This website may contain affiliate links and advertising so that we can provide recipes to you. Read my disclosure policy.
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.
Pin this now to find it later
Pin It
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.
I was surprised to find this recipe because it’s very close to what I have evolved myself. I use apple cider vinegar not lemon juice and rosemary not Italian seasoning. I also use 6-8 large garlic cloves. This combo does a great job on sirloin, flank and skirt. I don’t marinade ribeyes ?
Can you grill the steaks with this marinade?
Yes!
The marinade has too much lemon. My ribeye steaks tasted very acidic. If you like a steak to taste like lemon then this is the marinade for you. Very disappointed.
Making the marinade for sirloin and had so much leftover going to try it with chicken. Look forward to trying!
That’s a great idea! Let me know how it turns out for you! You can also try this for next time: Absolutely Perfect Chicken Marinade
This is a good marinade for lesser cuts but you shouldn’t use any marinade for cuts like a rib eye.
Agree I used the marinade on ribeye steak and it did not taste good. There was too much acidic taste. Mess my meal up.
My family, me as well, are pretty spoiled because we are use to marinated steak tips from Butcher Boy, a place in N. Andover, MA but we are too far away to get them anymore. I have been searching for a very long time for a substitute but I keep falling short.
I made this for the (picky) family last night, they all love it. Finally, I found a marinate we all agree on. This is not the same as we use to get but we all agreed it was great.
Thank you,
Ray and Family
Ah, I’m so glad that you loved it. This is a favorite at our house for sure.
I made this marinade just this week. I substituted the lemon juice with Orange Juice because my bottle lemon juice was old haha. But it was delicious ? this marinade gave the London broil so much flavor no one used any topping on the London broil! Wasn’t needed!
Since I started using your marinade I refuse to cook a steak any other way. I remember my father saying if a steak is properly prepared you do not need A1 sauce , it was not until I prepared a steak with your marinade that made me understand exactly what my father meant.
Thank you for sharing your delicious recipe.
Ran across this and tried with some thick ribeyes. Marinated overnight then smoked on a grill with apple chips for a reverse sear in a cast iron pan. Came out fantastic. Trick is a thermometer to get the internal temp correct as pointed out in the recipe. Your steak will always be correct if you use one. Again, fantastic marinade.
Your marinade sound great but why doesn’t any but tell you what thickness the steaks are before you start cooking them. You can buy steaks up to 2″ thick, but a lot of stores sell them 1/2″ – 3/4″ thick. Just don’t know how to adjust the recipe without knowing what you started with.
Hi! You can use this marinade for any steaks, no matter how thick or thin they are.
This marinade makes the world a better place! I suck at steaks but these were exceptionally tender, juicy, and freaking delicious!!!!!
By far the best marinade!!!
We LOVE this marinade at our house!
This is my favorite go-to steak marinade! So far I’ve used it on ribeye and t-bone. I marinade 24 hours and both times, my grilled steaks come out flavorful and tender. Thank you!
Do you still add water in the instant pot? Or being as your adding beef broth to the inner pot, you don’t have to add the water????
Can the Worcestershire be omitted or substituted, I have an allergy but the rest sounds amazing
You can usually substitute it with soy sauce. Since this recipe already calls for soy sauce, you can just use a little bit more.
This was delicious!!!!!! Can you freeze it or do you think the the soy and Worcestershire make the steak salty?
I haven’t tried freezing it. I would probably just make it before I needed it just in case!