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Home » Recipe Index » Best Homemade Steak Marinade Recipe

Best Homemade Steak Marinade Recipe

June 8, 2021 by Kara Cook 19 Comments

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steak marinade for grilling pinterest pin

This homemade Steak Marinade makes steaks that are tender, juicy, and exploding with flavor! It’s easy to make, and I bet you have all of the ingredients on hand. 

Trust me, this is some seriously good steak marinade! If you cook it properly, you will end up with steaks that rival the ones you order at your favorite steakhouse. And you will save yourself a lot of money!

best homemade steak marinade

 

BEST STEAK MARINADE RECIPE

Truth be told, I am usually a grilled chicken girl, and I only enjoy steak if it is amazingly tender and delicious. The first time we whipped up steaks using this steak marinade recipe, I was in love after just one bite!

I found it on Allrecipes and gave it a try because it had so many great reviews. I am soooo glad I did! We had a pretty quiet dinner, because all of us were busy stuffing our faces and moaning with delight. 😉

Don’t be put off by the large quantity of basil. I thought it was strange too, but trust me, it is not overpowering. This is the best steak marinade ever!

 

Should you marinate steak before grilling?

If you are using prime tender cuts of meat, it is not mandatory to marinate them, you can just sprinkle them with seasoning before you cook them. However, even the most expensive, marbled cuts of meat will benefit from a great marinade, because marinating allows the meat to absorb the flavors.

How long to marinate steak?

The amount of time you need to marinate your steak depends on your cut of meat. More tender cuts of meat such as ribeye, New York strip steak, and top sirloin don’t need much time marinating. An hour is enough. In fact, you don’t want to marinate them too long or the acid in the marinade can break them down too much.

If you are using tougher cuts like flank, skirt, or tri tip steak, they will be better marinated overnight. The acid will break down the tough fibers, resulting in a more tender steak. If your meat is really tough, it’s best to use a good meat tenderizer before adding it to the marinade.

HOW TO MAKE STEAK MARINADE

Ingredients:

  • soy sauce – Adds flavor and salt to the steak.
  • olive oil – Seals the juices into the steak, and helps prevent it from sticking to the cooking surface.
  • lemon juice – The acid in the lemon juice tenderizes the meat, and it also adds a fresh flavor.
  • Worcestershire sauce – One of the best ingredients for adding rich flavor to any red meat!
  • dried basil – Don’t be alarmed by the amount of basil. It seems like a lot, but it adds so much flavor!
  • dried parsley – Adds a pop of color and freshness to the marinade.
  • black pepper – Freshly ground pepper adds the most flavor, but any black pepper will work.
  • fresh garlic cloves and garlic powder – If I have fresh garlic on hand

It doesn’t get much easier than this beef marinade. I don’t even mix my ingredients in a separate bowl first. If you will be using a baking dish, just stir the ingredients together in the pan. Add the steak, then flip it to coat the other side. Cover tightly.

pan of steak covered in keto steak marinade

 

For a ziplock bag, just add the ingredients to the bag, then add the steak. Seal the bag and simply squish the marinade around.

Place the steak in the fridge and chill for at least an hour. 

Let steak sit at room temperature for about 20 minutes before you cook it. Cook it on a grill, in a skillet, or broil it in the oven till it is the doneness you desire.

Homemade steak marinade is an easy way to kick up the flavor of your steak! This recipe is easy and tastes incredible! #marinade #dinnerrecipe #lowcarb #grilling -from Creations by Kara

 

PRO TIPS:

  • You can make the marinade ahead of time and store it in the fridge for a week or two. I like to store it in a mason jar.
  • To prevent your steak from sticking to the grill, only flip it once.
  • Cover your cooked steak with foil and let it sit for 5 minutes before slicing into it. This allows the meat to hold onto all the juices. If you cut it too early, all the juice ends up on the plate.
  • For extra tasty steak, top it with a pat of salted butter (or garlic butter) before serving.

How Do you Know your Steak is Done?

Char marks are not an indication of whether your meat is completely cooked, you must go by internal meat temperature. Rare steak is done at 125°, well done reaches 160°.

The longer you cook your steak, the less juicy and tender it will be. We like ours medium rare. If you aren’t sure what temperature to cook your steak, check out my free printable meat temperature chart. 

Never try to check your steak by cutting into it. That releases all of the juices. If you cook meat often, a good meat thermometer is a must!

sliced marinated steak on a white plate

 


WHAT TO SERVE WITH STEAK:

  • Cheesy Au Gratin Potatoes
  • Skillet Corn
  • Salad with Raspberry Poppyseed Dressing
  • Garlic Rolls
  • Oven Roasted Cauliflower

MORE TASTY BEEF MAIN DISH RECIPES:

  • Sirloin Tip Roast (slow cooker)
  • Mexican Lasagna Recipe
  • Hamburger Rice Casserole
  • Waikiki Meatballs
  • French Bread Sandwich
  • Goulash with Rice

SIRLOIN STEAK MARINADE FOR GRILLING

sliced marinated steak on a white plate

Sirloin Steak Marinade

Kara Cook
This homemade steak marinade calls for simple ingredients, but it makes the most juicy and flavorful steak!
4.56 from 9 votes
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 5 minutes mins
Cook Time 15 minutes mins
Additional Time 1 hour hr
Total Time 1 hour hr 20 minutes mins
Course Main Dish- Beef
Cuisine American
Servings 8 servings
Calories 371 kcal

Equipment

  • Garlic Press
  • ThermoPro TP03 Digital Instant Read Meat Thermometer 

Ingredients
  

  • ⅓ cup soy sauce
  • ½ cup olive oil
  • ⅓ cup lemon juice
  • ¼ cup Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 ½ tsp garlic powder
  • 2 cloves garlic minced
  • 3 Tbsp dried basil
  • 1 ½ tsp dried parsley
  • 1 tsp ground black pepper
  • 3 pounds sirloin steak

Instructions
 

  • Combine all ingredients in a large container or ziplock bag.
  • Add steak and cover container or seal the bag.
  • Refrigerate for at least one hour, or overnight.
  • Let steak sit at room temperature for 20-25 minutes before grilling.
  • Heat grill to high heat. Cook steaks for 3-5 minutes, or until nicely seared.
  • Flip steaks and grill for about 3 minutes. Turn heat down to medium low and cook till desired doneness. We like it best rare-medium rare. (130-135°)

Notes

  • One serving is about 6 ounces of steak.
  • You can make up to 5 pounds of steak in the marinade.

Nutrition

Serving: 1gCalories: 371kcalCarbohydrates: 4gProtein: 39gFat: 21gSaturated Fat: 5gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 13gCholesterol: 104mgSodium: 751mgPotassium: 735mgFiber: 1gSugar: 1gVitamin A: 20IUVitamin C: 5mgCalcium: 96mgIron: 5mg
Keyword homemade steak marinade
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
I first published this recipe on 3/23/2012, it was updated on June 2020 with new photos and tips.

Whether you are using a prime cut of beef, or a more economical cut, I think that after one bite, you will agree that this is a great steak marinade recipe! 

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Filed Under: Low Carb Recipes, Main Dish- Beef, Recipe Index Tagged With: basil, soy sauce

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Natasha

    June 16, 2021 at 7:18 pm

    Wow, it turned out so good! It was full of flavor, tender, we all loved our steak for dinner. This is definitely going to be our go-to recipe for our steak!

    Reply
    • Penny Barry

      July 6, 2021 at 10:38 am

      Natasha, I have been following you for some time now. As soon as I brought up this recipe and saw that you liked it, I decided i will have to try it. Kara has some great recipes and I am looking forward to my next bbq to try this out. Take care!

      Reply
    • Kara Cook

      July 9, 2021 at 8:19 am

      I hope you enjoy it for years to come. 🙂

      Reply
  2. Natalie

    June 15, 2021 at 11:21 am

    I can’t imagine making steak without the marinade! It added so much flavor & the steak was incredibly juicy!!

    Reply
  3. Beth

    June 15, 2021 at 11:17 am

    This marinade is out of this world tasty and delicious! The whole family loved it and wants this again for dinner! I’m so excited to make this again!

    Reply
    • Kara Cook

      July 9, 2021 at 8:17 am

      Hooray! I’m always happy to hear that one of my recipes was a success. 🙂

      Reply
  4. Laura

    December 26, 2015 at 9:05 am

    Hi there – we used this for a marinade for a 5# beef loin top sirloin from Costco and it turned out great! Thank you so very much! Merry Christmas 🙂

    Reply
    • Kara

      January 8, 2016 at 11:16 am

      Oh I bet it was delicious! Now I’m craving steak!

      Reply
  5. Patti Knowlton

    March 24, 2012 at 4:43 pm

    You can’t really complain about the past winter. How many snow days did we have? A dozen? It really was mild, right?
    The steak looks delish. We started barbecuing last night. Looks like I’ll put this on the list of things to try…soon!!!

    Reply
    • Kara

      March 26, 2012 at 9:02 am

      We live in the foothills, so we get more snow than the valley, but you’re right–it was a mild winter. And I am soooo glad! (It is snowing today though, bummer.)

      Reply
  6. Melinda

    March 23, 2012 at 9:40 pm

    Ah steak! Now this is a recipe that will have both me and Jacob drooling. Loving the warm weather here too!

    Reply
  7. Shirley

    March 23, 2012 at 8:48 pm

    Makes me hungry just looking at the pictures. Can’t wait to try. Thanks for posting.

    Reply
    • Kara

      March 23, 2012 at 8:54 pm

      Hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

      Reply
  8. Mandi

    March 23, 2012 at 1:07 pm

    Oh yum! Thank you! Got ‘er saved. Just what I needed, Kara!

    Reply
    • Kara

      March 23, 2012 at 9:06 pm

      I’m all about giving my readers what they need! LOL! 🙂

      Reply
  9. Miss Kitty

    March 23, 2012 at 11:05 am

    Thanks for sharing that recipe, Kara. I usually opt for chicken when we (he) is grilling out too. Steaks can be “iffy” and chicken is cheaper anyway. I am pinning to my recipe board so I won’t forget the recipe.

    Reply
  10. Dezi A

    March 23, 2012 at 9:23 am

    Pinning now. Can’t wait to try! Thanks!

    Reply
    • Kara

      March 23, 2012 at 9:07 pm

      Thanks for the pin Dezi! It is always appreciated. 🙂

      Reply
4.56 from 9 votes (9 ratings without comment)

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Hi. I’m Kara, and I've loved cooking since I was about 10. Great food brings people together and can create some amazing memories. I hope you will use my family friendly recipes to make memories with your loved ones!
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