This Southern old fashioned liver and onion recipe has made my liver-hating husband a liver lover! It’s easy and simple to make. Get the recipe for Instant Pot liver and onions, slow cooker liver and onions, skillet, and even how to make the recipe in the oven!
In This Post
I know liver is one of the most polarizing foods. There seems to be no middle ground. You either love it or hate it.
With this old fashioned liver and onions recipe, you can make it into a culinary masterpiece! It’s a favorite on my list of easy dinners to prepare and a good option for a really hearty dish.
It’s rich in iron and contains daily values of many vitamins and minerals. It is often recommended as a food for people with iron deficiency.
In 2005, I had an emergency health crisis. Before I could have surgery, I had to improve my hemoglobin, which was low due to hemorrhaging.
One of my doctor’s recommendations was to eat it at least twice daily. I did this, along with a couple of other things, and I was able to have surgery within 10 days. I liked to make the old fashioned liver and onions recipe with gravy most of the time.
This recipe will become one of your favorite main dishes. Rate it below and leave a comment if you converted someone into a liver lover!
Tips For Making the Best Southern Old Fashioned Liver and Onions Recipe
Make sure to check out the frequently asked questions at the bottom of this post to discover the answers to your recipe questions.
These tips will make even the pickiest liver lover wowed with delight!
- Use high-quality organic grass-fed calf or veal liver for a milder taste.
- Cover the meat in real salt for at least 15 minutes and then wash it with filtered water, rubbing gently.
- Soak in milk or apple cider vinegar, before you bread and cook.
- Turn it as little as possible while cooking.
- Don’t overcook! Check for doneness at the minimum cooking time. If it’s not done, then check in 5-minute increments until it’s ready.
Old Fashioned Liver and Onion Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups of milk
- ¼ cup butter
- ¼ cup coconut oil
- 2 medium onions, sliced into rings
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- Real salt
- Black Pepper
- 2 lbs sliced beef liver or veal liver, 1/2 to 3/4 inch thick
Instructions
- Cut the liver into thin slices.
- Cover the slices with real salt, and let sit in the refrigerator for 15 minutes.
- Rinse the slices with cold filtered water and place them in a medium bowl.
- Cover the slices with whole milk or an ACV mixture of 1:1 apple cider vinegar and filtered water.
- Let them soak for 2 hours in the refrigerator.
- Slice onions into rings.
- After the meat has finished soaking, melt two (2) tablespoons of butter in a 10-inch cast-iron or nonstick large skillet over medium heat.
- Separate onion rings and cook onions in the butter until they are soft, around 4-6 minutes.
- Remove sautéed onions (leave onions in the skillet if you want caramelized onions) and keep the skillet warm.
- Season the flour with salt and pepper and put it in a shallow pan.
- Drain the milk or ACV mixture from it.
- Coat both sides of the slices in the flour mixture.
- Reheat the skillet on medium-high heat and melt the coconut oil.
- Place the coated liver slices in the hot skillet and cook until nice and brown on the bottom, around 2-3 minutes.
- Turnover and repeat.
- Return the onions to the skillet and reduce the heat to medium.
- Once the meat is done, remove it from the skillet and put it on your serving platter.
A Southern Old-Fashioned Cooking Alternative for the Oven
- Follow steps 1 – 14 above
- Brown the liver on both sides and remove it from the skillet.
- Use the leftover flour to make gravy in the oil and butter in the skillet.
- Place the liver and onions into the gravy and cover with the cast iron lid or aluminum foil.
- Bake at 300 degrees for 2-6 hours or until it falls apart when pressed with a fork.
Instant Pot Liver and Onions
- Follow steps 1-15 above using your Instant Pot on Saute Mode on high instead of the skillet.
- Use all-purpose flour to make gravy with the oil and butter remaining in the pot.
- Turn the Instant Pot off.
- Place the liver and onions into the gravy. Be sure you’ve made enough gravy to cover the liver.
- Turn the Instant Pot to Slow Cooker mode, set on Normal for 6-8 hours.
Slow Cooker Liver and Onions
- Follow steps 1-15 above.
- Make gravy with all-purpose flour in the oil and butter in the skillet.
- Put liver and onions in your Slow Cooker and pour the gravy over them.
- Set your slow cooker to medium and cook for 6-8 hours.
Sprinkle top with crumbled, crispy cooked bacon.
Serve with your favorite side dishes.
Best Southern Liver and Onions Recipe
Ingredients
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups milk
- ¼ cup butter
- ¼ cup coconut oil
- 2 medium onions sliced into rings
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- Real salt and black pepper to taste
- 2 lbs beef liver slices or veal liver slices 1/2-3/4" thick
Instructions
Instructions:
- Cut liver into thin slices
- Cover slices of liver with real salt, let sit in refrigerator for 15 mins
- Rinse liver slices with cold filtered water and place in a medium bowl.
- Cover liver with whole milk or an ACV mixture of 1:1 apple cider vinegar and filtered water.
- Let it soak for 2 hours in refrigerator.
- Slice onions into rings.
- After the liver has finished soaking: Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a 10 in cast iron or nonstick large skillet over medium heat.
- Separate onion rings and cook onions in the butter until they are soft, around 4-6 mins.
- Remove sautéed onions (leave onions in skillet if you want caramelized onions) keep skillet warm.
- Season the flour with salt and pepper and put it in a shallow pan.
- Drain milk or ACV mixture from the liver
- Coat both sides of the liver slices in the flour mixture.
- Reheat the skillet on medium-high heat and melt the coconut oil.
- Place the coated liver slices in the hot skillet and cook until nice and brown on the bottom around 2-3 mins.
- Turnover and repeat.
- Return the onions to the skillet and reduce heat to medium.
- Once the meat is done. Remove the liver and onions from the skillet to your serving platter.
A Old-Fashioned Southern Cooking Alternative in the Oven
- Follow steps 1 – 14 above
- Use the leftover flour to make gravy in the oil and butter in the skillet.
- Place the liver and onions into the gravy and cover with the cast iron lid or aluminum foil.
- Bake at 300 degrees for 2-6 hours or until falls apart when pressed with a fork.
Instant Pot Liver and Onions
- Follow steps 1-15 above using your Instant Pot on Saute Mode on high instead of the skillet.
- Use all-purpose flour to make gravy with the oil and butter remaining in the pot.
- Turn Instant Pot off.
- Place the liver and onions into the gravy. Be sure you’ve made enough gravy to cover the liver.
- Turn the Instant Pot to Slow Cooker mode set on Normal for 6-8 hours.
Slow Cooker Liver and Onions
- Follow steps 1-15 above.
- Make gravy with all-purpose flour in the oil and butter in the skillet.
- Put liver and onions in your Slow Cooker and pour the gravy over them.
- Set your slow cooker to medium and cook for 6-8 hours.
- Sprinkle top with crumbled crisply cooked bacon.
- Serve with your favorite side dishes.
Nutrition
You May Also Enjoy
Our Favorite Side Dishes for Old Fashioned Liver and Onion Recipe
- Mashed potatoes and carrots
- Green bean casserole with quinoa
- Broccoli with roasted potatoes
- Serve on a bed of rice with a teaspoon of pepper sprinkled on top and covered with a tomato puree.
A little goes a long way to meeting your weekly dietary needs. Just three ounces of beef liver provides more than the recommended daily allowance of vitamin A and more than 50 percent of the recommended daily allowance of protein!
A Sneaky Way to Get Beef Liver in Your Family’s Diet
If you don’t like the taste of it or someone doesn’t even want to try it, but you still want the amazing health benefits, you might be able to sneak it in with this tip.
Cover slices of it with real salt, let sit for 15 minutes, and rinse with cold filtered water. Cut it into small cubes and put it in a food processor. Let the food processor liquify it.
Next, spoon the liquified product into an ice tray or other container, cover it, and freeze it. You can then add a cube of the liver to soups or to any dish you are cooking using ground beef.
When your husband says, “I don’t eat that!”, you can inform him that he has been eating it for years. He might want to give it another go to see if it’s an acquired taste!
Frequently Asked Questions About Liver and Onion Recipes
Why do you soak liver in milk before cooking?
Soaking it in milk removes the gamey or bitter taste. You can soak it overnight in the refrigerator or simply soak it for 2 hours in the refrigerator. If you like its bitter taste, you can skip this step.
How long should the liver be cooked in a liver and onions recipe?
For the best flavor, cooking it for 3 to 4 minutes on each side is best. Overcooking will quickly cause it to become rubbery and tough to chew.
If you want to know how long to cook liver and onions in gravy in the oven, bake at 300 degrees for 2-6 hours or until it falls apart when pressed with a fork.
Do you need to soak liver in milk before cooking liver and onions?
Soaking liver right before cooking will remove the gamey or bitter taste. You can soak it in buttermilk, whole milk, or an ACV mixture of 1:1 Apple cider vinegar and water. Let it soak in the refrigerator for a minimum of 2 hours.
You can skip this step if you don’t mind the bitter taste. So, No, you do not have to soak in milk to make this recipe.
Which type of liver is best to eat?
Calf’s liver is the best to eat! Beef liver is perhaps the most nutritious and healthy meat you can eat. It’s better than all other organ meats.
Aside from being one of the best natural sources of iron, B12, and vitamin A, it contains countless other essential vitamins and minerals.
The nutritional content varies among different kinds. Veal liver, pork liver, turkey liver, chicken liver, and others are very nutritious, but calf liver is the most nutritious.
How do I know if my liver is cooked?
Livers should be cooked until they are no longer bloody inside. You should use a food thermometer to check the internal temperature if you need an effective way to gauge cooking. It should be 160 degrees F.
What is the difference between beef liver and calf liver?
Beef liver is from cows and bulls, while calf liver is from young cows under one year old. Calf liver has not had a long life to cause any damage to it. This is part of what makes theirs the most nutritious and gives them a milder flavor.
Should you soak liver in milk or vinegar?
Yes, you can soak it in vinegar. Soak it for 1 hour. The acid begins to break down the proteins, which improves the texture and taste, diminishing the metallic taste. Place it in a bowl with fresh filtered water.
Add 4-8 tablespoons of 5% acidity apple cider vinegar. We use undiluted apple cider vinegar with 25% acidity. So I only add 2 Tablespoons of ACV to the water.
How long should I cook liver and onions recipes in a slow cooker?
6-8 hours will produce perfectly tender liver and onions in a slow cooker.
Wrap Up
Southern old fashioned Liver and Onion recipe with gravy is one of our favorite winter recipes. It’s hearty, warm, and healthy. Perfect for a meal on a chilly day.
You can cook it without the gravy in a skillet, bake it in the oven with gravy, make Instant Pot liver and onions with gravy, or slow-cooker liver and onions with gravy. Who could ask for anything more?
As always, we’re here to help.
I love the gamey taste of liver, so I don’t soak it. I fry it after coating it in flour, egg, bread crumbs. My question is, “why does the liver sometimes turn out soft and mushy”? I can smush it with a fork, and it’s horrible.
Jenny, Without more information I can only offer my opinion as to why the liver is turning out soft and mushy. I think the process of autolysis has started which means the liver is starting to break down. Since you aren’t soaking it I’m not sure what is causing the problem as I would suspect apple cider vinegar or something in the soak. It could be the age of the liver and the amount of time it’s been exposed to air. The only other thing I can think of would be the oil was not hot enough when you put the liver in or it is too hot and the liver browns too quickly. A steady even heat and cooking it longer may solve the problem. I’m sorry I can’t give you a definitive answer. I hope this helps. Thanks for sharing with us how you cook yours. Please let me know if I can help further.
I have read the recipe for Southern liver and onion. But if I wish to cook it with organic ghee instead of using oil and butter. Organic ghee is all-purpose, all-natural, and more nutritious than butter. Any suggestions from any friends here?
https://milkio.co.nz/organic-ghee/
Hi Sofia, We use Ghee in our kitchen all the time. As a matter of fact, we make our own. To use it in this recipe, just replace the oil and butter with Ghee. The rest of the recipe would be the same. I hope this helps, let me know if I can help in any way.