As you may know, an air fryer doesn’t only need to be used for frying food. This air fryer steak recipe is a great example of that! But also, it can be used for roasting vegetables, just like this air fryer broccoli which can be perfectly used as this recipe’s side.
Some people may wonder why make steak in an air fryer when that’s been working quite well for ages on the grill or on cast iron, but here we give you a few reasons why this is also a great option:
- Perfect steak EVERY TIME – Because the air fryer works in a small space with a fan, the heat temperature will always be consistent. This means that the steak always will be cooked at just the temperature that you want it and come out just the way you intend it to.
- Mostly hands-off cooking – You can season your steaks, place them in the air fryer, and flip them when the halfway timer goes off. There is no need to watch it. This comes in handy when you’re going back and forth between the kitchen and the dining room to take care of things.
- The stove/grill doesn’t have to be available. You could enjoy grilling AMAZING steak outside, but it’s not always grilling weather. Also, you could be making many other things at the same time in your stove top.
Ingredients
The ingredients are very basic, yet don’t underestimate the deliciousness that they literally bring to the table!
- Sirloin steak – Just about 1 inch think so that it’s not too thing or way too thick.
- Avocado oil spray – For cooking at high temperatures, we usually prefer avocado oil over olive oil, given its high smoke point.
- Black ground pepper – A classic for steak seasoning. Make sure it’s still a high quality one for better results, both on the taste and its nutrition content.
- Sea salt – We prefer sea salt over table salt given the fact that it’s much less processed.
- Smoked paprika – Another classic for steak seasoning! Also make sure it’s a high quality one for taste and health purposes.
- Garlic powder – Final seasoning touch for the recipe!
As you can see, all of the ingredients are quite basic and easy to find. However, make sure you don’t miss any of them because their combination is your guarantee of the deliciousness that we want you to experience once you taste this steak.
Preparation & Notes
The preparation steps are SO EASY and they’re well detailed on the recipe card below. Also, we want you to take a close look at the recipe notes and the Frequently Asked Questions below for details that you might be wondering about this recipe.
Things such as how to cook the steak at different variations such as rare, medium-rare, medium, etc., are provided in the sections below. Also, we have included some variation recommendations to the recipe so that you have some room to play with if you so desire.
We want you to take a look at the entire recipe before you start cooking so that you’re better prepared with all the ingredients and all the variations that you want to introduce to your dish.
Air Fryer Steak
Description
Air Fryer Steak
Cook this perfectly tender Air Fryer Steak completely seared on the outside and juicy on the inside. No need to make much splatter or mess in the kitchen and it's VERY easy and QUICK to make!
Ingredients
Instructions
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Preheat the air fryer
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Mix spices in a small bowl
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Spray the steak
Spray the steak with avocado oil and coat both sides with the mixed spices. -
Cook the steak in air fryer
For a 1-inch steak, air fry 400° F 10 minutes turning halfway for medium rare.
For medium, cook 12 minutes, flipping halfway.
See temp chart below. Time may vary slightly with different air fryer models, and the thickness of the steaks.
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Add a tiny bit of more salt and black pepper
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Rest it in foil for 5 minutes
Let it rest, tented with foil for 5 minutes.
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Serve and enjoy!
Slice it before serving, if you so desire.
We like to slice it to verify it is cooked how we want it and for easier eating.
Slicing the steak is optional.
Equipment & Ingredients
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Servings 4
- Amount Per Serving
- Calories 220kcal
- % Daily Value *
- Total Fat 7g11%
- Saturated Fat 2g10%
- Cholesterol 117mg39%
- Sodium 390mg17%
- Total Carbohydrate 0.5g1%
- Dietary Fiber 0.5g2%
- Protein 40g80%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily value may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
Note
Get the doneness right!
Using a meat probe, test your steaks and put them out of the air fryer about five degrees below your desired doneness. This is because the meat temperature will rise while resting.
- Rare: 125°F
- Medium Rare: 135°F
- Medium: 145°F
- Medium Well: 155°F
- Well Done: 160°F
For this recipe we wanted the steak medium well.
Tips & Recipe Variations
- Type of steak: We used sirloin for this particular recipe, but any thick steak that you like should work.
- Watch the thickness: Make sure your steak is at least one inch thick because thinner ones will cook too fast without browning.
- Steak at room temperature: Allow your steak to get to room temperature about 30 minutes before cooking for best results.
- Oil switching is allowed: If you don't want to use avocado oil, we recommend you use a high quality extra virgin olive oil. Don't risk using just any cheap olive oil due to the smoke point issue.
- Dry the steaks: Pat steaks with paper towels to remove moisture to avoid steaming.
- Avoid basket overcrowding: The steaks should have enough airflow for optimal cooking. That's why we recommend this Air Fryer with double basket to avoid overcrowding.
- Let it rest: Make sure to let the steaks rest on a plate, loosely tented with foil so they don't continue to cook inside the air fryer basket.
You can serve it with these...
You may serve your steaks with one of these, if you're looking for ideas:
- Air Fryer Broccoli: since you're already using your air fryer, why not give this healthy option a try?!
- Non Dairy Mashed Potatoes: great option if you're looking to add some carbs as a side.
- Green beans: for a healthy addition and also if you want to make it look just like in our pictures!
- Top it with garlic butter: if you're going with the mashed potatoes option, you can top it with a small square of garlic butter.
