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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.
The recipe is great – but it is measure for measure, word for word identical to the marinade recipe in the BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation – the government owned service similar to the PBS) food website. I think you should acknowledge your sources. Currently you are plagiarising someone else’s work and claiming it as your own.
Good for you! I’m a teacher of English and I’m having a hard time getting my students to understand that the ideas of others, and the work of others, does NOT belong to them! Did she ever say how she came across this recipe?
Anyway, thanks for keeping us all honest!!
From what I found online, the BBC recipe was posted by a user in 2023. This recipe has been posted on this website since 2018… so, to me, it looks like you got it backwards.
The chances two people came up with the same recipe is not that far fetched. It’s a simple recipe. Get a life.
Right!!! It’s a recipe not a dissertation! I appreciate how easy it is to find!!
Tried with some flap steak and it came out amazingly. Only had time to marinate it for 90 min but the flavors were still abundant. Thank you!!
Of course! I’m so happy you liked it!
Very flavorful
You mentioned that the oil should be shimmering before you add the steaks but in the video I don’t see any. Help!
Sounds delicious. can’t wait to prepare
I marinated for about 3 hours. 6 hours or overnight is better. I made as directed but added a tablespoon of white miso. The miso took it over the top. Really delicious!!
Miso is an amazing addition! Thanks for giving this recipe a try!
Wow! Excellent! I had to use restraint not to eat the last bit of my shish-ka-bob I saved for my morning omelet.
Great marinade. Thank you
Wow… had some friends over and we grilled Rib Eyes. Used the recipe for the marinade and let it sit for 5 hours before grilling these tasty treats. Everyone enjoyed the flavor and gave positive feedback. I will be using this recipe again!
This marinade is fantastic. Marinated two sirloin steaks for three hours and they came out so tasty. Will use this as my go-to marinade from now on!
Marinaded 2 ribeyes for about 2 hours. I did pound steaks before. Delish. The marinade reduction was awesome. Going to try on some boneless chicken.
I only marinated my steaks for 2 hours and it definitely was not enough! Next time marinade it overnight and see if it’s any better. Just was not much flavor even with all the ingredients.
This marinade was excellent. The steak was so tender and juicy. This will definitely be my go to recipe.
Did not tenderize the steaks at all, and it tasted terrible. Sorry
I marinated it for 6 hours It didn’t taste great. It was very salty.
Simple and very good. I boiled the marinade while the steaks cooked and offered on the side. I loved it on top of the steaks and everyone loved the steaks as is.
This marinade is SOOO delicious! I only added in 2tbsp of lemon juice and about 2 teaspoons of Italian seasoning after reading the comments. It was divine!
We just la la love it!! Gonna be my go to!!