This liver and onions recipe will turn liver haters into converts! It’s very simple to make but the three things that will set your liver above all others are: 1) soak in milk, 2) turn the liver as little as possible when cooking, and 3) don’t overcook.
Ingredients
- 2 pounds sliced beef liver
- 1 ½ cups milk, or as needed
- ¼ cup butter, divided
- 2 large Vidalia onions, sliced into rings
- 2 cups all-purpose flour, or as needed
- salt and pepper to taste
Directions
Step 1
Gently rinse liver slices under cold water and pat dry with paper towels. Place in a shallow dish; pour in enough milk to cover. Let stand while preparing onions, or set aside for longer if you have time. Soaking will remove any bitterness.
Step 2
Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion rings; cook and stir in butter until tender and soft, about 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer onions into a bowl and set the skillet aside.
Step 3
Place flour on a plate; season with salt and pepper. Drain milk from liver and coat liver slices in flour mixture.
Step 4
Melt remaining 2 tablespoons of butter in the same skillet; increase heat to medium-high and fry coated liver slices until lightly browned, about 3 to 4 minutes on each side. Return onions to the skillet and reduce heat to medium; continue to cook until onions are heated through and liver is slightly pink inside, or longer to suit your taste.
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
Nutrition Facts | |
---|---|
Servings Per Recipe 4 | |
Calories 687 | |
% Daily Value * | |
Total Fat21g | 27% |
Saturated Fat11g | 54% |
Cholesterol578mg | 193% |
Sodium309mg | 13% |
Total Carbohydrate74g | 27% |
Dietary Fiber4g | 16% |
Total Sugars11g | |
Protein49g | |
Vitamin C13mg | 65% |
Calcium165mg | 13% |
Iron12mg | 67% |
Potassium939mg | 20% |
*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
**Nutrient information is not available for all ingredients. Amount is based on available nutrient data.
(-) Information is not currently available for this nutrient.If you are following a medically restrictive diet, please consult your doctor or registered dietitian before preparing this recipe for personal consumption.
Powered by the ESHA Research Database ? 2018, ESHA Research, Inc. All Rights Reserved
source by allrecipe
-
- by: PEGNMIL
- 21 years ago
mmmmmm! this realy is the best recipe for liver. I had never thought of soaking in milk before. When I tried it last night it came out fantastic. It was tender, moist and delicious. Not the usual “shoeleather” quality that liver can sometimes take on. Yes I belive this recipe will convert liver haters into liver tryers.
-
- by: LINDA MCLEAN
- 21 years ago
This rating comes from hubby, although I did give it a little taste and I must admit that it was pretty good. He came home with calves liver, which I’ve never cooked, so I was happy to find this recipe. I never would have thought to soak it in milk. He absolutely LOVED this “J” and thanks so much!
-
- by: My4nonblondes
- 21 years ago
I made this last night for dinner at the request of my fiance. I have to admit, liver has never been my favorite dish, and I’ve never made it before, but this recipe was so easy, and it’s true, the milk takes out all of the bitter taste. If it was good enough that I cleaned my plate, it deserves 5 stars!!
-
- by: Cookdap Member
- 21 years ago
I made this last night & it was truly fabulous! I had 5 other recipes to choose from, but the soaking in milk facinated me. It’s very simple & cook time is quick! Just keep J’s 3 tips in mind & I did soak the liver for about 2 hrs prior. I will definately add this to our fav dinners list
-
- by: CFLOWRY
- 21 years ago
I’m giving this recipe 5 stars even though I will only use it to make liver for our kids. As my husband and I ate it, we noticed the strong liver flavor was missing. We grew up with that flavor and LIKE it. LOL!! So, we will not soak our liver in milk, but will always do the children’s. (I just can’t believe the milk is so effective in getting rid of that flavor.) I’m glad to have found this for the kids!
-
- by: DONIGL
- 21 years ago
While I don’t think I will ever be a liver lover, I did want to cook it for my husband because he loves it. My children who until now refused to eat it because I had never wanted too, loved my “country fried steak”! And even I thought it was better than the rest of the times I’ve tried it. Their dad asked how they liked the country fried liver and onions and they were a little shocked but decided that they were still crazy about it! Which is great because it’s cheap! And we’re on a budget! My mother-in-law told me that that is why she fed my hubby and sis-in-law liver so often when they were growing up. PLUS, it’s good for you.
But I still won’t eat more than a bite! -
- by: ACPHIFER
- 21 years ago
Since my husband hates liver, I waited until this evening when he had to go out to make this for myself. I halved the recipe…other than that, I didn’t change a thing. What a treat this was! A relaxing evening at home with one of my favorite meals – and no one complaining about the “liver smell.” I truly enjoyed this dish.
-
- by: GEEWIZNIT
- 20 years ago
Liver is never as appealing to the cook as it is to the rest of the family, because who wants to eat the stuff after handling it raw? Yuk! That said, I made this recipe with calf’s liver, which I usually prefer, and maybe that was a mistake (though I doubt it), because we all agreed that the liver had very little flavor and was pretty boring. I’m still seqarching for a recipe for liver that’s as good as I’ve had in some nicer restaurants. They usually have vinegar in the recipe, and taste much more rich and complex than this preparation did.
-
- by: Stephanie Morissette
- 20 years ago
I can’t believe we liked it! Both my husband and I are not liver fans still I like to make it once in a while. We never enjoy it but we try. This recipe has completely changed our feelings about liver. I really belive the trick was to soak it in milk. My husband actually had a second helping!
-
- by: Grizzly Bobby
- 20 years ago
This was my first time cooking liver, and this recipe served for a great template. I cooked up some bacon first, and then sauteed the sliced onions in the bacon grease. Drained and padded them both with paper towels before warming them back up alongside the liver. Utterly delish.
-
- by: Cookdap Member
- 19 years ago
The tips in this recipe are great for making really tender liver. But the milk takes away *too* much of that liver taste that I actually like, leaving me with a pan of rather bland liver. It’s great if you’re trying to get your kids to eat liver, but as someone who actually likes liver, I think I’ll forgo the milk next time.
-
- by: Mary Jo Morrison
- 19 years ago
I will NOT eat liver and am not real fond of cooking it but I will a couple times a year for my husband. He LOVED this recipe and, for whatever reason, it didn’t seem to smell as offensive to me when i was cooking at as liver usually does! He may actually get liver more often now!
-
- by: CHIRSTEN924
- 19 years ago
My dad is a huge fan of liver and onions and when mom is out of the house this is the time I can make it for him. The smell of buttery onions makes your mouth water and appretite build up! It comes out delish! Just make sure not to over cook, I take it out a few minutes before its done to his likeing because it does cook while off the heat for a few moments anyhow! Calves live is the most tender, but if you marinate in milk most of the day (which I do) and not flip it more than needed you will have a nice tender liver that will melt in your mouth, well atleast cut with a butter knife *smile*
-
- by: Jean
- 18 years ago
If I could give this more than 5 stars I would. Really, really good recipe. I have had some nasty liver before and I was very hesitant to try making it again…I am glad I tried your recipe. That milk thing is amazing! The sweet onions are a great compliment also. Thanks for the post! A+
-
- by: Marsha K.
- 18 years ago
I have to give this 5 stars, even though it didn’t make my husband and 2 daughters like liver and onions. I loved it, it was the first time I was able to make liver and onions anywhere close to the way my Mother did. I will just have to make sure to make less from now on and only when I’m home alone.
-
- by: Voox
- 17 years ago
I wouldn’t call this the absolute best, but it was definitely good. I didn’t notice too much of a difference after soaking it in milk, but it didn’t hurt by any means. Then again, I like the taste of liver. I also added some fried mushrooms along with the onions that tasted nicely with the meal.
-
- by: Dania
- 17 years ago
My husband is a liver fanatic and I had never had liver before. I’m a novice when it comes to cooking so followed the recipe step by step and he absolutely loved it. I found out that I don’t like liver but the onions where soooo delicious! I can’t believe how quick and easy this recipe was…and according to my husband, delicious as well!
-
- by: Kat Bresler
- 17 years ago
I followed the recipe and made a few changes, after a friend at work asked me to make it for lunch the following day, because her husband hates the smell of liver. I added green and red bell peppers. It turned out great! Everyone that tried it at work the following day loved it! It’s even better the next day… enjoy!
-
- by: SLT
- 17 years ago
I made a few changes…I used calf liver, seasoned up my flour with some salt, pepper, garlic, cayenne pepper, paprika, and poultry seasoning. I also made brown gravy from pan drippings, brown gravy mix, and beef broth, and let it simmer. I’ve never tried liver before, and I thought it was nasty, but my boyfriend, who had requested it…ate it ALL. Good thing I didn’t like it…LOL A+
-
- by: Kismetmine
- 17 years ago
Great!
I could never bring myself to eat liver before but the lady I get my organic grass fed beef from doesn’t either so she told me that I could have it free if I wanted it so I thought I would just give it to my dog. My hubby suddenly claims to like liver so I prepared it for him and tasted a bit. I then had to have an entire slice!
Now that I have a source for FREE organic GF liver and this recipe I am happy as can be. -
- by: JK
- 17 years ago
I’d never had liver before now, but because my pregnant body was low on iron we gave it a try. We liked it! Very unique taste. I agree with a previous review- you can’t have too many sweet onions with this one. If I did anything differently I would thaw my liver overnight in the fridge rather than try to defrost in micro. I think that would hold it together better and not make it as gross to handle raw.
-
- by: Fidelia65
- 17 years ago
This is an absolutely delicious recipe. I have my man eating liver and loving it at 49 years old. I have eaten liver all my life and never have I made such a simple and delicious recipeMy man generally doesn’t fuss over a meal, but he raved on this liver. I added a spoonful of sugar to the flour mixture which was delightful. I will never cook liver any other way now. Thank you.
-
- by: JBOTT
- 17 years ago
This recipe is almost exactly the way I have always made liver and it converted my husband from someone who tolerated liver to someone who loves it. The major difference is that instead of soaking my liver in milk, I parboil it for about 30 to 45 seconds. This breaks up the long protein chains and tenderizes the liver, plus it makes the liver easier to handle (especially for those who are a little squeamish). I also use seasoned salt in my flour and make a pan gravy with the drippings. Yumm…
-
- by: Laura Woodberry
- 17 years ago
OK…i have never had to make liver before but I always had it as a child and I liked it. I found this recipe so I decided to go for it and introduce my teenagers to liver and onions. One kid loved it, one kid hated it. Hubby used to hate liver but said he liked this. I however did not like it. Dont get me wrong, the recipe is good but I dont think i will ever make liver again. I think my tastes have changed over the years. But thanks for a very easy good recipe.
-
- by: Southerncook
- 17 years ago
This recipe was very good. I actually got to soak the liver for a couple of hours before cooking, and it had no bitter taste whatsoever. This tastes like the liver you’d buy at a cafeteria style sit-down restaurant; it’s good. I probably won’t be cooking liver again, without soaking it my milk at least 30 minutes.
-
- by: Nancy Olive Andtheroaddog
- 17 years ago
I may have done something wrong. My dad hated it. He likes a strong liver flavor so that might have been the problem. I was ok with it, but I like a strong liver flavor, too. Soaking it in milk really did tone down the liver taste. It was my nephew’s first try with liver and he hated it too. Liver isn’t everyone’s thing. But like I said… I might have done something wrong.
-
- by: Pinkypink
- 16 years ago
I can’t remember the last time diner cost $1.00! This recipe is great. I absolutely love liver. I marinated it in milk all day long. I made this last night because my boyfriend was working and he hates liver. The milk definitely mellowed the taste, but I still think it totally tastes like liver, and liver haters wouldn’t like it at all. More for me! Thanks for the recipe.
-
- by: Michelle
- 16 years ago
This is a fantastic recipe. I hate liver, but my husband loves it. I decided to try this recipe for him and he complained that it didn’t taste as much like liver. But I was able to eat some and it tasted okay to me. I would say that this recipe produces a much milder flavor for the liver.
-
- by: Brijenn
- 16 years ago
I made this recipe for my husband. I decided to use this recipe simply because soaking it in milk made sense to keep it moist. My husband took a bite of it and just RAVED!! He said it was amazing. He also said that as many times as he has gotten this in a restaurant it has never been this good!! THanks so much for sharing this recipe. Oh and as a side note, this was an extremely easy recipe and I soaked the liver for about 4 hours.
-
- by: Lady Linda
- 16 years ago
my husband loves liver and brought several for our freezer when he picked up our side of beef ( many people don’t like it and leave it behind at the farm) horrified at the prospect of both taste and smell , I looked up two recipes on the site and encouraged him to use them while i was out of town. he choose this one and absolutly loved it! my son who was not a liver fan enjoyed it also. They plan to make it again. Perhaps one day when i’m feeling brave i’ll try it too!
-
- by: Eve
- 16 years ago
I haven’t made liver in forever so I was surprised to find that my local store only carried it frozen. Defrosted the package in a bowl of water (only took a few minutes) and made the recipe exactly as it called for. It was dee-lish! Tender and moist, and it cooked really fast. I will never make it another way again.
-
- by: Tonya
- 16 years ago
Soaking the liver in milk is something I never thought about. I have a technique i use to make my liver tender and it is to prepare your liver for frying but DO NOT preheat your skillet.Put your liver in a cold skillet for 2-4 minutes then turn the stove on and cook as usual.I used both of these techniques together and my liver was soooooo delicious.I soaked my liver about 15 minutes.
-
- by: DC Girly Girl
- 16 years ago
Hmmm…how do I review this? I had (note…past tense) a childhood memory of actually liking liver. So when I was given some to cook, I made this. The house smelled wonderful, the onions looked beautiful, but then…I tasted it. It’s a strange flavor; I think if you like livers, this could be a good recipe. But even after dousing it with ketchup, no go. So I can’t really say it’s a bad recipe since I believe this is all about personal preferences. But I cannot rave about it either.
-
- by: Bethanie Bridges
- 16 years ago
I used this tonight as the first time I cooked Liver and Onions. It was awesome. I didn’t have any flour so I rubbed Montreal Steak Seasoning over the liver and also ground sea salt and garlic over it while it cooked. I added butter as it cooked off. It still has a bit of the liver aftertaste, but not the texture, it is more like steak now.
I will definitely make this again. -
- by: Krista
- 16 years ago
I love liver and I always make it for myself when I get a chance (no one else in my family eats it.) This recipe is perfect. I’ll never make it my old way again (no flour and oil instead of butter.) The butter added flavor and added to the creaminess of the liver, and the flour added crispiness to the liver and substance to the sauce.
-
- by: LB
- 16 years ago
It’s been 31 years since I attempted making liver and onions. The first attempt failed so bad that I feared trying it again (so did Hubby!)…. I tried this recipe tonight, served him a small piece to start and voila, he asked for seconds. He’s very picky and would have easily shoved it away had it not worked. I soaked in milk just for about 15 minutes and that worked fine. I did sprinkle a touch of garlic salt into the onions while they cooked and added some All Season to the flour (in a bag, easier to coat). Thank you so much for this great recipe. I’ve regained my trust in making liver …. hubby thanks you too.
-
- by: Paprika
- 16 years ago
I try liver once a year, trying to like it since it’s so good for you . . . this recipe moved liver from the status of “unbearable” to “need to try it again.” I soaked the liver for 40 minutes, and a second batch is in the fridge right now, soaking overnight. I’ll try more for lunch tomorrow. I like a heavier crumb to my coated and fried foods, so I’m going to try some cracker crumbs or a batter for the next batch. Thanks for the inspiration and the milk technique!
-
- by: Motherlodeviv
- 16 years ago
Since my BF is a hunter, I make venison liver and onions fairly often from an old, standard type of recipe. This time, I bathed the liver in fat-free milk for appx 6 hours. What a difference! The texture was consistently wonderful from piece to piece, and the taste was fabulous. We couldn’t stop eating the liver and onions. Thanks so much for a great recipe!
-
- by: MATTANDERIKA
- 15 years ago
Delicious! But if you like gravy with your mashed potatoes take a can of beef broth with two tablespoons of cornstarch and add to pan after cooking onions and liver. Bring to boil, reduce heat and add liver and onions back to mixture. For about another 10 minutes or so and voil? gravy for your liver and onions! Applause!
Leave feedback about this