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Why You’ll Love My Recipe
We’ve all had nights when we really want a steak but the thought of actually spending time in the kitchen cooking and cleaning up leaves us reaching for a box meal instead, but thanks to your air fryer, you can enjoy a quick and almost mess-free steak dinner whenever you feel like it!
Who doesn’t love a good steak, especially when you can ditch the cast iron care and clean up by using your air fryer instead!
Don’t forget to make these delicious Air Fryer Sweet Potato Fries as a side, since your air fryer is already on! And why not try making your own Montreal Steak Seasoning to really make it a little extra special? After all, convenience doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice taste!
Karlynn’s Recipe Notes
- Skill Level: Steak in the air fryer is easy to make and perfect for when you want a low-effort dinner!
- Total Time: You can have your steak ready to go in as little as 17 minutes!
- Variations: Feel free to use your favorite seasoning blend for this steak! I suggest using a Montreal Steak Seasoning blend, but for a different flavor profile, you can’t go wrong with a classic blend of salt, pepper, and granulated garlic; lemon pepper seasoning; or your favorite dry rub!
- Tools For This Recipe: You will need an air fryer, a silicone basting brush to make spreading your olive oil around quick and easy, and kitchen tongs to help you flip your steaks without burning yourself! If reaching your preferred doneness is really important to you, consider investing in an instant read meat thermometer to check your steaks’ internal temperature!
What You’ll Need for Ingredients
Beef Steak: There’s no right or wrong answer when it comes to choosing a cut of beef for this recipe; your selection is going to depend on your preferences. Cuts like rib eye, New York strip, tenderloin, and top sirloin all work well, but if something else catches your eye at the butcher’s, give it a try! Just keep the size of your air fryer in mind when choosing your steak—some cuts that come with bones can be quite large, and might not fit if you have a smaller air fryer; and the bigger and thicker the cut, the longer it will take to cook.
Seasoning: Montreal steak spice is a popular seasoning blend for beef steaks that typically contains black pepper, paprika, dill seed, salt, coriander, and garlic. It’s one of those seasoning blends that most restaurants and even passionate home cooks have their own proprietary version of. If you’re having a tough time finding Montreal steak spice at your local store, it’s worth noting that it goes by a few different names! Try looking for “Canadian steak seasoning” or “Canadian steak spice”, as these are some other common names for this spice blend.
Olive Oil: You don’t need an extra-virgin olive oil for this recipe to taste delicious! Keep the more delicate oils for cold preparations like salads; regular olive oil will work just fine here since air fryers work with high temperatures!
How To Make Air Fryer Steak
This is a quick overview of the recipe. The full list of ingredients & complete step-by-step instructions are in the recipe card below.
- Preheat your air fryer to 400°F if necessary.
- Pour the olive oil on your steak and spread it all over to ensure it covers the whole surface of the meat.
- Add your steak seasoning and coat your steak completely.
- Put your steak into your air fryer. For a Medium Rare steak cook your steak for 10 minutes total, flipping after 5 minutes. For a Medium steak cook the steak for 12 minutes, flipping at the 6 minute mark. Remove the steak from the air fryer when it’s done, cover it with foil, and let it rest for 5 minutes before serving.
Karlynn’s Tips and Tricks for the Perfect Air Fryer Steak
- Thickness Matters: When choosing your steaks, look for cuts that are at least one inch thick. Thinner steaks will cook much faster in the high heat environment of the air fryer, which can lead to them becoming overdone without browning.
- Prep Ahead: For best results, give your steaks time to come up to room temperature by taking them out of the fridge 30 minutes before you cook them. This will also give you the chance to let your seasonings settle, so if you have the time, make sure to take this step!
- Temp Talk: Using a meat thermometer is a great way to make sure your steaks reach your desired doneness—just remember that you’ll need to experiment and adjust the cook time based on how powerful your air fryer is! For rare steaks, shoot for an internal temperature of 125°F; medium-rare to medium well ranges from 135°F to 155°F; and your steak will be well done at 160°F. For best results, take your steaks out of the air fryer when they hit five degrees before your desired doneness, as there will be some carryover as they rest!
- Sides Aplenty: The big advantage of cooking your steak in an air fryer is that your main dish comes together quickly and with no mess! To make a quick and convenient meal, consider pairing it with a simple and quick to make side, such as a simple Caesar salad, air fryer kale chips, air fryer french fries or sweet potato fries!
Storage Instructions
I don’t recommend keeping leftover steak in the freezer, as it’s nearly impossible to reheat steak from frozen without overcooking it. Considering how easy it is to use leftover steak in everything from salads to sandwiches, though, you shouldn’t have to worry much about long-term storage!
Refrigerator: You can store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days! To reheat, you can either warm your steak in a pan on the oven, or in a 250°F oven.
More Delicious Air Fryer Recipes
- Craving some finger-licking goodness but don’t want to go through the hassle of deep fat frying? Give my recipe for Air Fryer Fried Chicken a try!
- With an air fryer on hand, it’s never been easier to make amazingly crispy fried fish! Try my recipe for Zesty Ranch Air Fryer Fish Fillets and you’ll never reach for a box of frozen breaded fish fillets again!
- Why order delivery when you can make a batch of Air Fryer Hamburgers for your family and have fresh, hot patties ready for whatever fillings you like?
Air fryers are good for so much more than just reheating frozen foods! I’ve been consistently impressed by just how much I can cook with my air fryer at home, and it’s quickly become one of my favorite versatile kitchen gadgets!
Give this recipe for air fryer steak a try and let me know what your favorite sides to serve with a steak are in the comments below!
Happy Cooking!
Karlynn
Air Fryer Steak
Ingredients
- 1 steak, 1 inch thick Rib eye, New York, Tenderloin, Top sirloin
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon montreal steak spice, or steak spice of choice
Instructions
- Preheat your air fryer to 400°F if needed.
- Pour the olive oil on the steak and spread it all over to ensure it is covered.
- Add the steak seasoning (or seasoning of your choice) and rub it in to ensure it is evenly coated.
- Put steak in the air fryer. For a Medium Rare steak cook the steak for 10 minutes total and flip it at 5 minutes. For a Medium Steak: Set the time to 12 minutes total and flip the steak at 6 minutes.
- Remove from the air fryer, cover it with foil and let it rest for 5 minutes. Enjoy with your favorite Caesar salad or vegetable dish. Garnish with parsley.
GA Cook says
This steak, as pictured, is seriously overdone. Is this a risk of using air fryer, or was it just cooked too long? Looks like a ribeye, which is best at medium rare. This one looks well done, which would be dry, chewy, and tasteless.
GA Cook says
This steak, as pictured, is seriously overdone. Is this a risk of using air fryer, or was it just cooked too long? Looks like a ribeye, which is best at medium rare. This one looks well fine, which would be dry, chewy, and tasteless.
Lynda says
Hi, Do you know how long to cook steak in air fryer if you want it very rare? Maybe 7 min flipping it at 4 min. I have no idea. Thanks. I follow your site all the time.