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My Garlic Butter Steak Bites Are Tender & Flavorful In Just 10 Minutes
Steak is one of my favorite meats to cook, so I’ve tested countless steak recipes over the years. And while I cook up whole steaks most often, there are advantages to making these smaller garlic butter steak bites instead:
- Buttery, garlicky flavors – Small pieces readily take on the flavors of sauces. Cause in point: this garlic butter sauce! This steak bites recipe is a lot like my sirloin tips, but with garlic butter instead of chimichurri. Choose these if you’re a fan of garlic and butter!
- Tender, juicy texture – Small pieces are easier to overcook than a whole steak, but these are melt-in-your-mouth juicy if you cook them right. As usual, I’ve got all the tips!
- Quick and easy – Steak bites are much faster than whole steaks, so you can be enjoying them in around 10 minutes! And you only need 5 ingredients (plus salt & pepper).
- Versatile for any occasion – Serve them up as fun, easy little appetizers for holidays or other special days, or turn them into a weeknight dinner by cooking a side in the same sauce (see how I do it with zucchini noodles below).
If you’re like me and always on the go with no time to spend in the kitchen, you’re going to love these garlic butter steak bites. Make them with me!
“Delicious! That garlic butter taste makes these steak bites taste so unbelievably good. Let’s not tell my guy how easy these were, he thinks I’m the greatest cook ever now.”
-Diane
Ingredients & Substitutions
Here I explain the best ingredients for my steak bites recipe with garlic butter, what each one does, and substitution options. For measurements, see the recipe card.
Best Cuts For Steak Bites:
I usually make my steak bites using sirloin steak (as shown here), because it’s a good balance of affordability and tender texture. You can also buy cuts of beef labeled “steak tips”. These are often sirloin steak that’s already cut into pieces for you.
More expensive cuts, like filet mignon, beef tenderloin, New York strip, or ribeye will be even more tender! But I’ll be honest, I have a hard time justifying cutting these up into bites for how pricy they are. Go for it if you want to splurge!
Other Ingredients:
- Olive Oil – My go-to oil for searing. I also rotate it with avocado oil. Both work great!
- Butter – I almost always get unsalted butter, so that I can control the salt in my dishes separately. If you use salted, I recommend reducing the amount of added salt. You could also use my compound butter recipe instead of plain butter for even more flavor.
- Garlic – Fresh garlic cloves always make my best garlic butter steak bites, but if you’re in a rush, 2 teaspoons of jarred minced garlic will do the trick. I get it!
- Fresh Parsley – I add this to the garlic butter sauce for some color and extra flavor. Feel free to use other fresh herbs, such as rosemary or thyme. You can use dried herbs as well, but reduce the amount to 2 teaspoons because they’re more concentrated.
- Sea Salt & Black Pepper
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How To Make Steak Bites
I have step-by-step photos here to help you visualize the recipe. For full instructions with amounts and temperatures, see the recipe card.
- Season the steak. Cut it into bite size pieces (I recommend 1-inch cubes), and pat dry with paper towels. Season all over with salt and pepper.
- Sear on all sides. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, heat the olive oil. Add the steak bites in a single layer. Sear, flipping halfway through, until a browned crust forms on the outside. Be careful to NOT cook them all the way through at this step!
- Make the garlic butter sauce. Reduce heat to low. Add the butter and let it melt. Add the minced garlic and parsley. Saute briefly, stirring to coat the garlic butter steak bites in sauce, until they reach your desired doneness. (See my tips below!) I like to garnish with a sprinkle of fresh parsley.
My Tips For Golden, Juicy Results
- I highly recommend a cast iron skillet. It’s the best way to get that beautiful sear on the outside and a tender, juicy inside. Mine is available on Amazon in different colors (I have the red one), but I just got this yellow one (show in my pictures above) and it just makes me smile. It’s pretty, has good heat retention for even cooking, and the enameled coating is easy to clean.
- Don’t crowd the pan. You want all the steak bites to be touching the pan for nice browning and even cooking. You may need to cook in batches if your pan is not large enough.
- To get that nice brown crust, don’t move them around constantly. I flip them to different sides just every 1-2 minutes.
- If you want the inside to a specific doneness, like medium-rare or medium, use a meat thermometer. In my testing, I found it’s best to add the butter when the inside of the steak pieces is at 110-115 F for rare, 120-125 F for medium rare, 130-135 F for medium, 140-145 F for medium well, or 150-155 F for well done. The internal temp will rise another 10 degrees in the last minute afterward, while cooking steak bites with garlic butter.
- These are fairly easy to overcook, so remove the cooked steak from the pan promptly. Otherwise, the bites will continue to cook from the hot pan. The good news is, since they’re coated in garlic butter sauce, they are still pretty juicy even if you overcook them. But if you want more foolproof ones that are harder to overcook, make my air fryer steak bites instead.
- Don’t forget the sauce at the bottom of the pan. I drizzle it on top when serving, for extra juiciness and flavor — as pictured below!
Garlic Butter Steak Bites (10-Min Recipe)
By
Make my juicy, tender garlic butter steak bites in 10 minutes! This recipe needs just 5 ingredients: steak, butter, garlic, oil, and parsley.
Instructions
[ See step photos See my tips ]Tap on the times in the instructions to start a kitchen timer.
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Pat the steak bites dry with paper towels. Season all over with salt and pepper.
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In a large cast iron skillet over medium-high heat, heat the olive oil. Add the steak bites in a single layer (you may need to cook in batches if your pan is not large enough). Sear for 4-5 minutes total, flipping to different sides every 1-2 minutes, until a browned crust forms on all sides and the internal temperature is 10 degrees F below your desired doneness (see my tips in the post above for details).
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Reduce heat to low. Add the butter and let it melt. Add the minced garlic and parsley. Saute for about 1 minute, stirring occasionally to coat the steak bites in the garlic butter sauce.
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Remove the steak bites with sauce from the pan quickly to prevent overcooking.
Did you make it? Leave a review or tag me @wholesomeyum on Instagram!
Maya’s Recipe Notes
Serving size: ~6 steak bites, or 1/4 of entire recipe
- Tips: Check out my recipe tips above to help you get tender, juicy steak bites with a golden crust.
- Storage: Keep leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3-4 days. I love tossing them into a healthy salad (like my steak salad) for some protein. You can also serve them with fried eggs (for steak and eggs) or tuck them into my Philly cheesesteak casserole.
- Reheat: Heat them in a skillet, until warm. I recommend adding a bit more butter, as you’ll lose some when you store it. They do overcook a bit when you reheat, though.
- Freeze: Wrap tightly in plastic wrap, place in a zip lock bag, and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.
I provide nutrition facts as a courtesy. Have questions about calculations or why you got a different result? Please see my nutrition policy.
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Garlic Butter Steak Bites
Serving Ideas
You can serve these as an app with toothpicks, or turn them into your main course! Here are some of my fave ways to serve them:
- Zucchini Noodles – When I originally published this steak bites recipe in 2021, I made them into a one-pan meal with zucchini noodles — pictured above. If you’re looking for that recipe, you just need to add a couple extra steps. When the steak is done, transfer it to a plate, and cover to keep warm. Add 8 cups of uncooked zoodles to the pan with the garlic butter, season with salt and pepper, and saute for 3-4 minutes, until tender. Mix in 3 tablespoons of lemon juice, and top with your garlic butter steak bites. You can also find this older recipe in my Wholesome Yum App.
- Veggies – My roasted asparagus (or faster air fryer asparagus) always goes well with steak! You can also saute any vegetables you have on hand in the same skillet after the steak is done (so convenient!), or start roasting cauliflower before you begin on the steak.
- Potatoes – I usually make my air fryer potatoes with these because my kids request them and they’re so fast. But this steak bites recipe also pairs nicely with baked sweet potatoes or my lighter potato alternatives, roasted rutabaga or cassava fries.
- Appetizers – If you want to serve these as an app, pair them with my prosciutto wrapped asparagus, deviled eggs, or baked wings.
- Dipping Sauces – I think garlic butter steak bites are already plenty flavorful on their own, but if you want a sauce, try my garlic aioli or blue cheese dressing.
More Garlic Butter Recipes
This is seriously one of my fave flavor combos, so I use it a lot! If you’re a fan, here are some of my other recipes with garlic butter:
51 Comments
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.