Easy Beef Cube Steak Recipe - No Flour or Breading! (2024)

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This easy Worcestershire Sauce Cube Steak recipe makes a flavor-packed meal with only two main ingredients! You can make this easy dinner recipe in under 10 minutes on any busy weeknight. Plus since this beef recipe is made without flour or breading, it is also gluten free and low carb.

Table of Contents

• What is Cube Steak?
• How to Cook Cube Steak
• What You’ll Need
• How to Cook Cube Steak in a Cast Iron Pan
• What to Serve with Cube Steak
• Tips for Success
• More easy beef recipes
• Get the Recipe

What is Cube Steak?

Maybe you’ve seen cube steak at the grocery store and had no idea what it was. But since this is a readily-available, budget-friendly cut of beef that can be the start of quick and easy dinner recipes like this one, let’s talk about what it actually is.

Cube steak is also known as a cubed steak. It is usually a cut of top round or top sirloin. These are lean cuts, so they can be a bit tough, which is why cube steaks sometimes get a reputation for being lower-end or inferior cuts of beef.

But it gets its name because it has been tenderized by your butcher by pounding with a meat tenderizer or using an electric tenderizer. This process is called “cubing”. In some places, it is also called minute steak because it is a thin cut that cooks quickly.

Is it the Same as Ground Beef?

If you’ve ever accidentally picked up a package of cubed steak at the grocery store when you meant to get ground beef, you know that they are not the same. Though they come from the same cut of beef and look similar in the packaging, they are entirely different things.

The characteristic marks left on a cube steak from the tenderizing process do make it look similar to ground beef, which has been fully ground to break down while cooking or form into burgers, meatballs, meatloaf, and more.

How to Cook Cube Steak

These lean cuts of beef can end up chewy if not cooked properly. So most cubed steak recipes use certain techniques that help to lock in the moisture and keep them juicy and tender.

• Pan-frying – this is probably the most common cooking technique, such as when making chicken fried steak. Breading and frying help keep this lean cut moist and tender.
• Braising – it can also be tenderized by simmering low and slow for an extended period of time, like when you make Swiss Steak.
• Pan-searing or sauteeing – I opt for a quick sear in a super hot cast iron pan to keep it juicy. Keep reading for more on that technique. Some people also use this technique when they want to make a cube steak recipe with pan gravy, like this Pan Fried Cube Steak with Onion Mushroom Gravy.

Whether you are pan-frying cube steaks to make chicken fried steak or making a gravy, oftentimes you dredge the meat in flour.Some of the other techniques and recipes call for tossing it in a crockpot with a lot of heavy ingredients that might not be gluten free. That is not the case with this simple cube steak recipe.

In this case, the meat is simply seasoned and seared. Then they get a serious umami flavor kick from Worcestershire sauce. The cuts in the meat from the tenderizing allow the flavor of the Worcestershire to really infuse the meat so that you end up with a juicy and delicious dinner every time.

Cube steak recipes without flour or breading can be hard to come by. That’s why you’ll love this easy gluten free comfort food dish.

What You’ll Need

Ingredients

• Oil – I used to always use olive oil. However, I have started using avocado oil for high-temperature cooking like this as it has a higher smoke point than olive oil. Either will work.
• Cube steaks
• Salt and pepper
• Worcestershire sauce – one word of caution, though, is that not all Worcestershire Sauce is gluten free. In the United States, Lea & Perrins Worcestershire Sauce is gluten free. But if you have concerns, you may want to make your own.

Equipment

• Cast iron skillet – I truly consider this an ingredient in this recipe. The sear you get from screaming hot adds flavor from the nice browning you will achieve.
• Tongs – for flipping the cubed steak

How to Cook Cube Steak in a Cast Iron Pan

Get your cast iron pan searing hot to make this quick and easy, 10-minute cube steak recipe. In fact, it’s so easy, it’s one of those recipes that’s not even really a recipe. It’s more of a little idea and a quick technique, but it’s something I’ve been making for years.

1. Preheat your cast-iron skillet over high heat, then add oil.
2. Season both sides of the meat with salt and pepper.
3. Place the steak in the pan and cook for about three minutes per side. You may need to work in batches depending on the size of your skillet.
4. Pour Worcestershire Sauce over the cube steaks and let it reduce just a minute or two more.

And that’s it!

What to Serve with Cube Steak

A simple baked potato or sweet potato and some steamed or roasted broccoli round out this healthy meal perfect for the busiest of days. But you can also try these side dishes:

• Foil Packet Potatoes you can toss on the grill or in the oven.
• Baked Potatoes made in the oven, microwave, air fryer, crockpot, or Instant Pot.
• Cheesy Mashed Potatoes go with everything, especially when you add bacon.
• Bacon Cheddar Mashed Cauliflower is a cheesy and delicious low carb side. Or kick it up with Horseradish Cheesy Cauliflower Gratin.
• Balsamic Roasted Vegetables have a deep flavor that complements the steak.
• Easy Baked Beans are the most delicious you’ve ever made with a sneaky secret.
• Corn Casserole that’s actually gluten free!
• Creamy Hominy Casserole from Barefeet in the Kitchen is inspired by Cowboy Kent Rollins and based on a recipe from his book A Taste of Cowboy: Ranch Recipes and Tails from the Trail.
• Barbecue Bean Bake from Grumpy’s Honey Bunch is a spectacular side dish also based on Kent’s recipe.

Tips for Success

Use Cast Iron. It’s the best material to withstand high temperatures and give the cubed steaks that nice crust from searing. I truly think it adds to the flavor too!

Get the Pan Very Hot. Before you add the oil, place your cast iron skillet over high heat on the stove and give it several minutes to heat up. The oil should shimmer and the meat start to sizzle as soon as you add it to the pan.

Do Not Overcook the Meat. It really only needs minutes to cook. Otherwise, it will become tough and chewy.

Store Leftovers. Any extras can be kept in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 3 or 4 days. You can warm it for just a few seconds in the refrigerator, or cut thin slices of the cold cube steak to put on salads.

More easy beef recipes

• Shepherd’s Pie
• Beefaroni
• Keto Egg Roll Bowl
• Easy Sloppy Joes
• Flat Iron Steak with Honey Balsamic Marinade
• Ground Beef and Potatoes Skillet
• Steak Bites with Chili Lime Sauce