Make taco night better with this amazing steak taco recipe! Juicy and tender marinated steak, marinated onions and feta cheese added to crispy warm tortillas and topped with a delicious, flavor-packed creamy chimichurri sauce.
If you love tacos, then you need to try my other delicious taco recipes like my chicken tacos.
STEAK TACOS RECIPE
These flavorful steak tacos will take your taco night to a whole new level! The steak is marinated in a simple yet delicious steak marinade, then cooked to perfection, sliced and loaded onto warm tortillas with fresh toppings and a homemade creamy chimichurri sauce. This easy steak taco recipe is a great weeknight dinner or your next taco party!
WHAT YOU NEED-
- Tortillas– You can use either flour or corn tortillas for these tacos! You can also use low-carb tortillas, gluten free tortillas or any other tortillas you prefer.
- Toppings– My go-to toppings for these steak tacos is feta cheese, pickled onions and cilantro! You can use your favorite toppings.
Steak Marinade-
- Steak– The best steak for tacos is skirt steak, flank steak, ribeye or even sirloin steak. For the best cooking times, be sure to use steak that is no thicker than 1 ½ inches thick.
- Oil– Oil is the main ingredient for the steak taco marinade! You want to use olive oil, canola oil, avocado oil or even vegetable oil. For the best results, I recommend that you use olive oil.
- Lime Juice– The kick of lime juice in the marinade helps tenderize the steak and gives a slight kick to the flavors! You can swap lime juice for lemon juice.
- Cilantro– Adding finely chopped fresh cilantro to the steak marinade gives so many flavors to the steak.
- Garlic– You can’t have marinade without freshly minced garlic! For the best results you want to use fresh garlic, but jarred minced garlic will also work.
- Flavors– For the seasonings, this recipe calls for salt, pepper, paprika and cumin. The cumin is the key ingredient to give you delicious and flavorful steak tacos!
Creamy Chimichurri Sauce-
- Cream Base– To make this cream chimichurri sauce, you want to use mayo and sour cream. I like to swap the sour cream out for Greek yogurt.
- Oil– This steak taco sauce calls for olive oil; virgin or extra virgin will work.
- Vinegar– You want to use red wine vinegar for the sauce for the most authentic flavors. You can also swap it for classic white vinegar.
- Greens- For the best results you want to use a mixture of fresh parsley and fresh cilantro. You can also add basil to the mix too.
- Flavor– To season the sauce, you want to use salt, pepper, red pepper flakes and cumin.
HOW TO MAKE STEAK TACOS
This recipe comes together in no time and is great to make ahead of time!
- In a bowl or bag, combine all the ingredients for the steak taco marinade.
- Add the steak to the marinade and fully cover in the marinade. Cover and marinate for at least 30 minutes or up to 24 hours. (The longer the steak marinates, the best the flavors.)
- Prepare homemade creamy chimichurri sauce and store it in the fridge until ready to use. (You can make this 2-3 days ahead of time.)
- When ready to cook the steak, remove it from the fridge and let it sit at room temperature for at least 30 minutes.
- Heat a large skillet on medium high heat until hot. Once the skillet is hot, add the marinated steak to the skillet and cook for 3 minutes per side. (This cooking time is for medium steak, 145°F.)
- Remove from the skillet and let the skillet rest for 5 minutes. Cut the steak against the grain into thin slices. (You can slice or cube the steak, depending on your preference.)
- Warm the tortillas and prepare the desired taco toppings.
- Assemble the tacos; spread some chimichurri sauce over the tortillas, top with sliced steak, marinated onions, feta cheese and fresh cilantro.
- Serve immediately with desired sides.
OTHER COOKING METHODS
There are several ways that you can cook your steak! Here are two other classic ways to cook the steak for these easy steak tacos:
- Air Fryer– Add the marinated steak into the air fryer basket and cook at 400°F for 6-8 minutes, flipping halfway through the cook time. Remove from the basket and let sit for 5 minutes. Then slice and assemble tacos.
- Grill– Preheat the grill on high heat and clean the grates. Once the grill is hot, add the marinated steak and grill for about 4-5 minutes per side, flipping only once. Remove from the grill and rest for 5 minutes, then slice and prepare the tacos.
| For a more detailed guide on cooking the perfect steak, check out my Chipotle steak recipe for a guide on cooking perfect steak no matter how you like your steak. |
TACO TOPPINGS
There are so many different taco toppings that you can use for these authentic steak tacos! Here are some delicious ideas:
- Marinated Onions
- Feta Cheese
- Cilantro
- Pico de Gallo
- Corn Salsa
- Shredded Cheese
- Romaine
- Avocado
- Guacamole
- Onions
- Sauteed Mushrooms
QUESTIONS YOU MIGHT HAVE:
For the best results, I recommend that you use flank steak, skirt steak or ribeye.
You want to make sure you are not overcooking the steak. Depending on how you like the steak, you want to take it out about 5 degrees before, because when it sits it continues to cook. So, if you want medium well steak, which would have an internal temperature of 150-155°F, then you want to remove it from heat when it’s at 145-150°F.
The longer the steak marinates the juicier, tenderized and flavorful the steak will be. For the best results, you want to marinade for at least 6-12 hours. But you can marinate for up to 24 hours!
Yes! This sauce can be made 1-2 days ahead of time. I like to prepare these tacos by making the sauce and marinating the steak at the same time. Then when ready to enjoy these steak tacos, all you have left is to prep the toppings, cook the steak and assemble!
You want to keep all the taco ingredients separate to avoid soggy tacos. Store the leftover steak in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days.
No, you can totally just enjoy this steak as it is with creamy chimichurri sauce! Pair this delicious steak with your favorite sides for a delicious dinner.
OTHER MEXICAN-INSPIRED RECIPES-
Try some other my other delicious and easy Mexican-inspired recipes!
Steak Tacos Recipe
Ingredients
Steak Marinade-
- 1 1/2 lbs flank steak
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- 2 Tbsp lime juice
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- 1 ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp ground black pepper
- 1 tsp cumin
- ½ tsp paprika
- 2 Tbsp fresh cilantro finely chopped
Creamy Chimichurri Sauce-
- 1/4 cup mayo
- 1/3 cup sour cream or greek yogurt
- 2 Tbsp Olive oil
- 1 Tbsp red wine vinegar
- 1/2 cup fresh cilantro finely chopped
- 1/4 cup fresh parsley or basil finely chopped
- 2 fresh garlic cloves minced
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp ground black pepper
- ½ tsp red pepper flakes
- ½ tsp ground cumin
Tacos-
- 6-8 flour or corn tortillas
- marinated onions optional
- freshly chopped cilantro optional
- crumbled feta cheese optional
Instructions
- In a bowl or resealable bag, combine oil, lime juice, minced garlic, salt, pepper, paprika, cumin, and chopped cilantro.
- Add the steak to the marinade, ensuring it’s fully coated in the marinade. Cover and marinate for at least 30 minutes, or up to 24 hours. (If you’re only marinating for 30 minutes, you can leave it covered at room temperature instead.)
- In a bowl, mix the mayo, sour cream, oil, red wine vinegar, cilantro, parsley, minced garlic, salt, pepper, red pepper flakes, and cumin until well combined. (This creamy chimichurri sauce can be made 1-2 days in advance.)
- When ready to cook, remove the steak from the fridge and let it sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes to ensure even cooking.
- Heat a large skillet over medium high heat until hot. Add the marinated steak and cook for 3 minutes per side, or until it reaches your desired doneness.
- Transfer the steak to a cutting board and let it rest for 5 minutes before cutting it. (This is important to lock in the juice.)
- Slice thinly against the grain or cut into small cubes if preferred.
- Warm the tortillas in a dry skillet until soft and slightly charred. Prepare your other desired taco toppings.
- To assemble, spread a spoonful of chimichurri sauce on each tortilla, then top with the sliced steak, marinated onions, crumbled feta cheese, and fresh cilantro.
- Serve immediately with your favorite sides and enjoy!
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