These air fryer steak tips are the perfect little steak bites that give you all the delicious steak flavor you love without having to turn on your grill.
I love grilling, but sometimes I just don't have the time to pull out the grill just to cook dinner. Lucky for you, you don't need a grill to enjoy steak. If you haven't cooked steak in the air fryer yet, you're missing out. These little air fryer steak bites are the perfect recipe to try it out and get dinner on the table fast!
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Air fryer versus other cooking methods.
Don't get me wrong, I cook steak in so many different ways, and I love them all. Cooking steak in the air fryer has so many benefits over other methods of cooking.
- Minimal prep.
- Less cleanup.
- Shorter cooking time.
- More hands-off cooking.
You get all that while still being able to enjoy the full flavor with a perfect char on the outside and perfectly cooked to your liking on the inside.
Ingredients
Cooking steak bites in the air fryer is not hard and not much different than cooking it on the grill. It just takes your favorite steak and a few spices. Of course, I like to whip up a little steak butter to rest it on for extra flavor, but that's totally optional.
- Steak
- Butter
- Lemon
- Sage
- Garlic
- Spices
- Spray oil (Optional depending on your air fryer.)
Types of steak.
There is no wrong answer to this question. I've used everything from sirloin and New York steak to filet mignon, and it all tastes great. Just use your favorite cuts.
Steps.
When it comes to cooking steak bites in the air fryer, it's really simple.
Step 1. Prep and season your steak.
Step 2. Cook the steak bites in the air fryer.
Step 3. Rest the steak bites.
Air fryer steak cooking times.
Just like with cooking any steak, you want to cook these air fryer steak tips to your liking, and that is going to change the timing depending on the type of air fryer you have and how you like your steak.
- Rare - Cook the steak bites for 2 minutes on each side.
- Medium - Cook the steak bites for 3 minutes on each side.
- More well done - Cook the steak bites for about 4-5 minutes on each side.
Tips and tricks.
- Cut evenly sized pieces. - You want your steak bites to cook evenly, and this means you need to cut them into equal-sized pieces so that you don't end up with some smaller pieces that cook a lot faster and other pieces that are still raw.
- Don't make your pieces very small. - I aim to cut my steak bites into about 1-inch-sized pieces. This size seems to cook well without the steak overcooking in the air fryer.
- Season the steak well. - Since we are cooking the steak bites in the air fryer, we are not adding additional fats like butter to the steak as it cooks.
- Bring your steak to room temperature before cooking. - Steak cooks best when it starts at room temperature and not cold. Cold steak tends to constrict and can become tough when cooked.
- Give your steak room to cook. - Just like with any mean, you want a good sear or char on; you don't want to crowd pieces close together. This goes the same for the air fryer. This might mean you need to do more than one batch of steak, depending on the size of your air fryer.
- Preheat your air fryer. - Depending on the model of air fryer you have, you might need to preheat it before adding the steak for the best results.
Steak finishing butter.
I prefer to let these air fryer steak bites rest on top of some steak finish butter. It just adds so much more flavor to already delicious steak. Never made a steak finishing butter before? It might sound fancy, but I promise it's super simple to whip up.
Steak finishing butter is added to the top of the steak as it rests. It is allowed to melt over the steak. It adds more flavor without having to do a lot of extra work.
I've included my simple lemon garlic herb steak finishing butter in this recipe below.
My air fryer.
I have the Ninja DT201 Foodi 10-in-1 XL Pro Air Fryer.
I cook these directly on a pan in air fryer mode without adding any additional oil.
Serving suggestions.
- These air fryer steak tips are perfectly served on their own. I tend to serve them with a simple side salad or mashed potatoes. I love my Chinese garlic green beans with these steak bites.
- You can even make them along with some of my crispy potatoes for a perfect air fryer steak bites and potatoes combination. My husband also loves them with a side of my gluten-free scalloped potatoes.
- If you want to add a special sauce and make these little steak bites even more unique, I suggest pairing them with my Creamy Horseradish Sauce! It takes these bites to the next level!
- Serving these air fryer steak bites is easy to do for a quick and easy weeknight dinner or even as a delicious gluten-free appetizer at your next dinner party. The possibilities are endless.
Storing.
- Leftover steak bites can be stored in a container in the fridge for up to 3-4 days.
- To reheat, I find the best results come from popping the steak bites back into the air fryer for 2-3 minutes total. You can also reheat them in the microwve if you prefer.
More gluten-free beef recipes
📖 Recipe
Air Fryer Steak Bites
Ingredients
- 2 Pounds Steak of Choice Cut into one inch cubes.
- 2 Teaspoons Salt
- 1 ½ Teaspoons Pepper
- 1 Teaspoon Onion Powder
- ½ Teaspoon Garlic Powder
- ½ Teaspoon Dried Mustard
- Light cooking oil spray.
Steak finishing butter.
- ½ Cup Butter or Ghee
- 1 Tablespoon Fresh Sage Chopped
- 1 Clove Garlic Minced
- 1 Tablespoon Lemon Zest
- 2 Tablespoons Lemon Juice
- ½ Teaspoon Salt
Instructions
- Cut your steak into pieces about 1 inch in size. Be sure to remove any large pieces of excess fat from the steak.2 Pounds Steak of Choice
- Season the steak bites with the spices and let it rest until the steak is at room temperature.2 Teaspoons Salt, 1 ½ Teaspoons Pepper, 1 Teaspoon Onion Powder, ½ Teaspoon Garlic Powder, ½ Teaspoon Dried Mustard
- Preheat your air fryer to 400 degrees.
- Place the steak tips in the air fryer spread out, so the pieces are not crowded.
- Lightly spray the steak bites with the spray oil as needed for your air fryer.Light cooking oil spray.
- Let it cook just until the garlic becomes fragrant.
- Cook the steak bites for 2-5 minutes per side depending how you like your steak.
- Remove the steak bites from the air fryer and let them rest for at least 5 minutes before enjoying.
Steak finishing butter.
- Combine the softened butter, lemon zest, lemon juice and herbs to small bowl and mix them together.½ Cup Butter, 1 Tablespoon Fresh Sage, 1 Clove Garlic, 1 Tablespoon Lemon Zest, 2 Tablespoons Lemon Juice, ½ Teaspoon Salt
- Store the steak finishing butter in the fridge until time to serve.
- Scoop a small amount of the finishing butter and let it melt over the cooked steak bites as they rest and enjoy.
Notes
- Rare - Cook the steak bites for 2 minutes on each side.
- Medium - Cook the steak bites for 3 minutes on each side.
- More well done - Cook the steak bites for about 4-5 minutes on each side.
- Cut evenly sized pieces. - You want your steak bites to cook evenly, and this means you need to cut them into equal-sized pieces so that you don't end up with some smaller pieces that cook a lot faster and other pieces that are still raw.
- Don't make your pieces very small. - I aim to cut my steak bites into about 1-inch-sized pieces. This size seems to cook well without the steak overcooking in the air fryer.
- Season the steak well. - Since we are cooking the steak bites in the air fryer, we are not adding additional fats like butter to the steak as it cooks.
- Bring your steak to room temperature before cooking. - Steak cooks best when it starts at room temperature and not cold. Cold steak tends to constrict and can become tough when cooked.
- Give your steak room to cook. - Just like with any mean, you want a good sear or char on; you don't want to crowd pieces close together. This goes the same for the air fryer. This might mean you need to do more than one batch of steak, depending on the size of your air fryer.
- Preheat your air fryer. - Depending on the model of air fryer you have, you might need to preheat it before adding the steak for the best results.
Shalvi says
Great recipe!