Follow this detailed description of how to prepare beef liver and onions with gravy, just like Grandma used to make. Step by step instructions with photos are included.

Old Fashioned Liver and Onions

Beef Liver and Onions with Gravy is a simple recipe that transforms beef liver into a tasty dinner. It is a dish that was on the dinner table back in the day, and this Old Fashioned Liver and Onions Recipe tastes just like Mom or Grandma made it back in the day.

Liver and onions is about as old fashioned as meals come. It’s not often eaten nowadays, but if you grew up eating it, you probably have an acquired taste for it. Plus, beef liver is a great source of an assortment of vitamins and minerals.

I’m guessing your mom or grandma made it for you growing up because back in the day, nothing went to waste. My Grandma was of the era of the Great Depression when you had to use up every bit of food you had. Once you’ve survived that, being frugal tends to stick, and that means using every part of the beef, including the liver.

Beef Liver and Onions with Gravy

Making beef liver and onions is quite simple. I’ve been looking for a recipe for quite some time. My dear friend Rachel (who’s only in her thirties, by the way) loves beef liver with onions. I actually thought she was kinda crazy for some time, but she kept insisting.

So once I finally found step by step instructions for how to fry beef liver with onions in a 1920 Good Housekeeping’s Book of Recipes and Household Discoveries, I set out to conquer this old fashioned recipe.

It turns out, Rachel was right. The flavors of the slow cooked onions and bacon grease, combined with pan gravy really mask the liver flavors of the beef.

Ingredient List for Simple Beef Liver and Onions

• Beef Liver Slices, cut thin
• Bacon Grease (vegetable oil or butter work too)
• Onions
• Salt
• Black Pepper
• Flour
• Water

Tips for Fried Beef Liver

• Make sure skin and veins are removed.
• Order the liver sliced thin, around 1/4 inch in thickness.
• Soak the liver in milk for 2 hours to remove some of the metallic, bitter flavors.
• Use bacon grease to fry up the liver for the best flavor.
• If the pan still seems dry, add vegetable oil or a tablespoon of olive oil.
• Don’t skimp on the onions. They will help mask the gamey flavor of the liver.
• Over-cooking the liver results in a tough beef liver. Fry the liver rapidly in medium-high heat.
• Make a pan-gravy from the bits leftover in the pan.
• Season with garlic powder, for more flavor.
• Use crumbled bacon as a garnish.

How to Fry Beef Liver

Step By Step Instructions

1. Slice onions thin. Fry in bacon grease in a hot skillet over medium hot heat until soft. Remove onions and set aside.
2. Combine flour, salt and pepper. Dust thin-sliced beef liver.
3. Fry rapidly in leftover bacon grease (add some vegetable oil if needed) until brown.
4. Flip, add onions over top of the liver.  Finish frying second side.
5. Remove to a hot platter.
6. Stir in a little bit of the remaining flour to the grease leftover in the pan, whisk.
7. To the flour, add 1/4 cup hot water, whisking until a gravy forms. Let simmer for a minute or so.
8. Pour over vintage beef liver and onions on the platter.
9. Serve with mashed potatoes, if desired.

Equipment

Before you begin making this classic beef liver and onions, make sure you have these pantry ingredients and kitchen tools on hand.

For the full recipe steps and ingredient amounts for vintage beef liver and onions, scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of this post. 

FAQs

• Be sure the beef liver is sliced thin.  This makes it more palatable.
• Optional step: if you’ve got extra time, soak the liver in milk for a couple hours to remove bitter flavors.
• I highly recommend using bacon grease for this dish; however, vegetable oil or butter will work too.
• Either a cast iron skillet or regular skillet work fine.
• Fry the beef liver rapidly so that it doesn’t get over cooked.
• Don’t skimp on the onions!
• The gravy step is optional, but highly recommended.
• Beef liver is a good source of Vitamin A, Vitamin B, Copper, Folate, and Potassium.

What do I do with beef liver?

So you have a bunch of packages of beef liver in your freezer from your freezer beef. What in the world are you supposed to do with all that beef liver?

1. Fry it up with a bunch of onions and bacon grease to make beef liver and onions.
2. Boil it, cut into small pieces, and treat your dog to a snack.
3. Put raw liver in a food processor and pulverize. Freeze it in ice cube trays. Each time you fry up ground beef, add a couple frozen cubes of beef liver to add vitamins to your ground beef. It doesn’t affect the flavor, and your family will never know.

Recipes Grandma Would Make

• Grandma’s Macaroni with Tomatoes Recipe
• Old Fashioned Pickled Beets 
• Pinto Bean Pancakes
• Leftover Mashed Potato Cakes 

Favorite Main Dishes

Liver and Onions not your thing but you need ideas for an easy main dish? We love an easy protein made on the stove top or in the oven.

• 12-Minute Old-Fashioned Ham Steak
• Fried Pork Chops
• Vintage Barbecue Burgers
• Brown Sugar Mustard Glazed Ham Steak
• Chicken Fried Steak

What happens when you soak liver in milk?

Many recipes recommend soaking beef liver in milk for 2 to 3 hours before cooking. This process uses the natural properties of milk to tone down the bitter flavor of liver. This, in turn, makes the liver taste better. Soaking liver in milk also softens the texture so that you don’t have a tough texture. It is a highly recommended step.

Can you cook liver without soaking it in milk?

Yes, you can cook liver without soaking it in milk first. This step may not be 100% necessary; however, adding this extra step will result in a softer texture and a less bitter flavor.