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Get ready for the ultimate dinner experience! This easy steak marinade recipe guarantees tender and juicy steak every time. And, you can use it with any cooking method you like — stovetop, oven, grill, or even air fryer.
There are many ways to make marinades for steak, but this simple balsamic version is my favorite. It’s the best steak marinade for maximum flavor and minimum effort. Pair your marinated beef with roasted broccolini, buttery sauteed mushrooms, and quick Instant Pot baked potatoes for the ultimate meal, from weeknight dinners to special occasions.
Ingredients & Substitutions
This section explains how to choose the best steak marinade ingredients, what each one does in the recipe, and substitution options. For measurements, see the recipe card below.
- Coconut Aminos Or Soy Sauce – Adds umami flavor and balances out the acidity of the vinegar. Coconut aminos is my favorite soy sauce substitute, but you could use regular soy sauce or low-sodium soy sauce if it fits your lifestyle.
- Olive Oil – Oil is a must to lock in moisture. Avocado oil would also work, or use any neutral oil you prefer.
- Balsamic Vinegar – Acidic ingredients are key in steak marinades, because they tenderize the meat. I like the slight sweetness from balsamic, but you can also try using red wine vinegar, lemon juice, lime juice, or apple cider vinegar. If you’re using something that isn’t sweet at all, add a few tablespoons of Worcestershire sauce to balance the flavors.
- Italian Seasoning – I used my own homemade Italian seasoning (it takes just 5 minutes), but you can use store bought. You can also swap in dried herbs on their own instead, such as rosemary, thyme, oregano, parsley, or basil.
- Spices – You will need garlic powder, sea salt, and black pepper. If you have fresh garlic, you can substitute 2 cloves (or more!) of fresh minced garlic in this marinade for steak, instead of the garlic powder. You can also add 1/2 teaspoon of onion powder if you like.
How To Marinate Steak
This section shows how to make steak marinade and use it for marinating steak, with step-by-step photos and details about the technique, to help you visualize it. For full instructions, including amounts and temperatures, see the recipe card below.
- Whisk together the steak marinade. Combine all ingredients together in a small bowl with a whisk.
- Marinate the steaks. Pour the marinade into a gallon zip lock bag (alternatively, you can use a larger bowl and just marinate directly in it). Add the steaks, seal the bag, and move them around to coat well. Marinate in the refrigerator.
- Cook your steak. Use your favorite cooking method! This steak marinade recipe works for sirloin steak made in a cast iron skillet, for grilled steak, or even air fryer steak.
Tips For The Best Steak Marinade
Although steak marinade recipes are super easy to make, I have some tips for the juiciest steaks:
- A steak marinade should always include oil, an acidic ingredient (such as lemon juice or vinegar), seasonings, and salt. The salt and acid are key to tenderizing the meat, the oil locks in moisture, and the seasonings add flavor. See more ideas for steak marinade recipes using these components below!
- The optimal marinating time is between 3 and 12 hours. This allows enough time for the flavors and acids in the marinade to penetrate the surface of the meat and tenderize it, without breaking down the texture too much. Marinating for longer than 24 hours can result in a mushy texture.
- Refrigerate while marinating. For food safety, keep your steak in the fridge while marinating.
- Bring the steak to room temperature before cooking. Bringing the steak to room temperature before cooking allows it to cook more evenly and helps to prevent overcooking. Cold meat takes longer to cook in the center, which can result in uneven doneness and a dry exterior.
- Don’t freeze steak in marinade. Even if it’s frozen, keeping steak in marinade for more than 24 hours will make it mushy.
More Steak Marinade Recipes
Looking to switch up your steak marinade game? From spicy and tangy to sweet and savory, these marinades will take your steak to the next level.
- Chimichurri – For an Argentinian marinade for steak, use 1/3 to 1/2 cup of chimichurri sauce per pound of steak.
- Montreal – Instead of using Italian seasoning for this recipe, use 1 teaspoon Montreal steak seasoning instead. Follow the same instructions to marinate.
- Fajita – Follow my recipe for sheet pan fajitas (which uses a combination of oil, lime juice, and fajita seasoning). Just marinate the steak instead of cooking right away.
- Teriyaki – For a sweet and savory flavor, marinate your steak in teriyaki sauce! You can also add extra minced garlic and extra ginger. Mix well, then add the marinade for steak to a bowl or resealable bag, making sure the meat is fully coated.
- Lime – Follow the steak marinade recipe in my tutorial for cooking flank steak (but you can use the marinade for other types of steak, too).
Steak Recipes To Use Steak Marinade
My favorite cut of beef to use with this marinade is a sirloin steak, but you can use it on just about any steak you choose. It’s particularly great for tougher cuts of beef, such as flank steak or skirt steak. Here are some more steak recipes to try with it:
Recommended Tools
- Cast Iron Skillet – I love to use the sear and oven method for steaks. This is the best pan to go from stove to oven and perfect for steaks.
- Meat Thermometer – So helpful to ensure you are cooking meat to the proper and desired temperature. I love this one because you can set the temperature that you want the meat to reach and it will go off when it’s hit that temp. No more overcooked meat!
The Best Steak Marinade Recipe
Steak Marinade Recipe (5 Ingredients)
Made the best marinade for steak with just 5 ingredients! This easy steak marinade recipe make tenders, juicy and flavorful steak every time.
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Ingredients
Tap underlined ingredients to see where to get them. Please turn Safari reader mode OFF to view ingredients.
Balsamic steak marinade:
Steaks to use with steak marinade:
Instructions
Tap on the times in the instructions below to start a kitchen timer while you cook.
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Whisk together all marinade ingredients in a small bowl.
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Pour the marinade into a gallon zip lock freezer bag. Add the steaks, seal the bag, and move them around to coat well.
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Marinate for at least 3 hours, but no more than 24 hours. (More may result in mushy meat.)
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Cook sirloin steaks as desired in a cast iron skillet, or cook steaks in the oven like this.
Last Step: Leave A Rating!
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Recipe Notes
Serving size: 1 steak (8 oz)
Nutrition facts are provided as a courtesy. Have questions about calculations or why you got a different result? Please see our nutrition policy.
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40 Comments
Lori
0Why Coconut Aminos instead of soy sauce?
Wholesome Yum D
0Hi Lori, I don’t use soy sauce and you can read why here.
Bartosz
0Do you pat the steak dry with a paper towel before cooking/frying (after removing it from the marinade)?
Wholesome Yum D
0Hi, No need to do that.
Rachel
0This marinade is delicious!!!!!!!! Best steak I’ve ever had!!!!!
Mary
0What can I use instead of coconut amino acids
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Mary, Coconut aminos is a soy sauce substitute, so either actual soy sauce or other soy sauce substitutes would work.
Dennis
0Could this be used on Pork?
Wholesome Yum D
0Hi Dennis, Yes, that should work!
Dona
0I am controlling my diabetes with diet and no Rx’s with your help! I love this recipe and many more. And I love your Keto coffee syrup.
Thank you for helping me eat healthy.
Veti
0Hi, how do I cook them in a skillet?
Wholesome Yum D
0Hi Veti, I don’t have a recipe for cooking a steak in a skillet.
Dennis
0Could you simar this recipe with some xanthan gum to thinking to make steak sauce?
Wholesome Yum D
0Hi Dennis, I have never tried this so I can’t say for sure if this would work.
Craig McDaniel
0Why does the 5-ingredient marinade have 7 ingredients?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Craig, Salt and pepper are not included in ingredient counts by convention. It’s a very easy marinade.
Robin
0This marinade sounds delicious. However, balsamic vinegar has a lot of carbs, for those of us on 20g or less per day. Is there a reasonable substitute, like white or wine vinegar? I know the taste will be different. I’ve been looking for a super low carb marinade. Thx!
Wholesome Yum D
0Hi Robin, This marinade recipe makes 4 servings, and because it is just a marinade you will not be consuming all of the balsamic vinegar. But feel free to substitute if you do not want to use it.
Julie
0This is the first review I have ever done on a recipe. It was soooo wonderful!!! Followed the instructions exactly as written and it was perfect. Thank you for your wonderful recipe. To anyone that doesn’t have coconut aminos, don’t make it until you find it. It adds a wonderful flavor that totally makes the difference.
Christine
0I dont do very well cooking cheaper cuts of meat, turn out like shoe leather, but with meat prices rising, I had to resort to buying sirloin. Bought 2 large sirloin steaks for the grill, butcher suggested marinating them to make them tender. I used this recipe for the marinade, wow, blown away at how well it tenderized the meat and flavor was fabulous, thank you!
Hilary Graham
0Hi! Thanks for this recipe!
I have a drawer full of spices, but I don’t buy spice blends, so when I see 1 tsp Italian seasoning, I either just move on to a different recipe or I google Italian seasoning and then do the math to figure out how much oregano, thyme etc. I don’t know if this is an issue for others, but I’d appreciate it if you printed the quantities of specific spices. Thanks! Hilary
Agnes King
0Thanks for the recipes
BONNIE
0This marinade is perfect for steak! I tried it last night on a rib eye steak. So delicious!
Jeff Sample
0At the top of the article it says 5 minutes and just 5 easy ingredients that I probably have in my kitchen already. The recipe card at the bottom lists 7 ingredients (5 of which I do have) so can I just leave out the coconut aminos and italian seasoning? I assume it is really about the vinegar to tenderize and oil coat with salt, pepper and garlic powder for flavor.
Wholesome Yum M
0Hi Jeff, I generally don’t count pantry mainstays in ingredient count. In this case, it’s the salt and pepper. The coconut aminos and Italian seasoning lend a lot of flavors to this marinade, I don’t recommend skipping them.
Brenda
0Can I use soy sauce in the place of the coconut amino?
Wholesome Yum M
0Hi Brenda, Yes. As long as you don’t have any issues with gluten, soy sauce works great.
Laurie Bean
0This was the best steak marinade I have ever used. So easy and absolutely delicious. Love all your recipes. Thanks so much.
Barbara Befort
0How important is the coconut aminos? I’m from a small town and can’t find it our grocery store.
Wholesome Yum M
0Hi Barbara, Coconut aminos is a gluten-free and soy-free alternative to soy sauce. It provides a lot of flavor in dishes and would be noticeable to skip that ingredient. Coconut aminos can be found online here.
Jan
0Trader Joes Sells Organic Coconut Aminos Seasoning for $2.99 a bottle. If you have a Trader Joe’s store or online.
Breanna
0Are these nutrient facts for just the marinade or the marinade plus steak?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Breanna, The nutrition info includes the steak. I thought that was more useful than just the marinade by itself.
Emily
0Love this marinade. I’ve been missing the taste of balsamic vinegar since I’ve been doing low carb. So happy to find a recipe with the same taste but none of the carbs.
Chrissy
0Love this easy recipe! I usually do some sauteed mushrooms with my steak, but wanted something a little different. Had coconut aminos that I hadn’t got around to using yet so tried this. Super good. Love the balsamic flavor combo with the meat.
Lisa
0mmmm I’m always looking for an amazing steak marinade and this one was phenomenal!! It does help that I absolutely love balsamic. Either way, I will definitely have this again! 🙂
Julie Menghini
0This is brilliant! Balsamic is perfect for steak.
Nellie Tracy
0Such a great marinade! Makes for a great dinner!!
Sara Welch
0This was super easy and quick to prepare! Perfect for busy weeknights! Can’t wait for dinner tonight!
Geoffrey
0Marinades are what make the meat, in my opinion. I love marinades and dressing with balsamic vinegar, so definitely loved this recipe. Thanks