With an easy homemade fajita seasoning, a simple citrusy marinade, and lots of colorful veggies, Steak Fajitas have never been easier or more delicious! Instructions included for stove or grill cooking.
Recipe ingredients:
Ingredient notes:
- Steak: The recipe calls for flank steak, but you can use rump or skirt steak, too.
- Fajita seasoning: A simple blend of chili powder, cumin, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne pepper, and some salt and sugar.
Step-by-step instructions:
- Mix together the Fajita seasoning, lime juice, and chopped cilantro. Then add the steak and mix to make sure the beef is completely coated in the marinade. Let the steak marinate at room temperature for at least 30 minutes or up to an hour.
- Heat a skillet and some oil over medium-high heat on the stove. Next, add the steak and cook until crispy and browned on the bottom. Then flip the steak and continue to cook until the new side is browned.
- Once your steak is finished cooking, move it to a cutting board to rest for at least 5 minutes. Slice the steaks into thin strips against the grain of the muscle fiber.
- To the fat in the skillet, add the sliced peppers and onions and cook until tender.
- Then, add the strips of steak back to the skillet for easy serving.
Recipe notes and substitutions:
- Cooking on the grill: Leave the steak pieces whole, cut the peppers in quarters, and cut the onions in fat rings (so you don’t lose the veggies in the fire grates). Then you can slice and dice and add everything back to a sizzling skillet just before serving. (You can also use a grill basket or skewers).
- Warming tortillas: Heat a dry skillet over medium heat, then add tortillas in a single layer. Heat until softened on one side (1-2 minutes). Flip and heat on the other side for a minute or so. Wrap in a tortilla towel or foil and repeat. You can also warm tortillas on the grill.
- Carryover cooking: When you pull meat off the stove or grill, the internal temperature will rise a few degrees because of what we call “carryover cooking.” Letting the meat rest is crucial to achieving juicy, perfectly cooked meat. If you cut the steak too soon, all the juices will flow out onto the cutting board.
- Meat doneness temperatures:
- 120-125 degrees for medium rare
- 130-135 degrees for medium
- 140 degrees for medium well
- Make ahead: Prep all the ingredients ahead, but don’t let the steak sit in the lime juice for more than an hour or it will “cook” and become too tough.
Perfect sides for sizzling Fajitas:
More Fajita recipes:
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Steak Fajitas
With an easy homemade fajita seasoning, a simple citrusy marinade, and lots of colorful veggies, Steak Fajitas have never been easier or more delicious! Instructions included for stove or grill cooking.
Ingredients
For the fajita seasoning:
- 2 teaspoons chili powder
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper or less to taste
- salt
For the marinade:
- 2 pounds flank steak trimmed and slice lengthwise (with grain) into 4 equal pieces (see notes)
- 1/4 cup minced cilantro
- 1/4 cup fresh lime juice from 2 limes
For the fajitas:
- 2 tablespoons olive oil or vegetable oil
- 3 large bell peppers (red, orange, yellow, or green) cut into strips for stove method (see notes for grill method)
- 1 large red onion halved and thinly sliced for stove method (see notes for grill method)
- flour tortillas or corn tortillas, warmed, for serving
- avocados sliced, for serving
- fresh cilantro minced, for serving
- sour cream for serving
- Mexican rice for serving
Instructions
To make the seasoning:
- In a small bowl, whisk together chili powder, cumin, paprika, sugar, garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne pepper, and salt to taste (I like 1 teaspoon).
To make the marinade:
- To a large zipper-top plastic bag, add steak, cilantro, lime juice, and fajita seasoning. Mash until steak is evenly coated. Marinate at least 30 minutes (room temperature) or up to 1 hour (refrigerated).
To cook the steak fajitas on the stove:
- In a large skillet over medium-high heat, heat oil until shimmering. Add steak and cook, without moving, until crispy and browned on one side, about 3 to 5 minutes. Flip and cook until browned on the second side, about 3 to 5 minutes longer.
- Using tongs, stand each piece on a cut side and cook, turning as necessary, until all cut sides are browned and until meat registers 120 to 125 degrees (for medium rare) or 130 to 135 degrees (for medium), 3 to 8 minutes.
- Transfer steak to a cutting board and rest for 5 minutes before cutting into strips (do not discard fat in skillet). Slice steak pieces thin against grain.
- Meanwhile, to the skillet with the fat over medium-high heat, add bell peppers and onions and cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Push peppers and onions to one side and add sliced steak back to skillet for serving.
- Serve with tortillas, avocado, cilantro, and sour cream (or your favorite toppings).
To cook steak fajitas on a gas grill:
- Turn all burners to high, cover, and heat grill until hot, about 15 minutes. Leave all burners on high.
- Clean and oil cooking grate. Place steak pieces on grill and cook, covered, until well-browned on first side, 4 to 7 minutes. Flip steak and continue to cook until meat registers 120 to 125 degrees (for medium rare) or 130 to 135 degrees (for medium), 3 to 8 minutes.
- Transfer steak to a cutting board and rest for 5 minutes before cutting into strips. Slice steak pieces thin against grain.
- Meanwhile, place onion rounds and bell pepper quarters (skin side down) over all medium burners. Cook until tender and charred on both sides, 8 to 12 minutes, flipping every 3 minutes. Transfer to cutting board with steak. Separate onions into rings and slice bell peppers into 1/4-inch strips.
- Arrange sliced steak and veggies on a platter and serve with tortillas, avocado, cilantro, and sour cream (or your favorite toppings).
To cook steak fajitas on a charcoal grill:
- Open bottom vent completely. Light large chimney starter mounded with charcoal briquettes (7 quarts). When top coals are partially covered with ash, pour evenly over half of grill. Set cooking grate in place, cover, and open lid vent completely. Heat grill until hot, about 5 minutes.
- Clean and oil cooking grate. Place steak pieces on hotter side of grill and cook until well-browned on first side, 4 to 7 minutes. Flip steak and continue to cook until meat registers 120 to 125 degrees (for medium rare) or 130 to 135 degrees (for medium), 3 to 8 minutes.
- Transfer steak to a cutting board and rest for 5 minutes before cutting into strips. Slice steak pieces thin against grain.
- Meanwhile, place onion rounds and bell pepper quarters (skin side down) on hotter side of grill. Cook until tender and charred on both sides, 8 to 12 minutes, flipping every 3 minutes. Transfer to cutting board with steak. Separate onions into rings and slice bell peppers into 1/4-inch strips.
- Arrange sliced steak and veggies on a platter and serve with tortillas, avocado, cilantro, and sour cream (or your favorite toppings).
Notes
- Steak: The recipe calls for flank steak, but you can use rump or skirt steak, too.
- Cooking on the grill: Leave the steak pieces whole, cut the peppers in quarters, and cut the onions in fat rings (so you don’t lose the veggies in the fire grates). Then you can slice and dice and add everything back to a sizzling skillet just before serving. (You can also use a grill basket or skewers).
- Warming tortillas: Heat a dry skillet over medium heat, then add tortillas in a single layer. Heat until softened on one side (1-2 minutes). Flip and heat on the other side for a minute or so. Wrap in a tortilla towel or foil and repeat. You can also warm tortillas on the grill.
- Carryover cooking: When you pull meat off the stove or grill, the internal temperature will rise a few degrees because of what we call "carryover cooking." Letting the meat rest is crucial to achieving juicy, perfectly cooked meat. If you cut the steak too soon, all the juices will flow out onto the cutting board.
- Meat doneness temperatures:
- 120-125 degrees for medium rare
- 130-135 degrees for medium
- 140 degrees for medium well
- Make ahead: Prep all the ingredients ahead, but don't let the steak sit in the lime juice for more than an hour or it will "cook" and become too tough.
Nutrition
Calories: 438kcalCarbohydrates: 14gProtein: 51gFat: 19gSaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 136mgSodium: 145mgPotassium: 1131mgFiber: 4gSugar: 8gVitamin A: 4513IUVitamin C: 164mgCalcium: 71mgIron: 5mg
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This is the VERY BEST fajitas recipe. I made this the other night, cooked one half to perfect for dinner, cooked the other half a bit rare. Covered and refrigerated a few days then sautéed some onions and peppers, cut up some avocado, warmed up some roasted corn and tossed the sliced up steak in a cast iron skillet with a little olive oil and butter and a squirt or two of lime juice. Arranged it all on a bowl of cilantro lime rice and had the perfect beef bowl!