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Liven up your next steak dinner with one of these four easy steak marinade recipes! Whether you choose Lemony Italian, Garlicky Worcestershire, Soy Ginger, or Cumin Lime, you’re sure to have the perfect flavor combination for any meal. Serve your marinated steak on its own, or cut it into strips for salads, tacos, and other dishes.
Jump to Section
- Why You’ll Love These Homemade Steak Marinades
- Ingredients You’ll Need For The Lemony Italian Steak Marinade
- Ingredients For The Garlicky Worcestershire Steak Marinade
- Ingredients You’ll Need For The Soy Ginger Steak Marinade
- Ingredients You’ll Need For The Cumin Lime Steak Marinade
- Popular substitutions & additions
- How to Marinate Steak
- Tips for making the best Marinated steak
- Recipes to Make With These Simple Steak Marinades
- HOW TO STORE STEAK MARINADE
- FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
- MORE marinade and seasoning recipes:
- Steak marinade (4-Ways) Recipe
Marinating steak is an excellent way to add flavor, tenderize the meat, and add moisture, ensuring juicy, tender results. Although you might not always have time for a steak marinade, when you do, it’s definitely worth it!
Each of the four simple steak marinades in this post—Lemony Italian, Garlicky Worcestershire, Soy Ginger, or Cumin Lime—lends itself to different food pairings. Lemony Italian and Garlicky Worcestershire are ideal for pairing with dishes like Garlic Roasted Potatoes, while Cumin Lime is ideal for Sheet Pan Steak Fajitas and Soy Ginger is fantastic for Beef and Broccoli Stir Fry.
Whichever marinade option you choose, it comes together with just a few minutes of prep time, and it instantly elevates any cut of steak!
Why You’ll Love These Homemade Steak Marinades
- Options for Every Palate: With four unique marinades to choose from, there’s something for everyone here! Whether you prefer tangy and citrusy flavors or bold and savory notes, these easy steak marinade recipes have you covered.
- Easy to Prepare: All of the marinades are quick and easy to mix together. Simply combine the ingredients in a bowl or zip-top plastic bag, add the steak, and let it marinate until you’re ready to cook.
- Next Level Delicious: Marinating the steak allows the flavors to penetrate deep into the meat, resulting in a more flavorful and tender final product.
- Budget-Friendly: Making your own steak marinades at home is much more affordable than buying pre-made marinades or marinade packets at the grocery store. Most of the ingredients are pantry staples that you probably already have on hand!
Ingredients You’ll Need For The Lemony Italian Steak Marinade
- Steak: Use your choice of cut.
- Olive Oil: Cooking olive oil is preferable to extra-virgin olive oil, as it has a higher smoke point.
- Lemon: You’ll need both the juice and the zest; zest the lemon before you juice it.
- Italian Seasoning: A great way to add a bunch of herbs and spices without having to open a lot of jars!
- Salt and Black Pepper: Fresh, coarsely ground black pepper has the best flavor.
Ingredients For The Garlicky Worcestershire Steak Marinade
- Steak: Use your choice of cut.
- Worcestershire Sauce: A fantastic way to add depth and umami to steak marinades.
- Olive Oil: Cooking olive oil is preferable to extra-virgin olive oil, as it has a higher smoke point.
- Garlic: Using fresh garlic instead of garlic powder gives this marinade more punch.
- Black Pepper: Fresh, coarsely ground black pepper has the best flavor.
Ingredients You’ll Need For The Soy Ginger Steak Marinade
- Steak: Use your choice of cut.
- Low-Sodium Soy Sauce: Tamari can be substituted for a gluten-free steak marinade.
- Olive Oil: Cooking olive oil is preferable to extra-virgin olive oil, as it has a higher smoke point.
- Garlic: Using fresh garlic instead of garlic powder gives this marinade more punch.
- Freshly Grated Ginger: Fresh ginger root is much more pungent than dried. It adds a lot of warmth to the marinade!
- Black Pepper: Fresh, coarsely ground black pepper has the best flavor.
Ingredients You’ll Need For The Cumin Lime Steak Marinade
- Steak: Use your choice of cut.
- Olive Oil: Cooking olive oil is preferable to extra-virgin olive oil, as it has a higher smoke point.
- Limes: Fresh lime juice has a more vibrant flavor than bottled.
- Cumin: A multitasking spice found in cuisines around the globe!
- Chili Powder: A blend of seasonings that adds Tex-Mex flair to this steak marinade.
- Salt and Black Pepper: Fresh, coarsely ground black pepper has the best flavor.
Popular substitutions & additions
- Use another protein—or vegetable! While these steak marinade recipes were developed for beef, you can easily swap out the steak for other proteins, such as chicken, pork, or tofu. You can even use these marinades on vegetables! Meaty portobello mushrooms would be fantastic with the Garlicky Worcestershire marinade, while fajita veggies will be extra flavorful after marinating in the Cumin Lime steak marinade.
- Add fresh herbs. If you have some fresh herbs on hand, feel free to chop them up and throw them into the marinade for an extra layer of flavor.
- Experiment with different herbs and spices. Don’t be afraid to play around with the ingredients in each steak marinade recipe to make them your own.
- Use different oils. While these recipes call for olive oil, you can substitute avocado oil, grapeseed oil, or another oil with a high smoke point and neutral flavor.
How to Marinate Steak
- Whisk the ingredients together in a shallow bowl. [Image 1]
- Add the steak on top, then turn it so both sides are coated. Marinate, flipping once or twice during the marinating time. [Image 2]
Tips for making the best Marinated steak
- Choose a good quality steak. For the best results, choose a high-quality cut of steak like ribeye, New York strip, or filet mignon. These cuts tend to be more tender and have better marbling, which makes them perfect for marinating.
- Don’t over-marinate. While marinating can do wonders for the flavor of your steak, longer isn’t necessarily better! After 24 hours pass, the marinade will begin to break down the proteins in the steak, giving it an unpleasant texture.
- Let the steak come to room temperature before cooking. Before cooking the marinated steak, let it sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes. This will help the meat cook more evenly.
- Pat it dry before cooking. You don’t have to rinse the steak, but do remove the steak from the marinade and pat it dry with a paper towel before cooking. This will ensure that the steak forms a nice crust while searing.
Recipes to Make With These Simple Steak Marinades
- Garlic Butter Steak Bites
- Air Fryer Steak
- Grilled Steak
- Cast Iron Skillet Steak
- Steak Gyros
- Grilled Beef Kabobs
- Oven Baked Steak
HOW TO STORE STEAK MARINADE
If you have leftover steak marinade, you can store it in an airtight container. DO NOT store or reuse marinade that has already been used; once it’s come into contact with raw meat, the marinade needs to be discarded.
HOW LONG WILL STEAK MARINADE LAST IN THE FRIDGE?
Unused steak marinade will last up to a week in the refrigerator.
CAN I FREEZE HOMEMADE STEAK MARINADE?
These easy marinades for steak can be frozen for up to 6 months. Thaw them in the refrigerator before using them.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
How long should steaks be marinated?
Marinating steaks for too long can result in a mushy texture. Ideally, 1-2 hours at room temperature or up to 24 hours in the refrigerator is recommended. However, it also depends on the thickness of the steak. Thinner cuts may only take 30 minutes to an hour.
Should you poke holes in steak before marinating?
Poking holes in steak before marinating is not necessary, as the marinade will penetrate the meat regardless. In fact, poking holes can actually cause the juices to escape during cooking and result in drier meat.
Can marinating a steak too long make it tough?
Some proteins do get tough after soaking too long in a marinade, but steak isn’t one of them. The texture of steak will get soft—too soft—if it’s left in a steak marinade for an extended amount of time.
Steak marinades are an easy and delicious way to elevate a steak dinner! With these four tasty recipes under your belt, you’ll have plenty of options to choose from to go with any side dish or recipe.
MORE marinade and seasoning recipes:
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Steak marinade (4-Ways)
Ingredients
Lemony Italian Steak Marinade:
- 1 ½ pound steak of choice
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 1 lemon juice and zest
- 2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
Garlicky Worcestershire Steak Marinade:
- 1 ½ pound steak of choice
- ½ cup Worcestershire sauce
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
Soy Ginger Steak Marinade:
- 1 ½ pound steak of choice
- ½ cup reduced sodium soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 1 tablespoon fresh ginger grated
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
Cumin Lime Steak Marinade:
- 1 ½ pound steak of choice
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 2 limes juiced
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- For each variation of marinade, whisk the marinade ingredients together in a shallow bowl. Add the flank steak on top and turn the meat over so it is well coated.
- Let sit for at least 2 hours, or up to 24 hours, flipping the meat once or twice during the marinating time, then cook as desired.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information provided is an estimate. It will vary based on cooking method and specific ingredients used.
