Shop
My
Custom
FREE 5-Ingredient Recipe EBook
GET IT NOWGet 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.
Why You’ll Love This Easy Steak Marinade Recipe
- Robust, savory flavors
- Juicy, tender steak
- Just 5 common pantry ingredients
- Quick to make
- Perfect marinade for a top sirloin steak recipe… but you can also use it for chicken, fish, or veggies
Ingredients & Substitutions
Here I explain the best steak marinade ingredients, what each one does in the recipe, and substitution options. For measurements, see the recipe card.
- 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 with amounts and temperatures, see the recipe card.
- 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 fry 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 or sirloin steak tips appetizers, but you can use it on just about any steak you like. It’s particularly great for tougher cuts of beef, such as flank steak or skirt steak. Here are more of my 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!
Steak Marinade Recipe (5 Ingredients)
By
Made the best marinade for steak with just 5 ingredients! This easy steak marinade recipe make tenders, juicy and flavorful steak every time.
Ingredients
[ See substitutions ]Tap underlined ingredients to see the ones I use.
Balsamic steak marinade:
Steaks to use with steak marinade:
Instructions
[ See step photos See my tips ]Tap on the times in the instructions to start a kitchen timer.
-
Whisk together all marinade ingredients in a small bowl.
-
Pour the marinade into a gallon zip lock freezer bag. Add the steaks, seal the bag, and move them around to coat well.
-
Marinate for at least 3 hours, but no more than 24 hours. (More may result in mushy meat.)
-
Cook sirloin steaks as desired in a cast iron skillet, or cook steaks in the oven like this.
Did you make it? Leave a review or tag me @wholesomeyum on Instagram!
Maya’s Recipe Notes
Serving size: 1 steak (8 oz)
I provide nutrition facts as a courtesy. Have questions about calculations or why you got a different result? Please see my nutrition policy.
Add Your Notes Your Notes
Try More Of My Recipes
© Copyright Maya Krampf for Wholesome Yum. Please DO NOT SCREENSHOT OR COPY/PASTE recipes to social media or websites. We’d LOVE for you to share a link with photo instead.
The Best Steak Marinade Recipe
99 Comments
John Davies
1This is a fantastic marinade. I used 1 Tbs each of the coconut aminos liquid and thick bbq aminos, olive oil and balsamic vinegar and 1 small crushed garlic clove as I didn’t have garlic powder. The meat was 2 Oyster Blade steaks, approximately 150g each. Griddle pan fried over medium high heat 4 minutes a side for medium rare. Rested the steaks 5 minutes before serving. Absolutely delicious. Nice and tender with a wonderful flavour. Thank you.
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0I’m so glad you liked it, John! Thank you for sharing your variation and how you cooked your steaks. Sounds perfect!
Brenda
0How long do I cook these steaks in cast iron skillet
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Brenda, You can follow my sirloin steak recipe for cooking the steaks.
jennifer h
0Tried it for the first time tonight on sirloin steak and WOW it’s amazing! It will be my go to moving forward no doubt about it! Thank you!
Wholesome Yum D
0I love hearing that, Jennifer! I’m so glad you tried it on sirloin steak and that it was such a hit. It means so much to know it’s earned a spot as your new go-to.
Laurie Loredo
0Delicious! I made this for my boyfriend’s birthday dinner last night (a working weeknight for me) using Braggs Liquid Aminos I already had in the fridge. Marinated the 1.5 inch thick sirloin for 3 hours, it was just the right amount of flavor for the steaks.
Wholesome Yum D
0Laurie, that sounds like such a great birthday dinner! So glad it turned out delicious for you both!
Michal Shalon
0I’m allergic to coconut and soy (which isn’t in this recipe but anticipated you might suggest it as a substitution for aminos). Do you have any suggestions? I can’t do anything that is super high in glutamate or red wine as they give me migraines.
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Michal, It would be a bit different but you can use additional balsamic vinegar and add a splash of soy-free Worcestershire sauce, if you can find that.
Linda Schilreff
0How long do you cook the sirloin steak in the oven after you have seared on stove top?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Linda, Just follow my sirloin steak recipe for detailed instructions. Hope you love it!
Linda Rice
0Marinade for top sirloin steaks, was easy to make. Oh, what a difference the taste was with the marinade. I “was” just a salt, pepper and garlic on our steaks, all I can say is Ooh, Lala!
Wholesome Yum D
0That marinade magic sounds amazing, Linda! It’s such a fun upgrade from the usual salt, pepper, and garlic. Ooh, la la is right! lol
Brittany
0This is my favorite marinade for sirloin I’ve ever had. I made it a lot like every week 5 years ago when I first found it… making it tonight for a friend who’s doing weight watchers and was so excited to have found the actual recipe website again because I realized I’ve been forgetting the garlic the last several times! I will never stop coming back to this one!
Wholesome Yum D
0I’m so glad you found it again, Brittany! That means so much to hear and I love that it’s been a favorite for so long. Hope your friend enjoys it too, and yay for remembering the garlic this time!
Peter Dmytrasz
0I found the berry marinade & sauce item to be a very interesting article, Many thanks. I haven’t seen any sites specific to the haskap (honeysuckle) berries. As such I was wondering what acidity level they contain? I’m certain it would differ by variety. However they’re both sweet and tart/tangy, so there has to be a significant acid component. I’ve marinated with tart cherry juice, pomegranate juice and have heard of Saskatoon berry marinades. I still have some berries left and would like to try it in a chicken, pork, beef or game marinade. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Many thanks in advance. P.D. Mississauga ON Canada
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Peter, I’m sorry, I’m not very familiar with that type of berries so don’t have advice on this. Maybe other readers can chime in if they’ve experimented with this!
Janet Dix
0The marinade was delicious. I added fresh chopped parsley and substituted dried basil for the Italian seasonings. I Pan fried the boneless top sirloins for 7 minutes on first side, turned them over, and after 2 minutes turned off the heat and let them rest in the pan for a few minutes which resulted in a perfect Med-Rare, delicious steak!
Wholesome Yum D
0Thanks for sharing that, Janet! Fresh parsley and dried basil sound like a great touch. And your cooking method sounds spot on for the perfect medium-rare!
TDHofstetter
0How do you figure that the oil would “lock in moisture” when that very moisture is water, which will be expanding violently in reaction to the heat and much of it will boil? Do you understand how much pressure is generated when you try to constrain steam at boiling temperature? Do you understand how a steam locomotive works?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
2Hi there, Oil locks in moisture because it acts as a barrier from moisture loss during the cooking process, both inside and outside the steak. My specialty is cooking, not steam locomotives, but yes, I know how those work. That is too say, differently from cooking a marinated steak. 😉
Brianna
0I used this recipe for a couple of top round and sirloin tip steaks that require a marinade due to their leaness, and this marinade made them flavored them perfectly, creating a moutwatering, flavorful steak!
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0I’m so glad to hear that, Brianna! This marinade is perfect for those. Enjoy!
KAREN D
0Ever since I used this marinade recipe, it’s the only one I use.
I may substitute the Italian seasoning for another seasoning, but the base will stay the same.
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Thank you so much, Karen! I’m honored that my recipe is the only one you use. 🥰 Feel free to customize the seasonings!
Naomi
0It was too sweet for me. I believe it was due to the coconut aminos.
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Naomi, I don’t notice a lot of sweetness when I make this, it’s very subtle. It could be a matter of taste, but did you by chance use coconut aminos with added sugar? Some brands are too sweet with sugar added.
Lynn
0Hi! I don’t have coconut aminos for this steak marinade recipe, will soy sauce work? Will the flavor be much different?
I know the sodium content is much higher with soy sauce.
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Lynn, Yes, soy sauce will work, it just has no sweetness to it unlike coconut aminos. You could add a tablespoon of honey to compensate for that part. I do recommend low or reduced sodium soy sauce, or you could try just reducing the amount of salt but I have not tried this to confirm by how much. Hope this helps!
Carrie
0This is such a great tasting marinade! I’ve made it many times over- usually on flank steak but I’ve no doubt it would taste great on anything. Thanks so much for sharing!
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Thank you, Carrie! I’m so glad you like it. It’s great for flank steak.
Susan Gann
0Delicious!!! So easy! I grilled it and was very pleased.
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0I’m so glad you liked it, Susan! Thank you.
Candye
0Absolutely delicious! Will make this again. Thank you!
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Thank you, Candye! Enjoy!
Shelly
0The 2 people I grilled steaks for using this marinade, raved about it. It was my first time ever grilling steaks. I thank you for the success in the recipe. I had a less expensive cut, skirt steak, marinaded it for 3 hours and it came out juicy.
KAREN D
0Ever since I used this marinade recipe, it’s the only one I use.
I may substitute the Italian seasoning for another seasoning, but the base will stay the same.
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Thank you so much, Shelly! I’m so glad you liked this steak marinade.
Jules
0Hey! I’m curious to know if you have an idea of estimate on how much of the marinade will actually get absorbed and therefore should be included in my nutrition calculation for my steak. I know not all of it will and I thought I’d see if you had an idea to help me calculate more accurately. Thanks so much!!!
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Jules, It can vary but for marinades I usually estimate about 1/3 absorbed. The marinade makes a little over 1/2 cup, so if you wanted to be sure you could measure how much is left after you remove the steaks.