Liver and Onions
A crowd-pleasing beef built around calf or lamb liver, sliced 1 cm thick, potatoes, peeled and quartered and green beans, trimmed — roughly 75 minutes start to finish, and rated medium to make. You'll find the full ingredient list (with a scaler to change the servings), 7 steps of method, substitutions, and ideas for what to serve alongside.
You'll mainly reach for frying pan / skillet and pan. At medium difficulty across 7 steps, it's manageable with a little attention.
What you'll need
Shopping list (3)
Pantry staples (you likely have these)
Diet: contains meat, based on every ingredient listed below.
Contains: Gluten Dairy
Allergen labels are informational and may not cover cross-contact; verify every package and consult a qualified professional for medical dietary needs. Diet labels are derived from the ingredient list on this page — how we verify diet and allergen labels.
Food-safety and allergen information is general, not medical advice. Follow current guidance from your local food-safety authority, verify product labels, and seek qualified advice for allergies or health conditions.
How to make it
- Put the quartered potatoes in a pot of cold salted water, bring to the boil and simmer for 15 to 18 minutes until tender, then drain and mash with the milk and large knob of butter, seasoning with salt and pepper, and keep warm.
- While the potatoes cook, soak the liver slices in a little milk for 10 minutes if you like a milder flavour, then pat them thoroughly dry with paper towels so they will brown rather than steam.
- Heat the oil and 1 tablespoon of the butter in a large skillet over medium heat and cook the sliced onions slowly for 12 to 15 minutes, stirring often, until soft and deeply caramelised, then transfer them to a plate.
- Season the flour with salt and pepper on a plate, dredge the liver slices to coat lightly and shake off the excess.
- Raise the heat to medium-high, add the remaining butter to the pan and sear the liver for about 2 to 3 minutes per side until browned outside but still slightly pink within, as overcooked liver turns tough and grainy; remove and rest.
- Return the onions to the pan, pour in the beef stock with the thyme, scrape up the browned bits and simmer for 2 to 3 minutes to make a light gravy, then return the liver briefly to warm through.
- Meanwhile boil or steam the green beans for 4 to 5 minutes until bright and just tender, then serve the liver and onion gravy over the mash with the green beans alongside.
You'll use: Frying pan / skillet · Pan · Large pot · Saucepan · Steamer
Ingredient substitutions
- Butter
- olive oil (¾ the amount) · coconut oil · margarine
- Milk
- any unsweetened plant milk · ½ cup evaporated milk + ½ cup water
Tips & common questions
How long does Liver and Onions take to make?
About 75 minutes from start to finish — an estimate based on the 7 steps and 13 ingredients. Times vary with your kitchen and how much prep you do ahead.
What can I use instead of butter?
Try olive oil (¾ the amount). See the substitutions section above for more swaps.
Can I scale this recipe up or down?
Yes — use the servings control above the ingredients and every quantity rescales automatically (fractions included). Cooking times stay roughly the same; very large batches may need a little longer.
How should I store leftovers?
Cool leftovers quickly, refrigerate in an airtight container, and eat within 3 days. Reheat until piping hot throughout.
Related recipes
Adapted recipe — rewritten in our own wording from an open-licensed community cookbook, not yet independently kitchen-tested by Consomee. How we source, test & correct recipes.
Liver and Onions is adapted by Consomee from the Wikibooks Cookbook, rewritten in our own wording and used under CC BY-SA 4.0. Photo: Chicken Livers.jpg by Joe Foodie, CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons. We add the serving scaler, ingredient tools, timing and structure — how we source recipes.