Cook air fryer steak bites in under 10 minutes for a quick dinner your whole family will love. Marinated in lemon juice, soy sauce, honey, and herbs to tenderize any cut of steak and ensure maximum flavor in every single bite.
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Who doesn't love a good steak dinner? But steak is expensive, and having rib eyes or roast beef might not be possible multiple times a week. Often you can find cheaper whole cuts of steak, but you often need to cook them low and slow to make them tender.
Making these marinated air fryer steak bites is a great way to quickly cook up that big cut of steak. Thanks to the lemon juice marinade the steak turns out juicy and tender, all with just a quick cook. It's similar to my recipe for air fryer skirt steak, so if you like that one - you will love this!
Why You Will Love This Recipe
- It's quick and cooks up in under 10 minutes
- It's easy with a few simple steps
- You can use most types of steak as the lemon juice will tenderize it
- Juicy, tender, delicious bites of steak, with maximum flavor in every single bite
What You Need to Make It
Ingredient notes & substitutions
- Fresh lemon juice: Since we use so much of it, bottled isn't good enough.
- Dried herbs: You can switch it up by using other herbs - dried or fresh!
- Cooking oil: I recommend a neutral kind, not olive oil, as the latter provides an aftertaste I don't enjoy for this dish. If you just love olive oil, go ahead and use it.
- Steak bites: I used whole rump steak, but you can use most cuts of steak. I wouldn't use flank steak or skirt steak as they are too thin, or stew meat as it can be too tough even for the lemon juice marinade.
How to Make It
- Prepare the marinade
- Marinate the meat
- Air fry until almost done
- Wrap in foil and rest for at least 5 minutes
Expert Tips
- Make it quicker by using a tender cut of beef, as this means you can marinate it for a shorter time and still get a good result
- Marinate up to 2 hours if you have the time
- Don't marinate too long or the meat can end up too soft
- If marinating 30 minutes or less - leave it in room temperature
- If marinating more than 30 minutes - place it in the fridge and bring it out 30 minutes before cooking
- Cook in a single layer for best results
- Use a meat thermometer to know when it's done
- Exact cook time will vary with your air fryer
Recommended Internal Temperature
I recommend cooking beef to about 5 degrees below the setpoint and then allowing it to rest covered for at least 5 minutes. The temperature will rise up to 5-7 degrees Fahrenheit (2-3 degrees Celsius) while resting.
| Internal temperature | Rest from | |
| Rare | 120-125°F (48-52°C) | 118-120°F / 46-48°C |
| Medium Rare | 130°F (54°C | 125°F / 52°C |
| Medium | 140°F (60°C) | 135°F / 58°C |
| Medium Well | 150°F (65°C) | 145°F / 63°C |
| Well Done | 155°F (68°C) | 150°F / 66°C |
Storing, Freezing & Reheating
Storing: Store leftovers in the fridge in an airtight container or tightly wrapped in aluminum foil for up to 4 days.
Freezing: Freeze leftovers for up to 3 months.
Eating leftovers: You can eat leftovers cold or reheat them.
Reheating: Reheat leftovers in the air fryer at 350°F (180°C) for 2-3 minutes.
Sides to Serve With It
- Air Fryer Hasselback Potatoes30 Minutes
- Cheesy Mashed Potatoes35 Minutes
- Air Fryer Steak Fries25 Minutes
- Mashed Potato Casserole1 Hours
Sauces to Serve With It
- Buffalo Dipping Sauce2 Minutes
- Beef Gravy Recipe5 Minutes
- Dijonnaise5 Minutes
- Chipotle Ranch5 Minutes
More Easy Air Fryer Steak Recipes
- Air Fryer Steak Tips10 Minutes
- Air Fryer Flank Steak50 Minutes
- Air Fryer Ribeye Steak15 Minutes
- How to Air Fry Frozen Steak12 Minutes
Did you love this recipe? Rate it five stars!
...and let me know what you loved about it in the comments.
Recipe
Air Fryer Steak Bites
Print RateServings: 2
Calories: 555kcal
Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 10 minutes
Marinating + Resting 35 minutes
Total time: 50 minutes
Ingredients
- 1 lb steak cut in bite-size (~1 inch / 2 cm) cubes
- ¼ cup cooking oil canola oil or other neutral oil
- 2 tablespoon dark soy sauce
- 3 tablespoon lemon juice approximately 1 lemon
- 2 tablespoon honey
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 1 teaspoon dried basil or other dried/fresh herb
- 1 teaspoon dried rosemary or other dried/fresh herb
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- ½ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Plac all ingredients except steak in a small bowl and mix well.¼ cup cooking oil, 2 tablespoon dark soy sauce, 3 tablespoon lemon juice, 2 tablespoon honey, 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce, 1 tablespoon minced garlic, 1 teaspoon dried basil, 1 teaspoon dried rosemary, 1 teaspoon ground black pepper, ½ teaspoon salt
- Place steak bites in a plastic bag and pour over the marinade. Mix to cover, then leave to marinate for at least 30 minutes and up to 2 hours. If marinating more than 30 minutes, place in the refrigerator, otherwise you can keep it in room temperature.1 lb steak
- When it's time to cook, preheat the air fryer by running it at 400℉ (200℃) for 5 minutes.
- Remove the steak bites from the marinade and place in the air fryer basket. Air fry 3-4 minutes at 400℉ (200℃), then shake them around and air fry 3-4 minutes more. 6-8 minutes is generally good to get it to medium rare, but the exact cook time will depend on your air fryer.
- When the steak bites are done, remove from the air fryer and wrap in aluminium foil. Rest 5 minutes, then serve topped with the cooking juices.
Video
Notes
This recipe was tested in a Philips HD9252/90 Air Fryer (affiliate link) and a Ninja DZ401 DualZone XL Air Fryer (affiliate link). Cooking time can vary with your air fryer model.
- Type of steak: I used whole rump steak, but you can use most cuts of steak. I wouldn't use flank steak or skirt steak as they are too thin, or stew meat as it can be too tough even for the lemon juice marinade.
- Make it quicker by using a tender cut of beef, as this means you can marinate it for a shorter time and still get a good result
- Marinate up to 2 hours if you have the time
- Don't marinate too long or the meat can end up too soft
- If marinating 30 minutes or less - leave it in room temperature
- If marinating more than 30 minutes - place it in the fridge and bring it out 30 minutes before cooking
- Cook in a single layer for best results
- Use a meat thermometer to know when it's done
- Rare: 5-7 minutes, to 120-125°F (48-52°C) (rest from 118-120°F / 46-48°C)
- Medium rare: 6-8 minutes, to 130°F (54°C) (rest from 125°F / 52°C)
- Medium: 7-9 minutes, to 140°F (60°C) (rest from 135°F / 58°C)
- Medium-well: 8-10 minutes, to150°F (65°C) (rest from 145°F / 63°C)
- Well done: 9-11 minutes, to 155°F (68°C) (rest from 150°F / 66°C)
- Storing:Â Store leftovers in the fridge in an airtight container or tightly wrapped in aluminum foil for up to 4 days.
- Freezing:Â Freeze leftovers for up to 3 months.
- Eating leftovers:Â You can eat leftovers cold or reheat them.
- Reheating: Reheat leftovers in the air fryer at 350°F (180°C) for 2-3 minutes.
Nutrition
Calories: 555kcal | Carbohydrates: 6g | Protein: 46g | Fat: 39g | Saturated Fat: 15g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 20g | Trans Fat: 0.03g | Cholesterol: 138mg | Sodium: 688mg | Potassium: 654mg | Fiber: 0.2g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 39IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 26mg | Iron: 4mg
Nutritional information is approximate and automatically calculated, and should only be viewed as an indication.
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Kathy Guerra
Can you make this without an air fryer? Like in the oven?
Emmeline Kemperyd
Hi Kathy!
Sure. I'd probably rather cook them stovetop then, until cooked to your liking. You can bake them in the oven as well, if so try 425℉ (or around 220℃) for a non-fan oven or 400℉/200℃ for a fan oven. Should be done in 15-20 minutes depending on size & how well you like them cooked.
/Emmeline