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This steak marinade is one of the top recipes on my site! It’s my go-to for turning tough, budget-friendly cuts into juicy, flavor-packed steaks that practically melt in your mouth.
A Reader’s Review
Loved loved loved this recipe!!!! This my first time making steak and was so pleased! Easy and simple. Thank you!!
Asma
Why Everyone’s Obsessed With This Marinade
- It’s totally foolproof! Even if you’re nervous about cooking steak, this marinade guarantees juicy, flavorful results every time.
- It lets the steak shine! This is NOT one of those marinades that hides the steak; it brings out the best in it. The perfect blend of spices, herbs, and acidity complements the natural flavor of the meat!
- It works year round! Grill it outside in the summer or sear it to perfection in a skillet when it’s freezing out. This marinade tastes amazing either way!
Ingredients Needed
- Soy Free: Swap soy sauce with coconut aminos for a soy-free option.
- Lemon Juice Substitution: Instead of lemon juice, you can use lime or orange juice, OR a few tablespoons of balsamic vinegar or apple cider vinegar, OR a tablespoon of whole grain or Dijon mustard for a little bite.
- Italian Seasoning: Not a big fan of Italian seasoning? Reduce it to 1 tablespoon, or use a different seasoning mix. Cajun, chipotle, and southwest would all be great!
How to Make Steak Marinade
Simple pantry ingredients all come together in this incredible steak marinade recipe to give you such amazing flavor and the perfectly cooked, juicy steak! Try my Tri-Tip Marinade next!
- Combine: Add soy sauce, lemon juice, olive oil, Worcestershire sauce, minced garlic, Italian seasoning, ground black pepper, salt, and red pepper flakes to a small bowl and whisk until combined.
- Marinate: Add 4 pounds of your choice of steaks to a zip lock bag. Pour the marinade over the steaks, then seal the bag, and marinate for 2 hours or overnight.
Steak Questions? I’ve Got You (FAQ’s)
- How do you make a steak tender? I use lemon juice in my marinade to break down tough fibers and soften the steak. For really tough cuts, I’ll also pound the meat before cooking.
- Why is my steak tough and chewy? It usually means the fibers didn’t break down enough. Tender cuts need quick, high heat; tougher cuts need slow cooking with moisture to stay tender.
- How long do you marinate steak? At least 2 hours, but overnight is even better for maximum flavor and tenderness. But don’t marinate the steaks for longer than 24 hours. After that, the lemon juice will start to break down the steak, leaving it tough and mushy.
Make Ahead & Leftover Steak Marinade
- Make Ahead: You can make the marinade 2-3 days in advance and keep it in the fridge. Set out at room temperature for an hour or two before adding the steak so the olive oil isn’t solid.
- Leftover Marinade: *Never reuse a marinade that has touched raw meat! If you want extra marinade for basting or making a sauce, set some aside before adding the raw steaks.
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The BEST Steak Marinade
My steak marinade turns you into the steak master everyone talks about. Juicy, tender, bold, whether your grilling or searing!
Ingredients
- ⅓ cup soy sauce
- ⅓ cup lemon juice
- ½ cup olive oil
- ¼ cup Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 2 tablespoons Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 pinch red pepper flakes
Instructions
Marinade
- Add ⅓ cup soy sauce, ⅓ cup lemon juice, ½ cup olive oil, ¼ cup Worcestershire sauce, 1 tablespoon minced garlic, 2 tablespoons Italian seasoning, 1 teaspoon ground black pepper, ½ teaspoon salt, and 1 pinch red pepper flakes to a small bowl and whisk until combined.
- Add 4 pounds of your choice of steaks to a resealable zip lock bag. Pour the marinade over the steaks, seal the bag, and marinate for 2 hours or overnight.
Video
Notes
Servings: Makes about 1 ⅔ cups of marinade, enough to marinate up to 4 pounds of steak.
Cooking Steaks in a Skillet: Heat the skillet over high heat before adding the steaks. Add the marinated steaks and cook on each side for 3 minutes or until the outside forms a brown crust. Reduce the heat to medium-high. Cook the steaks to the desired doneness. Mine took about 10 minutes, flipping 3 times to get a medium well. Top the steaks with salted butter and garnish with fresh parsley, if desired.
Nutrition
Calories: 279kcalCarbohydrates: 8gProtein: 3gFat: 27gSaturated Fat: 4gPolyunsaturated Fat: 3gMonounsaturated Fat: 20gSodium: 1596mgPotassium: 246mgFiber: 1gSugar: 3gVitamin A: 68IUVitamin C: 11mgCalcium: 70mgIron: 3mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Tried this recipe?Mention @alyssa_therecipecritic or tag #therecipecritic!
More Delicious Steak Recipes
Steak is already a rockstar! It doesn’t need a lot to taste amazing. A good cut is packed with flavor on its own, but the right recipes (like these!) take it to the next level.
Checked the comments before I made it and wasn’t too hopeful. Mixed it all up and it was NOT good marinate… it was way too tart and acidic (I even used way less lemon juice when making it cause it didn’t feel right putting that much lemon juice in) ended up throwing it away and just using basic seasoning (garlic, pepper, salt, etc) on it…. Make sure you taste test before you throw your nice piece of meat in!
Gotta agree with you. Was not good at all. Just some salt and pepper with a little garlic and butter made amuch tastier steak IMO. This had a very strong, almost chemical taste that made it very hard to eat. That being said, I do like the flavor of the cooked meat on it’s own or something with a bit of sweetness to it like a teriyaki or bbq when it comes to marinades. Was expecting something at least edible for something claiming to be “World best steak marinade”.
I have used this on thick pork chops & they were so tender and juicy. Will use over and over.
Love this recipe, I used it to make steak burrito bowls. DELICIOUS!!
YUM!!
Delicious! I bought two Black Angus Chuck Eye steaks and came across this recipe when looking for a marinade. After reading comments, I cut back to 1-2 tbsp of lemon juice (didn’t count, two squirts from my bottle), and since I had to sub ketchup, soy sauce, and white wine vinegar for Worcestershire sauce, I added extra WWV to help tenderize. I also made my own Italian seasoning. It was MAGNIFICENT! I didn’t have to add a thing! The meat is juicy and tender, and better than quite a few steaks I’ve had at local chain restaurants. 10/10!
I wish that I had read the comments before making this, but I’m still optimistic about the tips in the fridge. I had about three pounds of tips and stuck with the recipe but my lemons were a little bit old so not as much as called for, plus I added some juice from a couple of oranges.
Made this following the recipe exactly…did not like it at all! Too much Italian seasoning and needs more acid. Will not make again!
Seriously not the best steak recipe.
I’ll not use it again.
Nervously used this recipe as I wasn’t sure what to expect. The flavour come out absolutely amazing, the only thing I did differently was use coriander instead of parsley and minced garlic & ginger. Definitely recommend it!
Used this a couple times and the flavor is good, but has anyone else had a problem with the marinade solidifying???? I didn’t have a ziplock bag so i marinaded in a metal baking dish and the top layer solidified! Almost like the fat of bacon grease when it first starts to harden!
I’m making this tonight and marinating for a couple hrs. Using top round steaks.
The only think of that comes to mind…did you accidentally add melted butter to the marinade? Butter would solidify. If you didn’t, I really can’t see the other ingredients doing that :/
Follow up:
Looks like olive oil solidifies in the fridge after a bit…hrmmm.
Generally I like nothing on my steak. I used this marinade on steak tips and I’ve gotta say they were the best darn tips I’ve ever had. I’m an experienced cook and this is now my new marinade for tips, these ingredients would also work nicely with chicken, boneless thighs would be my choice
Did not enjoy it at all. It did tenderize Steak.
Finally, a ‘world’s best’ recipe that actually lives up to its title! Best steak marinade I have ever made. I only had time to let the steak sit for an hour, but it was perfectly tender and the smell of the marinade left in the bag was so good – my brother asked me if we really had to pour it out after we were done using it. I doubled this recipe because I had 6 steaks and it was more than enough. Thank you!! I will be saving this recipe forever.
I made it twice, first just as it is posted and it had way too much lemon juice. The second time I made this and substituted orange juice for the lemon juice and I said that’s the ticket! The Orange Juice made it smooth and rich tasting and I omitted the lemon juice.
I wanted to like it but it almost felt like i ruined a good piece of meat. I think there is a little too much lemon juice in the marinade. It almost tasted acidic.
This is my new go to marinade for steaks. Thank you! The Italian seasoning takes it to the next level. ?
This steak marinade is absolutely delicious! I used a thick ribeye steak and marinated it for about 2 hours and used a cast iron skillet to fry it up. Shared it with my sister and she said it was the best steak she ever had!