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
If you shop at Kroger they have thin sliced beef for 5.00 a package great for Philly sandwiches.
Great call! Thank you for sharing that with me!
Natasha, as usual, your recipe was amazing. I did however add some chopped green bell pepper and chopped portobello mushrooms with the chopped onions while they were caramelizing so they would be tender as well. My husband and I have found the perfect Philly Cheesesteak recipe! Thank you so much!
That’s just awesome! Thank you for sharing your wonderful review, Brenda!
Made these tonight. I had been looking forward to them for a week. Delicious! I added a tiny bit of chopped bell pepper.
Thank you for the wonderful review!
I must say that since I have been following your recipes I am repeating so many of them. My husband and I love love everything I have made. The videos make it so easy to follow and you know what it is supposed to look like in the end. Thank you so much.
Aww, that’s the best! Thank you so much for sharing that with me. I’m all smiles.
I made this nd my whole family loved it…… I love all ur recipes!
I am in high school but I love cooking nd trying out new stuff……
So nice to know that you’re into cooking at a young age. Keep up the good work and I hope you and your family will love all the recipes that you will try.
Can the cooked meat mixture be frozen minus the cheese and saved for another day?
I love your videos.
Hi Becky, I haven’t tried freezing this recipe but that may work. If you experiment and it work I’d love to hear about it.
A small amount of the sauce from the Beef & Broccoli recipe is the way I make this, & it’s a big hit ! 👍🏻
I’m so glad it was a hit! Thank you so much for sharing that with me.
Dear Natasha,Hello I tried phily steak , I was too gud,my family loved it,thank you for sharing.
God bless you.
I’m glad your family enjoyed this recipe! Thanks for your great feedback.
I think some dice green bell pepper cooked in with the onions would be good.
Thank you so much for sharing that with me.
This looks delicious. Will
Make soon but will add thin strips of green& red peppers.
My husband loves peppers. I
Love all of your recipes.
Thank you so much for sharing that with me.
What brand of grill are you using? Sandwiches look delicious!
Hi Carol, we used our Camp Chef Woodwind Grill. It can be found in our Amazon Shop HERE.
To be a truly authentic Philly Cheesesteak, you must put a thin layer of Cheez Whiz on the bread. Otherwise, your recipe is excellent!
You are incorrect. I lived in Philly for 10 yrs and the Cheez Whiz is only in Center City for the tourists who don’t know any better. Restaurants, diners and native Philly residents use Provolone in all Cheesesteaks.
Nah.
Philly born n’ raised. Natives, like myself, ask for whatever cheese they prefer; wiz, american or prov. There are diehards in every camp. We don’t shame anyone for their choice of cheese but put peppers and mushrooms on there…and we look at cha all funny-like. Ha!
Also, here…we simply call them cheesesteaks.
I USE ROAST BEEF FROM DELI…….MAKES LIFE EASY AND YOU GET SAME QUALITY
Thank you so much for sharing that with me, Bill!
Even though I’m not from Philly I love cheesesteaks. Haven’t had a good one in a very long time. Over the last few years I’ve made them at home with okay results. I tried your recipe last night and the result was really good, much better than anything I made before. I’m still thinking about it because it was that good. My stomach was so happy I didn’t eat anything else after that. Still haven’t. I live in a small town so my market is hit or miss. No ribeye steaks or hoagie rolls. You mentioned flank steak, they didn’t have that either but they had flap steak. Flap steak is lean, flavorful and inexpensive. It worked great following your instructions for freezing and slicing to shorten the fibers. It was really tender and easy to chew. I cooked this recipe in a 100+ year old cast iron pan because I don’t have a flat top or a griddle. I have a glass cooktop. No issues there. I got some standard (not sourdough or dutch crunch) sandwich rolls, which were perfectly soft after toasting the inside and complimented the filling. I think the garlic butter is a nice addition that adds good flavor. I do like mushrooms and onions in my cheesesteaks so I added mushrooms too. I was really pleased with the result. I can have cheesesteaks at home and LOVE them! Husband loved them too! I will make them again. It’s a bonus that this recipe is also quick and easy. BTW – I do enjoy your videos. Informative and entertaining.
Hi Maria, thank you so much for sharing your experience and great feedback with us regarding this recipe. I’m glad you enjoyed it and I hope you’ll love every recipe that you will try!
Maria, I live in a small town too and getting a quality ribeye is a trip to a different county. Thank you for the suggestion of flap steak, it was good and I added mushrooms too. MMMMMboy
OMG! So few cheesesteak restaurants in California. Most I know of have closed. I liked The Philly Cheesesteak Shop, they brought in meat, cheese and bread from Philadelphia and made a good cheesesteak. I’ve missed a good cheesesteak. I’ve tried on my own and was not successful until tonight, thanks to you. I couldn’t find a ribeye in my small town so I used flap meat because you suggested flank steak. No flank steak either. Tender and tasty because of your slicing method. I was so happy and satisfied by the result that I don’t have to eat again. My husband liked them too. Good job you.
Hi Maria, glad to hear from you and thank you so much for your good comments and feedback. I hope you love every recipe that you will try!
Absolutely incredible! I’ve had plenty of authentic Philly cheesesteaks and this was one of the best; yet this was healthier because I made it and portion friendly. It still had everything I love about a Philly cheesesteak!
Love it! Thanks for your great feedback and review, Lauren. I’m glad that you loved this recipe.
G’Day from down under , I found the love of baking/cooking late in life about ten years ago(I’m 62 now). I luckily stumbled on your site and have baked many of your recipes. Your tutorials are easy to follow and everything turns out the way they should. My work colleagues thank you as everything I bake I take into work to share. Tonight I made the Philly Cheese Steak it was delicious. Love your work Natasha .
Jim your Aussie mate.
Aww, that’s the best! Thank you so much for sharing that with me. I’m all smiles
I’m not from Philly so I don’t give a rat’s patootie how authentic a cheese steak sandwich is! I want flavor…of which those “authentic” versions have little, so my version uses shaved steak (from my Kroger), Baby Swiss, toasted hoagies, and the best sauce ever!!! I saute onions and mushrooms in butter and when they are beautifully carmelized, I de-glaze with some red wine (cook down till almost gone), add in beef stock and simmer that down till the sauce is thickened, then stir in a pat of butter just because! The sauce goes on just as the meat is done, top with the Baby Swiss, pop on the bun top, then slide the whole thing onto the bun bottom…heavenly!
Thank you for sharing that with us, Marcie!
I see on your pictures of your Philly cheesesteaks you have French fries. Do you have a recipe for French fries?
Hi Kylah, we don’t have a tutorial posted for those yet. The closest post would be the potato wedges which can be cut down to fries, but they would bake faster as fries
I’ve tired so many of your receipts, and everyone of them are so delicious. I’ve made chicken patties, spaghetti with meatballs, or the meatballs on its own, fettuccine and chicken, etc so so good. And will keep on cooking with your amazing receipts. My husband can’t wait to see what the menu will be when he comes home from work now. And I just love and can’t wait to cook something everyday day with your receipts. Thank you Natasha
Your amazing
Carole
Aww, that’s the best! Thank you so much for sharing that with me. I’m all smiles