Air Fryer Steak

This air fryer steak recipe is astonishingly fast and easy, creating a juicy and tender steak cooked to perfection every single time! Ready in under 15 minutes, this might just be the easiest way to cook a steak.

Why You’ll Love This Air Fryer Steak Recipe

Air frying is a great way to cook a steak, especially if you don’t have a lot of time! Here’s why you’ll love this recipe:

• Easy: Air fryer steak is so simple! No flames to worry about and no hot spots on the grill. You don’t need propane and the weather is always nice in your kitchen. No flipping or babysitting required!
• Foolproof: This technique creates a juicy and tender steak with a crisp crust, without any smoke or oil splatter. It takes a lot of the guess work out of how to cook steak.
• Quick: If you don’t count the rest time, the total cooking time is just 8 minutes!
• Versatile : We love using New York Strip for this recipe, but you can also use a boneless ribeye, tenderloin, and tri tip with the same results.

If you love cooking steak in the air fryer, you will also enjoy our air fryer steak bites, juicy air fryer London broil and easy air fryer steak kabobs!

What You’ll Need

This air fryer steak recipe only needs a few simple ingredients. Scroll down to the recipe card for exact amounts.

• Steak: We love New York Strip, but you can use any cut of steak in this recipe! We recommend choosing a steak at least 1 inch thick.
• Oil: We are cooking the steaks at 400°F, so we highly recommend using avocado oil as it has a high smoke point and a neutral flavor. Olive oil has a low smoke point, so lower your heat to 375°F if you choose to use it instead.
• Seasoning: We use our homemade steak seasoning blend, which includes salt, pepper, garlic, onion, thyme, and paprika. If you would prefer store-bought, we enjoy this Montreal steak seasoning.

How to Cook Steak in Air Fryer

You will be surprised to learn how easy it is to make air fryer steak! Scroll down to the recipe card for full detailed instructions. 

• Prep: Preheat your air fryer to 400°F. This will only take a few minutes!
• Season: Coat steaks with oil and then season both sides with steak seasoning.
• Cook: Cook steaks in the air fryer for 6 to 8 minutes, until cooked to your desired doneness. (Check the section below for cook time guidelines.) The steaks do not need to be flipped!
• Rest: Take the steaks out of the air fryer and let them rest under foil for 5 minutes before cutting.
• Serve: After resting, serve immediately.

Steak Temperature Guidelines

All air fryers are made different, so make sure and check for doneness around 6 minutes. For a perfectly medium steak, I cooked mine for 8 minutes exactly. The easiest way to check the doneness of a steak is to test the internal temperature using an instant read meat thermometer. Here is a helpful cook time guideline:

• 125°F-130ºF for Rare: About 6 minutes cook time. Soft to the touch, and an indent remains when you press the top of the steak.
• 130°F-140ºF for Medium Rare: About 7 minutes cook time. Soft, but a little springy.
• 140°F-150ºF for Medium: About 8 to 9 minutes cook time. Tighter and springy when pressed.
• 150°F-160˚F for Medium Well: About 10 to 12 minutes cook time. Steaks will be firm to the touch.

Cooks’ Tips for Success

To ensure your air fryer steak turns out perfectly every time, here are some tips and tricks to keep in mind.

• Choose the Right Steaks: For air frying steak, you want to choose at least 1-inch thick steaks that have some decent marbling. These cuts will cook faster and stay juicier than leaner cuts. If your steaks are thinner, check them for doneness after 4 minutes.
• Room Temperature: Before cooking, let the steaks warm up to room temperature for about 20 to 30 minutes. This really helps them to cook more evenly, as they are not starting with an ice cold center.
• Don’t Overcrowd: Make sure the steaks have enough space to cook in the air fryer, without touching or overlapping. This will allow the hot air to circulate around the steaks and cook them evenly. If your air fryer is small, you may need to cook in batches.
• Don’t Overcook: Do not overcook! It’s always better to undercook cook steak since they’ll continue to cook a little bit while they rest.
• Resting: Don’t skip this step! Resting the steak wrapped in foil after it cooks allows the juices to redistribute and for the meat to relax. Leaving you with an irresistibly juicy and tender steak!

How to Serve Air Fryer Steak

These perfect air fryer steaks pair with just about everything. We definitely recommend topping your steaks with our creamy mushroom sauce or garlic herb butter to take them to the next level! Here are some great sides for you to try out:

• Veggies: Pretty much any veggie side or salad would be great with a juicy air fryer steak. Some of our favorites are bacon brussels sprouts, skillet fried corn, and air fryer zucchini fries.
• Potatoes: Steak and potatoes are a pretty classic pairing and you can’t go wrong with our roasted baby potatoes or garlic mashed potatoes. If looking for a fancier side, try our twice baked potato casserole.
• Breads: A great steak dinner cries out for tasty homemade bread. We highly recommend our cheesy herb crescent rolls or garlic bread!

Can I Store and Reheat Leftovers?

Since this air fryer steak recipe only calls for 2 steaks, we doubt you’ll have any leftovers. But, in the event you’re cooking for one or doubling this recipe, here’s how to save your leftovers:

• Fridge: Store leftover steak in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
• Reheat: Reheat steak in air fryer for about 2 minutes at 350°F, until just warmed through. Any longer can dry out the steak.
• Freeze: We do not recommend freezing cooked steak as it will change the texture once thawed. However, if desired, you can freeze it for up to 3 months in an airtight freezer safe container.

More Must Try Air Fryer Recipes

• Air Fryer Chicken Wings
• Air Fryer Pork Chops
• Air Fyrer Mahi Mahi
• Air Fryer Shrimp
• Air Fryer Steak Bites with Potatoes