7 Best Steak Marinades

How To Marinate A Steak

Okay, so while it's simple, there are still some quick tips I'd like to share that will help you marinate and cook your steak like a pro.  Here are some helpful tips on how to marinate steak to have the best results.

• Use a sealable plastic bag, large bowl with plastic wrap, or an air-tight container.  You want to seal in the juices and flavors as much as possible. As a general rule, I use a 1 quart sized bag when I’m marinating less than a pound of steak, and it’s perfect.
• Marinate your food in the refrigerator, not at room temperature.  This will help keep your food safe from food-borne illnesses.
• Keep marinating meat away from other foods in your fridge to avoid unsafe contamination of the raw meat.
• Use a combination of an acid, oil, and spices in your marinade.
• Make sure to discard the unused marinade once it’s time to cook the meat and don’t use it as a sauce unless you cook it first because it will contain raw steak juices.
• For the best results, try to marinate the steak the night before you cook it for the maximum flavor.
• Add vibrant, fresh flavors, like minced garlic, chopped ginger, fresh orange juice, and cracked black pepper.
• If you can’t get to cooking your marinated steak within two days, you can also freeze the meat in the marinade to be used later.  That’s a benefit of using the freezer-safe bags – you can just toss them right into the freezer for later.  Then, when it’s time to cook, thaw the meat and cook.
• For most marinades, use about ½ cup of the marinade for every 2 pounds of beef.
• After removing the beef from the marinade, pat all sides of the steak dry with paper towels to prevent steaming and encourage browning.

No matter which of my best steak marinade recipes you decide to try out first, for steak marinades, these tips will help you get the most flavor.

Okay, so now that we have the basics out of the way, let’s get to the steak marinade recipes!

7 Easy Marinades for Steak

Okay, now I hope you are excited to marinate your steak for a moist, flavorful, and super tender steak!  To get you started, I’ve got 7 great steak marinade recipes that I use all the time and absolutely love.  Below, you’ll find:

1. Red Wine Steak Marinade

2. Italian Steak Marinade

3. Fajita Steak Marinade

4. Garlic And Herb Steak Marinade

5. Ginger Soy Steak Marinade

6. Lemon Pepper Steak Marinade

7. Chipotle Steak Marinade

You can either click on the steak marinade recipe that sounds best to jump right to it or scroll through to get an idea of all the recipes. Just mix up these ingredients, pour the marinade over the steak, and let the magic happen.   Happy marinating!!

How Long To Marinate A Steak

When it comes to marinating steak, whichever type of steak you choose, whether it’s a shoulder, skirt or flank steak, you can go ahead and choose any marinade and flavor combination you want. The only thing that does differ is the marinating time.

• For Tender Cuts of Steak: If you already have a tender cut of beef, like New York strip or filet mignon, only 15 minutes to 2 hours of marinating time are required to add flavor.
• For Tougher Cuts of Steak: But, if you’re wanting to tenderize your beef for tougher cuts, like skirt steak or flank steak, the meat should soak in the marinade for at least 6 hours but no more than 24 hours. My favorite type of steaks to marinate are tri tips and flank steaks.

Ideally, you should not marinate a steak for more than 24 hours -- especially if you have a tender cut of steak.  Any longer than that and the muscle fibers will break down and the texture will become mushy, so it's important to remove steak from the marinade and cook before then.

Some types of steak, like skirt steak, are naturally not very tender and should be left to marinate for a longer time in order to tenderize. For tougher cuts of beef, I recommend you prepare the marinade the night before and let the steak tenderize and soak up all the flavors overnight.  That will allow the acids in the marinade (balsamic vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, citrus, soy sauce, etc.) to break down the tougher protein fibers. Then, just grab and cook.

How To Freeze Marinated Steak

If you can’t get to cooking your marinated steak within 24 hours, you can safely freeze the meat in the marinade to be used later. That’s why I love using the freezer-safe re-usable bags when marinating steak, for you can just toss them right into the freezer for later. When it’s time to cook the steak, just thaw the meat and cook.

How Long To Cook Steak and the Levels of Doneness

A serving of steak is 3 ounces, roughly the same size as the palm of your hand or a deck of playing cards.  Generally speaking, one 1-pound steak fillet yields about two servings, but the size of steaks can vary.  For the recipes in this post, I have assumed a 1-lb. portion of a tougher cut of steak, flank steak, which works great. For families looking to marinate enough steak, you can easily double the recipes provided for 2+ pounds of steak.

The cook time will vary slightly with the size and thickness of the steak, but there are some basic guidelines you can follow for how long to cook steak.  The major point when cooking steak is that it reaches an internal temperature of 145° Fahrenheit so that it is safe to eat.

Levels of Doneness for Steak:

• Rare: Cool red center, 125° F (cook 1 ½ - 2 ½  minutes per side over high heat, depending on thickness)
• Medium Rare: Warm red center, 135° F (cook 2 - 3 ½ minutes per side over high heat, depending on thickness)
• Medium: Warm pink center, 145° F (cook 2 ½ - 3 ½  minutes per side over high heat, depending on thickness)
• Medium Well: Slightly pink center, 150° F (cook 3 ½ - 4 minutes per side over high heat, depending on thickness)
• Well Done: Little or no pink, 160° F (cook 4 - 5   minutes per side over high heat, depending on thickness)

In general, we want it at least 145° for a safe-to-eat internal temperature.  However, unlike with chicken breast, it is safer to eat undercooked steak than it is to eat undercooked chicken.  Keep in mind as well that the steak will continue to cook and increase in internal temperature by approximately 5° F AFTER it's removed from the heat.

If you don’t have a digital thermometer (LOVE), here are some tips for how to know when steak is cooked.

Tips for Marinating Steaks

Fortunately, the best way to marinate a steak is also the most simple one and requires combining a few ingredients to make a marinade and having the steak set in it for a bit.

More specifically, here are the steps for how to marinate a steak:

1. Place the steak in an air-tight container or re-usable storage bag
2. Toss in the ingredients for the marinade (I've got 7 great ones for ya below in this post!)
3. Press the air out of the bag, and seal tightly
4. Press the marinade around the steak to coat
5. Place in the fridge to marinate.

Seriously.  So dang easy.

1. Red Wine Steak Marinade

Red wine goes very well with steak. Next time, try using red wine it to tenderize the meat as well. Follow my simple, fool-proof Red Wine Marinade recipe to infuse the meat with that subtle wine flavor.

2. Italian Steak Marinade

This Italian marinade combines different flavors to accentuate specific ingredients to make a simple steak taste incredible. If you don’t want to overwhelm your steak but just add a lighter flavor to it, my Italian Marinade is a perfect choice.

3. Fajita Steak Marinade

C’mon, who doesn’t like fajitas?  Combine the best of both worlds and spice up your next steak dinner by letting the meat soak up all the colorful flavors of my Fajita Marinade. Use low-sodium soy sauce and pineapple juice with no added sugar in order to keep this recipe not just yummy but healthy, too.

4. Garlic And Herb Steak Marinade

Let this simple Garlic and Herb recipe marinate overnight, throw it on the grill, and pair up with a glass of your favorite wine. The ultimate weekday dinner!

5. Ginger Soy Steak Marinade

Give your skirt steak a punch of Asian flavors by marinating it in my Ginger Soy Marinade. The strong flavors of the rice wine vinegar and raw honey balance each other out. To keep your sodium levels in check, always opt for the low sodium soy sauce.

6. Lemon Pepper Steak Marinade

It just doesn’t get more simple (or more delicious) than this Lemon Pepper Marinade. Zesty lemon juice, crushed black peppercorns, olive oil, a pinch of sea salt… Sheer perfection!

7. Chipotle Steak Marinade

Add some serious spiciness to your favorite steak by adding adobo sauce (from canned chipotle peppers) to the marinade. My Chipotle Marinade incorporates cumin, onion and garlic powder with some freshly squeezed lime juice creating a satisfying combination of flavors.