Steak Tacos are a filling and delicious addition to taco night!
These steak tacos are made with flank steak marinated in an easy marinade and then grilled to perfection. It’s tucked into warm tortillas with your favorite toppings for a perfect meal.
You’ll Love These Steak Tacos Because…
- The marinade is easy, fresh, and flavorful.
- You can use any kind of steak, and this method ensures it’s tender every time.
- Everything can be prepared ahead of time, making for a quick, anytime kind of meal.
Steak for Tacos
Steak tacos are an easy meal and a great variation from ground beef tacos! Add your favorite toppings.
Choose any cut of beef that’s intended for grilling. For this recipe, I prefer flank steak, which works great in dishes like Mongolian beef or fajitas. Skirt steak, ribeye, or sirloin steak are also delicious (marinate sirloin or ribeye for only 1 hour).
Marinade for Steak Tacos
Marination cuts of beef like flank steak or skirt steak both tenderizes them and adds flavor.
I create a simple marinade with fresh orange and lime juice for acidity and a bit of cilantro for freshness.
- Juice: Fresh lime and orange juice add flavor, and the acidity makes the steak tender.
- Oil: Oil adds moisture and helps distribute the flavorings evenly.
- Flavor: Salt, pepper, and cumin season the steak, while garlic and cilantro add flavor.
Feel free to add seasonings like smoked paprika, chili powder, onion powder, oregano, or red pepper flakes.
How to Make Steak Tacos
- Marinate: Mix the marinade ingredients (recipe below) and marinate steak for at least an hour or overnight.
- Grill: Grill the steak according to the recipe below. Remove from heat and let it rest.
- Cut and Serve: Cut the steak into pieces and tuck it into tortillas with your favorite toppings.
Tips for Tender Beef
- Marinate – Marinate the steak for maximum flavor. You can even marinate it overnight for a quick meal the next day!
- Rest After Cooking – Let the beef rest for a few minutes after cooking to lock in the juices.
- Cut Across the Grain (Important!) – Slice the steak across the grain, or the steak will be tough. Before you marinate the meat, you will see long muscle fibers in the meat, you want to cut across (and not with) the fibers.
- Cube the Beef – While some recipes use strips of beef, I find cubes easier to serve and eat.
Steak Taco Toppings
The best way to serve steak tacos is to offer a variety of toppings so everyone can build their own! Add a side of refried beans or a salad to round out the.
- Sauces: Sour cream, mango salsa, hot sauce, guacamole
- Flavor: Sliced black olives, red onion, sliced jalapenos, green chiles, lime wedges, cilantro
- Veggies: Diced tomatoes, white onions, avocado, cabbage slaw, chopped lettuce
- Cheese: Cotija cheese, Monterey jack cheese, cheddar cheese
Taco Night?
Quick Chicken Tacos
Cheesy Oven Baked Tacos
Did your family love these Easy Steak Tacos? Leave us a rating and a comment below!
Easy Steak Tacos
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 ½ pounds flank steak or sirloin, or ribeye *see notes
- 8 small corn tortillas or flour tortillas, warmed
- toppings as desired
Marinade
- ¼ cup fresh lime juice about 2 limes, juiced
- ¼ cup fresh orange juice about 1 orange, juiced
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- ¼ cup cilantro packed
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
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In a blender or food processor, add all marinade ingredients. Pulse until smooth.
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Combine the marinade and flank steak in a glass bowl or freezer bag and mix well to coat.
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Marinate for at least 1 hour or overnight. (If using sirloin or ribeye, marinate for a maximum of 1 hour). Remove the steak from the marinade and allow excess to drip off.
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Preheat the grill or a grill pan to medium-high heat (425°F). Cook for about 4-5 minutes per side (125 to 130°F for medium-rare). While the steak is cooking, add the tortillas to the grill for about 1 minute per side to warm.
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Transfer the steak to a plate and let it rest for at least 5 minutes. Cut the steak into ½-inch slices across the grain, and then cut into bite-sized pieces
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Serve in warmed tortillas with desired toppings such as pico de gallo, guacamole, sour cream, and cilantro.
Notes
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Beef, Dinner, Entree, Main Course
Cuisine American, Mexican
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perfect spice level. I used venison. tomatillos were ready, so we had a nice salsa Verde to slather on top. yum
Hello Kim. So happy to hear that you enjoyed this steak tacos recipe.
Your recipe sounds so mouthwatering delicious. Are there other ways to make the marinade with out a blender? I do not own one unfortunately …
You can finely chop the cilantro Amy and then mix the rest. Enjoy!
Positively delicious!!! I was fortunate enough to have a fresh lime I got off my neighbors tree and juiced a fresh orange. I marinated the flank steak overnight and the steak was as tender as could be. I will be making this marinade often. Another delicious recipe from Holly!!! Thank you!!!
That sounds so wonderful! I am so glad you enjoyed this recipe Kathy.
ABSOLUTELY DELICIOUS!!!
I used this as a marinade for flank steak and let it marinate overnight and it turned out awesome !! Grilled it and served it with roasted rosemary potatoes. This marinade is a keeper!! Thank you again Holly for a wonderful recipe!!! I can’t thank you enough for your generosity in sharing your recipes!!!!
I am so glad you enjoyed this recipe Kathy!
Have you tried the flank steak in the air fryer yet? I wonder how that would turn out.
Flank steak would be great in the air fryer Kristine!
Phenomenal!! My family will definitely put this in our repertoire!! Every one rated it a 10/10.
Thank you again
I am so happy to hear this recipe was a hit Lisa!
I made this without the OJ, I didn’t have any and it turned out well. Although I did add a splash of Patron tequila to the marinade. I’ll make it again, but next time heat the corn tortillas in a pan instead of the oven.
I am so glad you enjoyed this recipe James!
please save yourself some heartache and do NOT use flank steak. It is soooo tough :( I’m truly heartbroken by the money spent making this dish. Everything else was fine, just not the steak cut.
Put cornstarch on the meat and let it set for about 5-10 minutes before cooking. You will be surprised. Chinese call that velveting. That is what they do to make their meat so tender and juicy.
Great recipe
So glad you loved it Linda!
This recipe was magic and very forgiving. Marinated the flank steak overnight. Couldn’t grill because the wing chill was horrendous! Cooked steak in a 12” non-stick skillet very hot. Came out perfect with a nice brown crust and medium rare. Made the pico without jalapeños (wife and I are both very sensitive to any kind of peppers). Delicious. We couldn’t get small flour tortillas so we made burritos. And we’re having the leftovers for supper tonight.
So glad you loved the tacos Scotty! Your description is making me want them all over again!
Amazing
So glad you enjoyed it, Saundra!