Tender bites of steak and fresh vegetables are ready in 30 minutes or less with this easy Air Fryer Steak Kabobs recipe. The steak is seared on the outside and juicy and tender on the inside, while the vegetables are roasted to perfection!
Table of Contents
- Why You’ll Love This Air Fryer Steak Recipe
- What Is the Best Air Fryer to Use?
- What You’ll Need
- How to Cook Steak in Air Fryer
- How Long To Cook Steak Kabobs In the Air Fryer
- Tips and Tricks
- What to Serve With Air Fryer Steak Kabobs
- How to Store and Reheat Leftovers
- Frequently Asked Questions
- More Air Fryer Recipes
- Get the Recipe
Why You’ll Love This Air Fryer Steak Recipe
These air fryer steak kabobs are made with tender steak and perfectly roasted vegetables. We used top sirloin and our favorite fresh veggies on our skewers, with a little olive oil and steak seasoning. This dish is super easy to put together, but it tastes like you spent hours working! Here are just a few reasons why you’ll love it:
- Easier Than Grilling: For some of us, grilling can be a little overwhelming. But when you use the air fryer in place of a grill, it takes all of the guesswork out of cooking dinner! You never have to worry about the weather or if you have charcoal or gas for the grill, making these an easy, go-to dinner. And we never have to worry about putting out the flames…..joking…..mostly. 😉
- Juicy and Tender: The steak comes out so moist and tender every time we make this recipe. And the veggies crisp up a little in the air fryer, too, which adds great texture to each bite!
- Quick and Simple: These steak kabobs take 10 minutes to prep, and only 30 minutes total to complete. The hardest part is chopping up all of the veggies!
- Adaptable: You can use whatever fresh veggies you have on hand to make this recipe – feel free to get creative and change it up! Use peppers, zucchini, onion, corn, mushrooms, and more.
If you’re a big fan of making steak in the air fryer, check out this air fryer London broil, too!
What Is the Best Air Fryer to Use?
Air fryers come in two different styles. The more popular type has a drawer/basket that slides in the front and usually doesn’t require preheating. The second type looks like a toaster oven and opens with a door, like a mini version of a regular oven.
We have personally tried a few different styles of air fryers and these are our 3 favorites. Depending on your budget and air fryer style preference, you should find one that will work for you below:
- Large Budget Friendly Basket Style: 8 Qt Gourmia Air Fryer
- Best Large Basket Air Fryer: Power XL 10 Qt Air Fryer
- Toaster Oven Style Air Fryer: Cuisinart Air Fryer Toaster Oven
What You’ll Need
You will only need 6 simple ingredients to make these air fryer steak bites. Scroll down to the recipe card below for exact amounts!
- Steak: You can use any cut you prefer that is sliced into 2 to 3-inch chunks. We used top sirloin and have also used a tenderloin, both were delicious.
- Cooking Oil: We usually work with olive oil or avocado oil.
- Steak Seasoning: We love the Montreal Steak Seasoning from McCormick. It’s classic and has great flavor.
- Vegetables: For this recipe, we used a mix of zucchini, red onion, and mini sweet bell peppers.
How to Cook Steak in Air Fryer
Alright, let’s get into the details of how to make these air fryer steak bites. The basic steps are pretty simple (check out the recipe card for the detailed set of instructions):
- Trim, Cut, and Season: Trim and slice the sirloin into 2 to 3-inch chunks. Lightly rub steak seasoning onto the meat and let it sit on the counter for one hour. If you are short on time, you can cook it right away. We will talk more about this later, but allowing your steak to come to room temperature before cooking will keep it extra tender.
- Prep the Vegetables: While waiting on the meat, prep your vegetables by cutting them into 1-inch pieces.
- Assemble: Start each skewer with a piece of steak and continue adding vegetables and steak until the skewer is full. We usually add 1 piece of steak and 3 pieces of vegetables, then repeat.
- Preheat the Air Fryer: Remember to preheat your air fryer to 400°F, if your air fryer requires preheating.
- Cook: Arrange the skewers in the air fryer and season to taste. Cook for 10-12 minutes, flipping halfway through.
- Foil: Once your steak kabobs are cooked to your desired doneness, remove them from the air fryer and wrap them in foil. Allow them to rest for 3-5 minutes, then serve.
How Long To Cook Steak Kabobs In the Air Fryer
The air fryer sears the outside of the steak and leaves the inside juicy and tender, but you can easily overcook the steak if you’re not paying attention. It’s important to know how long to cook steak in your air fryer, keeping in mind that all air fryers are not the same.
You should use a meat thermometer to help achieve your preferred level of doneness. Check the kabobs after cooking them for 10-12 minutes to see if they are at your preferred temperature, or if they need a few more minutes to cook.
Below is a temperature guide for steak:
- Rare: 120°F-130°F and the meat should have a red center.
- Medium rare: 130°F-135°F and the center should be pink.
- Medium: 135°F-145°F and the meat should have very little pink to it.
Tips and Tricks
At this point, you’re practically an air fryer steak expert, but there are a few more tips that might be helpful to read through before you get started:
- Do Not Overcook: Use a meat thermometer, and be sure to keep a close eye on the cooking time after you’ve flipped the kabobs. Try checking the meat a few minutes before you think the cooking time is up to ensure that it does not get overcooked.
- Cut Evenly: Try to make sure that your steak cubes are roughly the same size so that everything cooks through evenly.
- Rest: Letting the meat rest for about 5 minutes while wrapped in foil makes the kabobs infinitely more tender and juicy! Remember, your steak will continue to cook a little as it rests. We like to remove the kabobs at medium rare and then let them rest. This leaves a perfect warm and pink middle!
- Room Temperature: This is an old chef’s trick that we love! Letting the steak come to room temperature before cooking really helps to keep the steak tender. If you start with a cold piece of steak and cook it, the outside does not get that great sear. And if you like your steak rare, the inside can still be cold!
What to Serve With Air Fryer Steak Kabobs
These air fryer steak bites are made with roasted veggies, so they already have a built in side dish of sorts, but there are a few other things that you can make on the side if you like:
- Rice: Steak kabobs taste great when served over a bed of rice! You could make plain rice, parmesan garlic rice, etc.
- Potatoes: Steak and potatoes is a classic combo. Try this air fryer baked potato recipe or this twice baked potato casserole.
- More Veggies: We’re big fans of these roasted green beans and this cucumber salad if you’re looking for more easy veggie side dishes.
How to Store and Reheat Leftovers
Leftover beef kabobs can definitely be saved for a lunch or dinner later on! Here’s how to do that:
- Store: Keep the leftover steak and veggies in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days.
- Reheat: You can use the air fryer to reheat your steak (at 300-350°F for a few minutes), or use a pan over medium heat on the stovetop.
- Freeze: You can freeze your cooked kabobs in an airtight container for up to 2 months if you’d like. Before serving them again, let them thaw overnight in the fridge. Also, keep in mind that the veggies will not be as crisp.
Frequently Asked Questions
As mentioned above, we like to use top sirloin or tenderloin when making steak kabobs. You can also use New York strip steak if you like.
Yes! You can use wooden or metal skewers in your air fryer. If you choose wooden ones, be sure to soak them in water for 10-20 minutes before using them so they do not burn.
OF COURSE! Above is what we included, but almost any vegetable will be perfect with these steak kabobs. Here are some other fun suggestions we have used before: yellow squash, broccoli, cauliflower, mushrooms, cherry tomatoes, and corn (cut into 2-inch pieces).
More Air Fryer Recipes
Air Fryer Steak Kabobs
Ingredients
- 2 pounds top sirloin, cut into 2-inch chunks
- 1 zucchini, cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1 purple onion, peeled and cut into 1 inch pieces
- 15 mini sweet bell peppers, seeds removed and sliced in half
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- Steak seasoning, to taste
Instructions
- Lightly season steak and let it rest at room temperature for an hour. This is an optional step, but really helps to keep your steak tender!
- Preheat air fryer to 400°F if your air fryer requires pre heating.
- Thread beef and vegetables onto skewers. Start the skewer with a piece of steak and continue adding vegetables and steak until the skewer is full. We usually do one piece of steak followed by three pieces of vegetables. Repeat until skewers are full.
- Place the prepared skewers in the air fryer basket and brush them with olive oil. Add steak seasoning to the vegetables and steak, to taste.
- Cook in air fryer at 400°F for 10 to 12 minutes, flipping half way through the cooking time. Check with a meat thermometer for your level of doneness.
- Once your steak kabobs are cooked to your desired doneness, remove the shish kabobs from the air fryer and wrap them in foil. Allow them to rest for 3-5 minutes, then serve.
Notes
- Temperature guide for steak. Rare (120°F – 130°F, should have a red center), medium rare (130°F – 135°F, center should be pink), and Medium (135°F – 145°F, very little pink).
- To store. Keep the leftover steak and veggies in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days.
- To reheat. You can use the air fryer to reheat your steak (at 300-350°F for a few minutes), or use a pan over medium heat on the stovetop.
- To freeze. You can freeze your cooked kabobs in an airtight container for up to 2 months if you’d like. Before serving them again, let them thaw overnight in the fridge. Also, keep in mind that the veggies will not be as crisp.
Do you think round steak would work too?
Hi Joanna! Yes it will work with round steak! Round steak is a less tender cut that is more often used in stews or longer cooking options that make it more tender. But yes, you can absolutely air fry it!
I made these yesterday for my husband and I for dinner. I added mushrooms to the kabobs and a little less steak seasoning since we don’t like things too salty. They were DELICIOUS. My husband has already asked that I make these again next week. We used tenderloin steak that we cut into small pieces.
YAY! I love adding mushrooms 🙂