The Best Easy French Dip Recipe

At Ajpal, I add lots of tips in all of my recipes – because I am a home cook without any formal training, and I find I am more confident making dishes when I understand why it works, and what each ingredient means to the flavor of a recipe. My goal is for even the most beginner home cook to feel empowered in the kitchen.

Easy French Dip Sandwiches

First off, if you’ve never had a French Dip, you might be wondering what is a French Dip sandwich?

A French Dip sandwich involves roast beef, french bread, and Au Jus (which is basically a lovely sauce made from you’r beef’s drippings) – but in this recipe, I’m using ribeye steaks for melt-in-your-mouth delicious flavor you won’t be able to get enough of!

Are French Dip Sandwiches French?

If you’re wondering if French dips are actually French – they most definitely aren’t, as both Philippe The Original and Cole’s, in Los Angeles, say that they are the home of the popular sandwich.

While French dip sandwiches are traditionally served on French bread, and the au jus is similar to a French beef consomme.

French Dip sandwiches are one of the most rich, delicious sandwiches ever.

What Beef For French Dip

While French Dip sandwiches are normally made with roast beef, I’m upping the flavor by using hot roasted ribeye steaks right from the oven.

While ribeyes add a bit more to the price of this meal – the flavor will absolutely blow you away… and you’ll be shocked how easy these sandwiches are to make!

I have used beef roast, chuck roast, roast beef, and ribeye steaks in French dip sandwich recipes – but the ribeye steaks are my favorite, hands down.

What Is French Dip Au Jus

French dip au jus is the “dip” part of a French dip sandwich – a meaty, salty, savory thin gravy with ton of flavor that is amazing to dip sandwiches into.

Easy au jus recipes often use soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, salt, pepper, white or brown sugar, garlic, beets, carrots, onions, as well as other ingredients, making it rich and delicious – perfect to dip a crust bread into.

Easy French Dip Au Jus

French dip au jus is crucial for a great sandwich – but thankfully, it is really easy to make.

This au jus is full of flavor and comes together while your steaks are cooling, so you don’t have to worry about timing.

To Make Easy French Dip Au Jus, You’ll Need:

1/4 yellow onion, thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp. minced fresh thyme
1 1/2 c. low-sodium beef broth
2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

How To Make Easy French Dip Au Jus:

Add drippings from steaks into medium sized saucepan.

Add onion and cook until wilting and soft, about 3-5 minutes.

Add garlic and thyme and cook until garlic is soft and fragrant, about another 1-3 minutes.

Add beef broth and Worcestershire sauce and bring temperature to a simmer.

Cook au jus until slightly thickened, about 8 minutes.

What Bread For French Dip

French bread is traditionally used for French Dip recipes… but in truth, you can toast and use other sorts of breads, too!

I sometimes like to use hoagies – but make sure you really toast your hoagie roll or softer bread roll, since it can soften and fall apart before eating it if the bread is too soft.

What To Serve With French Dip Sandwiches

From baked french fries, to greek salads, to zucchini wedges, I’m sharing some of my favorite recipes to serve alongside French Dip sandwiches:

• Bacon Wrapped Cheddar and Garlic Jalapeno Poppers
• Easy Instant Pot Vegetable Soup Recipe
• The Best Easy Air Fryer French Fries Recipe
• Loaded Nacho Fries
• Hot Totchos (Hot Dog Tater Tot Nachos)
• Cheesy BBQ Beef & Biscuit Casserole Recipe
• The Best Ever Bean Bake Recipe

Recipe FAQs

This recipe can be stored in the refrigerator for up to four days in an airtight container.

This is a weird question, but I get it often – some french dip recipes involve cold, thinly sliced meat that is often cooked to medium rare (which can be a listeria risk).
In this recipe, we’re using fully cooked beef that is served hot – making it completely safe to eat if you’re expecting.

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