Philly Cheesesteak with tender ribeye steak, melted gooey provolone, and caramelized onions hugged by a toasted garlic butter hoagie roll. This is the classic way to make a Philly Cheesesteak sandwich!
We love re-creating restaurant-quality sandwiches like French Dip and Burgers! This Cheesesteak recipe is easier than you think. Watch the video tutorial below and you’ll know why everyone is talking about it.
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What is a Philly Cheesesteak?
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 bell peppers and mushrooms but a true “Philly” only has steak, onion and cheese served over a roll.
Which Cut of Beef Should I Use?
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. Some restaurants in Philadelphia add a Velveeta-like cheese but we like provolone best.
Pro-Tips for Thinly Slicing Beef:
The key to a great cheesesteak is super thinly sliced pieces of beef. For easier slicing, cover and freeze your steak for 30-40 minutes (freeze a thicker steak for 40 minutes and a thinner steak for 30 minutes). Cut away any excess fat and silver skin (if present) then use a sharp knife to thinly slice against the grain. Watch Natasha demonstrate this in the video tutorial below.
Time Saving Tip: Ask your butcher to super thinly slice your beef. 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 Cheesesteak:
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 on the stove-top, flat cooktop or griddle.
- Butter hoagie rolls, dice onion and thinly slice beef
- Sautee onions and remove
- Sautee beef until cooked through and add back onions
- Divide into 4 portions, top each with 2 slices cheese
- Cover with buns and scrape into buns with a spatula
Creative Ways to Serve Philly Cheesesteak:
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!
- Over Cooked Pasta or stuffed into Shell Pasta
- Philly Cheesesteak Sliders
- (Low Carb) Philly Cheesesteak Stuffed Bell Peppers
- (Low Carb) Stuffed into Portobello Mushrooms
More Top-Rated Sandwich Recipes:
- Breakfast Sandwiches – freezer friendly
- Salami Cream Cheese Sandwich – excellent to-go lunch
- Chicken Bacon Avocado Sandwich – restaurant copycat
- Chicken Sandwich Melts – picky eater approved!
Watch Natasha Make Philly Cheesesteak:
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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 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
Nutrition Per Serving
If you make this recipe, I’d love to see pics of your creations on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter! Hashtag them #natashaskitchen
First recipe from your site I’ve tried. I added minced garlic to the meat as we love garlic. Also used Green peppers with onions. I thought they were good. Will be trying more recipes you post. I love simple meals full of flavor.
Thanks for sharing that with us, Faye. I hope you love all the other recipes fhat you try!
I made these last night – they were amazing. I will for sure be making them again. My family loved them!
That’s just awesome!! Thank you for sharing your wonderful review Sue!
I made this for my family, turned out fantastic. My family is looking forward to the next time I make it. For my own sandwich, I added sliced up mushrooms and pepperoncini peppers, just like my favorite Philly steak place in Dallas. No need to go back with a recipe this simple and good. Thank you for sharing!
So glad to hear that the recipe is a hit! Thank you so much for sharing that with us and I hope you love every recipe that you try.
Followed the recipe and added mushrooms with the onions, came out great except it needed more flavor so I added a few drops of Worcester sauce. Also I used a cast iron skillet for the onions, mushrooms, steak and cheese. Really enjoy your videos keep up the great work.
I’m so happy you enjoyed that. Thank you for sharing that with us!
So I made this recipe tonight for dinner. It was a huge success!!! Natasha is a rock star! Lol. I’m Italian and I enjoy cooking. I’m always looking for a new recipe to cook, you know, to keep it interesting. Anyway, everyone loves philly cheese steaks so I took a shot! Thank you Natasha!!
You’re welcome! I’m so happy you enjoyed it Nick! Thank you for the wonderful review!
The meat was very bland for my taste but was otherwise super delicious! I went back and added a little season all, garlic salt, and onion powder on top of the salt and pepper it called for to give it that extra flavor I like. It came out amazing great recipe!
I’m so glad you enjoyed that! Thank you for sharing your review with me!
do we cook the meat partially frozen or let it thaw first?
Hi Taz, we made it with thawed meat.
Haven’t tried the recipe yet but anyway you eat a ribeye is delicious. Love your video, quick, entertaining and you make me smile. You’re very good
Thank you for that great review, Mary!
Best cheesesteak I’ve ever had, and so easy to make. The garlic butter is amazing
Thank you so much for that amazing review! I’m so glad you liked this!
Made this today. Did the recipe as directed except I added some red peppers with the onions. It was just okay. I don’t like spicy but it needed more flavour in my opinion. Hubby liked it!
Hi Sherrie, this is normally very flavorful and these are the traditional flavors and ingredients in a true Philly Cheesesteak. Did you possibly forget the seasoning or maybe not add enough? I do love your idea of adding red peppers.
I forgot to comment after making this wonderful sandwich unit I saw it listed on the Top 15 of 2019. I loved it and most of all my husband with tater tots! Thanks Natasha.
I’m so happy to hear that! Thank you for sharing your great review!
I am definitely going to try this. I usually use Boar’s Head deluxe roast beef sliced really thin. But I love the idea of using an actual ribeye steak.
I hope you love this recipe, Kim!
also very good with Cheese Whiz which melts quickly and very tasty!
Thank you for sharing that with us!
I’ve made these delicious Philly cheese steak sandwiches several times now. I usually add 8 oz. of sliced mushrooms, and serve with Au Jus. Very tasty and super easy to make.
That’s an awesome idea! Thank you so much for sharing that with me, Adam!
Hi, I worked in Philly for a few years. Your recipe is almost the real thing. Gotta add green pepper slices, onion slices and use homemade italian dressing. I haven’t had a real Philly since I moved to Colorado.
That’s just awesome! Thank you for sharing that with me! I bet this would be even better with those peppers and onions!
Would you see any disadvantage to using a porterhouse instead of ribeye? I have a surplus of porterhouses. Id hate to go spend more on ribeyes lol
Hi Gregg, I haven’t tested that but I think it could work. If you experiment, let me know how you liked the recipe.
Once again, I’ve discovered a new “Natasha Favorite.” So many great recipes to choose from here.
A quick tip to make things even easier: Costco sells thinly pre-sliced ribeye. It’s lean, juicy and really really good. All I did was take it out of the package and into the skillet. Easy peasy and SO delicious!
I’m so happy you’re enjoying our blog. Thank you for sharing that with us!
Great simple recipe with easy to follow steps. I liked the spatula technique and the garlic bread.
i went with onions, mushrooms and swapped green peppers with poblano peppers. they a some heat and earthiness to the dish.
THANKS!
You’re welcome! I’m so glad you enjoyed that, Robert!
Super easy to make and tasted awesome! We added portobello mushrooms to the mix and it tasted fantastic. Will definitely make this again!
I bet it tasted that much better with the portobello mushrooms! Thank you for sharing your great review!
Made these last night, topped them with giardiniera pepper mix – they were soooo tasty – definitely making these again!
I’m so happy to hear that! Thank you for sharing your great review, Buffy!