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
Hello Natasha,
I would like to make this recipe (Philly cheesesteak) for the SuperBowl, but here in France it’s quite hard to find sliced provolone cheese. Could you tell me, for 20 people, how many grammes (or kg) should I get ?
Love your energy on the videos you make, love your recipes. Thanks for all that 🙂
Bon appétit from France 😉
Go Pats !
Mat
Thank you! I’m glad you’re enjoying my videos and recipes. To be safe and if you want your cheesesteaks extra cheesy, you can prepare up to ~1.1 kg.
Thanks a lot Natasha for your answer on this 🙂
Thanks again, Natasha- your recipes are consistently wonderful
Tried this indoors in a frying pan. I cook for one only so I only used 1/2 of a small rib eye. Added sauteed mushrooms and sliced jalapenos. Left off the mayo and removed much of the soft bread inside the hoagie roll (hopefully cutting down on the calories) which I toasted with garlic butter in a toaster oven. I do that with other different sandwiches. The roll becomes hollowed out and can hold a lot more filling making it easier and neater to eat. I love many of the recipes you have put out.
Recipe looks great except for the cheese. A Philly is American cheese on a thinly sliced steak with onions sandwich. A buttered grilled bun with the little crispy crunch makes it even better
Husband has been wanting a Philly cheesesteak for awhile. Just made yours and it turned out amazing. Husband really liked it. My first time ever making it. Easy recipe to follow. 😊
Awesome! You did a great job as a first timer!
Natasha, you are simply the best! Such simple yet cravable recipes, and delivered in such an entertaining way by such a food nerd. Keep it up!
I’m so happy you love our recipes! Thank you so much for the fantastic review and your encouraging words. I am smiling big reading your comment, Eric!
Im planning to make this. But wont the buns be cool once its time to add the meat and cheese in? If so how can I make sure the bread is still a lil warm when time to eat? Thanks!
Hi Rachel! You can keep them covered with a clean tea towel.
Hi Rachel, the buns are just toasted not necessarily warm. You can wait to toast the buns until the very end, but they are not intended to be heated through. If you try that, let me know how you like that.
Love your videos THANK YOU for taking the time to do them, so fun to watch!!! All I can say is yummy. Did it on my stove with my flat griller, had to move it around more as the heat is not even. Next time I will put it on my BBQ, but I live in WA where it’s raining all the time.
You’re very welcome, Barbara! I’m so glad you’re loving the recipes!
My first shot at the recipe went well. I did make some changes just based on my gut. I added garlic and mushrooms to the onions, and halfway through, I added the ribeye (I used shaved). Once the steak was mostly cooked, I added cheese and mixed everything together. As soon as the steak was done, I added more cheese and then the roll. Everything turned out great but next time I will add even more cheese to the steak, mushroom, and onion mixture.
Can I substitute with chicken? In a rush of making something and came across this recipe but I only have chicken.
Hi Diana, I haven’t tested that with chicken but I think it could work. If you experiment, let me know how you liked the recipe.
browning the onions are the key excellent and simple
Easy and delicious.
If I don’t have a griddle, can I fry them in a skillet or cook them another way or would it not taste as good?
Hi Amanda! Yes, you can use a pan or skillet too.
I made this tonight for my family of three. I followed the recipe as written and I added sliced sweet green bell pepper along with the onion and steak.
This recipe is Amazing and 10/10 for me.
I’m so glad your family loved it, Noha!
Used deer steak instead, also added sautéed green peppers and cremini mushrooms. Used garlic salt instead of regular salt. Followed everything else in the recipe and it was SO DELICIOUS. Definitely saved this for future meals.