Steak Fingers with Country Gravy
Steak Fingers with Country Gravy: Crispy chicken fried steak strips, with ultra creamy white gravy for dipping. This is a dish that no one can resist!
Steak Fingers with Country Gravy
Steak Fingers with Country Gravy remind me of childhood. Growing up in Oklahoma, they were a staple on diner and drive-in menus.
For those of you that did not grow up in Oklahoma-Texas cattle country, and are scratching your heads, steak fingers are essentially chicken fried steak strips, served with white gravy for dipping.
After moving across the country, I went many years without eating steak fingers. Yet recently I was walking down the freezer aisle of the grocery store and noticed bags of frozen steak fingers in the glass cabinet.
Even the frozen factory-made rendition made me crave them, and I decided it was time for my kids to taste a little bit of my childhood.
Using tenderized cube steak as the base, Steak Fingers with Country Gravy are inexpensive to make, quick to fry up, and always a crowd-pleaser!
Both the steak fingers and the gravy are made in the same skillet for easy clean-up.
Steak Fingers Ingredients
To make this recipe you’ll need:
- Tenderized Cube Steak – You can find this cut of meat at your local supermarket. It is pretty inexpensive and since it comes already tenderized, that makes less work for you.
- All-Purpose Flour – This is the base of the breading that gets fried.
- Cajun Seasoning – Cajun seasoning is mixed in the flour mixture to add amazing flavor.
- Baking Powder – This makes the coating light and crunchy!
- Milk – Milk is mixed with eggs to create a golden breading.
- Eggs – This is also a part of the “glue” mixture. It will help the second coating of the flour mixture stick to the meat.
- Worcestershire sauce – This ingredient adds flavor to the egg mixture. If you don’t want to use this sauce just leave it out and add a pinch of salt to the mixture.
- Oil – For frying!
How To Make Steak Fingers
- Preheat the oven to 200 degrees F. Pat the cube steak thoroughly dry with paper towels. Then cut the steaks into strips approximately 1 to 1 1/2 inches wide and 3 to 4 inches long.
- In a small bowl mix the flour, Cajun seasoning, and baking powder together. In another bowl, whisk together milk, eggs, and Worcestershire sauce. Place a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add enough oil to fill the skillet 1/4 inch deep.
- Once the oil is between 350-375 degrees F, dip 6-8 steak strips in the flour mixture. Shake them off, then dunk the strips in the egg mixture. Shake off the drippings, then dunk back in the flour mixture. Shake off all excess flour. (Flour that falls off into the oil will burn and turn the oil dark.)
- Gently place the strips in the hot oil and fry for 1-2 minutes per side. Use tongs to move the steak fingers to a paper towel-lined plate. Add additional oil to the skillet if needed, and repeat with the remaining steak strips. Place the finish strips in the oven to keep warm.
Country Gravy Recipe
To make delicious Country Gravy you’ll need:
- Butter – All good gravy starts with butter.
- Seasoned Flour Mixture – This is the leftover mixture used to flour the steak fingers before frying.
- Milk – This helps thin out the gravy and also brings all the other ingredients together.
- Salt and Pepper – Season to taste!
How to Make Country Gravy
- Once all the steak fingers are fried, carefully wipe the skillet out with a paper towel. Place it back over medium heat and add the butter. Once melted, whisk in 1/4 cup of the remaining seasoned flour. Whisk until bubbling, then whisk in 2 cups of milk. Continue to whisk the white gravy until it is thick.
- Taste, then season with salt and pepper as needed. Remove the gravy from heat. If the gravy starts to thicken too much, whisk in an additional 1/2 cup of milk.
- Serve the steak fingers and warm country gravy together for dipping.
If you love chicken fried steak, Steak Fingers with Country Gravy is going to be your new favorite party snack. Even your pickiest eaters will fall for these little guys!
Get The Full (Printable) Steak Fingers and Country Gravy Recipe Below. Enjoy!
Frequently Asked Questions
Do Steak Fingers Make Good Leftovers?
Sure! They will keep in the fridge up to 5-6 days. Just reheat them in the microwave, or for the best texture, reheat them in a 350 degree oven for 5-10 minutes.
Can You Freeze Steak Fingers?
Yes, you can! Place the steak fingers in an airtight container and freeze for up to 3 months. When ready to serve, spread them out on a baking sheet and reheat in a 350 degree oven for 12-15 minutes.
Other Great Recipes
- Copycat Chick-fil-A Nuggets
- Korean Fried Chicken
- Pan Fried Fish Tacos
- Perfect Chicken Fried Steak with Gravy Recipe
- Apple Baked Stuffed Pork Chops Recipe
- Perfect Maryland Crab Cakes Recipe
- Better Than Panda Express Orange Chicken Recipe
- Crispy Baked Buffalo Chicken Breast Recipe
- Homemade Crullers from Lauren’s Latest (for dessert!)
Steak Fingers with Country Gravy Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 pounds tenderized cube steak
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 3 tablespoons Cajun seasoning
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 3 1/4 cups milk, divided
- 3 large eggs
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 5 tablespoons butter
- Salt and pepper
- Oil for frying
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 200 degrees F. Pat the cube steak thoroughly dry with paper towels. Then cut the steaks into strips approximately 1 to 1 1/2 inches wide and 3 to 4 inches long.
- In a small bowl mix the flour, Cajun seasoning, and baking powder together. In another bowl, whisk together 3/4 cup milk, 3 eggs, and Worcestershire sauce. Place a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add enough oil to fill the skillet 1/4 inch deep.
- Once the oil is between 350-375 degrees F, dip 6-8 steak strips in the flour mixture. Shake them off, then dunk the strips in the egg mixture. Shake off the drippings, then dunk back in the flour mixture. Shake off all excess flour. (Flour that falls off into the oil will burn and turn the oil dark.)
- Gently place the strips in the hot oil and fry for 1-2 minutes per side. Use tongs to move the steak fingers to a paper towel lined plate. Add additional oil to the skillet if needed, and repeat with the remaining steak strips. Place the finished strips in the oven to keep warm.
- Once all the steak fingers are fried, carefully wipe the skillet out with a paper towel. Place it back over medium heat and add the butter. Once melted, whisk in 1/4 cup of the remaining seasoned flour. Whisk until bubbling, then whisk in 2 cups of milk. Continue to whisk the gravy until it is thick. Taste, then season with salt and pepper as needed. Remove the gravy from heat. If the gravy starts to thicken too much, whisk in an additional 1/2 cup of milk.
- Serve the steak fingers and warm country gravy together for dipping.
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Nutrition
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I would just like to state that “steak fingers” aren’t actually a southern thing. They originated in the northwest.
Wow. I made this exactly as written, except scaled it for 2. Definitely a keeper and will be making on repeat. Thank you for a wonderful recipe!
First time making this and it was amazing. Gravy was bomb too!
This was amazing!
I added some of my own touches to the gravy by doubling the flour and adding in 2 cups of chicken stock, a little Knorr’s, and soy sauce. This was the best steak fingers recipe I’ve ever used. Thanks!
So, why did I preheat the oven again? Just because?? Lolol
Hi Chris!
You use the oven as a warmer to keep the batches of steak fingers hot and crisp, while you work on additional batches and the gravy. :)
I am in love with this recipe, total winner.
We don’t have that cut of meat in the UK – any suggestions for a substitute?
I grew up in Atlanta so I am absolutely missing this!!!
Hi Anna!
Cube steak is simply thin-cut top sirloin that has been well tenderized. You can have a butcher thinly slice top sirloin or top round, then vigorously pound it out with meat tenderizing mallet. It’s a good way to work out your frustrations after a long day! ;)
I’m all in, have never had or made these but chicken fried steak with gravy cannot ever miss, so thank you for sharing it!
My kids loved these appetizers! Everyone at my house enjoyed it!
Look at this one! The breading over the steak looks great and you had me sold with ‘country gravy’!!
Oh wow, I never thought of doing country fried steak this way, so I tried it and it ended up being the best country fried steak that I have ever tried!
I will have to give these a try. In Idaho they are called fingersteaks and they are deep fried after putting in wet batter. We also use tenderloin steak.
They actually originated at the torch lounge in Boise Idaho!
Can you airfry them?
Hi Peggy,
You should be able to air fry these, but I have not personally tested that method, so I can’t give an exact cooking time. Maybe someone from our community has tried it… Any takers?
Actually made this for dinner tonight. So so good. Will definitely be making this again soon. Thanks so much for sharing. Will be following on pinterest. Thanks again.
Um im mixed up a bit. When you preheat oven to 200 due you stick the raw strips in and if so for how long?
Hi Tony,
The oven just acts as a warmer for the finished steak fingers, because most cooks don’t have warming drawers. Only place them in the oven after they are fully cooked.
Looks fantastic – but can you cook these in an Air Fryer instead frying them in of all that oil? Just asking. Thanks.
Exactly why is the over being preheated? Its not fully clear in the instructions.
Hi AJ!
It’s in step 4, place the finished pieces in the oven to keep them warm while you continue cooking the rest. :)
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Awesome recipe! I served mashed potatoes & green beans with the steak fingers & gravy. My previous attempts at steak fingers & gravy have failed. This was very easy too! Thank you!
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I can’t hav e vinegar in my diet so can I leave out the Worcestershire in this recipe?
Hi Donna,
Absolutely! :)
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I’m making this tonight and I’m very excited!!
I have a question, though. I just got an air fryer and was curious if these could be cooked in one of those! What do you think?
Hi Kristina,
I haven’t tried that, so I can’t really say. If you give it a try, please report back! :)
The steak fingers werevtasty and crunchy. Love this recipe. Thanks for sharing….
Have made it several time and it is great and easy. Although I soak in buttermilk at the beginning to soften the meat.
Absolutely delicious! My husband loves chicken fried steak and this was an amazing recipe for me to use! Thanks so much!
I made this tonight for dinner, and everyone loved it. This is the first time I ever used butter for gravy, and it turned out fantastic. Thanks for sharing your great recipe.
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Came out great and I will make again. Nice that they were small and you did not have to eat a whole cube steak. Seemed to have alot of flavor with the extra side to crust up.
I’ve been making these for YEARS and will also interchange them with chicken breast strips. I don’t, however, use
worcestershire. I use either Texas Pete or Crystal. It DOES NOT make it hot, however, if you wanted it a little spicy you can add more OR add a SMALL amount of crushed red pepper.
Thanks for the top Angela! :)
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My husband loved this. Much easier to work with smaller pieces of steak.
I love this recipe! We used elk cube steak and I look forward to making this each time. Thanks for such a yummy, easy recipe. :)
I made this tonight for my family. It was a hit. I used my electric turkey frier and it worked very well. The gravy was delicious as well. Two thumbs up from my family.
I’m a bit confused here. Beginning of the recipe says, Preheat the oven to 200 degrees F. But I dont see anywhere that We will be needing to use the oven. Am I missing something?
To keep the steak warm after frying….while making the gravy
Family loved this.Have made it several times
Before this, I’ve only cooked beef cube steaks, which can be very tough. These are very tender and tender, my husband and I enjoyed them very much. However, next time I’ll not cut them into strips and just fry the pork cube steaks whole and make mash potatoes to go with the gravy. Breading and frying the strips (fingers) was so intense that my husband had to man turning the strips as they fried so they wouldn’t burn or I would only be able to fry one strip at a time. It was nice to have his help in the kitchen for a change though. Thanks for introducing me to a different cut of pork. Don’t we all love pork?
Finally! A recipe that doesn’t use chicken as main ingredient and that’s a hearty snack. What can be used instead of worscheshire sauce though? It contains anchovies and we have severe seafood allergies.
Thanks for the great recipe
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This recipe is fantastic! Thank you so much for sharing. I’m looking forward to making it again soon.
I’ve never had this before, but it looks great!
My boys would jump at a chance to eat fingers! :)
oh yum- I haven’t had steak fries in years & years but they didn’t come with the gravy. can’t wait to make
Oh my goodness…these looks awesome…I always loved the steak fingers from Dairy Queen…but, homemade are ALWAYS better…gonna give these a try. I didn’t know you were from OK…so am I…in fact I still live in OK. Thanks for the great recipe.