How To Make an Easy Pan Sauce in Minutes

How To Make an Easy Pan Sauce in Minutes

Emma Christensen
Oct 6, 2014
(Image credit: Emma Christensen)

A pan sauce feels like something you read on a menu, doesn't it? A bit of fancy chef magic that should only be attempted by trained professionals. But here's the real secret: pan sauces are so incredibly simple. And fast. In the time it takes your steak or pork chop to rest, you can turn those pan drippings into a fantastic sauce, no culinary school degree required.

Yes, here's how you, too, can make a restaurant-worthy pan sauce in just minutes.

(Image credit: Emma Christensen)

What Is a Pan Sauce?

The pan sauce came into existence for two reasons: to make sure that none of the rendered fat or crunchy pan drippings from seared meat goes to waste, and to give us a way of making that same meat even more amazing. You use liquid — usually a combination of wine and stock — to deglaze the pan, and then add a little butter to make things rich. If you'd like a thicker, creamier sauce, whisking in a little cornstarch or flour will do the job.

Spoon that over your steak and try not to swoon.

When Do You Make a Pan Sauce?

Make a pan sauce whenever you've cooked something that leaves caramelized bits in the pan. in Typically, you make a pan sauce to go with steaks, pork chops, chicken, and the like, but there's no reason you can't make a pan sauce for pan-seared vegetables, seared tofu or tempeh, or any other food you've cooked in a pan.

Many steak and chop recipes will include instructions for a pan sauce, but you don't need to wait for the invitation. The instructions below will walk you through the basic steps for making a pan sauce any time you want.

The instructions may look long, but the steps are very simple, and after you've done this a time or two you won't even need to consult a recipe; it will just be second nature to make a delicious sauce after you've cooked meat.

How To Make an Easy Pan Sauce in Minutes


What You Need


  • 1 tablespoon

    olive oil (or pan drippings)

  • 1

    whole shallot, minced (optional)

  • 1/4 cup


  • 3/4 cup


  • 2 tablespoons

    butter or a splash of cream

  • 1 1/2 teaspoons

    cornstarch, whisked with 2 tablespoons water or stock (optional)

  • Salt and pepper, to taste

  • Equipment
  • A skillet or other pan

  • Measuring cups

  • Spatula

  • Whisk


  1. Clear — but don't clean! — the pan: Once you've finished using your pan to cook the main dish, transfer the cooked food to a separate plate or tray. Do not clean the pan. Pour off all but a tablespoon of leftover cooking oil or rendered fat from the pan.

  2. Sauté the shallots (optional): Add enough oil to the pan to make about 1 tablespoon of total fat when combined with the pan drippings. Set the pan over medium-high heat and sauté the shallots until they've softened and turned golden, 2 to 3 minutes. If you don't have (or don't like!) shallots, you can skip this step and still make a great pan sauce; the shallots deepen the overall flavor of the sauce. Also, see the variations below for more ideas for adding flavor at this stage.


  4. Reduce the wine by about half: Let the wine or other alcohol reduce by roughly half, about 3 minutes. The pan should just barely be starting to look dry. It's not an exact science, though, so don't worry; just go on to the next step sometime before the pan is totally dry.


  6. Reduce the liquid to about 1/2 cup: Let the liquid in the pan reduce to about 1/2 cup, 3 to 5 minutes. Again, you don't need to be precise here; it's ok to guesstimate. Tilt the pan every so often to gauge how much liquid has evaporated and when it's reduced by about half, you're good.


  8. Whisk in the cornstarch (optional): For a thicker, creamier sauce, whisk in the cornstarch. Don't forget to whisk the cornstarch with 2 tablespoons of water first; this helps prevents clumps. Let the sauce simmer for another few seconds, until thickened.




Recipe Notes




