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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.
Highly recommend letting sit over night. Was so good my picky eater had seconds!
Hi
Just wondering if you have tried this marinate with Lamb steaks ?
Thanks
D
I haven’t but that sounds delicious!
Can you freeze steaks in this marinade? I’d love to know if anyone has tried it and what the results were.
Hugh, Its still a free country. Paige can say whatever she wants about a diet
Definitely the best marinade out there for rib eye steaks!
Thanks for this recipe. Just had our first home cooked steak as I have been very nervous about buying expensive steaks and having them turn out tough. Marinated Strip loin from Costco (Canada) and they were perfect, melt in your mouth! We will be having them again for sure.
Excellent steak, the best I have ever made. I avoided cooking steak all my life but not any more.
I followed the easy recipe and did marinate our ribeye bone-in steak overnight.
I cooked it inside in an all-clad large pan and it did not take 10 minutes at the end. Rather than another 5 minutes each side I cooked on medium each side after browning for 3 minutes. It was medium rare (about 1.20 m inches thick – 1 big steak) and it was tummy with grilled asparagus and fries. Key Lime gelato for desert which was perfect. Highly recommended (I omitted Worcestershire sauce by the way since I don’t care for it.)
Alyssa, used your recipe as a base (didn’t have worcestershire sauce, for example) and just wanted to thank you for you it, it was fantastic. I did New Yorks on the grill, did 300F for about 4 minutes on each side, and put a pan of veggies (brussels and carrots, also drizzled with the marinade) in there to roast and get smoked — those took 30 minutes because of the minimal liquid, but the results were worth it. Included the specifics here in case any of your readers ask you for the “live grill version” 🙂
Can you use marinade and kangaroo meat ?
Yes! Because of kangaroo meat’s low fat content this marinade would be a great tenderizer! Marinating overnight would be ideal.
this is the best marinade I have ever used and will probably never use anything else. Best Rib Eye steaks ever
Got a ribeye from grocery delivery and never cooked one before. Used this marinade overnight in a Ziploc bag and it turned out delicious!!! Will recommend to everyone, thank you!!
Did yours stay in liquid form? Mine kind of made a paste in certain spots overnight in a ziplock. Fresh everything. Everything according to recipe. Made and fridged at 7pm and 3pm now…
Italian seasoning not dressing right? I have a packet of dry Italian seasoning lol and regular jar of Italian seasoning
Yes, Italian seasoning not dressing.
What would be the max amount of time you would leave the steaks in this marinade? Would overnight and then all day be ok? Thanks!!!
Yes, that would be just the right amount of time. Not exceeding 24 hours would be best.
Stunning marinade. The ribeye was amazing! I will be saving this recipe and keep cooking with this! Thank you
thanks for sharing this great recipe – it was really nice!
I want to use the marinade for dinner tonight, but I don’t have two hours for it tho sit. Will one hour be enough time? I using for NY strip steak
Yes, at least one hour will be great. It won’t have the same tenderness but the flavor will be delicious!