Let me introduce Svíčková na smetaně to you, the queen of Czech sauces. This creamy sauce is popular among Czechs, but it’s also typical food that everybody should try while visiting the Czech Republic. Here is a step-by-step recipe on how to make svíčková from scratch!
What Is Svíčková na smetaně?
Svíčková is a famous sauce from Czech cuisine, made from root vegetables and heavy cream. It’s thickened with roux.
Svíčková sauce is eaten warm poured over a beef slice, accompanied with bread dumplings. You can also garnish the final dish with lemon, cranberries, and a scoop of whipped cream.
The literal translation could be “Beef tenderloin in cream sauce”, but I don’t know any single Czech who would use this beef cut (tenderloin/fillet mignon) for svíčková. More about the best beef cuts for svíčková further in the article.
Making svíčková is not hard; you don’t need any fad ingredients. The magic lies in the process, which you have to carefully follow step-by-step, with the result being a flavorful and rich sauce.
TIP: Svíčková belongs with 12 other dishes among traditional Czech foods.
NOTE: Please note that preparing svíčková can take anywhere from 3 to 3.5 hours, so plan ahead!
Pronunciation
I recorded a short audio clip on pronouncing the Czech word svíčková. The first word in the audio is "svíčková", the last is "svíčková na smetaně", which means svíčková with cream.
Two Reasons Why Home Cooks Mihgt Fail Making Svíčková
I saw many recipes on the internet containing errors and mistakes. A long story short, here are two primary insults against the traditional, real svíčková recipe:
1. The sauce is NOT thickened with roux.
To thicken svíčková, it’s not enough to mix the vegetables and cream only at the end of cooking.
In this case, the liquid separates from the vegetables and will be absorbed by the dumplings. The result won’t look nearly good enough.
Roux is a must; it brings the sauce together and gives it its typical satin texture. In Czech is roux known as "jíška" or "zásmažka".
2. The base with vegetables is NOT sauteed & seasoned well initially.
You can’t throw vegetables into a pot and expect svíčková to appear in a puff of purple smoke magically.
As the first step, you must sauté diced vegetables with butter, season them with sugar, salt, and vinegar.
It takes some time, but if you do this part faithfully, svíčková’s taste will be strong and darn delicious from the very beginning!
Ingredients
Let’s go on and take a peek at the ingredients needed to make svíčková:
- Beef; many respected Czech cooks recommend top blade or bolar blade; in this recipe, I used a piece of the top blade (loupaná plec in Czech)
- Bacon; to lard the beef
- Vegetables: parsley roots, carrots, celeriac, onions
- Apple; for a smoother taste
- Lard; to brown the beef
- Butter; to sauté vegetables
- Granulated sugar; to sweeten svíčková
- Heavy cream; must contain at least 30 % or more milk fat
- Vinegar
- Lemon juice; for final seasoning
- For roux: unsalted butter and all-purpose flour
- Spices: bay leaves, peppercorn (black pepper berries), allspice balls
- Salt and ground pepper
✅ You’ll find the exact amount of ingredients below in the recipe card, which you can also print out.
NOTE: In the photo, there are not ingredients for roux included (all-purpose flour and butter).
Instructions
There’s a lot of svíčková recipe variants. In some cases, they want you to marinate the meat beforehand, pour in some wine or add thyme and other spices and herbs. Some recipes are overly complicated to their own detriment.
The process written down here is simple and easy to follow. The beef doesn’t need to be marinated in advance. It’s braised in a heavy pot on the stove.
STEP 1: Lard the beef with stripes of bacon
- Cut bacon into ⅓ inch thick and about 4 inch long pieces and put them into a freezer for 30 minutes to harden them.
- Use a thin knife with a long edge and make some holes into the meat.
- Stick your index finger inside each hole and wiggle it so the hole enlarges.
- You can make the holes into both sides of the beef.
- Once you have the holes ready, press in stripes of bacon.
Note: The larding can be kind of labor-intensive. Because I don’t own any larding needle, I only used a knife and my fingers.
Here you’ll find more useful info on the larding process: Larding meat
Optionally, for a better shape, tie the irregular-shaped meat with a cooking string (kitchen twine).
How to tie meat you can see in this video, it’s in Czech, but the cook there shows the method very well: Tying meat for cooking
After the meat is larded (and tied if you did it), salt and pepper it properly from all sides:
STEP 2: Prepare the vegetables and spices
- Peel the carrot, parsley root, and celeriac, dice into ½ inch pieces.
- Peel onions and chop them roughly. Peel an apple and dice it.
- If possible, tie the spices tightly in a clean canvas; you will place the canvas with spices into a pot later.
I used my old tea strainer for allspice balls and peppercorn and put the bay leaves free into a pot:
STEP 3: Brown the beef
In a large heavy pot, melt lard over higher heat and sear the beef from all sides until brown. Remove the browned meat and set it aside.
STEP 4: Sauté the vegetables
- Use the same pot which we used to prepare the meat. Reduce temperature to medium heat, add butter and any leftover bacon from larding.
- Add diced carrots, parsley roots, and celeriac. Cook until slightly golden, stirring occasionally.
STEP 5: Add onions and apple
Throw chopped onions to vegetables, add a diced apple and cook for another 3-4 minutes, stirring frequently.
STEP 6: Add sugar and vinegar
- Add sugar, mix, and let it melt & caramelize while occasionally stirring. Count on 3-5 minutes.
- Pour in vinegar, mix, and let vinegar evaporate while stirring, so that there are only vegetables with melted sugar and some fat on the bottom of the pot. It takes a few minutes. If the vinegar stayed in the vegetables, the sauce would taste too sour!
- Add 1 teaspoon of salt and mix it.
Voilà, the base for great svíčková is ready!
STEP 7: Return the browned beef to a pot
- Return the browned beef to a pot, pour over hot water until you have the meat almost submerged.
- Add 1 teaspoon of salt and spices.
- Count the number of bay leaves if you add them to the pot freely! You need to remove them all later before the final mixing of svíčková sauce.
STEP 8: Bring to a boil, reduce heat to a minimum. Cover with a lid and allow it to simmer for 2,5 hours until beef softens.
STEP 9: Remove the spices, especially all bay leaves. Remove ¼ of vegetables and discard them. If you left all the vegetables in the sauce, svíčková would taste too much like the vegetables, and it would be too dense. Take out the beef and keep it in a warm place.
STEP 10: Make the roux
- In a pan, melt butter on medium heat.
- Add flour, frequently mix until lightly golden.
Get a sieve, put roux in it, submerge into the svíčková and press roux through the sieve. Continuously mix the roux in the sauce.
STEP 11: Bring the pot back on a stove, let it simmer for 15-20 minutes.
Stir occasionally because the roux tends to sit down and stick to the bottom of the pot.
The roux loses its floury taste after about 15 minutes of simmering. It thickens the sauce, whose texture will be very smooth and silky.
STEP 12: Add heavy cream into sauce and stir; no more cooking!
STEP 13: Mix everything with an immersion blender and strain the sauce in a clean pot. Season with lemon juice and salt to your liking.
Serve with bread dumplings and a slice of beef.
You can also garnish the svíčková with a slice of lemon, a whipped cream scoop, and a spoon of canned cranberries. This type of garnishing is called “terčík” in Czech. I personally garnish svíčková with lemon and cranberry jam only.
Does your svíčková look tasty? Well, let’s go and eat it! Dobrou chuť 🙂
Cook’s Tips
- On the second day, svíčková tastes even better. It’s also thicker. That’s why you have to add some water while heating the sauce, which helps it return to its regular creamy texture.
- Don’t use any cream containing less than 30 % fat. Low-fat creams added in a hot sauce can cause the sauce to start curdling.
- You must remove all bay leaves before mixing svíčková for the final time. The pieces of bay leaves are inedible and can taint the entire meal, especially if you don’t strain the svíčková over a sieve.
- If you visit Prague (the capital city of the Czech Republic) and want to order some svíčková in a restaurant, here is the correct pronunciation: [ˈsviːt͡ʃkova:]
- This recipe is inspired by Czech Chef Roman Vaněk and his cookbook “Velká kuchařka Čech a Moravy” (in my opinion, the best Czech cookbook).
Want more typical Czech dishes? Try beef goulash, Czech-style beef stew, or dill sauce, a Czech sweet-sour koprova omacka!
FAQ
Although you could translate the name of svíčková sauce to "Tenderloin beef on cream," no Czech in their right mind would use this cut of meat for svíčková. Tenderloin/fillet mignon is very expensive in Czechia and is much better used for steaks. Reputable Czech cooks recommend marbled beef, for example, top blade, bolar blade, or beef shank (kližka).
Yes, you can. You can also use venison, rabbit, and turkey meat. It is always recommended to lard the meat with bacon.
Store the svíčková in a fridge for up to 3 days. You can also freeze it together with meat, but not with dumplings; they are always frozen alone.
Sliced bread dumplings are the most traditional side dish; other options include the so-called karlovarské dumplings or pasta. Potatoes and rice don’t pair well with svíčková.
These Czech dishes are also delicious:
- Sweet tomato gravy – famous Czech rajska omacka with beef and bread dumplings
- Pork schnitzel – breaded fried pork, Czech rizek (řízek)
- Sekaná – beef and pork meatloaf
Recipe card
Svíčková na smetaně
Ingredients
- 3 lbs (1,4 kg) beef e.g. top blade
- bacon for larding meat
- 1 and ½ Tbsp lard
- ground pepper
- salt
- 6 cups (1,45 l) water approx. amount of water, depends on the size of your pot
Vegetables for svíčková base
- 2 carrots
- 2 parsley root
- 7 oz (200 g) celeriac
- 3 onions
- 1 apple
- ½ stick (55 g) butter unsalted
- ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar
- ¼ cup (60 ml) vinegar
Spices
- 6 bay leaves
- 10 allspice balls
- 10 peppercorns
Roux
- 3 Tbsp all-purpose flour
- ½ stick (55 g) butter unsalted
To finish svíčková
- 1 cup (240 ml) heavy cream at least 30 % fat content
- 1 lemon
- ground pepper
- salt
Instructions
Lard the beef with stripes of bacon:
- Cut bacon into ⅓ inch thick and about 4 inch long pieces and put them into a freezer for 30 minutes to harden them.
- Use a thin knife with a long edge and make some holes into the meat.
- Stick your index finger inside each hole and wiggle it so the hole enlarges.
- You can make the holes into both sides of the beef.
- Once you have the holes ready, press in stripes of bacon.
- For a better shape, you can tie the irregular-shaped meat with a cooking string (kitchen twine).
- After the meat is larded (and tied if you tied it), salt and pepper it properly from all sides.
Prepare the vegetables and spices:
- Peel the carrot, parsley root, and celeriac, dice into ½ inch pieces.
- Peel onions and chop them roughly. Peel an apple and dice it.
- If possible, tie the spices tightly in a clean canvas; you will place the canvas with spices into a pot later.
Brown the beef:
- In a large heavy pot, melt lard over higher heat and sear the beef from all sides until golden brown. Remove the browned meat and set it aside.
Sautée the vegetables:
- Use the same pot which we used to prepare the meat. Reduce temperature to medium heat, add butter and any leftover bacon from larding.
- Add diced carrots, parsley root, and celeriac. Cook until slightly golden, stirring occasionally.
- Throw chopped onions to vegetables and cook until lightly golden. Add a diced apple and cook for another 3-4 minutes, stirring frequently.
- Add sugar, mix, and let it melt while stirring.
- Pour in vinegar, mix, and let vinegar evaporate, so that there are only vegetables and some fat on the bottom of the pot.
- Add 1 teaspoon of salt and mix it.
Cooking beef:
- Return the browned beef to a pot, pour over hot water until you have the meat almost submerged.
- Add 1 teaspoon of salt and spices.
- Count the number of bay leaves if you add them to the pot freely! You have to remove them all later before the final mixing of svíčková sauce.
- Bring to a boil, reduce heat to a minimum. Cover with a lid and allow it to simmer for 2,5 hours.
- Remove the spices, especially all bay leaves. Remove ¼ of vegetables and discard them. If you left all the vegetables in the sauce, it would taste too much like the vegetables, and it would be too dense.
- Take out the beef and keep it in a warm place.
Making roux:
- In a pan, melt butter on medium heat.
- Add flour, frequently mix until lightly golden.
- Get a sieve, put roux in it, submerge into the svíčková and press roux through the sieve. Continuously mix the roux in the sauce.
- Bring the pot back on a stove, let it simmer for 15-20 minutes.
- Stir occasionally because the roux tends to sit down and stick to the bottom of the pot. The roux loses its floury taste after about 15 minutes of simmering. It thickens the sauce, whose taste will be very smooth.
Finishing svíčková:
- Add heavy cream into sauce; no more cooking!
- Mix everything with an immersion blender and strain the sauce in a clean pot. Season with lemon juice and salt to your liking.
- Serve with bread dumplings and a slice of beef.
Notes
- Makes 6 portions.
- You can also garnish the svíčková with a slice of lemon, a whipped cream scoop, and a spoon of canned cranberries. This type of garnishing is called “terčík” in Czech.
- On the second day, svíčková tastes even better. It’s thicker. That’s why you add some water while heating up the sauce, which will help it return to its regular creamy texture.
- Don’t use any cream containing less than 30 % fat. Low-fat creams can cause the sauce to start curdling.
- You must remove all bay leaves before mixing svíčková for the final time. The pieces of bay leaves are inedible and can taint the entire meal, especially if you don’t strain the svíčková over a sieve.
DISCLAIMER: Because I come from Central Europe, my recipes are based on metric units such as grams or milliliters. Check out how I convert metric units to the U.S. system:
Conversion chart
Kelly
I am making this again already because I loved it so much. I opted out of the lard, bacon, and cream. Wonderful even if you don't discard the veggies or use a full cup of sugar. I couldn't find celeriac, not even seed, but am committed to finding and trying it but may have to try growing it in Texas.
Petra Kupská
Ahoj Kelly, thank you for your nice comment and feedback! Svíčková sauce is a kind of alchemy even for Czechs, you can experiment a lot with it. I know that in the US, it can be a problem to get celeriac. Some home cooks use celery and also substitute parsley root with parsnips. In any case, I'm glad you like the svíčková! 🙂
Slávka
Help - If I just want to make the sauce without the beef, any idea how much beef stock should be added to the veggies (keeping in mind that some of the veggies will not be discarded as your recipe calls for.) - mockrát thank you!!
Petra Kupská
Ahoj Slávka, it's hard to say exactly the ratio of vegetables to beef broth. I always cover the meat in the pot so that it is almost submerged. How many people do you cook for? I would guess that one cup of broth would be the right size for one person. If you won't be removing any vegetables, try adding about 2 medium carrots, 1 parsley root, a small piece of celery (if you can get it), 2 onions, and half an apple to 4 cups of broth (just under 1 liter). It is difficult to estimate, the sauce should also be thickened with roux. Some people just mix the sauce with the vegetables and do not add the roux, but then you need to add more vegetables.
Grace
Such a delicious recipe! I’m cooking meals from every country and I’m so glad I chose this dish! Every part was so good but I absolutely looooved the purée! Incredible flavor!!
Petra Kupská
Grace, thank you for your kind comment; it made me happy! Czech Svickova sauce is quite complicated to make, so I appreciate your courage to try it! And of course, I'm glad that you liked the sauce 🙂
Richard
Recipes sound so yummy. I grew up in Nebraska in a Czech community- one lady used to make liver dumplings- I don’t know what kind of livers she used. Do you have any Czech recipes for that type of soup
Petra Kupská
Ahoj Richard, thank you for your comment! I don't have a recipe for this soup on my blog yet, but I'm going to! It is for sure a Bohemian liver dumpling soup. Liver dumplings are usually made with finely minced chicken or pork liver and put into the soup to cook at the very end. Thanks for the reminder; I'll try to make the soup as soon as possible.
Daniela
Petra - as with all of your recipes, I am never disappointed! For years I was cooking Svickova the way I learned when young, marinating the meat for 3 days...I am so happy you provided this recipe that doesn't require that but still provides the authentic taste and flavor! Just as delicious as when my mom used to cook it. I also made your bread dumplings with it. Just like being back home 🙂 - Thank you!!!
Petra Kupská
Ahoj Daniela, thank you so much for your nice comment! I learned to make Svickova from Czech chef Roman Vanek, whose recipes work perfectly. He doesn't marinate the fillet either, the sauce can be completely prepared during a half day! I'm so glad you liked the dumplings too 🙂 Have a wonderful Advent, Petra
Shari-Anne Rice
my dedo's favorite meal babi told me. maybe this is a way to keep your man lol. I miss babi and dedo. christmas doesnt feel the same, I am dedicated to have czech christmas's. Funny even my name is spelled the czech way.
Petra Kupská
Ahoj Shari-Anne, thanks a lot for your comment! It made me laugh so much to think that thanks to the svickova na smetane, Czech husbands are sticking to their wives and not running anywhere else. You know, the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach, and Czech women, girls, mothers, and babi know that well. Have a peaceful (Czech) Christmas! 🙂
Shari-Anne Rice
Thank you for this recipe, i made bean soup with my babi as well. I wouldn't trade these memories for anything.
Petra Kupská
You are very welcome! Bean soup is another delicious Czech dish (I must make it soon too). I believe your babicka was not only a great cook but also a very close person who made sure you had a wonderful childhood 🙂 By the way, Shari means Šárka in Czech?
Simona
Hi Petra,
Thank you so much for keeping up your wonderful blog! I only know svickova as being marinated for up to a week, I am excited to try your version, now that my mom is gone….
I think you have a small translation error that’s causing little bit of confusion in an English speaking group I am part of for things Czech.
The correct translation for “svickova” would be “tenderloin” - the most expensive cut of meat (also called fillet mignon”. Sirloin is a cheaper cut and is not equivalent with svickova.
Petra Kupská
Ahoj Simona, thank you very much for your lovely words and useful feedback! You are right, the correct word is tenderloin, I'll fix it in the recipe right away. I apologize for any complications this inaccuracy may have caused you. On the other hand, tenderloin is not typically used to make this cream sauce. The best meat for Czech "svickova" is whole top blade. This cut has good marbling and flavor. Braising is the best method for cooking the top blade roast because the moist heat and lengthy cooking time help tenderize the meat.
Ishil
Hey Petra, thanks for this recipe! I am a foreigner married to a Czech guy and when I cooked it for him, he said "it tastes exactly like my mum's":))))) I felt so happy. I also tried your other recipes. All turned out to be so well.
Thanks again for this wonderful blog:))))
Petra Kupská
I am so glad to hear this! Thank you for your lovely words 🙂
James Traver
I would have given your Svickova six stars if it were possible! We live in Missouri, USA, and my wife has picked up that tick problem that makes her allergic to red meat. We had your mushroom soup early in the week and I wanted to try this. I saw turkey thighs at the grocer and was inspired. Like others I used a variety of root vegetables, and plant-based cream. It worked well. Svickova truly is the queen of sauces. Everything else on the plate is just an excuse to pour the sauce on top. Thanks for your blog.
Petra Kupská
James, thank you very much for your so nicely-written words! 🙂 You can make Svickova with chicken or turkey legs as well; Czechs sometimes use rabbits or venison, too. I always recommend lard the meat with bacon for a better taste. Also, use a good quality stock to give the sauce a solid base. All the best to you and your wife, Petra
Theodora Zemek
Long story, but I was donating some bedding for the Ukraine and discovered that the drop-off point was a wonderful, bright and cheerful Polish grocery in Edinburgh, which had all sorts of the mysterious items that my Czech relatives used to buy in Chicago. Feeling my Eastern European genes stirring, I decided to make Svickova and knedliky for Sunday lunch, using your recipes. I hadn't actually eaten either since probably 1973 (I am 66 !) and even then we bought the dumplings ready made. I do remember my great aunt Rose, the family dumpling maker, taking an enormous, threatening -looking knedliky from a pot and being terrified, aged 4, - though they were reputed to be delicious. I followed your directions and they were absolutely clear and easy to follow. I used brisket for the beef , which worked well, although I will use feather blade next time - it just wasn't available. The balance of veg, sugar and vinegar is perfect, and the sauce was excellent. I was a bit traumatised by the knedliky but forged on, having obtained the special flour from my new Polish friends - but they were dead easy - once again the recipe was perfect. To my horror I had lost the cord for my steamer - so I boiled them and they were - absolutely perfect, light, fluffy and tasty. My son and his Scottish pals absolutely hoovered the lot. I thought dinner would be an interesting curiosity - but in fact they loved it all so much that this will become a regular in my repertoire. Thank you very much ! Keep up the good work. I am now going to see if you've got a recipe for kolacky !
Petra Kupská
Ahoj Theodora, thank you very much for your lovely comment!
I am glad that you mention support for Ukraine because we are significantly impacted by the situation here in the Czech Republic. After all, Czechs had experience with the Russian occupation in 1968. We are trying to help as much as we can.
I'm also very pleased that the svickova sauce was a success! Also congratulations on mastering the bread dumplings, even many Czech housewives have respect for them.
And if you do tackle the kolacky cookies, be sure to let me know how they turn out.
My best to you and your family, Petra.
Margret
What a lovely story and comment! We're going into autumn here in Australia and your comment has cemented my determination to try this recipe - I'm sure my Scottish husband will enjoy it!
Josefina Vrbik
Hi Petra,
Thank you for the recipe and for the extra tips that you gave us. Your recipe is as good as the one I had when I visited my sister in law in Prague. You solved the great mystery of her well guarded secret (lol) her velvety, sweetish, tangy svicova sauce. Thanks to you I can imitate her Czech cooking now with confidence.
Petra Kupská
Ahoj Josefina, thank you very much for your lovely feedback! I am happy I can help, and I believe you'll have success with this svickova recipe 🙂