Few meals garner the happy sighs of anticipation and the unbridled envy of the rest of the table quite like a giant, sizzling plate of Steak Fajitas. But you don’t need a trip to your favorite Mexican restaurant when you know how to make tender, juicy beef fajitas with peppers and onions at home!
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Restaurant-style steak fajitas at home.
Strips of tender marinated steak, blistered peppers, and caramelized onions piled high into tortillas with all of your favorite Tex-Mex fixin’s, these steak fajitas are a total show-off.
Fortunately, steak fajitas (and Shrimp Fajitas) are easy to make at home, even for the most beginning chefs. Most of the time needed for this recipe is marinating time—the rest comes together lickety-split!
This steak fajita recipe is made with flank steak, which is an affordable option well-suited to this kind of cooking. As long as you follow my tips, your steak fajitas will be tender and juicy!
Add guacamole, spoon on Salsa Roja, make them into a meal bowl, shower them with cotija cheese—there are so many ways to make fajitas your own.
Key Ingredients
You’ll find the full list of ingredients in the recipe card below, but here are some notes to keep in mind.
- Steak. Flank steak, rump steak, or skirt steak are the best kinds of beef for fajitas, but flank steak is my favorite.
- Beef Fajitas Seasoning. Cumin, chili powder, chipotle chile powder, lime zest and coriander are the secret to that bold, restaurant-worthy fajita flavor. The mixture is warm, earthy, and has the right amount of heat.
- Vegetables. A mixture of bell peppers and onions are the ideal veggies for fajitas. They develop scrumptious flavor, can easily be cut into long strips, and pair well with the beef.
- Lime Juice. Adds brightness and zest to the marinade and helps to tenderize the fajita meat.
- Honey. Naturally sweetens the marinade and helps the steak caramelize as it cooks.
- Worcestershire Sauce. For that umami goodness.
5 Star Review
“Absolutely delicious! A straight-forward recipe that yields many yums at the dinner table. Thank you!”
— KLa Kristen —
How to Make Steak Fajitas
Make the Spice Mixture. Mix part of the spices together in a bowl with the lime zest.
Prep the Steak. Make shallow, diagonal cuts across the steak in two directions.
Season. Rub the spice mixture onto the steak, and place it in a ziptop bag.
Make the Marinade. Whisk the juice, oil, Worcestershire, and honey together.
Marinate. Add the mixture to the bag and seal. Let marinate for at least 30 minutes. Remove the steak from the bag, and pat it dry.
Make the Steak. Cook the steak in a large cast iron skillet over medium-high heat for 4 to 6 minutes per side. Move it to a cutting board, and let it rest. Slice it across the grain into thin strips.
Cook the Veggies and Finish. Sauté the vegetables. Add the remaining spices and garlic. Serve as desired and ENJOY!
Leftover Ideas
Turn leftover beef fajitas into tasty nachos by serving them over tortilla chips with cheese and other toppings. For a fajita quesadilla, tuck leftovers into corn or flour tortillas with cheese. Or, enjoy your leftovers bowl-style by serving them over a bed of Mexican Quinoa or the rice from this Mexican Chicken and Rice, topped with salsa, fresh lime juice, or your favorite fixings.
What to Serve with Steak Fajitas
- Rice. Every restaurant fajita platter comes with rice! Add a squeeze of lime juice and cilantro to cooked white rice or brown rice.
- Beans. These Crock Pot Pinto Beans are a reader favorite!
- Corn. Grilled Corn would be delish.
- Margaritas. You deserve a Grapefruit Margarita for making such a delicious dinner!
Recipe Tips and Tricks
- Don’t Skip the Marinating. Acids like citrus juice or vinegar tenderize meat by breaking down its fibers. Even 30 minutes of marinating time makes a difference. Don’t skip it!
- But Don’t Marinate Too Long. Letting the beef sit too long in the acid will eventually cause it to break down too much and it will have an unpleasant texture. Generally, I find that you can marinate meat for up to 1 day with good results; 4 to 6 hours is ideal.
- Cut the Beef Against the Grain. Slicing meat against the grain helps tenderize it. By looking closely at the steak, you’ll be able to see the direction the grain is running. Make your cuts perpendicular to it.
- Get a Head Start. Cut the vegetables up to 1 day in advance and start marinating the steak a day before.
Steak Fajitas
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Ingredients
- 2 ½ teaspoons ground cumin divided
- 1 ½ teaspoons chili powder divided
- 1 teaspoon chipotle chile powder
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt divided
- 1 ½ pounds flank steak or skirt steak
- 2 medium limes zest and juice (about 1 ½ teaspoons zest and ¼ cup juice)
- 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil divided
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- ½ tablespoon honey
- 2 cloves garlic minced (about 2 teaspoons)
- 2 red bell peppers seeded and cut into ¼-inch strips
- 1 green bell pepper seeded and cut into ¼-inch strips
- 1 large yellow onion halved and cut into ¼-inch strips
FOR SERVING:
- Flour or corn tortillas
- Chopped fresh cilantro
- Sliced fresh avocado
- Nonfat plain Greek yogurt or sour cream
- Crumbled queso fresco or feta
Instructions
- In a small bowl, place 2 teaspoons cumin, 1 teaspoon chili powder, 1 teaspoon chipotle chile powder, coriander, and 1 teaspoon salt. Zest the 2 limes directly into a bowl, then stir to combine.
- Place the steak on a cutting board. With a sharp knife, carefully make shallow, diagonal cuts across the top of the steak. Repeat, making diagonals in the opposite direction to create a crosshatch pattern. Repeat on the bottom side of the steak.
- Rub the spice mix all over both sides of the steak, then place in a sturdy ziptop bag.
- In the same bowl you used for the spices (no need to rinse in between), whisk together the lime juice, 2 tablespoons olive oil, Worcestershire, and honey.
- Pour into the bag with the steak, seal, then turn the bag to coat the steak evenly. Place on a plate or sheet pan and let rest at room temperature for at least 30 minutes or up to 1 hour, or refrigerate for up to 1 day. Turn the bag periodically to redistribute the marinade. If refrigerating the steak, let it come to room temperature prior to cooking.
- When ready to prepare the beef fajitas, remove the steak from the marinade, shaking off any excess. Pat very dry to ensure you get a nice sear.
- To warm the tortillas, wrap them in foil and place in a 300 degrees F oven while you cook the steak and vegetables.
- Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large cast-iron skillet or similar large, sturdy skillet over medium-high heat. (If your skillet is not large enough to cook the entire piece of steak, cut slice it in half and cook it in batches; you also can cook the steak on an outdoor grill instead.) Cook the steak for 4 to 6 minutes per side, until the meat reaches 140 degrees F on an instant read thermometer. Remove to a cutting board, cover, and let rest for 10 minutes (the steak’s temperature will continue to rise as it rests; DO NOT skip resting or it will taste dry). Slice across the grain into thin (1/2- to 3/4-inch) strips.
- Add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil to the skillet. Add peppers and onions. Sauté, stirring often, until they soften and the onions begin to turn golden, about 8 minutes.
- Reduce the heat to medium. Add the remaining 1/2 teaspoon cumin, 1/2 teaspoon chili powder, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Continue to cook until the vegetables completely soften and are starting to caramelize, about 6 to 8 minutes more.
- Stir in the garlic and let cook 30 seconds, just until fragrant. Remove the pan from the heat.
- To serve, arrange the meat slices on a big platter and drizzle any juices that have collected on the cutting board over the top. Place the vegetables beside the meat. Serve piled inside the warm tortillas, with toppings of choice.
Video
Notes
- TO STORE: Refrigerate beef and veggies in an airtight storage container for up to 2 days.
- TO REHEAT: Gently rewarm beef and veggies in a skillet on the stovetop over medium-low heat.
- TO FREEZE: Freeze the beef and veggies in an airtight freezer-safe storage container for up to 3 months. Let thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.
Nutrition
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Absolutely delicious! A straight-forward recipe that yields many yums at the dinner table. Thank you!
I’m so happy that you enjoyed it! Thank you for sharing this kind review!
you didn’t say how much oil to use.
Hi Cathie, I’m so confused because I see it on my end. It’s in the recipe card right above where you commented #8 on the list. You can even hit the “jump to recipe” button at the top of the page to get there faster. Could you please check again?
From when I made it, you have to add a tbsp of butter and a drop of oil throughout cooking it. Best judgement the the skillet is dry
I salted throughout and it draws moisture from the vegetables. Reducing need for oil. Hope this helps.
Thanks Jen!
Made them last night and they were a huge hit. Everyone loved them.
Hi Judy! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
This is the best I will definitely be including in my regular go to meal. Thank you Erin your are amazing
Hi Anne! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
I really like your spices choice, and the flank steak choice. I use prime flank angus beef steak which I prefer over the skirt steak myself (Skirt is tough and chewy) (Flank is a lot more moist and eatable. So this is a great recipe, and thank you for it. Only thing I don’t care for is that your pictures show the steak as being medium rare, rather than fully seared and cooked. I do like medium rare steaks but, in fajitas, as a preference only, I sear it and cook the meat thoroughly to make it more tender with the a little char flavor.
Glad you enjoyed the recipe B!
This was so tasty! Loved the meat cooked this way, just enough of the Mexican flavor without being overwhelming. The peppers and onions added the perfect touch of sweetness, and everything came together so well. I served it with warm tortillas, guacamole, and sour cream, and it felt like we were eating at a Mexican restaurant.
So glad to hear you enjoyed it, Ashey!
I can’t believe how simple and delicious this recipe was. I really appreciated the balance of spices in the marinade—it was flavorful without being too overpowering. I topped mine with sour cream and some fresh pico de gallo, and it was just perfect. Can’t wait to make it again!
Great to hear, thank you Lucy!
Omg, this recipe was absolutely amazing! I’ve never made my own marinade for fajitas till now. I will never use anything else. My whole family absolutely loved it. Thanks for a great recipe. I can’t wait to see what other recipes I’m going to try.
Glad you gave it a try! Thank you Therese!