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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.
Just whipped this up, minus a few ingredients. I used what I had. I had lemon juice though and tasted it before I put my meat in. I should’ve just left it out. I added brown sugar and it helped. If it’s good, next time I’m just omitting the lemon juice. Oh, I didn’t have soy sauce. I used sesame oil. We’ll see how it turns out.
Not sure what happened but this was the absolute worst ever. It was so sour I’m assuming from the lemon but even after trying to fix it and make it better it ended up in the trash…uneatable
So based on previous comments I just put about 2 tbsp of lemon juice and it was really good. I will use this again!
Delicious! Wouldn’t change a thing! Seared it on a hot cast iron pan. Making it again for Thanksgiving company on the grill.
Can you use this marinade for chicken
I would try this recipe instead: Absolutely Perfect Chicken Marinade
Can you take the marinate after use and reduce it down with beef broth for a au jus
I haven’t tried that!! Will you let me know if it turns out?
This marinade was truly excellent. Thank you.
Will it be a problem if i don´t add the lemon juice?
I wouldn’t skip this ingredient! It adds flavor but also, the acidity helps to tenderize the meat.
This was delicious! This is be a go to for sure.
Just wondering, can you save and reuse the marinade?
Thanks!
Thank you so much for this incredible recipe. My entire family absolutely loves this marinade, regardless of what meat I put in it. “This is The BEST!, Mmmm So Good!, and Thank You Mom!”, they mumble as they devour everything and fight for more!
That’s some pretty great praise from, typically, hard to please teenagers!
I am wondering if I can put some cuts in the marinade, then freeze the bags for later. Will this work?
Steak marinade was just what I wanted thanks
Delicious!!!!
I use this marinade all the time, I have tried several but this is by far the greatest!!
Can you make the marinade several hours ahead of using it?
Yes, that will work!
Why not make it several hours ahead of time and also add your meat at the same time? The longer you marinade the meat the better is. 🙂
Delicious marinade. Will be using again
I don’t usually comment on the net but this marinade deserves comment… It has become my go-to recipe. Really nice. Thank you for this recipe.
I like to do our steaks on the grill – I start with VERY high heat for about two minutes or so on each side (just long enough for the steak to free itself from the grill) and the turn off the center burner on the grill and finish the steaks over indirect heat. From this point on, I cheat and use a quick-read thermometer to get the internal temp on the steaks to our preference.
Anyhow, if I don’t use your marinade now, my wife is disappointed with the steaks!
I was looking for a marinade recipe and then also saw your instructions For steak in the air fryer. Can I use this recipe and cook it in the air Fryer?
Yes! That will work great!