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Get It NowThis steak bites recipe is the ultimate all-in-one dinner that everyone will love! I’ll show you how to make steak bites with garlic butter, which you can certainly serve on their own (or as a steak appetizer), but I like to make them into a one-pan meal by adding zucchini noodles. The combination is easy, healthy, and simple: garlic butter steak bites with lemon zucchini noodles blend tender pieces of meat with a flavorful veggie pasta, all in one pan.
What Are Steak Bites?
Steak bites are simply bite-sized portions of steak. Just like a full cut of steak, they cook up meaty and juicy, and pair well with an array of veggies.
Why You’ll Love This Garlic Butter Steak Bites Recipe
- Tender, juicy, perfectly seasoned steak
- Lemony zucchini noodles
- Quick and easy
- Healthy one pan dinner
- Ready in less than 30 minutes
Garlic Butter Steak Bites Ingredients
This section explains how to choose the best ingredients for garlic butter steak bites, what each one does in the recipe, and substitution options. For measurements, see the recipe card below.
Ingredients for the garlic steak bites:
- Steak – See below for the best cuts of beef for steak bites.
- Sea Salt & Black Pepper
- Olive Oil – Avocado oil can work, too.
- Butter – Any unsalted variety you keep on hand.
- Garlic – Fresh will taste best, but jarred minced garlic works, too.
Ingredients for the lemon zucchini noodles:
- Zucchini – Get firm, medium-sized zucchini with no nicks or cuts.
- Lemon Juice – Fresh squeezed juice is best, but use bottled if you need to.
- Plus, the butter and garlic from the steak gets used to cook the zoodles as well.
What Cut Of Steak For The Best Steak Bites?
Making tender and juicy garlic butter steak bites starts with great steak! And you have lots of choices:
- Sirloin – Steak bites are usually made from a sirloin steak, and that’s what I used. A nice combination of affordability and tender texture.
- Filet Mignon – More soft and tender with minimal fat, but more expensive. This is my favorite cut, but I much prefer to enjoy a cast iron filet mignon whole.
- New York Strip – A fair amount of marbling keeps this meat perfectly tender. Like filet mignon, I usually prefer to cook a whole New York strip instead of cutting it up for steak bites.
- Ribeye – Very tender due to more marbling, but also a bit more expensive.
TIP: You can also buy cuts of meat labeled as “steak tips”. These are often sirloin and already cut into pieces.
I find that grass-fed beef makes the best steak bites recipe (see my favorite way to source it here), but it’s not required to make this dish.
How To Make Steak Bites
This section shows how to cook steak bites 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.
How to cook steak bites with garlic butter:
- Season. Season steak with salt and pepper.
- Cook. Sear steak for 2-3 minutes on each side, without moving, until browned.
TIP: Avoid turning the steak too much. Let it sit in the pan to develop a golden crust on all sides.
- Add more flavor. Reduce heat and add butter and garlic. Stir to coat the butter garlic steak bites. Transfer to a plate and cover with foil.
TIP: For even more flavor, use compound butter here. You can add it to the pan instead of just butter and garlic.
How to make lemon zucchini noodles:
- Cook. Add zoodles to the remaining garlic butter, season, and saute until crisp tender.
- Add lemon juice. Squeeze it over zucchini noodles and stir to combine.
- Serve. Plate the garlic steak bites recipe with zucchini noodles.
Storage Instructions
- To store: Garlic butter steak bites with lemon zucchini noodles store nicely in the fridge. Cover and store for 2-4 days.
- To meal prep: To prep this dish ahead, spiralize the zucchini and store in a covered container. You can also cut steak into bite-sized pieces ahead of time, but avoid storing for longer than a day or two as it may start to brown.
- To reheat: Drain excess liquid from the zucchini, then reheat this dish in hot skillet, until warm. I recommend adding a bit more butter when reheating, as you’ll lose some when you drain it.
- To freeze: You can freeze steak bites easily! Wrap tightly and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before serving. Avoid freezing zucchini noodles, as they will get too mushy.
What To Serve With Steak Bites
These garlic and butter steak bites come with zucchini noodles, but here are some other options you might enjoy!
Sides:
- Radishes – Tastes like potatoes, especially smothered in garlic butter!
- Mushrooms – Garlic butter steak bites with mushrooms make the perfect savory combo.
- Asparagus – Easy and tender.
- Rutabagas – Another tender veggie side that tastes like roasted potatoes.
- Broccoli – Absorbs lots of garlicky, buttery flavor!
Dipping Sauces:
- Lemon Garlic Aioli – Tangy, creamy, and simple.
- Blue Cheese Dressing – A classic pairing with steak.
- Pesto Sauce – An easy sauce if you want to skip the creamy ones.
- Chimichurri – Loaded with fresh herbs!
More Easy Steak Recipes
Now that you know how to make tender steak bites, try these other simple steak dishes!
Tools To Make Garlic Butter Steak Bites
- Cast Iron Skillet – Creates a golden crust and tender meat.
- Tongs – Convenient for turning zoodles when they are nearly overflowing in the beginning. These are heat resistant, so they stand up to the high temps from your skillet.
Garlic Butter Steak Bites Recipe
Garlic Butter Steak Bites With Lemon Zucchini Noodles
This garlic butter steak bites recipe + lemon zucchini noodles is a delicious one pan dinner! Learn how to make steak bites with garlic butter in just 25 minutes.
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Ingredients
Tap underlined ingredients to see where to get them. Please turn Safari reader mode OFF to view ingredients.
Instructions
Tap on the times in the instructions below to start a kitchen timer while you cook.
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Season steak bites all over with 1 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.
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In a 12-inch cast iron skillet over medium-high heat, heat the olive oil. Add the steak bites in a single layer. Sear for about 2-3 minutes per side, without moving bites around, until browned.
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Reduce heat to medium. Add the butter and garlic. Let the butter melt, then stir to coat the steak bites in garlic butter.
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Use tongs to transfer the steak bites to a plate, leaving the garlic and butter behind in the pan, and cover the meat with foil to keep warm.
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Add the zucchini noodles to the pan with the butter and garlic. Season with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Saute, stirring occasionally with tongs, for 3-4 minutes, until crisp tender.
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Pour the lemon juice over the zoodles and stir to combine.
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Serve steak bites over zoodles.
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Recipe Notes
Serving size: 6 steak bites + 1 cup zucchini noodles
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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31 Comments
Brenda
0How can I make the steak more tender?
Wholesome Yum D
0Hi Brenda, What cut of steak did you use to make the steak bites? This can make a big difference in the tenderness of your steak.
Denice
0What is the sugar?
Wholesome Yum D
0Hi Denice, This is naturally occurring sugar in the zucchini and lemons.
Priscilla Johnson
0Love this and your positive attitude
Kari D Wagner
0I would love to try this, but I can’t even print the recipe. Seems like you have to join something to actually get your recipes!
Wholesome Yum D
0Hi Kari, No need to join to be able to print recipes. You can find the print button right under the video on the recipe card.
Vanessa
0Lovely. Simple and quick, one pan meal, delicious.
Kaylene
0Can you tell me what the sodium would be?
Wholesome Yum D
0Hi Kaylene, Nutrition facts are provided as a courtesy and I currently do not provide the sodium content. You would have to look that up in the USDA Food Database.
Brenda
0We’ve made this twice, and our friends are wanting the recipe 😋
Debra Mansberry
0How do you make the zucchini noodles?
Wholesome Yum D
0Hi Debra, Here is a post on how to make zucchini noodles.
Tracey
0This recipe looks incredible! My question to you is that I don’t have an iron frying pan but would a stainless steel frying pan work just as well? And what difference does it make taste-wise? Thanks!
Wholesome Yum D
0Hi Tracey, Yes, you can use a stainless steel pan. Cast iron pans get very hot and allow for better searing of meat but you can still make the recipe without it.
Kimberly
0Can you use frozen zucchini spirals
Wholesome Yum M
0Hi Kimberly, Yes that will work just fine. Enjoy!
Heidy
0This garlic butter steak bites recipe and lemon zucchini noodles recipe were off-the-chain tasting. The recipe came out perfect. I made sure I followed the instructions and tips and was glad I did. Great recipe!!
Ramona
0This garlic butter steak bites look perfectly made and super delicious! I love the different flavour combinations. Thank you for sharing this recipe, i cant wait to make this!
Marisa Franca
0Made the entire recipe last night — including the zoodles. Hubby was thrilled and so was I. The garlic and butter flavored the steak beautifully and the lemon brought out the fresh taste of the zucchini. Great recipes.
Debbie
0This Garlic butter steak bites is the perfect easy meal everyone needs in their recipe box. The zoodles are the perfect compliment to this dish. My whole family devoured this wonderful meal, thanks for the recipe .
Farrukh Aziz
0Low carb, perfect, and exquisite! I love steak, and this was a superb recipe! Thanks for sharing such an amazing recipe!
Cathleen
0I am actually drooling over these!! Steak in any style will always get me excited, so I know I will go crazy over this recipe. Bookmarked for later, thanks so much!!
Anaiah
0This was delicious and perfect for a low carb dinner. The steak was so flavorful and the zoodles paired perfectly. Definitely making these again!
Sharon
0This is a simple meal that is perfect for summer. The garlic butter takes this dish to a whole new level.
Chef Dennis
0Hmm yum! This is making me really hungry now! I will definitely make this at home. Just need to go shopping for ingredients.
Liz
0I have cuts of steak thawing as I type this up, and a new recipe to try for tonight!
Lauren Michael Harris
0Garlic butter steak bites are one of my go-to recipes when I don’t plan out my meals since I always have everything on had. Great idea to pair them with zoodles – yum!
Gloria
0This sounds like an easy weeknight meal. My family loves zucchini noodles. The perfect pairing for this steak. A nice healthy meal.
Sharon Harms
0Looks like a great recipe. I want to try it, but how do I make the zucchini noodles?
Wholesome Yum M
0Hi Sharon, Check out my guide on how to make zucchini noodles here. They can be purchased frozen, though the texture is worse than fresh. You can make your own fresh ones using a spiralizer.