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With an easy homemade fajita seasoning, a simple citrusy marinade, and lots of colorful veggies, Steak Fajitas have never been easier or more delicious!
Table of Contents
Recipe ingredients
At a Glance: Here is a quick snapshot of what ingredients are in this recipe.
Please see the recipe card below for specific quantities.
Ingredient notes
- Fajita seasoning: This recipe uses my favorite homemade blend. For this recipe, I’ve portioned out exactly what you need to make this recipe if you don’t already have a jar on hand.
- Steak: The recipe calls for flank steak, but you can use rump or skirt steak, too.
Step-by-step instructions
- 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 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).
- 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 130 to 135 degrees F (for medium rare) or 140 to 145 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 and your favorite toppings.
Recipe tips and variations
- Yield: Although you start with 2 pounds of raw steak, you’ll have closer to 1 or 1 ½ pounds of cooked steak after cooking. This recipe will make at least 4 servings (1 cup EACH steak and vegetables per serving).
- Storage: Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
- Make ahead: Make the seasoning well in advance and marinade the steak up to 1 hour before you want to start cooking.
- Favorite toppings for fajitas: Sour cream, hot sauce (such as Cholula and Tabasco), diced avocado or guacamole, minced fresh cilantro, and lime wedges.
Recipe FAQs
A cast-iron pan is a great choice because it can cook at high temperatures and give you restaurant-quality fajitas. Other great options: carbon steel pans or anodized aluminum pans. Stay away from non-stick; it can’t take the heat.
Heat a dry skillet over medium-high heat. Add a few tortillas in a single layer it’s okay if they’re touching a little bit) and heat until softened on one side, about 1 to 2 minutes. Flip and heat on the other side for another minute or so. Wrap in a clean kitchen towel or foil (or a hand-embroidered tortilla towel, if you have one).
I follow these temperature guidelines for any beef preparation:
Rare: 120 to 125 degrees F
Medium Rare: 130 to 135 degrees F
Medium: 140 to 145 degrees F
Medium Well: 150 degrees F
Well: 160 degrees F
While many chefs (and I) prefer a slightly lower temperature for juicer, more tender beef, the USDA has a more conservative minimum safe cooking temperature of 145 degrees F. Cook to your desired doneness level.
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.
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Steak Fajitas
Ingredients
For the fajita seasoning (see note 1):
- 2 teaspoons chili powder
- 1 teaspoon ground 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 note 2)
- 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
- 1 large red onion halved and thinly sliced
- tortillas warmed, for serving
- sour cream and hot sauce, cilantro, and lime wedges, for serving
Instructions
- 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 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).
- 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 130 to 135 degrees F (for medium rare) or 140 to 145 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 and your favorite toppings.
Notes
- Fajita seasoning: This recipe uses my favorite homemade blend. For this recipe, I’ve portioned out exactly what you need to make this recipe if you don’t already have a jar on hand.
- Steak: The recipe calls for flank steak, but you can use rump or skirt steak, too.
- Yield: Although you start with 2 pounds of raw steak, you’ll have closer to 1 or 1 ½ pounds of cooked steak after cooking. This recipe will make at least 4 servings (1 cup EACH steak and vegetables per serving).
- Storage: Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
- Make ahead: Make the seasoning well in advance and marinade the steak up to 1 hour before you want to start cooking.
Nutrition
Meggan Hill is a classically-trained chef and professional writer. Her meticulously-tested recipes and detailed tutorials bring confidence and success to home cooks everywhere. Meggan has been featured on NPR, HuffPost, FoxNews, LA Times, and more.
Delicious! Used my instant pot to sauté onions and meat. Added peppers, then 7 min, 15 min natural release. Sautéed again to thicken sauce. Delicious!
Sounds great Marla, glad it worked so well in the instant pot! Thanks – Meggan
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!