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    🏠Home » Recipes » Mexican Recipes

    Easy Marinated Steak Fajitas

    Feb 9, 2020 · Modified: Jan 27, 2023 by Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan · 5 Comments

    Recipe Table of Contents    
    4.50 from 4 votes

    These easy marinated steak fajitas start with a great fajita marinade. After marinating strips of steak, onion, and bell peppers, cook to perfection until they are melt-in-your-mouth tender and juicy. Finally, serve it all sizzling hot with tortillas and your favorite toppings.

    Beef Fajitas on tortilla and white plate B
    Jump To:
    • 😊Why you will love this recipe
    • 🐄Ingredients
    • 👨‍🍳How to Make Marinated Steak Fajitas
    • ✔️Tips
    • ❓FAQs
    • 🍴Serving
    • 📖Related Recipe
    • 🖼️Step-by-Step Photo Instructions
    • 📝Recipe
    Blue ribbon divider used for visual effect

    😊Why you will love this recipe

    • It uses an easy fajita marinade that is made from pantry ingredients.
    • A Tex-Mex classic, these better-than-restaurant-quality steak fajitas are easy to make at home.
    • An easy 10-minute prep ahead with the marinade, then only 20 minutes to cook.
    • The vegetables are also marinated for deep flavor.
    • Use the steak of your choice; sirloin, flank, or skirt steak will all work
    • Impress your family and friends with your new specialty of the house.

    🐄Ingredients

    • Steak—Usually sirloin steak, but a skirt and flank steak are commonly used.
    • Green and Red Bell Pepper
    • Onion
    • Marinade—lime juice, olive oil. fresh garlic, vinegar, soy sauce, liquid smoke, kosher salt, chili powder, cayenne pepper, black pepper, and onion powder
    • Serving—tortillas, sour cream, cheese, salsa, guacamole, and other toppings

    👨‍🍳How to Make Marinated Steak Fajitas

    1. Trim sirloin, flank, or skirt steak and cut it into strips about ¼ inch thick.
    2. Prep large onion and one or two peppers.
    3. Mix marinade ingredients in a medium bowl. Add about ¾ of the marinade to a 1-gallon ziplock bag for the meat. Add the remainder to a second bag for the vegetables.
    4. Add the beef and vegetables to their bags, mix well, and seal after removing as much air as possible. Refrigerate for a least an hour up to overnight.
    5. When ready to cook. Put 1 tablespoon oil in a large cast-iron pan and heat over medium-high heat.
    6. When the oil is hot, add the veggies. When onions are nicely browned (about 8-9 minutes), Remove from pan, set aside, and cover.
    7. Add oil to the pan, increase the heat to high and cook the steak strips until browned with an internal temperature of 140° or more— about 8-10 minutes.
    8. Add the vegetables back to the pan to reheat.
    9. Serve with heated tortillas, sour cream, guacamole, and anything else you like.

    ✔️Tips

    • It is best to marinade overnight, but 1 hour will do.
    • Marinade no longer than 24 hours.
    • A cast-iron skillet is preferred since it will retain heat well and cook without hotspots. Also, great for serving since the heat is retained. But any large skillet will work.
    • Be sure to cut the beef across the grain.

    ❓FAQs

    Can I cook steak fajitas on the grill?

    You can use the recommended cast-iron skillet as above or a large griddle, preferably with sides. If the griddle is large enough, you can cook the meat and vegetables simultaneously since the cooking time is about the same.

    How long to marinate fajitas?

    While you will get some good taste with even a few minutes, a minimum of 1 hour is suggested, and up to 24 hours is good.

    You can marinate too long. More than 24 hours can start to break down the meat fibers, and over 48 hours will definitely affect the meat texture.

    How to warm tortillas?

    Wrap up to 8 flour or corn tortillas in aluminum foil and place in a 300° oven for 10-15 minutes.

    In a microwave, wrap up to 4 tortillas at a time with a slightly damp paper or cloth towel. Microwave for 30 seconds.

    How to store leftover steak fajitas?

    Store in an airtight container refrigerated for up to 3 days. I don't recommend freezing. Reheat on the stovetop or in a microwave.

    🍴Serving

    Serve in the skillet; it will keep it hot and give the sizzle. Warm some tortillas in the oven or the microwave covered.

    Common toppings are avocados, guacamole, pico, sour cream, and salsa. Or anything else you want.

    For side dishes, try chips and salsa, Mexican Rice, Black or Refried Beans, Pico de Gallo, or Guacamole.

    📖Related Recipe

    Other Grilled Fajitas

    Grilled Flank Steak Fajitas

    Easy Pork Fajitas

    Grilled Chicken Fajitas in 30 Minutes

    Suggested Side Dishes

    Easy Stovetop Mexican Rice

    Mango Salsa with Pineapple

    This recipe is listed in these categories. See them for more similar recipes.

    Easy Dinner Recipes, Mexican Recipes
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    🖼️Step-by-Step Photo Instructions

    trimmed steak cubes on board

    Trim and cut 1 pound of sirloin steak into strips about ¼ inch thick.

    sliced peppers and onion with knife

    Slice a large onion and one or two peppers. Cut into smaller pieces if you wish.

    marinade ingredients

    Mix marinade ingredients in a medium bowl. Add about ¾ of the marinade to a 1-gallon ziplock bag for the meat. Add the remainder to a second bag for the vegetables.

    cubes of beef in bag with marinade

    Add the beef and vegetables to their bags, mix well, and seal after removing as much air as possible. Refrigerate for a least an hour and longer if possible. Overnight would have been fine.

    sliced peppers and onion in frying pan

    When ready to cook, put 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil in a large cast-iron pan over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, add the vegetables. When onions are nicely browned (about 8-9 minutes), remove from pan, set aside, and cover.

    browning beef in cast iron skillet

    Add a little oil to the pan, increase the heat to high, add the drained beef, and cook until browned — about 8-10 minutes.

    veggies and meat browned in skillet

    Move the meat to one side and add the vegetables to the pan. Cook and stir the vegetables for a minute or two until reheated. Then mix the meat and vegetables.

    Beef Fajitas on tortilla and white plate

    Serve with heated tortillas, sour cream, guacamole, and anything else you like.

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    📝Recipe

    Steak Fajitas on tortilla and white plate

    Easy Marinated Steak Fajitas

    From Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan
    These easy marinated steak fajitas start with a great fajita marinade. After marinating strips of steak, onion, and bell peppers, cook to perfection until they are melt-in-your-mouth tender and juicy. Finally, serve it all sizzling hot with tortillas and your favorite toppings.
    Tap to leave a Rating
    4.50 from 4 votes
    Print Email CollectionCollected
    Prep Time: 10 minutes
    Cook Time: 20 minutes
    Total Time: 30 minutes
    Servings #/Adjust if desired 4

    Ingredients

    US Customary - Convert to Metric
    • 1 lb sirloin steak
    • 1 green pepper
    • 1 red pepper
    • 1 onion - large

    Marinade

    • ¼ cup lime juice
    • ⅓ cup water
    • 2 tablespoons olive oil
    • 1 - 2 cloves garlic - crushed
    • 1 tablespoon vinegar
    • 2 teaspoons soy sauce
    • ½ teaspoon liquid smoke
    • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
    • ½ teaspoon chili powder
    • ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
    • ¼ teaspoon black pepper
    • ¼ teaspoon onion powder

    Serving

    • 4-6 flour tortillas
    • sour cream
    • cheese
    • salsa
    • Guacamole
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Instructions

    • Trim and cut 1 pound of sirloin steak into strips about ¼ inch thick.
      trimmed steak cubes on board
    • Slice a large onion and one or two peppers. Cut into smaller pieces if you wish.
      sliced peppers and onion with knife
    • Mix marinade ingredients in a medium bowl. Add about ¾ of the marinade to a 1-gallon ziplock bag for the meat. Add the remainder to a second bag for the vegetables.
      marinade ingredients
    • Add the beef and vegetables to their bags, mix well, and seal after removing as much air as possible. Refrigerate for a least an hour and longer if possible. Overnight would have been fine.
      cubes of beef in bag with marinade
    • When ready to cook, put 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil in a large cast-iron pan over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, add the vegetables. When onions are nicely browned (about 8-9 minutes), remove from pan, set aside, and cover.
      sliced peppers and onion in frying pan
    • Add a little oil to the pan, increase the heat to high, add the drained beef, and cook until browned — about 8-10 minutes.
      browning beef in cast iron skillet
    • Move the meat to one side and add the vegetables back to the pan. Cook and stir for a minute or two until vegetables are reheated—then mix meat and vegetables.
      veggies and meat browned in skillet
    • Serve with heated tortillas, sour cream, guacamole, and anything else you like.
      Beef Fajitas on tortilla and white plate
    See the step-by-step photos in the post. Some recipes have an option to display the photos here with a switch above these instructions but the photos DO NOT print.

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    Recipe Notes

    Pro Tips:

    1. Always cut your beef against the grain.
    2. Use a BIG skillet. Cast iron is preferred.
    3. Use the beef you want, but sirloin steak is a good choice. Flank or skirt steak also works.
    4. The marinade ingredients can be adjusted to your taste. But this is a great marinade.
    5. Marinade overnight to use the next day. A great prep-ahead meal. Try to marinade for at least 1 hour and no longer than 24 hours.
    6. You can just flavor it with the marinade and cook immediately. But the marinade will tenderize some, and the flavor penetrates, so a 1-hour minimum is suggested.
    7. Good in the refrigerator for 2-3 days. Reheat in a skillet or microwave.
    8. Nutrition includes beef and veggies but no serving options.

    To adjust the recipe size:

    You may adjust the number of servings in this recipe card under servings. This does the math for the ingredients for you. BUT it does NOT adjust the text of the instructions. So you need to do that yourself.

    Nutrition Estimate

    Nutrition Facts
    Easy Marinated Steak Fajitas
    Amount Per Serving
    Calories 242 Calories from Fat 108
    % Daily Value*
    Fat 12g18%
    Saturated Fat 3g15%
    Cholesterol 69mg23%
    Sodium 151mg6%
    Potassium 543mg16%
    Carbohydrates 6g2%
    Fiber 2g8%
    Sugar 3g3%
    Protein 26g52%
    Vitamin A 1042IU21%
    Vitamin C 64mg78%
    Calcium 41mg4%
    Iron 2mg11%
    * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
    Serving size is my estimate of a normal size unless stated otherwise. The number of servings per recipe is stated above. This is home cooking, and there are many variables. All nutritional information are estimates and may vary from your actual results. To taste ingredients such as salt will be my estimate of the average used.
    Course : Main Course
    Cuisine : Mexican

    © 101 Cooking for Two, LLC. All content and photographs are copyright protected by us or our vendors. While we appreciate your sharing our recipes, please realize copying, pasting, or duplicating full recipes to any social media, website, or electronic/printed media is strictly prohibited and a violation of our copyrights.

    Originally published April 6, 2012. Updated with expanded discussion and options, refreshed photos, and a table of contents.

    Molly setting

    More Mexican Recipes

    • Chicken Fajita Quesadillas—Quick and Easy
    • Pork Tenderloin Carnitas
    • Healthy Chicken Enchilada Casserole—Easy and Quick
    • How to Make the Best Taco Meat in 25 Minutes

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    1. gail

      May 14, 2022 at 4:23 pm

      I'm trying most of of your recipes. Where a recipe calls for lime juice can I use the one in bottle?

      Reply
      • Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan

        May 14, 2022 at 5:00 pm

        Yes

    2. Doug DeFrees

      June 02, 2012 at 1:26 pm

      This makes for a nice, easy-to-prepare meal which is also easily adapted to suit both vegetarians and omnivores. Remember, though, to marinate the meat in advance. I like Chris's idea of grilling the meat.
      https://sundaydinnerfortwo.blogspot.com/2012/06/read-recipe-all-way-through-in-advance.html

      Reply
    3. Chris

      April 22, 2012 at 5:52 am

      I absolutely LOVE steak fajitas! I marinate my steak whole only because I am grilling it. If I do it on a cast iron, I'll give your technique a try, it would definite cut the time needed for marinating.

      Reply
    4. raquel

      April 17, 2012 at 12:18 pm

      I like your idea of a restaurant favorite cooked at home, there will be plenty of servings that can be made. Everybody can enjoy it whenever they want.

      Reply

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