Cream Chipped Beef: Step By Step Pictures
I’m introducing you to a fantastic recipe I’ve been making for a long time. Cream Chipped Beef is so savory that you can eat it repeatedly. I’m not a huge fan of leftovers, but I do enjoy eating this dish as a leftover. If you aren’t familiar with cream-chipped beef, it’s dried beef, but it’s put in a very creamy and delicious sauce. My mouth is watering as I prepare the meal as a dinner treat for Mark and me. This recipe is a white sauce (with chipped beef added); once you learn to make a white sauce, you can create many different meals.
In case you missed my Easy Homemade Biscuit Recipe
Kitchen Items Needed
- Saucepan: I used a 6-Quart Farberware Soup Pot
- Whisk
- Measuring Cups
- Cutting Board
- Steamer for the peas Pampered Chef Vegetable Cooker
Ingredients
- Butter: This helps to keep the roux/sauce together and prevents the milk from evaporating, creating a moist and creamy gravy.
- Flour: Flour is the thickening agent needed to make this creamy gravy.
- Milk: Milk helps keep the recipe moist and creamy.
- Chipped Dried Beef: According to Google, “Chipped beef is a form of pressed, salted and dried beef.”
- Pepper: Pepper’s distinct flavor pairs with any savory or sweet hot dish.
- Sugar: Used to maintain moisture, creating a slightly sweet gravy.
Cream Chipped Beef: Step By Step Pictures
When you’re making something new, it can be hard to understand how to do it. That’s why I decided to take step-by-step pictures. These pictures will walk you through everything, so you’ll know exactly how to make it when you want a delicious and healthy meal. Let’s get started on making this Cream-Chipped Beef, shall we?
Step One: Melt the Butter
Grab a large saucepan and melt the butter, stirring constantly.
Step Two: Add flour
Add the flour and blend until smooth. This mixture is called a Roux.
Step Three: Add Milk
Add the milk slowly and stir constantly until the mixture starts to thicken. If it’s too thick, add more milk.
Step Four: Keep Whisking
This is the beginning of yumminess. It’s starting to thicken.
Step Five: Cut The Chipped Beef
Rinse the beef, if desired, it’s too salty for me. Cut into small bite-sized pieces.
Step Six: Add the Chipped Beef
Add the beef and pepper, and then some sugar, if desired. Add the chipped beef to the mixture and stir thoroughly.
Step Seven: Ready To Serve
Serve over biscuits or toast.
Finished Product: Ready to Eat
As you can see, it’s a very versatile meal. Today I mixed the peas into the roux, but we often have it as a side dish.
Cream Chipped Beef Recipe
- 1 cup butter
- 1 cup flour
- 1/2 gallon milk
- 2 4.5- ounce jars of dried beef (rinse and cut into bite-size pieces)
- pepper to taste
- sugar optional to taste
-
Grab a large saucepan and melt the butter, stirring constantly.
-
Add the flour and blend until smooth. This is called a Roux.
-
Add the milk slowly and stir constantly until the mixture starts to thicken.
-
Add more milk if it's too thick.
-
Add the beef and pepper and sugar, if desired.
-
Serve over biscuits or toast. Enjoy.
What is Dried Beef Made Out Of?
As you look at this dried beef, you may wonder what it’s made of. According to Google, “Chipped beef is a form of pressed, salted and dried beef.” It’s a form of deliciousness that you can’t get anywhere else. If you aren’t sure about how dried beef tastes, go ahead and give this a try!
Is Cream Chipped Beef Good For You?
As I enjoy saying, eating everything in moderation is essential. Cream-chipped beef is not unhealthy. Most people who grew up on this dish will tell you that it is truly comfort food that is enjoyable now and again. It’s a true “will stick to your ribs” food.
Why is Chipped Beef So Expensive?
I don’t think chipped beef is that expensive, but some people may think it is. If you find it costly, it’s because it’s mostly dried, meaning it takes more meat to make more significant portions. While the meat can be expensive, I don’t find it any more expensive than other meat we consume here. UPDATE: I just bought 12 jars from Walmart (4.5-ounce jars, February 2025)—they ship for free with my membership with tax, $82.00. That’s expensive, but I know the meat prices are increasing, so I splurged for 12 jars.
More White Sauce Recipes:
These recipes use 1-1/2 cups of white sauce.
1. Add some tuna (drained) and serve over toast or biscuits.
2. Add 1/2 to 1 cup grated cheese and leftover pasta to make Mac and Cheese.
3. Add 1/2 to 1 cup grated cheese and serve over cooked cauliflower or broccoli.
4. Add beef, sausage, bacon, or chicken drippings to make a gravy.
5. Add some chicken bouillon to make gravy for chicken pot pie. Pour over cooked chicken, onions, carrots, and celery. Top with a pie crust.
6. Add one teaspoon of curry powder to make a curry sauce.
7. Add 1-2 sliced cooked potatoes with 1/2 to 1 cup grated cheese to make a cheesy potato soup.
8. With this recipe, I can make a chicken soup base by thinning the sauce and adding chicken bouillon to taste. Please note that I still buy cans of cream of chicken.
9. I can make a mushroom soup base by adding cut-up mushrooms and thinning the sauce with milk.
10. If you have leftover pork chops, slice them and scoop the creamy sauce over toast or biscuits.
11. You can fry up some hamburgers or ground beef and season with salt and pepper to taste.
12. It sounds like creamed spinach is another popular one, too! Just add cooked spinach to your white sauce above.
Related: Homemade Beef Taquitos Recipe
It’s One of My Family’s Favorite Recipes
I stock about ten jars of chipped beef in my pantry because I know 99% of the time when my family comes to visit, they ask for it. It’s easy to make ahead of time and reheat as needed. Some kids like the bread toasted, and some prefer the plain, soft white bread before scooping some cream-chipped beef all over the bread. The frozen cooked peas are like cherries on top of ice cream. Please note that today, I show you how to use freeze-dried peas.
When my grandkids send me pictures of how they made this recipe, it brings me so much joy. It’s one more way to teach our family to cook from scratch. Life is so good.
Freeze-Dried Peas Today
Freeze-Dried Peas Soaking. I used one cup of warm water and one cup of freeze-dried peas. They were ready to use in just a few minutes.
Once I Soaked the Freeze-Dried Peas, I Drained Them
Then I Added the Freeze-Dried Peas and Beef to the Roux
You Can Make the Roux Sauce as Thick as You’d Like Before Adding the Beef and Peas
Freeze-Dried Peas and Chipped Beef Ready To Eat
Final Word
The next time you’re craving something savory, you can make this Cream-Chipped Beef recipe. It’s honestly one of the best recipes I’ve ever made. You can use it as a topping on toast or biscuits. You can eat it for breakfast, lunch, or dinner—it won’t disappoint. Go ahead and try it, and let me know what you think. May God bless this world, Linda.
I grew up eating a lot of creamed chipped beef and toast. It’s truly one of my main comfort foods! Thank you for the article.
Hi Cathy, thank you for your comment! It’s funny, I hesitated to share the recipe because I wasn’t sure how it would be accepted. My goal is to teach others how to stretch the budget with recipes like this. I love hearing you grew up with it as well! Linda
Good Morning Linda. It’s been awhile since I commented on anything. Like you, I’ve made this recipe for years. Sometimes I make it with chipped beef, but most of the time I make it with hamburger. I season my hamburger with Season Salt and pepper as I cook it and then add a little additional pepper (to taste) after it has been added to the gravy part. And yes, it’s good over either toast or biscuits. Great comfort food.
Hi Pam, I love hearing you have made this recipe for years. I’m going to add your hamburger idea to the post. Thank you!!! Linda
Oh my goodness. This sure triggered a memory for me! I remember the chipped/dried beef being sold in a glass canned container. My mother made it. I remember it being SO salty. So I like your suggestion to rinse the meat. Living on a farm, I know it would have been a quick easy “pantry meal” for her to make.
Hi Laura, yes the meat is really salty. My mother used to save the glass jars for water glasses. It’s definitely a pantry meal! Linda
Thank you for reminding us of this great comfort food.
Making a simple white sauce opens up a whole world of meal options as you show above.
Increasing the white sauce you can feed many mouths with a small amount of beef, tuna, pork chop, etc
And for a less expensive beef option don’t forget the Navy staple ‘SOS’.
Instead of chipped beef use hamburger.
Hi Lee, my dad always called it “SOS”! Creamed chipped beef brings us all joy!! I haven’t tried pork chops in the white sauce. I’m adding that to the post. Yummy! Thank you, Linda
Linda, once again you hit it out of the ballpark!!! I have never had creamy chipped beef, but I have made many of the recipe combinations using the white sauce. My favorite of those is to add tuna to a white sauce. It is so very good that you gave ideas of how to use the white sauce for many different things that are so simple to make. Simple, that is what I like especially when you need something quick. I have to tell you that my grandmother taught me to make white sauce as one of the very first things to have in my little 3 x 5 recipe box. She taught me most of all of the homemaking skills I still use today including sewing, knitting, and crocheting. I have the cute little sign that hung over her sewing area; it reads, Never Give Up – God is Faithful. So the message that I keep whether it is taking a seam out or a couple of rows on a knitting project or making a new recipe.
Hi Carol, you are so cute!!!! I love your comment! I LOVE LOVE LOVE that statement “Never Give Up-God Is Faithful”!! Life is so good if we know how to make a white sauce. I still have my mom’s 3 by 5 recipe box. It’s double-wide so she had two sections with the cards. Some are typed and some are handwritten such a treasure. Linda
I have made this many times over the years. I prefer it over toast, but my husband loves it over mashed potatoes. I like to spice it up with a few dashes of hot sauce, or add a couple of chopped hard boiled eggs to stretch it. Good for breakfast, lunch or dinner. Love all of your articles.
Hi Jay Kay, oh my gosh, now that you say this, I remember my mom making it with hard-boiled eggs! AND I remember having it over mashed potatoes. Hot sauce would be awesome to spice it up! I love your comment! Thank you for your kind words, Linda
I grew up on this sort of thing – not necessarily chipped beef but using a white sauce, mom stretched the food to accommodate a large family.
Creamed peas and potatoes – boil potatoes until just fork tender, add peas (fresh or frozen) to the boiling potato water until cooked through. Drain well and add to the white sauce; season to taste with salt and pepper.
Creamed asparagus – Cut the asparagus into bite sized pieces and steam lightly. Add to the white sauce, season to taste with salt and pepper; then serve over toast/biscuits.
Mom always added fresh cooked veggies to her tuna gravy on toast – peas, asparagus, etc.
Hi Leanne, oh my gosh, I remember my mom doing the creamed peas and potatoes!!! Wow, I have never thought of asparagus, but that would be yummy! It’s fun to remember old family recipes from scratch favorites! Life is so good, Linda
SOS was one of my favorite meals when I was in the Navy. It still is. This recipe is way too large for my wife and I but we make a smaller recipe (no sugar) all the time. Serve it with creamed peas or creamed spinach. Yumm!
Hi Ray, my dad called it SOS as well! I realize the recipe is too large for just two people! I have never tried it with creamed spinach! I’m adding that to the post! Thank you so much! Linda
I loved reading your Cream Chipped Beef recipe, thank you for that. Living in Australia, l have to tell you l have never heard of dried beef being available.
Hi Sue, you are so nice, thank you for your kind words. I have never been to Australia, I’ve seen some beautiful pictures, though. Linda
Sounds interesting, but you say it’s not “terribly unhealthy”. Before even read that, I saw the can and figured as with most canned meats that it must be high in sodium. I’ll have to read the can whenever I might be in a grocery store and see how much it is and how they measure it.
For a group or family, I usually limit my choice to products of 200mg or less per serving. Now assuming that a serving is 1/3 to half of the can, I’d use it (even the entire can) because with added ingredients and other food in the meal, it isn’t too much. And trust me I had to be super careful with my mother because she had to be very careful about her fluid intake or she’d literally end up in the hospital.
So what I am saying is, that we need to read the labels and see if one serving is an entire can or a portion of it which means the salt per person would be higher. For sauces, you often just use a couple of teaspoons or tablespoons in a pot, so it’s in reality a very small amount. I had to figure this all out for myself. Knowing this becomes important and also helpful during emergencies or when trying to make a last minute dish.
I’m going to check it out and maybe try it. I think it would be a hit at my house.
Hi Frank, rinse the meat and rinse it again. If you don’t it’s way too salty. That’s why my recipe only calls for pepper, no salt. It has to be high in sodium because you could not eat it right out of the can, yucky salty! Have fun making it, my family loves it. Linda
Oh yeah, I forgot about pre-rinsing food. That also applies to rid potatoes of some of the starch. I just don’t really cook much these days. So maybe I can consider salted foods for extreme emergencies.
Thanks for the tip Linda. I guess the more I learn, the more I need to review and refresh earlier knowledge.
Linda,
Thanks so much for the memories! My 90 year old mother still makes this and with its’ variations as well. A quick comfort food with sliced tomatoes from the garden on the side. I’m bottling applesauce with grandchildren today. I’ll add this post to our little homemaking activity. My son in law grew up eating this too. His family added hard boiled eggs. I’m definitely coming back to budget friendly meals to share with family. Using ingredients you can have ready from your pantry. I am just so grateful for your posts and organizing them in a binder is my next goal.
Your book is just the greatest reference and one every home should have in the years ahead.
Have a lovely day!
Carla
HI Carla, oh you just made my day! Thank you for your kind words, I needed those today. I truly did. Now, back to the applesauce, oh my gosh, I love making applesauce! I love hearing your 90-year old mother still makes it. Life is so good! I’m so glad you like my book, that means the world to me! Thanks again, Linda
Linda, I live in Florida and can not ever remember seeing dried beef in a can. I will have to look for it. I grew up on cream chipped beef and that is exactly how I had always made it myself with the exception, the chipped beef I used to find came in packages like lunch meat. It was shaved and very thin. Somehow, it seemed to disappear over the years and I have wondered from time to time what happened to it. It was a quick and easy weekend meal that the whole family loved and I loved because it fit the budget. I hope I can find it again. Great post. And yes, my Dad, Army Sgt. called it SOS too.
Hi Carolyn, send me your name and address and I will ship a jar of it to you (please rinse the beef it is salty-LOL)! Email me at: foodstoragemoms@yahoo.com The SOS makes me giggle, Linda
Alabama girl here. Isn’t this also called sausage and gravy biscuits?
Hi Carrie, it’s pretty much the same recipe but with chipped beef. I make sausage and gravy biscuits with almost the very same recipe. My family loves it! Linda
Hello Linda,
After not being able to import files from my phone to my laptop, I finally decided to go to your website and start downloading articles and recipes so I can delete them from my phone and have it run a little faster. I came upon your recipe for chipped beef on toast. I’m a military brat and have been eating this most of my life and making it since … who remembers? I didn’t know anyone else knew what it was or how to make it; although it’s a pretty simple recipe.
Actually, I want to know how you know about it. It really tickles me to know you’ve got the recipe and that I can add it to my collection of recipes. Thanks for putting it up. Take care, Hope y’all are well.
Pamela Donahue, W,DC
Hi Pamela, well, just so you know, I LOVE LOVE LOVE your comment! I’m 71 years old and have been eating this my whole life. My mom made it for us but they called it something else. SOS, my dad called it that from being in the army. My mom also made creamed chip tuna, but cream-chipped beef is my all-time favorite. It’s hard to find the chipped beef so when I see it at the store I buy all of it. Walmart only sells small jars, which makes it more expensive. My kids will text me when they are leaving Salt Lake City to come to see us and say “can you make chipped beef”? I make it in a 6-quart saucepan. They also like frozen peas with it. So, of course, I stock frozen petite peas. Life is good, it tickles me that you love it as much as I do! Stay well, Linda
Linda,
Great recipe!
I just made creamed asparagus with asparagus fresh from my garden and on a whim added some to the creamed chipped beef I was making. It was really good. I also sometimes add chopped boiled eggs.
I always rinse that dried beef to get rid of the excess salt. I’ve used ground beef as well and it too is delicious. I’m beginning to think there’s no way to go wrong on this meal.
Hi Ray, thank you for the 5 stars, my sweet friend! Oh, this recipe would be so good with asparagus instead of the chipped beef. Ground beef would be good as well! I remember my mom putting chopped boiled eggs on mine!! Great memories. Linda
Linda:
I love this recipe. I know my husband would like i t but I am wondering if I could use spam or hamburger to make it? This would be a great recipe for days that I don’t want to make anything. (at 72 I tire easily)
I think these meats would make a great substitute when things are hectic.
HI Jackie, actually they would be a perfect substitute! This is why I want to repost this recipe, we must have some inexpensive recipes for people. Plus they need to taste really good!! Linda
Linda:
You would not like what we called it in the Navy. When a inept cook would make it the SOS meant a whole different thing and in boot camp. We had a lot of those at boot camp. I loved it when the head cook made it though. I will see if I can find it when Jack and i GO shopping tomorrow. I have seen small glass jars of the beef in some of the stores we go to. I hope I can find some and have my daughter take a picture of it and send it to you.
Hi Jackie, oh my gosh, I can’t believe I didn’t put a picture of the chipped beef in the post. I will work on that. Thank you, my dad was in the army when he was younger and he always called this dish, SOS. LOL!! https://amzn.to/3Aw6NZY or https://amzn.to/44bG4Qb Linda
HI Jackie, thank you for the 5 stars, my sweet friend!! Linda
I will look for chipped beef when I go to Walmart. I will also check the supermarket but don’t remember seeing any when I was there. I will cut the recipe in half and definitely rinse the salt (HBP) since I only cook for 1 now. it looks delicious. Thank you.
HI Mildred, thank you for the 5 stars, my sweet friend! It’s hard to find, I buy it in different brands some have a blue lid and some come with a red lid. Sometimes I can only get small jars and sometimes the store is totally out. It’s on the aisle where tuna and canned meats would be. It’s a great meal stretcher! Linda
Like so many others, I grew up eating this. My family also liked this . My family liked when I used leftover meatloaf in the sauce instead of the dried beef. All the good tidbits from the baking dish and the meatloaf made a savory sauce served over toast or mashed potatoes.
Hi Cynthia, I love your idea of using leftover meatloaf in the white sauce,! Yummy! Why didn’t I think of this, thank you! Linda
Linda,
I agree with Jackie’s comment from two years ago to use Spam. Sounds like a great idea, especially since most of us have Spam in our storage. Also, it is a good way to encourage those who do not like Spam to try it. Plus, there is a low sodium version of Spam which would be especially good in this recipe.
As an aside, here in Central Texas, it is 18° this morning with a wind chill of 9°. Stupid polar vortex. LOL!
Hi Harry, thank you for the 5 stars, my sweet friend. You know, I need to order some Spam, that’s a great idea! WOW, that is COLD weather in Texas! Yikes! The wind chill is bad!! Hopefully your water lines do not freeze! Stay warm if you can! Linda
Hi Linda, this recipe and your great pictures brought back memories of my Mom making this for us. The bottle of dried beef was quite inexpensive if I recall correctly!! It was definitely one of her budget recipes.
So about a year ago, I decided to buy a bottle of the dried beef and make it for my household. No one was interested much, but they tried it anyway!! I just thought ‘ya don’t know what you’re missing’……LOL
Hi Janet, thank you for the 5 stars, my sweet friend! Oh my gosh some of my family loves, it some don’t care for it. Yes, people need to know what there missing! LOL! Love this, Linda