Amazing Red Wine Reduction Sauce for Steak

4.59 from 112 votes

Learn how to make the best Red Wine Reduction Sauce for steak using pan drippings and simple ingredients in less than 10 minutes!

Cook Time10

Total Time10

Course: Sauce

Cuisine: American

Keyword: red wine reduction, red wine reduction sauce, red wine sauce for steak, red wine steak sauce

Servings: cups

Calories: 313kcal

1 Tablespoon drippings from steak or 1 Tablespoon butter if you have no drippings
1 Tablespoon minced garlic or garlic paste
¼ cup minced shallots or red onions
1 cup red wine of your choice, or equal amounts beef stock if not using wine
2 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 sprigs fresh thyme plus more for garnish
1 cup beef stock
¼ cup roughly chopped parsley leaves
2 Tablespoons butter

See our Beef Temperature Chart for helpful tips on cooking any cut of beef!

Reserve 1 Tablespoon steak drippings from your cooked steak in the pan over medium heat. If you haven't cooked a steak, melt 1 Tablespoon butter in a cast iron skillet. Then, add garlic and shallots and saute, stirring until tender, about 1 minute.
1 Tablespoon drippings from steak, 1 Tablespoon minced garlic, ¼ cup minced shallots
Add red wine, beef stock, balsamic vinegar, and fresh thyme sprigs. Bring liquid to a rapid simmer over medium-high heat.
1 cup red wine, 2 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar, 2 sprigs fresh thyme, 1 cup beef stock
Allow the wine mixture to reduce until thickened, approximately 3 to 5 minutes.
Remove the thyme from the sauce and turn the heat to low. Whisk in 2 Tablespoons butter.
2 Tablespoons butter
Add parsley and season with salt and pepper if desired. Serve, and enjoy!
¼ cup roughly chopped parsley leaves

A drinking wine rather than a cooking wine works best for red wine reduction sauce.
If you are making this recipe and you do not have steak drippings, you can substitute 1 Tablespoon butter to melt in the pan before adding the garlic and shallots.
When making a pan sauce, always monitor your heat. If the sauce breaks, it is likely because the smoking point of the fat was too high when the wine was added.
If you notice the sauce starting to break, immediately remove from heat and begin to whisk vigorously.