The aioli keeps for up to 3 days.
- Reheat the steak slices briefly in a warm skillet or eat them cold; reheat the onions until steaming. Toast fresh rolls and assemble.
- Freeze caramelized onions for up to 3 months.
These times follow the FoodSafety.gov cold food storage chart.
How to Slice Steak for a Steak Sandwich
The way you cut the beef decides how a steak sandwich eats. A thick, long slice pulls out of the roll on the first bite and leaves you with bread and onions. Short, thin slices bite cleanly and spread the juices through the whole sandwich.
Why cutting across the grain matters
Steak is made of long bundles of muscle fibers held together by connective tissue. When you slice parallel to those fibers, each piece holds long, tough strands your teeth have to chew through. When you slice across them, every fiber is only as long as the slice is thick, so even a firmer cut like flank feels tender.
Slice thickness by cut
| Cut | Grain | Best slice thickness |
|---|---|---|
| Ribeye | Mixed; check each section | ¼ inch (6 mm) |
| Top sirloin | Fairly fine, one direction | ⅛ to ¼ inch (3 to 6 mm) |
| Flank steak | Long, very visible lines | â…› inch (3 mm), on a slight angle |
| Skirt steak | Runs across the width | Cut into 5-inch pieces first, then â…› inch across |
| Flat iron | Fine, one direction | ¼ inch (6 mm) |
Two habits help. Hold the knife at about a 45-degree angle to the board for wider, thinner slices. And use your longest, sharpest knife in long strokes instead of sawing, which tears the meat and squeezes out the juices.
Steak Sandwich Troubleshooting
Most problems with a steak sandwich recipe come from a few small slips at the stove or the cutting board. Here’s how to spot the cause and fix it next time.
| Problem | Likely cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Chewy, stringy steak | Sliced with the grain, or slices too thick | Find the grain before cooking and slice across it, ⅛ to ¼ inch thick |
| Gray steak with no crust | Pan not hot enough, or the steak was wet | Pat it very dry and wait until the oil shimmers before adding the meat |
| Soggy bottom roll | Untoasted bread, or juicy steak went on first | Toast the cut sides and put the arugula down before the steak |
| Cheese won’t melt | Cold steak and cold cheese | Broil the open halves for 1 to 2 minutes, or cover the pan briefly |
| Bitter onions | Heat too high | Cook on medium-low and add a splash of water when the pan darkens |
| Filling slides out | Too much aioli, or roll too soft | Use 1 tablespoon aioli per roll and pick a sturdy ciabatta or hoagie |
Scaling the Steak Sandwich Recipe for a Crowd
This steak sandwich recipe serves 4, but it scales easily for game day or a casual party. Plan on about 5 oz (140 g) of raw steak per full-size roll, which cooks down to roughly 4 oz of sliced beef.
| Sandwiches | Raw steak | Onions | Rolls | Aioli (mayo base) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 10 oz (285 g) | 1 large | 2 | 2 tablespoons |
| 4 | 1¼ lb (565 g) | 2 large | 4 | ¼ cup |
| 8 | 2½ lb (1.1 kg) | 4 large | 8 | ½ cup |
| 12 (sliders, 24 small) | 3¾ lb (1.7 kg) | 6 large | 24 slider buns | ¾ cup |
Tips for big batches
- Sear in batches. Cook no more than two steaks at a time in a 12-inch skillet, or the pan cools and the meat steams.
- Use a sheet pan for the onions. For 4 or more onions, use two skillets or a wide Dutch oven so they brown instead of stewing.
- Set up a build station. Keep the sliced steak warm in a covered dish in a 200°F (95°C) oven for up to 30 minutes, and let guests add their own aioli and greens.
- Bake sliders together. Split a whole tray of slider buns, layer the steak, onions and cheese, replace the tops and bake covered with foil at 350°F (175°C) for 10 to 12 minutes.
For a crowd you can also grill several steaks at once. Our New York strip steak guide covers timing for thicker cuts, which slice beautifully for sandwiches.
Cook the steak ahead or sous vide
You don’t have to sear the steak right before you eat. A few make-ahead routes keep the steak sandwich quick on a busy night.
- Cook and chill whole. Sear the steak, cool it, and refrigerate it unsliced within 2 hours. Slice it cold, which gives you the thinnest slices, then warm them in the onion pan for 30 to 60 seconds.
- Sous vide. Cook the steak in a water bath at 131°F (55°C) for medium-rare, or 145°F (63°C) to meet the USDA guideline, for 1 to 4 hours, then sear it for 60 seconds per side. The doneness is even from edge to edge. Our sous vide steak chart gives times by thickness.
- Grill on the weekend. Grill an extra steak when you’re already cooking, and use it for sandwiches within 3 to 4 days.
Whichever method you choose, keep cooked steak in the fridge no longer than 3 to 4 days, and warm only what you need. More steak ideas are in our steak recipes.
Three More Sauces for a Steak Sandwich
The garlic aioli is a classic, but the sauce is the easiest way to change the whole steak sandwich. Each recipe below makes enough for 4 rolls and keeps up to 3 days in the fridge.
- Chipotle mayo: ¼ cup mayonnaise, 1 to 2 teaspoons adobo sauce from a can of chipotles, 1 teaspoon lime juice and a pinch of salt. Pair it with pepper jack.
- Blue cheese spread: 2 oz (55 g) crumbled blue cheese mashed with 3 tablespoons sour cream, 1 tablespoon mayonnaise and a few grinds of black pepper. Skip the provolone.
- Steak sauce butter: 3 tablespoons soft butter mixed with 1 tablespoon steak sauce and ½ teaspoon Dijon. Spread it on the rolls before toasting.
- Whole-grain mustard mayo: ¼ cup mayonnaise, 1 tablespoon whole-grain mustard and 1 teaspoon honey. Good with Swiss cheese and the mushroom variation.
If you want a Philly style steak sandwich instead, skip these sauces and let warm cheese sauce or melted provolone do the work.
Steak Sandwich FAQs
What is the best bread for a steak sandwich?
A sturdy roll with a crisp crust and soft inside: ciabatta, hoagie rolls, a French baguette or toasted sourdough. Soft sandwich bread falls apart under the juices.
What cheese goes on a steak sandwich?
Provolone is the classic. Swiss, white cheddar, pepper jack and blue cheese are all great choices.
How do you keep steak tender in a sandwich?
Don’t overcook it, rest it before slicing, and slice it thinly across the grain. Those three steps matter more than the cut.
Can I make the onions ahead?
Yes. Caramelized onions keep 3 to 4 days in the fridge, which turns this steak sandwich recipe into a 20-minute dinner. Warm them in a skillet before building the sandwiches.
Can I grill the steak instead?
Yes. Grill it over high heat for 3 to 5 minutes per side to the same temperatures, then rest and slice. Toast the rolls on the grill too.
Steak Sandwich Recipe Card
Calories are an estimate per sandwich based on USDA FoodData Central values for top sirloin, onions, butter, oil, provolone, mayonnaise and ciabatta. Ribeye adds more.
Steak Sandwich With Caramelized Onions
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Pat the steak dry and season with the salt. Refrigerate uncovered for 45 minutes to 24 hours if you have time.
- Heat 1 tbsp oil and 1 tbsp butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and a pinch of salt and cook 30 to 40 minutes, stirring every few minutes and adding a splash of water when brown bits build up, until soft and deep golden. Stir in the balsamic or Worcestershire.
- Stir together the mayonnaise, garlic, lemon juice, Dijon and a pinch of salt.
- Heat the remaining oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Season the steak with pepper and sear 3 to 5 minutes per side to 125°F to 130°F for medium-rare (135°F to 140°F for medium), basting with the remaining butter in the last minute.
- Rest the steak 5 to 10 minutes. Toast the cut sides of the rolls. Slice the steak thinly across the grain.
- Spread aioli on the rolls, then layer arugula, steak, onions and provolone. Broil open-faced (without the arugula) 1 to 2 minutes to melt the cheese if you like. Serve warm.
