Beef Liver Recipe - The Big Man's World ® (2024)

This simple recipe features perfectly cooked beef liver with soft, caramelized onions. Pan-seared with butter, the offal is soft, tender, and flavorful.

Love beef recipes? Try beef shanks, garlic butter steak bites, and New York steak.

Organ meat often gets a bad rap for being too intense and metallic. But it tastes fantastic when cooked with the right combination of flavors.

Inspired by my chicken livers recipe, this beef version is just as delicious and so simple.

Why you’ll love this beef liver recipe

• Mild flavors. Some beef liver recipes can be a little bit bland, but this recipe is delicious, subtle, and mildly earthy.
• Quick and easy. This dish is very quick to cook. Once the liver is soaked in the flavor boosters, it typically takes me less than a minute to cook.
• It is super healthy. Owing to its nutrient-dense and low-calorie nature, beef liver is packed with health benefits. It is rich in iron, minerals, copper, vitamin A and B vitamins, making it an extremely healthy addition to your diet (source).
• Easy to customize. Keep it classic with just onions, or cook it with as many veggies as you like. Mushrooms, bell peppers, or tomatoes are all fabulous flavor boosters.

Ingredients Needed

• Grass-fed beef liver. I have used fresh slices of beef liver, but you can also use frozen liver. Thaw the meat entirely before soaking it in buttermilk if needed. I prefer to get my livers from butcher shops, but most grocery stores stock them, too.
• Buttermilk. Buttermilk helps to dial down the intense liver flavor. Feel free to substitute buttermilk with regular or dairy-free milk. If you struggle to find buttermilk in a store, DIY at home by adding a teaspoon or two to a cup of milk.
• Olive oil. I like using olive oil for pan frying, but you can use any neutral oil for this recipe.
• Salt and ground black pepper. To season.
• Paprika. It adds a lovely hint of heat.
• Garlic and onion. We’ll use powerful aromatics like minced garlic and sliced onion to complement the intense beef liver flavor.
• Flour. To lightly bread the beef liver.
• Butter. Butter helps to mask the beef liver flavor by adding richness to this recipe.

How to cook beef liver

I’ve includedstep-by-step photosbelow to make this recipe easy to follow at home. For the full printable recipe instructions and ingredient quantities, scroll to therecipe cardat the bottom of this post.

Step 1- Tenderize the liver. Soak beef liver in buttermilk and refrigerate for 10 minutes or up to an hour.

Step 2- Season the beef. Drain the beef liver, pat dry, and season with pepper, paprika, and salt on both sides.

Step 3- Pan fry. Coat the liver in flour, shake off the excess, and pan-fry them in a large skillet with in melted butter for 3 minutes per side, until they change color.

Step 4- Cook the onions. Remove the cooked liver pieces from the pan, throw sliced onions and minced garlic, and sauté in oil until tender.

Step 5- Serve hot. Place the liver back in the pan and cook with the aromatics for a few minutes. Remove from the heat, garnish with freshly chopped parsley, and serve warm!

Recipe tips and variations

• Select a fresh beef liver. Look for a deep red, brownish, or purplish-colored liver with a firm texture. Do not buy it if it has a foul odor or appears discolored
• Make it gluten-free. Substitute wheat flour with a gluten-free substitute like gram, rice, or cornflour.
• Add bacon. Since the liver is a leaner cut of meat, you can add bacon to infuse a rich, savory flavor while cooking it.
• Change the flavor profile. Use herbs like thyme and rosemary with garlic, pepper, and olive oil to make it more fragrant. You could also complement beef’s strong flavor with Worcestershire sauce, mustard, and balsamico.
• Use a different cooking method. While pan searing works best, you can also grill, broil, or fry the liver for a different texture and flavor.

Storage instructions

To store. Refrigerate leftovers in a sealed container and consume it within 2-3 days.

To freeze. Although I don’t prefer freezing beef, you can freeze leftovers in a ziplock bag and use it within 2-3 months.

To reheat. I recommend reheating beef liver in the oven until it’s warmed up. Sprinkle broth or brush with water to lock in the moisture.

Frequently asked questions

More beef recipes to try

• Beef kabobs
• Beef bulgogi
• Sirloin steak
• Beef Wellington
• Grilled beef tenderloin