Philly Cheesesteak with tender ribeye steak, melted gooey cheese, and caramelized onions hugged by a toasted garlic butter hoagie roll. This is the classic way to make Philly Cheesesteaks. Watch the video tutorial below, and you’ll know why everyone is talking about this sandwich.
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Helpful Reader Review
” This recipe rates 5 stars! I made this tonight. I did not change a thing. It was absolutely delicious!! My family loved it!” – Diane ★★★★★
Philly Cheesesteak Video
This classic Philly Cheesesteak recipe is one of my family’s favorite meals for a cookout. I love that you can make a big batch of them on a flat cooktop or griddle. We also make these every year when we go camping because it’s an easy and memorable way to feed a crowd.
Philly Cheesesteak is a sandwich made with super-thinly sliced ribeye steak, caramelized onion, and provolone cheese. That simple combination is the original classic as made popular on the East Coast. The Philly Cheesesteak has been modified on the West Coast to include green bell peppers and mushrooms, but a true “Philly” only has steak, onion, and cheese served over a roll.
We love re-creating restaurant-quality sandwiches such as Crispy Chicken Sandwiches, French Dip, and Hamburgers! Recreating this Cheesesteak recipe is easier than you think.
Which Cut of Beef Should I Use for Cheesesteaks?
Ribeye is the steak of choice for Philly Cheesesteak sandwiches. It is well-marbled and tender when cooked. Another cut that we have used with great results is flank steak, which is lean but very tender when cut against the grain. You will need a little extra oil on your cooking surface if using flank steak.
The Best Cheese for Philly Cheesesteak?
The most popular cheese is mild provolone. We have tested a variety of provolone brands, and the only one we didn’t enjoy was “aged” provolone from Costco. The flavor of aged provolone cheese was overpowering. Another popular option is white American cheese or even mozzarella cheese. Some restaurants in Philadelphia add ‘Cheeze Whiz’ – a Velveeta-like cheese, but I like provolone best for its flavor and melty cheese-pull.
The Key to Thinly Sliced Beef
The key to a great cheesesteak is super thinly sliced pieces of beef. For easier slicing, cover and freeze your steak for 20-30 minutes (freeze a thicker steak for 30 minutes and a thinner steak for 20 minutes). Cut away any excess fat and silver skin (if present), then use a sharp knife to thinly slice against the grain. You can watch me demonstrate this technique in the video tutorial above.
Time Saving Tip: Ask your butcher to slice your beef super thinly. If you pre-plan this, they could place the steak in the freezer while you do your shopping to achieve those paper-thin slices.
How to Make Philly Cheesesteaks
This is one of our easiest sandwich recipes with quick prep and even faster cooking. It is a 30-minute meal. You can cook this in a large skillet on the stovetop, flat cooktop or griddle.
- Butter hoagie rolls, dice onion and thinly slice beef
- Sautee onions and remove (if you’re adding mushrooms or bell peppers – add them at this time)
- Sautee beef until cooked through and season with salt and pepper, then add back onions
- Divide into 4 portions, top each with 2 slices of cheese
- Cover with buns and scrape into buns with a spatula
Creative Ways to Serve Philly Cheesesteak
I love to serve a Philly Cheesesteak with Air Frier French fries, Baked Potato Wedges, or Onion rings. If you’re craving that beefy cheesy filling and want to skip the bun, there are so many fun ways to serve this mix, including some fantastic keto (low-carb) Philly Cheese Steak ideas!
- As a topping for cooked pasta or stuffed into pasta shells.
- Sliders – Make Philly Cheesesteak Sliders (like my French Dip Sliders)
- In Tortillas – Philly Cheesesteak Quesadillas or in Pita Bread
- Low Carb Options – try Philly Cheesesteak Stuffed Bell Peppers, or Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms
There’s something so satisfying about sinking your teeth into a hot, cheesy, and beef Philly Cheesesteak sandwich. Are you craving one yet? Let me know if you make this classic version or add your own twist.
Philly Cheesesteak
Ingredients
- 1 lb Ribeye steak, trimmed and thinly sliced*
- 1/2 tsp Sea salt, or to taste
- 1/2 tsp Black pepper, or to taste
- 1 sweet onion, (large), diced
- 8 slices provolone cheese, mild (not aged provolone)
- 4 Hoagie Rolls, sliced 3/4 through
- 2 Tbsp unsalted butter, softened
- 1 garlic clove, pressed
- 2-4 Tbsp mayonnaise, or to taste
Instructions
- Slice hoagie rolls 3/4 of the way through with a serrated knife. Dice onions and thinly slice beef.*
- In a small bowl, stir together 2 Tbsp softened butter with 1 pressed garlic clove. Spread garlic butter onto the cut sides of 4 hoagie roll. Toast the buns on a large skillet, flat cooktop or griddle on medium heat until golden brown then set aside.
- Add 1 Tbsp oil to your pan/cooktop and sautee diced onions until softened. Sprinkle lightly with salt and cook until caramelized then transfer to a bowl.
- Increase to high heat and add 1 Tbsp oil. Spread the super thinly sliced steak in an even layer. Let brown for a couple of minutes undisturbed then flip and season with 1/2 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp black pepper. Sautee until steak is fully cooked through then stir in the caramelized onions.
- Divide into 4 even portions and top each with 2 slices of cheese and turn off the heat so the cheese will melt without overcooking the meat.
- Spread a thin layer of mayo on the toasted side of each roll. Working with one portion at a time, place a toasted bun over each portion and use a spatula to scrape the cheesy beef into your bun as you flip it over. Serve warm.
Notes
*Variations – If you want to add more veggies or substitute the onion, try sliced bell peppers and/or mushrooms.
Nutrition Per Serving
Filed Under
More Favorite Sandwich Recipes
- Smash Burger – restaurant-style
- Grilled Cheese Sandwich
- Breakfast Sandwiches
- Reuben Sandwich
- Salami Cream Cheese Sandwich
- Chicken Bacon Avocado Sandwich
- Chicken Sandwich Melts
- BLT sandwich – with the best sauce
This was outstanding! Adopted recipe for 2. I added peppers and mushrooms. Next time I’ll use a little more garlic butter to the hoagie rolls, it added a nice flavor. The rib eye steak was so tender. I served it with fries and a creamy cucumber salad.
Made this tonight for my family of three. Followed the recipe as written and added sliced sweet bell pepper, jalapeño, and sliced portobello along with the onion and NY steak. Made far more than enough for us, but the extra veggies helped to stretch it out further. Easily 6 generous servings just adding the additional veggies with 1.25 lb of the steak. 10/10 recipe and will make this again for sure!
I really love this recipe but one rib eye steak just isn’t enough for four sandwiches. And I get my rib eyes at Costco so they are large. So just being realistic plan on two large ribeyes for four sandwiches imo. Otherwise the recipe is fabulous.
Making these tonight! Can hardly wait. Thanks for the recipe and the inspiration, Natasha.
You’re very welcome, Shirley! I hope you love it.
Add a little horseradish sauce for a tangy finish
I made these last night. Made 3 rolls. So delicious I’ll definitely make it again.
We dress it up here in Texas like Subway does with lettuce, tomato, black olive, pepperoncinis, mayo, mustard, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, pickles, provolone cheese, bell peppers and onions
Those are delicious additions! I hope you enjoyed it!
Surprisingly very easy recipe but also really good
This is a great recipe but a true, classic Philly cheesesteak doesn’t use any garlic. Some ppl like sauteed peppers and mushrooms. Some like ketchup or mayo. In South Jersey they add lettuce, tomato, and mayo. Some add hot peppers. Since relocating to the south I’ve not found a great cheesesteak. I think it may be the bread. Nothing like Philly bread. They are soooo good.
Came across your cooking website and enjoyed trying out several recipes and enjoyed them all… mainly desserts and bread recipes. Since retired over a year now I have free time everyday to explore new recipes. Your cookbook has been added to my kitchen counter corner set aside as part of my recipe books section … 🌸😋!!!
We make this all the time. My family loves it!
I am not a fan of steak but really liked this recipe. Thank you Natasha for another hit!
So happy to hear that, Monika!
No sé el inglés pero con sus videos no necesito, solo con verlos entiendo
TRANSLATION: I don’t know English, but with your videos, I don’t need to. Just by watching them, I understand.
I’m so glad the videos are helpful, Alan!
I loved them! So good! Can I use normal buns instead?
Hi Aliyh, we prefer it with hoagie rolls, but it will work on a bun.
Good idea! We’re making them today and I wish I had fresh jalapeno’s. I MIGHT have jarred jalapenos, so if I do, maybe I’ll add a few…
We haven’t made your recipe yet, we’re doing that for lunch today. However, both of us are not HUGE fans of onion, so we’ll cut way back on that. We like to add red and green pepper along with fresh saute’d mushrooms. We will also add some au jus for dipping.
I have been using some of your recipes and your chicken pot pie recipe is the best ever. Everyone I’ve made it for has raved about it. I am a commercial fishing captain in Southeast Alaska and I make this for my crew every couple of weeks. they absolutely love it, thank you so much
Wow! That’s just awesome! Thank you for sharing your wonderful review!
Absolutely delicious. My husband couldn’t stop saying how great they were, and he doesn’t even like Philly cheese steaks! When I asked him why didn’t he stop me when I mentioned making them if he knew he didn’t like them, and he said “because YOU were making them”. [Aww] But seriously- we’ve eaten at Pat’s and Gino’s in Philly, and he was NOT impressed. But he loved these- so thank you for the awesome recipe!
That’s so great! It sounds like you have a new favorite!
This is delicious, and I followed the directions exactly. BUT it took way more than 30 min to make (for me), and I had to turn the pan on and cover it to make the cheese melt at the end.
Please don’t cringe, but as a born and raised Philly Boy, cheese wiz was always quite popular . Otherwise American cheese was used but I liked your idea of using provolone.
I’ve heard that many times – that it’s quite popular in Philly! I have yet to try it but admittedly it’s not a product I have ever purchased ;). I hope you love this version and thanks for sharing.