This easy recipe makes a delicious and tender flank steak.

This marinade is incredibly easy to make with a blend of flavors, including soy sauce, balsamic vinegar, dijon, and various spices.

Marinate the meat for a few hours to make it extra tender and tasty!

Balsamic Marinated Flank Steak cut on a cutting board

What is Flank Steak?

Flank steak comes from below the loin and while it has less marbling than other cuts, it has great flavor. Flank steak is usually a thick rectangular shape with long fibers running down the length of it.

Flank Steak vs. Skirt Steak: A skirt steak is from the area under the ribs and is a cut of beef commonly used in steak fajitas. While they aren’t the same, these cuts are both lean and are often used interchangeably.

uncooked flank steak in a white baking dish

Marinating Flank Steak

  • Flank steak is a lean cut of beef that benefits from a marinade to help tenderize it.
  • This bold and delicious marinade with balsamic vinegar not only helps to tenderize it, it adds great flavor.
  • It’s perfect to prepare ahead of time, flank steak can prepared ahead of time and marinated for up to 24 hours.
  • Enjoy this teak on its own with veggies or use it for steak tacos or steak sandwich.
ingredients for Balsamic Marinated Flank Steak

Ingredients for Flank Steak

Flank Steak – Of course, this recipe uses flank steak, but the marinade is also great on other cuts of beef as well, like skirt steak or hangar steak.

Balsamic Vinegar – Acidic ingredients in a marinade (like vinegar or lemon juice) help break down tough fibers in the meat. This recipe uses balsamic vinegar, however, this can be replaced with red wine vinegar which also adds great flavor.

Oil – Vegetable oil or olive oil is a great choice for this recipe, but you can use any mild flavored oil.

Bold Flavors – Soy sauce, dijon mustard, Worcestershire sauce, and garlic all add great flavor to this flank steak marinade.

Other Seasonings – A bit of rosemary and a sprinkle of chili flakes are our fave choices. Other great additions include lime juice, fresh cilantro or oregano, or a pinch of cayenne pepper.

flank steak in marinade in a white baking dish

How to Cook Flank Steak

This flank steak marinade recipe makes a flavorful and tender steak. It can be cooked on the grill, in a large cast-iron skillet or broiled in the oven.

  1. Whisk together the marinade ingredients in a glass/ceramic dish or a freezer bag.
  2. Marinate the steak for at least 4 hours or up to 24 hours in the refrigerator.
  3. Grill flank steak per the recipe below or broil it in the oven.
  4. Loosly cover with foil and allow the steak to rest. Cut it against the grain.

How to Make Tender Flank Steak

  • Before marinating, gently cut the steak to allow the marinade to penetrate the meat.
  • Marinate the meat for a minimum of 4 hours so all the flavors can get soaked up into the meat. Marinating meat too long will render it mushy once it’s cooked, so marinate the flank steak for a maximum of 24 hours.
  • It’s important to let the meat rest in order to seal in the juices before slicing.
  • MOST IMPORTANTLY, when cutting flank steak, you want to be sure to cut across the meat fibers, or it will be tough. You’ll see long strands of muscle fibers running down the length of the meat, cut across them.

More Savory Steak Recipes

Grill up a steak, some veggies or corn on the cob with a sprinkle of kosher salt, and add in a fresh salad for the perfect meal.

Did you make this Balsamic Marinated Flank Steak recipe? Leave us a rating and a comment below!

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sliced Balsamic Marinated Flank Steak
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Balsamic Marinated Flank Steak

This balsamic flank steak marinade makes it extra tender and juicy.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Marinate Time 4 hours
Total Time 4 hours 30 minutes
Servings 4
Author Holly Nilsson

Equipment

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Ingredients  

  • 2 pounds flank steak

Marinade

  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
  • 3 tablespoons soy sauce
  • 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
  • 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
  • 3 cloves garlic minced
  • 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary chopped
  • 1 teaspoon black pepper
  • ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes optional

Instructions 

  • Use a sharp knife to lightly score steak in a 1-inch diamond pattern across the steak, about ⅛-inch deep.
  • Whisk all marinade ingredients in a small bowl or freezer bag. If desired, the marinade can be pulsed a couple of times in a blender. Add steak and marinate at least 4 hours or overnight.
  • Remove the steak from the fridge at least 30 minutes before cooking. Preheat grill to medium-high heat.
  • Grill the steak 7-9 minutes, flip over, and grill an additional 5-7 minutes or until it reaches desired doneness. Do not overcook.
  • Rest 10 minutes before slicing. Slice steak across the grain (cutting across the long fibers).

Notes

Scoring the meat allows the marinade to penetrate just a little bit more.
Marinate the meat for a minimum of 4 hours so all the flavors can get soaked up into the meat. Do not marinate longer than 24 hours or the meat can become mushy.
Cook times are approximate and will vary based on grill temperature and thickness of the meat. A meat thermometer should be used to reach the cook temperatures below. Steaks will rise a couple of degrees while resting so remove from the grill a few degrees early.
It’s important to let the meat rest before slicing.
IMPORTANT: It is important that flank steak is cut across the grain. You will see long fibers running down the steak, be sure to cut across them.
Cook times provided are approximate for a 1″ steak and will vary based on steak thickness and temperature.
Remove steaks from the heat a few degrees before it reaches the desired temperature as the temperature will continue to rise. The FDA recommends a minimum temperature of 145°F with a 3-minute rest.
Rare: 125°F
Medium-Rare: 135°F
Medium: 145°F
4.98 from 44 votes

Nutrition Information

Calories: 433 | Carbohydrates: 4g | Protein: 51g | Fat: 22g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Cholesterol: 136mg | Sodium: 967mg | Potassium: 850mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 97IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 67mg | Iron: 4mg

Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.

Course Beef, Dinner, Entree, Main Course
Cuisine American

© SpendWithPennies.com. Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited. Please view my photo use policy here.

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Balsamic Marinated Flank Steak cut into slices with a title
Balsamic Marinated Flank Steak before and after cooking with a title

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About the author

Holly Nilsson is the creator of Spend With Pennies, where she creates easy, comforting recipes made for real life. With a passion for nostalgic flavors and simplified techniques, Holly helps busy home cooks create delicious meals that always work. She is also the author of “Everyday Comfort,” which promises to inspire even more hearty, home-cooked meals.
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Comments

  1. This has become my go to recipe for flank steak. Just make sure that you have a quality basalmic vinegar (I’ve found that the Costco basalmic works very well).
    I had a friend make it for me once and he used a very cheap basalmic and the flank steak was barely edible. It was very sour and vinegary.5 stars

    Reply

  4. Very good! I forgot to add the rosemary, but it was still a fabulous marinade. Instead of grilling, (which would have been amazing!) I pan seared mine and continued cooking it on the stove top.5 stars

    Reply

  5. You show Worcestershire sauce but I’m not seeing it in the actual recipe. If it is in the marinade how much do you use. Looking forward to try this recipe, looks really good.

    Thanks

    Reply

  7. And now that the pic of this delectable looking steak made me drool all over my phone screen…I have questions. (1) I’m guessing you score the meat on both sides? (2) Do you pat the meat dry before cooking it? And…I have an ooooold electric stove. As in, when I moved into the apartment & went to store things in the under oven drawer, I found no drawer – just a panel of glass fuses. THAT old! So – no temperature control for broiling – it’s either on broil, or off. (3) How far below the broiler element would you suggest I place the oven rack?
    Thanks so much. I appreciate all the great recipes, and the work you and your team put in, in order to provide them to us.
    Blessings, from Alberta, Canada

    Reply

    1. Yes, you can score the steak on both sides. No need to pat the steaks dry, the marinade will add lots of flavor when cooking. For tips on cooking steaks in the oven, I recommend seeing this post here. Enjoy Terry!

      Reply

  8. Followed recipe as written and it was positively delicious !!! I bet this marinade would be just as good on chicken.5 stars

    Reply

  9. This recipe is a big hit at our house. I appreciate the grilling information that is listed. I made this without any changes. I will make this recipe again.

    Reply