23 Best Steak Recipes

Steak. Just seeing that word probably gets you hungry. There are some primal foods out there — bone-in chicken or ribs come to mind — but there is just something different about a steak. The sensation of cutting into a perfect medium-rare steak, the anticipation as you catch a whiff of that tender browned meat, it unlocks some long-dormant area of your brain.

Even prepared with modern ingredients and in novel ways, steak feels like what food used to be. It's no wonder steak gets a lot more respect from chefs, even amateur ones, than a lot of other meats. A little salt and pepper is often all a good steak needs, so if you are going to go any farther than that, you better make it worthwhile.

Thankfully for us all, a lot of people and a lot of cultures have figured out how to make good steak even better — and even less desirable cuts really darn good. Cooking a good steak is all about finding the right type of heat for the right cut of beef; from there on out, it's just about your personal flavor preferences. 

Grilling, pan-frying, or braising, no matter what your preferred method of steak preparation is, there is a recipe out there that will satisfy your instinctual cravings. So check out our best steak recipes of all time — and find something you won't be able to resist.

What's better than char-grilled steak? How about one you can make in less than 15 minutes? The cooking time for this recipe is as quick as you can light up your grill.

Salt, pepper, and the smoky heat from the flames are all skirt steak needs to be delicious, but it gets even better with the addition of a chimichurri sauce. The tangy, herbal bite of a sauce made with shallots, garlic, parsley, and oregano is an ideal complement to every succulent piece of steak.

Recipe: Grilled Skirt Steak With Chimichurri

Getting a steak right is always a struggle between browning the outside and keeping the inside rare, but the sous-vide machine was basically invented to solve this problem. A nice, tender rib eye gets sealed and brought to temperature with a simple mixture of herbs and garlic, plus a little bit of lemon zest for a kick.

After that, it is quickly pan-seared and basted in butter. The whole process takes a long time — over two hours — but you won't find an easier recipe that gets more precisely perfect results.

Recipe: Sous-Vide Rib Eye Steak

A good steak marinade like this is one of the keys to transforming tougher, cheaper cuts of steak into something delicious. This recipe will hit your cut of choice, like flank or flat iron, from all angles with salt and acid that will help break down its proteins and tenderize it.

It also happens to be full of flavor, with rich depth from a mixture of soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, and balsamic vinegar. It's a five-minute solution that will make almost any steak it touches a star.

Recipe: Tenderizing Steak Marinade

Frying a steak almost isn't fair to other foods, as it's almost too good. But please don't let that stop you from trying out this recipe, which proves how easy it is to treat yourself.

Starting with a cube steak, which is like a cross between steak and ground beef, all you need to do is make a basic batter and white gravy. Add a little cayenne, garlic powder, and onion powder, and you'll get a diner-worthy dinner so delicious you'll regret the time you spent unaware of how simple it is to make.

Recipe: Diner-Style Chicken Fried Steak

This recipe takes full advantage of a hanger steak's robust taste by pairing it with two more big-time sources of flavor.

A pungent, salty marinade involving soy sauce, lemon juice, and Worcestershire both seasons the meat and helps make it more juicy before it gets laid out on the grill for a quick sear. Then, a tart and lightly spicy mixture of capers, garlic, chili flakes, and pepper gets spread over the finished steak to balance it out and add brightness.

Recipe: Grilled Hanger Steak

This is a steak lover's steak — just meat, a few seasonings, and the heat of the pan. The reverse sear is a great method for getting the exact level of doneness you want without the extended time of a sous vide.

A low-heat roast in the oven brings the steak to the temperature you want, and a hard sear on a cast iron pan gives it a scrumptiously browned finish. Basting with garlic, thyme, and butter adds all you need to make this your go-to recipe for making steak.

Recipe: Oven To Cast Iron Reverse Sear Steak

Swiss steak isn't actually Swiss; the name comes from a method for tenderizing tough cuts, and that is exactly what this recipe does. Using a leaner cut, like bottom round, this Swiss steak relies on braising to slowly break the meat down and create a flavorful tomato sauce to serve it with.

While the dish does take a few hours, that time is almost all spent unattended as the steak cooks over low heat. It's a comforting and classic way to use a less popular cut of steak.

Recipe: Easy Swiss Steak

This may not be an "authentic" Philly cheesesteak, but it satisfies the same way, and you won't have to shell out for a meat slicer. Flank steak gets chopped up into bite-sized strips for easy chewing, then pan-fried with (or "wit") fresh onions and peppers for a little veggie boost.

And with all apologies to cheese whiz fans, provolone has just the right mild flavor and meltability for a cheesesteak. Mix it all together on your favorite soft sub (or hoagie) roll, and you have one of the best ways to serve steak as a sandwich.

Recipe: Homemade Philly Cheesesteak

How would you feel if you could get 80% of what a marinade does in 1% of the time? Well, you can — with this recipe's post-marinade. Instead of sitting in the mix of garlic, capers, lemon juice, and olive oil for hours, you cook the steak and then rest it in the marinade for just five minutes.

During that short stay, your steak absorbs all the flavors from the mixture. Using a naturally tender flat iron steak also helps this dish impress without any need for a long bath.

Recipe: Herby Grilled Flat Iron Steak

This classic carne asada recipe, perfect for tacos, enchiladas, or just eaten on its own, can be made on either the stovetop or grill. Carne asada is all about the marinade — a citrusy, salty, and slightly sweet mixture that needs extended time in the fridge to fully infuse and tenderize your flank steak.

It's a complex mixture with a lot of ingredients, including orange and lime juice, vinegar, soy sauce, cumin, cilantro, and garlic, but how did you think those taco stands make their steak taste so good?

Recipe: Easy Carne Asada

Ditch the normal chicken or salmon in your sheet pan dinner for a juicy New York strip steak. The secret ingredient for every element of the dish is an herb butter laced with ample amounts of sage, rosemary, thyme, and lemon zest. It gets spread over both the steak and a hearty mixture of broccolini, sweet potatoes, and mushrooms.

Everything gets cooked under the broiler — blackening and crisping up the outside of your steak while not overcooking the inside. You'll be left wondering why you never made a sheet pan steak before.

Recipe: Sheet Pan Steak Dinner

Sometimes you want more than just a slab of meat. You want steak that is meltingly soft and saucy, and you can have just that with our Mongolian beef recipe. A slow cooker is the best way to make this take-out favorite, as it breaks down a whole flank steak into easily shreddable form with no effort.

Soy sauce, ginger, red pepper, and vegetable oil act as a braising liquid and thicken into a sauce with some added cornstarch. Then, just plate it up with some fluffy white rice.

Recipe: Easy Slow Cooker Mongolian Beef

This broiled steak is a great way to get some smoky grilled flavor sans grill. A spice rub of smoked paprika and garlic powder combine with the power of the broiler to give your steak the blackened, fire-kissed flavor you're after.

After cooking, this steak gets covered with a tangy tomato vinaigrette, which uses halved cherry tomatoes to turn the sauce into a fresh side. The acidic topping brings harmony to the whole dish, waking up those charred, meaty notes from the steak.

Recipe: Smoky Oven-Baked Flank Steak With Tomato Vinaigrette

Wonderful as they may be, the same savory steak flavors can get a little repetitive, which is why you should mix it up with this unique take on a zesty steak sauce.

Tri tip is made for a nice, leisurely time on the grill — and a sweet and sour blackberry-mustard sauce gives off barbecue-adjacent vibes, but with a spirit all its own. Fruit and steak may not seem like an obvious pair, but that's just what makes it special.

Recipe: Grilled Tri Tip With Blackberry Mustard

Crusts aren't just for bread. The beautiful, blackened crust in this spice-rubbed steak adds both texture and flavor, and it looks pretty nice to boot. Like many a great steak, the meat does most of the talking — starting with a nice thick New York strip — but the recipe doesn't shy away from giving it a little help.

The coffee rub brings an extra layer of smokiness, accompanied by some spice and earthiness from chipotle powder. It's just enough to be something a little special while still letting the steak shine.

Recipe: Coffee-Rubbed Steak

Take a fun break from your routine with these delectable Philly cheesesteak egg rolls, which taste just as good as you would think. The gooey, cheesy interior — packed with munchable sliced steak — is an ideal match for a shatteringly crisp egg roll exterior.

The flavor gets a little more depth from a mixture of peppers, onions, and mushrooms, which also help give the filling a little more bite. Store-bought egg roll wrappers make the whole thing an easy exercise and an excellent anytime treat.

Recipe: Crispy Philly Cheesesteak Egg Rolls

Double down on meatiness by rubbing a steak all over with mushrooms. Porcini mushrooms are as deeply flavored as fungi come, so grinding some into a powder with rosemary and granulated garlic is all you need to accompany your meat. 

The mushroom's earthy flavor blends sublimely with just about any type of steak you want but works best with nicer cuts that will elevate the dish just as much as the rub will. If you don't use all of the rub on steak, it also makes a great seasoning for sauces, pasta, and soups.

Recipe: Porcini Steak Rub

Sometimes all you have to do is not mess up a good, simple thing — and this steak taco recipe knows that. Tri-tip is the right mix of beefy, chewable, and fatty, so salt and pepper is all it needs to be roasted in the oven.

Sliced into strips and piled in a corn tortilla, the steak is topped with your standard onion and cilantro, plus some cool guacamole with a nice hint of tropical sweetness from pineapple. These tacos are hard to mess up, but easy to love.

Recipe: Tri-Tip Steak Tacos

Shaking beef is a fresh and colorful stir fry of cubed steak and vegetables. The beef gets a short marinade in an umami-rich, pungent mixture of soy sauce and fish sauce with brown sugar and garlic. The vegetables and beef each get a separate high-heat sear in oil before being mixed together on the plate over watercress and tomato.

Some Maggi seasoning sprinkled on the steak at the end adds extra depth. As stir-fries go, it's relatively foolproof — with the marinade and thicker-cut steak pieces helping you to avoid overcooking the meat.

Recipe: Vietnamese Shaking Beef

Beef stroganoff has stood the test of time, and this kicked-up version will show you why. Cognac (or brandy) is the stand-out in a rich and creamy sauce that also includes beef broth, sour cream, and mustard.

Featuring sirloin, mushrooms, and egg noodles, this dish is absolutely decadent without requiring much effort or time. This is the kind of meal that can work as a treat for a special occasion or delight your family as a weekday dinner.

Recipe: Meaty, Creamy, Almost Fancy Beef Stroganoff

Consider this steak your ideal starting point for any place you need a little beef. All it takes to make this recipe is olive oil, salt, and a good flank steak, then two hours in a sous vide water bath before you bring the meat out and sear it.

After that, it's off to be paired with any number of side dishes, whether it's next to potatoes, over a rice bowl, or in a salad. This is the kind of prep that shows you how much flavor a flank steak really has.

Recipe: Sous Vide Flank Steak

That sizzle isn't just for show: these fajitas are essentially stir fry in flour tortillas, and getting a good sear on the meat and veggies is essential for the flavor.

The steak, onions, and peppers all get quickly pan-fried before being mixed together and tossed with a bold spice mixture of onion, garlic, chili powder, paprika, and cumin. Once this filling is wrapped up in a flour tortilla, it's a fast and furious meal that doesn't skimp on flavor.

Recipe: Sizzling Steak Fajitas

London broil is true in advertising, as this cut is ready-made for exactly what you expect. The marinade here goes for tart and tangy above all else, making a great counterweight to the muscular top round beef used for the steak. 

Dijon and lemon juice bring the acid, while Worcestershire and soy sauce add salt and umami. Broiling the lean meat keeps the inside pink and juicy while cooking up the perfect crust.

Recipe: Marinated London Broil