By: Becky Hardin
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These easy Steak Fajitas are tender and flavorful, perfect to serve up sizzling with fresh tortillas and tons of toppings. We use the best fajita marinade for the steak, bell peppers, and onions to infuse everything with ultimate flavor. The grilled strips of steak and veggies are easy to assemble for the tastiest fajita recipe ever!
Table of Contents
What’s in Marinated Steak Fajitas
Grilled steak is a great base for the best fajitas–just add bell peppers, onions, and all your favorite toppings. It’s an easy dinner for any night of the week!
- Steak: Skirt steak is best for fajitas! Marinating it before grilling will make it super tender.
- Fajita Seasoning: This blend combines brown sugar, paprika, red pepper flakes, garlic powder, thyme, and some other herbs and spices for the perfect flavor.
- Soy Sauce: This is the base of our steak marinade. I like to use a low-sodium variety but that’s up to you.
- Lime Juice: Fresh lime juice adds acidity to the marinade, and a bright and zesty flavor.
- Orange Juice: Fresh orange juice adds more acidity, which helps break down the tough fibers of the steak so that it becomes soft and tender. Feel free to swap it for pineapple juice.
- Brown Sugar: Dark brown sugar adds a rich bit of sweetness to the fajita marinade.
- Garlic: Minced garlic adds savoriness.
- Jalapenos: Diced jalapenos add some heat to the marinade, but it won’t lead to overly spicy meat and veggies. Be sure to remove the seeds, unless you want more spice.
- Cumin: Ground cumin adds a little bit of earthiness that balances everything out.
- Fajita Veggies: The best vegetables for steak fajitas are bell peppers and onions. You can use a mix of colors for your peppers. I recommend white or yellow onions. Cut everything into equally-sized strips.
- Tortillas: Flour tortillas are best, but you can use corn and other types of tortillas as well.
- Toppings: Add anything you love–guacamole, sour cream, queso, shredded cheese, pico de gallo, salsas, lime juice, etc.
Pro Tip: To warm tortillas, wrap small stacks in aluminum foil, and place in the oven for a few minutes. You can also warm them individually in a skillet on the stove top, but it’s easier with the oven.
What can I add to this grilled fajitas recipe besides peppers?
Marinated grilled steak, bell peppers, and onions make up the bulk of these easy fajitas. But you can add other vegetables and fillings if you like. Add in some other types of peppers to add more heat, like jalapenos or poblanos (use sparingly).
Add zucchini and others summer squashes, carrots, or cabbage to fill things out. Portobello mushrooms cut into strips also work as a hearty (and healthy) fajita filling–these would be a good substitute for vegetarians.
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What cut of steak is best for fajitas?
Skirt steak is the best and most common cut to use for fajitas. You can also use flank steak or hangar steak.
How long do you marinate steak for fajitas?
I recommend marinating the steak for 2-10 hours before grilling. A long marinating time will make it extra tender and flavorful, but going past the 10 hour mark could lead to a mushy texture.
What temperature should I cook steak for fajitas?
Grill steak until it reaches an internal temperature of 125-130F (it will rise slightly as it rests). This will give you a rare to medium-rare steak, which will be extremely tender and flavorful.
Can I cook steak fajitas on the stovetop?
Yes! If you don’t want to use a gas or charcoal grill, you can use a grill pan or cast iron skillet on the stovetop. Instructions are included in the recipe card below!
How do you cut steak and veggies for fajitas?
After the steak has had time to rest, cut it diagonally, against the grain (through the muscle fibers), into long strips. The bell peppers and onions should be cut into 1/2 inch strips.
How to Store and Make Ahead
Store grilled fajita steak and veggies in an airtight container, and keep them in the refrigerator up to 4 days.
If you want to prep these ahead of time, here are a few things you can do:
- Combine ingredients to make the fajita marinade, and store it in an airtight container up to 4 days.
- Prep veggies (clean and cut into 1/2-inch strips), and store in the fridge up to 4 days.
- Grill the steak, and store up to 3 days.
- And since the steak can be marinated up to 10 hours, throw it in the fridge in the morning, and it’ll be ready to grill when you get home from work!
How to Freeze and Reheat
Store steak fajitas filling in a freezer-safe container, and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight before reheating.
To reheat. Warm the steak and veggies in the oven (350F, in a baking dish covered with foil), on the stovetop, or in the microwave for just 1-2 minutes.
What to Serve with Grilled Steak Fajitas
Serve sizzling steak fajitas on a platter, along with warm tortillas and toppings, so that everyone can assemble their own as they go–that’s part of the fun! Some toppings to try: avocado corn salsa, street corn, salsa verde, taco sauce, chimichurri, creme fraiche, and shredded cheese.
They’re also great served along with cilantro lime rice, Mexican rice, esquites, refried beans, Mexican grilled corn, tortillas chips and poblano queso. A Pineapple Agua Fresca or Orange Margarita would be a refreshing finish!
Or try using leftovers on fajita nachos, or make fajita bowls by combining everything (steak, veggies, toppings) with rice.
Recipe
Steak Fajitas Recipe
4.58 from 113 votes
Author: Becky Hardin
Prep: 20 minutes minutes
Cook: 20 minutes minutes
Total: 2 hours hours 40 minutes minutes
Serves6 people
A flavorful fajita marinade leads to delicious steak and veggies. Make the easiest steak fajitas for dinner any time!
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Ingredients
For the Meat:
- ½ cup low-sodium soy sauce
- ½ cup fresh lime juice 5-7 limes
- Juice from 1 large orange
- ½ cup canola oil
- 3 tablespoons packed dark brown sugar
- 2 medium cloves garlic minced
- 2 medium jalapeno peppers seeded and diced
- 1 tablespoon fajita seasoning click for recipe!
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- Kosher salt to taste
- 2 pounds trimmed skirt steak cut with the grain into 5-inch pieces
For the Fajitas:
- 3 medium bell peppers red, yellow & orange, stemmed, seeded and cut into 1/2 –inch-wide strips
- 1 large green bell pepper stemmed, seeded and cut into 1/2 –inch- wide strips
- 1 large yellow or white onions cut (stem-to-steinto ½-inch-wide strips
- 12 (8-incflour or corn tortillas warmed
For Serving:
- Guacamole Pico de Gallo, Mexican Rice, Beans, Sour cream, Cheese, Salsa, Chopped Fresh Cilantro, Lime Wedges
Instructions
For the Meat & Vegetables:
In a medium bowl, whisk together soy sauce, lime juice, orange juice, canola oil, brown sugar, minced garlic, fajita seasoning, jalapenos, cumin and black pepper. Season to taste with salt.
½ cup low-sodium soy sauce, ½ cup fresh lime juice, Juice from 1 large orange, ½ cup canola oil, 3 tablespoons packed dark brown sugar, 2 medium cloves garlic, 2 medium jalapeno peppers, 1 tablespoon fajita seasoning, 1 teaspoon ground cumin, 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, Kosher salt
Pour ½ cup marinade in a large bowl or a gallon-size zip-loc bag; set aside.
Transfer the cut steaks to a gallon-sized zip-loc bag and pour the marinade over the steak. Squeeze out excess air from the bag and seal. Massage the marinade over the meat until all the meat is fully coated. Transfer the meat (in the bag or a pan large enough for it to lay flat) and place it in the fridge. Refrigerate 2-10 hours, flipping the bag over often.
2 pounds trimmed skirt steak
When ready to cook, remove the meat from the fridge 15-30 minutes before using. Before cooking the meat, wipe off the excess marinade with paper towels.
While the meat marinates, add the cut vegetables to the reserved ½ cup marinade and toss to coat. Refrigerate until ready to use, stirring occasionally.
3 medium bell peppers, 1 large green bell pepper, 1 large yellow or white onions
To Cook the Vegetables:
30 minutes before ready to cook, preheat oven to 475°F and arrange the baking rack to the lower-middle position.
Line a large, rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil, and spray the foil with nonstick cooking spray.
30 minutes before cooking, if using a charcoal grill, light the charcoal.
Remove the meat and vegetables from the fridge.
Use paper towels to wipe off the excess marinade from the meat.
Use tongs to transfer the vegetables to the prepared baking sheet, shaking off excess marinade as you work.
Transfer the vegetables to the oven when the meat is cooked and removed from the grill (or stovetop).
Cook the vegetables 4 minutes, toss to redistribute and cook another 4-5 minutes or until fork-tender and slightly charred.
To Grill the Meat:
…on a Charcoal Grill:
If using a charcoal grill: fill one grill chimney with charcoal and light it. When top coals are mostly covered with gray ash, pour the coals over one side of the charcoal grate. Close the grill and let preheat 5 minutes. Clean and oil the grill after the grill preheats.
Place the meat directly over the hot half of the grill and leave the lid open.
Cook the steak, flipping often, until it is beautifully charred on both sides, about 6-8 minutes total cooking time. The center of the meat should register 125-130°F on an instant-read meat thermometer.
…on a Gas Grill:
Turn half the burners to the highest heat, cover and preheat for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, clean and oil the grate.
Place the meat on the hot side of the grill, cover and cook, turning occasionally, until steak has a beautiful char on both sides, about 6-8 minutes total time. The center of the meat should register 125-130°F on an instant-read thermometer.
…on the Stovetop:
Use a 10-12 inch well-seasoned cast iron skillet. If you have a cast iron grill pan, that’s great, if not – a regular cast iron skillet will work.
Brush 1-teaspoon canola oil over the skillet and heat it over medium-high heat until pan is sizzling hot. Carefully place the steak in the pan and cook a total of 6-8 minutes or until you get a gorgeous char on both sides. Flip the meat over after 3 minutes or when the beef releases from the pan and cook the other side about 3 minutes. The internal temperature should read 125-130°F on an instant-read thermometer.
After grilling the steak:
Transfer the steaks to a cutting board and let rest 5 minutes (this will allow the juices to redistribute). Slice the meat against the grain.
Drizzle with any leftover meat juices and lime juice.
Place the meat and vegetables on a large serving platter and serve with warmed tortillas, guacamole, Pico de Gallo, Mexican rice, beans, sour cream, cheese, salsa, chopped fresh cilantro, lime wedges.
12 (8-incflour or corn tortillas, Guacamole
Enjoy!
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Nutrition Information
Calories: 457kcal (23%) Carbohydrates: 14g (5%) Protein: 35g (70%) Fat: 30g (46%) Saturated Fat: 6g (38%) Cholesterol: 95mg (32%) Sodium: 813mg (35%) Potassium: 643mg (18%) Fiber: 2g (8%) Sugar: 9g (10%) Vitamin A: 1885IU (38%) Vitamin C: 82mg (99%) Calcium: 30mg (3%) Iron: 4mg (22%)
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More Fajita Recipes We Love
- Chicken Fajitas
- Sheet Pan Steak Fajitas
- Baked Chicken Fajitas
- Shrimp Fajitas
- Crockpot Chicken Fajitas
- …or make Steak Tacos instead!
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