Dijon Cream Sauce
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This simple Dijon Cream Sauce uses shallots, white wine, butter, and cream to create a tangy, rich sauce perfect for serving over fish, chicken, pork, or steak.
I am an unashamed lover of all things sauce. It’s usually the thing that sells me on a menu item when I’m out to eat. When they’re well made, I 100% believe that it can take a regular recipe from basic to next level. If I had ever pursued my culinary education, I might have been a saucier, I can totally see it.
Which is why I’ve taken it upon myself to create from scratch sauces at home so I can add that flair to my own cooking. I may not be at the gourmet level of from scratch demi-glace yet (just you wait), but I do have a few in my back pocket now that are pretty damn tasty. This Dijon Cream Sauce is my latest, and it’s been a go to for pork and cast iron salmon when we want simple, but flavorful meals fast.
Ingredients & Substitutions
This is a cream based sauce, so instead of using a roux, I utilize the fats in heavy cream to create the luscious finished result. You’ll find tips and substitutions for my ingredients list here.
- Dijon – I usually buy the Maille brand, but Grey Poupon is also good.
- Shallot – If you don’t have shallot, a small amount of spring, yellow, or white onion can work.
- Garlic – Unfortunately powdered garlic gets grainy in the sauce, so go for fresh.
- Butter – Use unsalted so you can control the level of seasoning.
- White Wine – I like a dry white like chardonnay or sauvignon blanc. I’ve also used lemon juice with equal success, it does change the flavor slightly, but they’re both really delicious.
- Cream – Don’t skimp on the cream. Heavy whipping cream has the fat content you need to make the luscious, creamy sauce. Otherwise it will be very thin.
- Salt – Season to taste before serving.
Tips for Perfect Dijon Cream Sauce
You can view the full instructions in the recipe card below but I want to share a few key tips that will help make it perfect every time.
- Finely mince everything – The onions and garlic are key to flavor, but can also ruin the texture if left huge and chunky. Finely mince them so they’re very tender in the finished sauce.
- Use Low Heat – We want to sweat the onions and garlic, not caramelize them. Use low heat to avoid burning the butter and to cook them to the point of tenderness without adding any color.
- Let the Wine Cook off – The flavor of the wine (or lemon juice) will infuse with the onions, but we don’t want a bunch of extra liquid. Let it simmer until it’s basically evaporated and has just left its essence behind.
- Stir the Dijon until Melted – Don’t add the cream and mustard at the same time or you’ll be fighting lumps. Cook the mustard into the onions until smooth first.
- Simmer Gently – We want to thicken everything, but not boil the sauce.
FAQ’s
I’ve tried to answer some of the questions I might have about making this recipe for the first time. If I missed yours, add it to the comments section below!
I wouldn’t recommend that. Yellow mustard is intense in a very different way than Dijon. Without the nuances of spice and white wine that Dijon offers you’ll end up with a very intense, tangy sauce.
If you like the appearance and bite of whole grain mustard, you can add up to 2 teaspoons when you add the Dijon, but you may need to add a splash more cream to balance it.
You can store leftover Dijon cream sauce in the fridge for up to 5 days in a sealed container. I don’t recommend freezing cream based sauces however, as they tend to separate when thawing.
There’s really no rule! You can serve a creamy Dijon sauce with anything you would enjoy with mustard. Chicken, pork, steak, or hearty fish like salmon are great, as are vegetables like asparagus, brussels sprouts, green beans, and potatoes.
I’d love to hear what delicious ways you decide to use your Dijon cream sauce, and I hope you love the creamy, tangy flavor as much as we do. Check out some of my other homemade sauces below, and as always Happy Eating!
Dijon Cream Sauce
Ingredients
- 4 teaspoons Dijon mustard
- 2 tablespoons shallot finely minced
- 1 tablespoon garlic finely minced, about 3 cloves
- 2 tablespoons butter, unsalted
- 1 1/2 tablespoons white wine or lemon juice
- 1/3 cup heavy cream
- 1/4 teaspoon salt to taste
Instructions
- Melt butter over low heat in a heavy bottom sauce pan and add onions. Cook gently and slowly, stirring occasionally for 5 minutes or until soft.
- Add garlic and cook for 1 additional minute.
- Add wine and cook until nearly all the liquid has evaporated.
- Add the Dijon and stir until melted.
- Whisk in cream and simmer until thickened, about 2-3 minutes. Taste and add salt if necessary.
Nutrition
Nutrition information and cooking times are provided as a best estimate. Values may vary based upon ingredients and equipment.
Very delicious!
I made a Swiss and mushroom omelette with this sauce on top. It was a huge it!
What a great idea Lisa, I am going to try it this weekend on our omelet’s. If you enjoy sauces you may also like: Chipotle Lime Sauce
Made this last night doubled the wine, added 1/2 tsp dried tarragon, but otherwise followed the recipe served over pan-seared snapper fillets- fantastic! Thanks for a great dinner!
AJ, I’m glad you liked it and were able to personalize to your tastes!
So easy and so good! I added a little more mustard at the end because I wanted it stronger. Other than that, I followed the recipe exactly. Next time I might add a little tarragon (depending on what I’m using it for). This is definitely going in the family cookbook!
Karen, I glad you liked my dijon cream sauce and will be using it again, I would like to hear if you add tarragon and what you think.
Question: the instructions reference onions in several places but I don’t see any onions in the recipe. Do you mean shallots?
Hi, YES I do, thank you very much for pointing that out, I will correct the language asap!
So delicious my dear, total hit!
I added a little bit of wipped cream cheese, mushrooms, finely chopped capers and use prosecco instead of dry white wine.and then added my blackened cod in Pacific halibut and I chop them into big chunks into the yummy gravy!!. of course I added my fresh herbs tyhme Rosemary and sage very finely chopped as well.
Just turned out absolutely scrumptious, my husband raved about it!!
It will be making this again for sure and this is definitely going down in my recipe book!!!
Merci beaucoup Madame
Xoxoxo
Crystal Marie
I’m glad you really liked it, I love when I hear how you took a recipe and really made it your own, it sounds delicious!
OMG! This Dijon sauce is so good. I put it on everything.
Michele thank you, I enjoy hearing that you found it so good and put it on ‘everything’, I like to hear what others have used my sauces for!
We not only use it on various meats, but also on vegies as well.