This steak marinade makes for the most tender cuts of meat. Use it with any type of steak and enjoy the most delicious, succulent steak.
Nothing is quite as delicious as a tender steak, and with this fantastic and simple steak marinade, you can whip one up easily anytime. Just a few simple ingredients come together to make up this marinade. Whip it up in the morning before you go to work, and then make your steak in under 20 minutes when you get home.
This recipe is perfect for a tougher cuts of steak, but will work well on any cut of steak. What you see here is the most tender New York Strip, but we’ve used it on ribeye and even filet mignon. It brings tenderness and so much amazing flavor.
Steak Marinade Ingredients
Here are the simple ingredients that make up a delicious marinade for steak. They combine to add so much flavor and tenderness to your steak, making this the best steak marinade. Be sure to scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of the post for the full recipe, including all measurements.
- Olive oil: Since this makes up the base of the marinade, use a good-quality olive oil and avoid vegetable oils. Since you will be cooking the steak, avoid extra virgin olive oil as its smoke point isn’t as high as regular olive oil.
- Soy sauce: Brings both flavor and salt to this simple recipe for steak marinade. It helps tenderize the steak and infuses it with rich, umami flavor. Its salt content also helps the meat retain moisture during cooking, keeping it juicy and flavorful. While regular soy sauce is not gluten-free, you can find gluten-free varieties if cooking for someone who can’t have gluten.
- Brown sugar: Adds sweetness to balance the acidity of the soy sauce and lemon juice.
- Lemon juice: Acts as the acid in the marinade. It helps break down the meat so that flavors of the marinade can help penetrate it.
- Worcestershire: Adds deep, savory flavor with a subtle tang.
- Garlic: Fresh garlic adds the best flavor.
- Black pepper: Adds spice that enhances the overall flavor of the steak. Use freshly ground pepper if you can.
How Long to Marinate Steak
The ingredients in your marinade work to tenderize and season the steak, working great as a flank steak marinade and skirt steak marinade. Marinating steak for the right amount of time is key to infusing it with flavor and improving tenderness. Too little time won’t do much, and too much time can ruin the texture. You want the marinade to penetrate the meat without breaking down the fibers, resulting in mushy steak.
Let your steak sit in the marinade in a covered container in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes or up to 24 hours. I love to do this the night before I plan to cook the steaks so that I can pull them out of the fridge and cook them in under 20 minutes. To maximize tenderizing, I like to marinate for at least four hours. Discard the marinade when you are ready to cook the steak.
How to Cook Steak
Once your steak is marinated and loaded with juicy flavor, it’s time to cook it and enjoy. While you also grill your steaks, here is a delicious way to cook them on your stovetop.
- Heat a heavy-bottomed skillet (such as a cast iron skillet) over medium heat for about five minutes. Remove the steaks from the marinade and discard the rest.
- Add the steaks and cook for about five minutes on each side or until the steak reaches the desired doneness. I like to remove my steaks from the heat when they reach 135 degrees Fahrenheit, as measured with an instant read thermometer.
- Let the meat rest for about five minutes before slicing.
What to Serve with Marinated Steak
If you make this easy steak marinade recipe or any of my other recipes, I’d love to hear what you think! Reading your comments makes my day.
Steak Marinade
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 1/3 cup soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar packed
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Combine the ingredients for the marinade in a small bowl. Whisk until smooth.
- Pour the marinade over your steak in a zip lock bag or a reusable container. This recipe is enough to cover approximately 2 pounds of meat. Marinate for at least 30 minutes or up to 24 hours. To maximize tenderizing, I like to marinate for at least 4 hours.
- To make your steak, remove them from the marinade and discard the rest. Heat a heavy-bottomed skillet over medium heat for about 5 minutes. Add the steaks and cook for about 5 minutes on each side or until the steak reaches the desired doneness. I like to remove my steaks from the heat when they reach 135 degrees Fahrenheit as measured with an instant read thermometer. Let the meat rest for about 5 minutes before slicing.
Patricia says
Love this marinade it’s my second time love it
I’m so happy to hear that, Patricia!