13 Best Store-Bought Marinades For Steak

You can always just take a steak out of its packaging and throw it straight on the grill or the skillet, but chances are, it's not going to be too flavorful without the addition of some seasoning. If you want to get the most delicious results, you may want to consider using a marinade. Of course, if you have all the ingredients you need at home, you can easily make a steak marinade from scratch, but if you're pinched for time — or you just want to try a new flavor profile without looking up a new recipe — using a store-bought steak marinade may just be the way to go. That's why we've collected a list of store-bought marinades that you can seek out the next time you plan on making a steak. These marinades make it easy to infuse your steak with flavor with minimal effort on your part.

Not every store-bought steak marinade is delicious (and some are downright unpleasant). How do you know which kind of marinade to choose the next time a steak night rolls around? These 13 marinades are some of the best on the market, and they'll ensure that every steak you make — regardless of the cut — is going to taste fantastic.

Check these out the next time you're planning on making steak at home, and you might never go out for steak again.

Just because you're making a steak doesn't mean you have to choose some heavy, ultra-intense marinade. If you're looking for something on the lighter, fresher-tasting side, then you should try Lawry's Lemon Pepper Marinade. As the name suggests, lemon juice and cracked black pepper take center stage in this marinade, but other spices play complementary roles. You may notice rosemary, garlic, onion, and dill seed flavors as well, which rounds out the acidity from the lemon juice and makes the finished marinade more complex.

Admittedly, this marinade may be more popular for chicken than for steak, but the light, bright flavor of the lemon juice actually works really well with beef. Those acidic and peppery notes make for the perfect steak to toss on top of a salad or to enjoy with a side of grilled veggies (and you can use the marinade on the vegetables). Add some more cracked black pepper to your steak if you want to add even more flavor to the mix.

A good marinade is about flavor, of course, but it's also about giving your steak the ideal texture, and that's just what you'll get when you choose Stubb's Soy, Garlic, and Red Pepper Beef Marinade. On the flavor front, this brand keeps things pretty simple. The soy is there to create that umami flavor that works so well with red meat. It also adds a saltiness to the marinade that ensures you don't have to add a ton of extra salt. The garlic is there because garlic is, perhaps, the most elite flavoring agent you could use for just about any savory dish. The red pepper adds just a touch of heat to the equation — without making your steak actually spicy. Plus, this marinade boasts a ton of other flavorful ingredients, including tamarind, apple juice concentrate, and granulated garlic to enhance the complexity of your steak.

Sure, you could technically combine all these ingredients yourself, but it's hard to achieve this level of complexity without a chef-level kitchen setup.

At the same time, this marinade will tenderize your steak as well, yielding a softer texture. You really only need about an hour to marinate your steak, but if you want to give it even more flavor, you can keep it in the marinade for even longer for more delicious results. Regardless of how long you marinate, you're in for a real treat with this marinade.

Ever wish you could fly to Sao Paulo just to get a taste of a real Brazilian steakhouse? Well, depending on where you live, that could be quite an expensive plane ticket, so you may be better off heading to the grocery store and picking up some McCormick Grill Mates Brazilian Steakhouse Marinade instead. This brand is widely available at many grocery stores, and many of its marinades are good, but the Brazilian steakhouse variety is our favorite because of just how simple and versatile it is.

With one look at the ingredients list, you'll find a blend of spices like garlic, thyme, cilantro, and red and black peppers. It has just a bit of heat to it, but mostly, it's just deliciously savory. This is a great marinade to use on basically any type of protein — chicken, fish, even tofu, but it works especially well with beef since red meat is at the center of any good Brazilian BBQ experience. With chunks of spices coating your steak, you know you're in for a serious treat.

When you think of A1 Original Sauce, you probably just think of a steak sauce that you enjoy on the side of a particularly juicy steak. However, what if you could use this iconic steak sauce as a marinade? Well, some home cooks do it, and the results are undeniably tasty. First of all, this sauce is literally made for steak, so you know the flavor is going to work well with a cut of red meat. This sauce is also known for being vinegar-heavy, which helps to tenderize your steak if you use it before you actually cook the meat.

One thing you might notice about this sauce, though, is the fact that it's quite thick. To give it a consistency closer to other marinades, you might want to thin it out a bit. You can use water for this, or you can incorporate some distilled white vinegar into the mix if you really want to highlight that bright flavor the sauce is already known for. By using A1 Original Sauce as a marinade instead of just a condiment, you're infusing all those flavors right into your steak — no dipping sauces required.

Bachans Sweet Honey Barbecue Sauce is another product that can double as both a sauce and a marinade. It's ideal for those who want to enjoy a bit of a sweet flavor with their meat, but don't assume you're going to be getting a sickly sweet flavor profile with this marinade. Yes, you are going to get some level of sweetness from the organic honey that's included in the recipe, but the brand balances out that intense sweetness with the umami flavor of soy. Ginger and green onion also play a starring role in this simple but deeply enjoyable sauce. When all of those ingredients come together, it just works — especially with beef.

There are so many different things you can do with this sauce, but it's at its best when it's used as a marinade, allowing those complex flavors to really penetrate the meat. When you're looking for an Asian-style marinade, you can't get much better than this lovely, lightly sweet number.

Calling all spice lovers! Sometimes, you want a kick of heat in your steak, and that's when you should prioritize finding Allegro Hot and Spicy Marinade at your local grocery store. Allegro marinades in general have a fan base, but the "Hot and Spicy" variety is our go-to since it's one of the few spicy marinades on the market that really packs a punch without being too hot. There's some strength behind the heat, but it doesn't last too long, which means you can go back in for bite after bite.

This soy sauce-based marinade is also especially salty, which is ideal for seasoning a steak. The addition of lime juice makes for a more interesting marinade than those that are simply made with vinegar. A few other simple spices make for a relatively simple but undeniably scrumptious marinade. It's perfect on steak, but it can be used for pretty much any type of meat you have thawing in the fridge.

Trying to capture that Korean barbeque flavor at home? In that case, you may want to snag some Lucky Foods Seoul Kalbi Sauce. This is a classic Korean sauce that's typically used for short ribs — where it's particularly delicious — but in reality, you can use it for steak or any other type of beef you may be marinating. This sauce is the ideal mix of sweet and savory flavors, which gives it a balance that can be hard to achieve in homemade marinade. Then, a strong note of ginger cuts through those rich flavors to give this marinade a brightness that's perfect for brightening up red meat.

This is an especially popular, relatively widely available marinade, and it generally gets stellar reviews. One Amazon reviewer wrote, "The flavor is amazing! Would definitely recommend!" Another claimed, "The flavor in this sauce is wonderfully unique and should be in any cook's arsenal." The next time you try to make KBBQ at home, you should check out this delicious, easy-to-use marinade.

So, you want to make jerk steak, but you don't know how — or just don't want to — make the marinade from scratch? No worries. Just grab some Grace Jamaican-Style Jerk Marinade. This marinade combines classic Jamaican flavors in a jar so you don't have to do the mixing yourself. It includes spices like thyme and allspice, with green onions and hot peppers to add even more intensity to the flavor. The result is that jerk flavor you love without all the work of making it from scratch.

In reference to Grace and another Jamaican-style jerk marinade, one Redditor commented that, "They're by far the best premade marinade mixes and deliver a seriously authentic flavor. They're popular for a reason." Some say that many home cooks keep this marinade in the kitchen so they always have that jerk flavor on hand. Aren't you ready for a jerk steak feast without all the fuss?

When you're looking for a steak marinade that's ultra-flavorful with the zinginess of citrus, turn to Iberia Mojo Criollo. Of course, this marinade can be used for a wide variety of meats, plant-based protein, and veggies, but it really shines when it's used to marinate a steak or any other cut of beef. This Caribbean and Latin American-styled sauce features citrus juices (both orange and grapefruit), which give the marinade its signature zippy flavor. Since two different types of citrus are used, this marinade has a complexity you won't necessarily find in other marinades. Vinegar helps add even more of that pronounced acidity. It can brighten up just about any dish, but it really shines when paired with red meat. Garlic and other herbs and spices add even more flavor to your steak.

Whether you're making a Caribbean or Latin American feast at home or you just want to experiment with new flavors on the grill, Iberia Mojo Criollo sauce is a must-have marinade to have on hand. Who knows? It might just become your next go-to marinade.

Teriyaki sauce is one of the best ways to add a salty sweet flavor to your meat in the form of a marinade, but when you're trying to cut down on your sugar intake for health reasons, it can be difficult capturing that classic teriyaki flavor you love — unless, of course, you decide to try G Hughes Sugar-Free Teriyaki Marinade. Does it taste just like the sugar-filled stuff? Not exactly. However, for a sugar-free sauce, this option is a standout, offering a very similar flavor profile to the teriyaki marinade you already know and love.

Vinegar, sesame seed oil, and tamari soy sauce all play important roles in this marinade, but pineapple juice concentrate is where it really stands out. That tropical note adds a touch of perceptible sweetness, of course, but it's also balanced by a strong acidity that makes this marinade perfect for making red meat more interesting. "Genuinely this sauce is so tasty," wrote one Redditor of G Hughes Sugar-Free Teriyaki Marinade. "I might put it on everything!"

You know those nights when you plan dinner at the absolute last minute? You take something out of the fridge, thaw it as quickly as possible, and have to get dinner on the table in a matter of minutes. During times like these, you may not have hours to marinate your steak. That doesn't necessarily mean you have to eat a boring hunk of meat, though. For those situations, use a super concentrated marinade, like Dale's Seasoning Original Blend Marinade. This is one of our favorites for a speedy marination process. Soak your meat in the marinade for a few minutes before throwing it on the grill and skillet, and you'll be amazed at how flavorful it comes out.

We love this marinade because it's about as simple as marinades come. It's made with a soy sauce base, and garlic, onion, ginger, and paprika all play supporting roles. MSG adds a lovely savory quality that enhances the soy.

If you're trying to look after your health and you have some dietary restrictions, it can be difficult to find packaged products that meet all your needs without exposing you to the ingredients you're trying to avoid. Primal Kitchen's Organic Steak Sauce boasts that rich, bold flavor you want in a steak marinade but without the addition of soy, gluten, or artificial sweeteners. It's also relatively low-calorie, if that is a concern.

However, just because it's missing some of those ingredients and calories doesn't mean it doesn't pack a punch when it comes to flavor. This tomato paste-based seasoning blend includes ground ginger, tamarind concentrate, allspice, garlic powder, and more, all to add to the complexity of the final product. A hefty dose of vinegar brightens up the recipe, creating a flavorful, everyday concoction that can be used both as a sauce and as a marinade for your steak.

When you're looking for a simple, reliable, and delicious product that will get the job done without breaking the bank — and you care about prioritizing eating organic as much as you can — then Whole Foods' 365 brand is a good bet. It's widely available, assuming you live near a Whole Foods, and you know you're going to be getting good quality. That's why you should consider snagging some 365 Organic Steak Sauce the next time you're planning on marinating a steak.

Tomato puree and Worcestershire sauce both play a starring role in this classic steak sauce, and white vinegar along with a whole host of spices, including garlic, ginger, cayenne pepper, and more, add an extra boost of flavor to the recipe. For best results, you'll likely want to thin this sauce out before you use it as a marinade for your steak since it's quite thick in its original state.

These marinades were selected according to my own personal experience marinating steaks combined with reviews from across the web. They were prioritized for their concentration of flavors, ease of use, and consistency. You may have found a wide range of flavor profiles within this list to create a more comprehensive marinade selection. Both designated marinades and other sauces that can be used as marinades are also included in this list.