COOKING STEAK IN AN AIR FRYER
If you haven’t tried cooking steak in an air fryer, do yourself a favor! You’ll be amazed by how easy it is to prepare and how delicious the results are! Air frying produces a tender, succulent steak with a perfectly seared crust and juicy flavorful interior. You’ll love this no mess method for cooking up steaks that are perfect every single time. Looking for some recipes to get you started? Our Air-Fryer BBQ Steak and Air-Fryer Steak with Smoky Herb Aioli are sure to be crowd pleasers!
KEY BENEFITS OF COOKING STEAK IN AN AIR FRYER
- Taste: Cooking steak in the air fryer preserves the natural meaty flavor of the steak.
- Your Health: Cooking your steak in a cast iron pan requires a lot of butter or oil. The air fryer method needs just enough oil to coat the steak (a teaspoon or 2).
- Safety: Air frying steak is safer than other cooking methods. The air fryer sits on your counter and produces very little smoke, there’s no spitting, and there’s no hot pan or grill to contend with so no risk of burning yourself.
- It’s convenient! In the dead of winter or during a rainstorm, there’s no need to head outdoors to prep the barbecue or crank your kitchen hood fan on high for pan frying.
- It’s fast! The air fryer cooks steak quickly and evenly in minutes.
- Cleanup is snap! The basket insert goes right in the dishwasher, and you aren’t elbows deep in pans and utensils!
Most air fryers use the same basic technology and therefore have very similar features. We found that the best air fryer for cooking steak has a capacity of 5.8 quarts. There was plenty of room to arrange two medium steaks in the basket with enough space for hot air to circulate around the steaks during cooking. If you have a smaller air fryer, try cooking one steak at a time instead of two.
HOW TO COOK STEAK IN AN AIR FRYER
Ribeye is a great cut for the air fryer! Two ribeye steaks fit nicely into most air fryer baskets without crowding so there’s enough room for the air to circulate during cooking. This hot air is the secret to achieving a beautiful crust to keep the juices intact. Strip steak is also a good option for the air fryer. You can cook any steak in an air fryer using the following method:
- Remove 1 or 2 steaks from the refrigerator 20 to 30 minutes before cooking.
- Pat steaks dry with a paper towel.
- Rub with oil and season both sides of steak with crushed peppercorns and salt.
- Place steaks in air fryer basket so that they are not touching and there is plenty of room for the air to circulate between them. If you’re using a larger cut (like ribeye), you might have to cook one at a time.
- Cook steaks at 400°F, turning once, for 6 to 10 minutes (depending on thickness of steaks) or until desired doneness. A meat thermometer inserted into the center of each steak should register 135°F for medium rare, 145°F for medium and 150°F for medium-well.
- Transfer steaks to a cutting board and rest for 5 to 10 minutes.
ENJOY!