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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.
Great marinade! Only note I have is to not add salt as the soy sauce has enough salt. Tastes best on bbq grill.
Delish! Delish! Delish! I have never made a steak before, but decided to buy one and try. Found this marinade and had my 17yo son put it all together while I was at work and put the steak in it. Then when I got home from work I cooked our steak in a pan, WOW!!! Everyone in the house raived about how great the steak & marinade was. Told me to keep this recipe and make it again. Thank you for sharing your recipe for everyone to enjoy.
KG
Loved this recipe, right up until you ruined the steak with “Mine took about 10 minutes flipping 3 times to get a medium-well” 🙁
-While it’s only a matter of opinion that a steak shouldn’t be cooked beyond medium, it’s certainly a matter of fact that you should flip only once, or you toughen the meat.
Lots of great info in this though, thanks for sharing.
Everyone loved this marinade on some very nice ribeyes, medium/well. Cooked in the airfryer 400degrees for 15 minutes, flipping once in-between. Turned out perfect. Had everything on hand, you don’t need A1 for more flavor. Will keep this recipe close by. Thank-you,
JW
My new favorite steak marinade. The whole family loves it. I top it was Kerrygold Herb and Garlic butter and it’s perfection. Don’t cook your steak to medium well though 😉
Delicious! Better than a steakhouse and much cheaper!!! I added the lemon zest to the marinade as well. Definitely making this again!
Just put this together…the marinade tastes delicious…I’ll let you know.
I would like to know if you could refridgerate the marinade and how long it will keep there .
Yes, you can marinate your steak for about 24 hours long.
I love it. Followed the recipe exactly, and got rave reviews. Marinaded for about 6 hours. Delightful. Will definitely be doing this one again.
Amazing recipe, used this so many times now and leave any steak so tender and perfect. Thanks for sharing!
This is hands down my husband’s favorite marinade and his favorite way I cook steak. He requests it for ALL special occasions when I ask him what he wants! I’ve been a vegetarian most of my life and this recipe is super easy to follow and get right every time (as a vegetarian I don’t taste the meat as I cook along the way as I would vegetables so that is very important!). Thank you so much for sharing it!!!
Can I sub the soy sauce for something else?
You can use teriyaki sauce or hoisin sauce.
Wonderfuly tender steak. Not just tasty but eye appealing
I have used this recipe more times than I can count! At first I just did the two hours but then I started doing it overnight and letting them marinate for around 24 hours and OH MY GOSH it’s the most amazing thing I’ve ever cooked myself! My boyfriend now begs me to cook him this every time he comes over and I can proudly tell anyone I know how to make an amazing steak! I add way more garlic than needed because I personally have an addiction to garlic but other than that the recipe is absolutely perfect
Wow… it’s looks absolutely delicious!!!! This is brilliant. Thank you for your post.
Soooo the flavor was amazing!!!!! I usually marinate my steaks in a marinade bag and grill them and they are incredible. My son has never really liked steak so I figured I would try something different. I followed directions perfectly and had an incredibly savory but very chewy and dry in the middle steak. I would use the marinade again but grill them. In defense to this recipe maybe I got a bad cut of meat.