Everyone loves ordering fajitas at a Mexican restaurant, delivered to your table, sizzling and delicious. You’re going to love them even more when you learn how to make the Best Steak Fajitas, at home, in just a few simple steps!
Seared flank steak, marinated in the perfect fajita seasonings, and served with grilled peppers and onions is a classic Mexican meal. This steak fajita recipe is so packed with flavor and quite simple to make.
Serve Beef Fajitas on Taco Tuesdays (or Wednesdays, or any day!) with a side of Mexican Rice or Street Corn Salad and all the tasty fajita toppings.
If you’re looking for an Instant Pot Recipe, Try my Instant Pot Steak Fajitas or Instant Pot Fajita Rice!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
You’ll love being able to make one of the most iconic and tasty Mexican restaurant dishes at home!
Forget about shelling out big bucks for a dinner out. You can make steak fajitas with an inexpensive flank steak and simple ingredients that will taste even better than anything you could order.
This recipe is cooked in your trusty cast iron skillet, so it will sizzle just like you want it to, and there is no need to fire up the grill or heat up the oven.
Flank steak fajitas are fun to eat because everyone can customize their own fajita tacos! Serve sliced steak and seared veggies with a variety of toppings and the whole family will be thrilled!
Key Ingredients In Steak Fajitas
Here’s what you need to make the best steak fajitas recipe:
- Flank Steak: This budget-friendly steak is easily transformed into a tender and juicy fajita filling with the use of a tenderizing beef fajita marinade. This cut is also sometimes called a London Broil. Skirt steak or flat iron steak can also be used in this recipe.
- Pineapple Juice: This adds a bright flavor to the marinade, but the most important part is that the enzymes in pineapple will work to tenderize the steak.
- Fajita Marinade: Along with the pineapple juice, fresh garlic, soy sauce, olive oil, and the most delicious mix of fajita seasoning spices give the steak loads of flavor.
- Veggies: Bell peppers and red onion, sliced thinly will be seared and sauteed as well, until they are sweet and caramelized.
Looking for more ways to cook a flank steak? Try my Smoked Flank Steak with Chimichurri sauce!
Complete list of ingredients and amounts can be found in the recipe card below.
How To Make The Best Steak Fajitas
The best steak fajitas recipe starts with a simple and deliciously spiced marinade.
- Marinate the Steak: In a large zip-top bag, mix together soy sauce, minced garlic, olive oil, pineapple juice, chili powder, ground cumin, smoked paprika, onion powder, and oregano. Add the flank steak to the bag with the marinade and move it around to be sure that all the meat is coated. Seal and refrigerate for at least two hours, or up to 12 hours.
- Prepare for Searing: Remove the steak from the fridge 30 minutes before cooking it so that it will come back to room temperature. Pat the steak dry with paper towels to remove excess moisture, and generously season both sides of the steak with salt and pepper. Preheat a cast iron pan over medium-high heat.
- Sear the Steak: Add a bit of oil to the hot pan, and once it starts to smoke, add the steak. Cook for about 3-5 minutes on each side for medium-rare steak, or until your desired doneness.
- Rest and Slice: Remove the steak from the pan and allow it to rest for about 10 minutes. Then slice across the grain into thin strips. Slicing this type of steak against the grain is very important. If you slice it the other way it will be tough and hard to chew.
- Saute the Peppers and Onions: In the same skillet, add a bit more oil, then the sliced bell peppers and onions. Season with salt, pepper, and a squeeze of lime juice and saute over medium heat until the veggies are soft and slightly caramelized.
- Serve: Warm corn or flour tortillas in the microwave or in a clean skillet to soften them. Fill tortillas with sliced steak, peppers and onions, and your favorite toppings, such as sour cream, guacamole, fresh cilantro, and pico de gallo.
Tip!
Your flank steak may be a bit too large to fit in your skillet. If this is the case, just cut it in half and cook each piece separately!
Recipe Tips
- Instead of using a plastic bag, you can also marinate the flank steak in a shallow dish with a cover. I like the ease and easy clean-up of a zip-top bag though!
- Drying the steak before searing is an important step. If the steak is too wet when you add it to the pan, you won’t get the beautiful crispy sear on it that we’re aiming for.
- You should also be sure not to cook the steak directly from the fridge. Let it sit out at room temperature for 30 minutes before adding it to the pan.
- Adjust the marinade if you like! Add some extra chili powder to make the steak spicy, or leave it out for a more mild fajita experience.
- Resting is an important step that will allow the juices inside the cooked steak to redistribute. If you slice into it too soon, all of those juices will flow right out!
- Steak fajitas are delicious with either corn or flour tortillas. Use whichever you prefer, or go low-carb and try lettuce leaves or low-carb wraps.
How Do You Know When Steak Is Done?
For my preference, flank steak is best when it is cooked medium-rare to medium. Use a meat thermometer to check the temperature of the steak according to this list.
- Rare: 125°F/52°C
- Medium rare: 135°F/57°C
- Medium: 145°F/63°C
- Medium well: 155°F/68°C
How Do You Slice Flank Steak?
The most important thing to know about slicing flank steak is that you must slice it against the grain.
The muscle fibers in this cut of beef are quite long, which means that they are difficult to chew if they aren’t cut and made shorter.
You should be able to see the fibers in the meat easily. Just be sure to hold your knife perpendicular to them (at a right angle) in order to slice through them.
Storing Tips
Homemade steak fajitas will be most delicious when you eat them right away! However, you can store leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
Reheat the steak gently so as not to overcook it, and enjoy it with freshly warmed tortillas and toppings.
Leftover flank steak is also delicious as part of a steak salad.
What To Serve With Steak Fajitas
The best steak fajitas deserve the best toppings and side dishes! Try any or all of these delicious Mexican recipes to go with your fajitas dinner.
- Fajita Toppings: Cowboy Caviar, Pico De Gallo, Smoked Queso Dip, Salsa Verde, Lime Crema.
- Sides for Fajitas: Crock Pot Pinto Beans, Tex Mex Salad, Cilantro Lime Rice, Air Fryer Jalapeno Poppers.
- For Dessert: Churro Bites, Sopapilla Cheesecake, Mexican Fruit Salad, Pinata Cupcakes.
Recipe FAQs
For this fajitas recipe, I don’t recommend marinating for more than 12 hours. The pineapple juice in the marinade helps to tenderize the beef, but after too long it will tenderize it too much, altering the texture.
Yes, this marinade recipe works with chicken breasts too. You might also want to try Mexican Chicken Marinade or Chipotle Chicken copycat recipe.
Here I’m using a flank steak. You can also use Skirt Steak. You can, in theory, use any cut of steak for fajitas, but I find that these thin cuts of beef work best with the marinade and cooking method used to make steak fajitas.
More Delicious Steak Recipes
All Beef Recipes →
Delicious classic Steak Fajitas are easy to make with this recipe! Make a meal that the whole family will love, with inexpensive beef and veggies tonight. Don’t forget to save this post! Pin it or bookmark it for later.
Did you make this? Be sure to leave a review below and tag me on Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest!
Steak Fajitas
Ingredients
For the Marinade:
- ¼ cup (60 ml) soy sauce
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- ¼ cup (60 ml) extra virgin olive oil
- ¾ cup (180 ml) pineapple juice
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon oregano
For the Steak:
- 1 ½ – 2 lb (675 g) flank steak or skirt steak
- 1 tablespoon (15 ml) olive oil not extra virgin, or vegetable oil
- Salt and pepper to taste
For the Fajitas:
- 2 bell peppers one each of red and yellow, sliced
- 1 red onion sliced
- ½ lime juiced
- Salt and pepper to taste
For Serving:
- Flour or corn tortillas
- Fresh cilantro for garnish
- Sour cream
- Pico de gallo
- Guacamole or diced avocado
- Lime wedges
Instructions
- In a ziptop bag, mix together soy sauce, minced garlic, olive oil, pineapple juice, chili powder, ground cumin, smoked paprika, onion powder, and oregano to make the marinade.
- Put the flank steak in the resealable plastic bag (or use a shallow dish). Make sure the steak is well coated. Seal or cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or preferably overnight (but don’t go over 12 hours).
- Remove the steak from the fridge about 30 minutes before cooking to allow it to reach room temperature. Pat dry with paper towels to remove excess marinade (this is important to sear the steak and form a crust). Generously season both sides of the steak with salt and pepper.
- Preheat your cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add a bit of oil and when it starts to smoke, add your steak. Cook for about 3-5 minutes on each side for medium-rare, or until your desired doneness (I aim for 125-135F). Once done, remove the steak from the skillet and let it rest for about 10 minutes.
- In the same skillet, add more oil if needed, then add bell peppers and onions, season with salt and pepper and squeeze half a lime. Sauté over medium heat until they are soft and slightly caramelized, about 10 minutes.
- Slice the rested steak against the grain into thin strips. It is VERY IMPORTANT to slice against the grain, otherwise your steak will be chewy and rubbery and tough.
- Warm the corn tortillas in the microwave or in a clean skillet for a few seconds on each side until they’re soft and pliable. You don’t want them to char, as they can dry out and become brittle.
- To serve, place some steak strips onto each tortilla, top with the sautéed peppers and onions. Add a dollop of sour cream, pico de gallo, avocado or guacamole, a sprinkle of fresh cilantro, and a squeeze of lime.
Notes:
- Your flank steak may be a bit too large to fit in your skillet. If this is the case, just cut it in half and cook each piece separately!
- Instead of using a plastic bag, you can also marinate the flank steak in a shallow dish with a cover.
- Drying the steak before searing is an important step. If the steak is too wet when you add it to the pan, you won’t get the beautiful crispy sear on it that we’re aiming for.
- You should also be sure not to cook the steak directly from the fridge. Let it sit out at room temperature for 30 minutes before adding it to the pan.
- Resting will allow the juices inside the cooked steak to redistribute. If you slice into it too soon, all of those juices will flow right out!
- These are delicious with either corn or flour tortillas. Use whichever you prefer, or go low-carb and try lettuce leaves or low-carb wraps.
- Storage: Steak fajitas will be most delicious when you eat them right away, however, you can store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- Steak Doneness: Use a thermometer to check the internal temperature of the meat according to this list: Rare: 125°F/52°C, Medium rare: 135°F/57°C, Medium: 145°F/63°C, Medium well: 155°F/68°C.
Nutrition Information
This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.
© Little Sunny Kitchen
Susan Magy says
Why does your fajita recipe not include you fajita seasoning mix??
Little Sunny Kitchen says
Hi Susan. You could use 2-3 tablespoons of fajita seasoning mix in place of the dried herbs and spices used in this marinade.
Shar says
This steak fajitas is incredible! It turned out so tender, juicy and scrumptious! Such a must keep recipe!
Little Sunny Kitchen says
Thank you, Shar! I’m so happy you loved these steak fajitas!
Jessica says
Okay these were absolutely amazing! I cannot wait to make them again.
Little Sunny Kitchen says
I’m so happy to hear that, Jessica! Thank you for the wonderful review!
Kristyn says
My mouth is watering!! Fajitas are great & easy & of course, using steak is delicious!!
Little Sunny Kitchen says
Thank you for the kind review, Kristyn! I’m so glad you enjoyed this recipe!