Tender, juicy steaks start with this marinade! This steak marinade is made with simple ingredients that add lots of flavor to any cut of steak. Mix it up in minutes, let the steak marinate, then grill or broil for an easy dinner.
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Holly’s Recipe Highlights
- Flavor: Savory, tangy, and balanced with garlic, herbs, and a touch of sweetness.
- Why Make It: A simple way to add big flavor and tenderize budget-friendly steaks with pantry staples.
- Time-Saving Tip: Freeze extra marinade in ice cube trays for easy steak dinners anytime.
- Serving Suggestions: I like to serve this with grilled vegetables and potatoes for an easy summer dinner that feels complete without any extra effort.
Why Use A Marinade
A marinade is great for tenderizing and flavoring steaks. However, I personally don’t marinate prime cuts of steaks that are known to be tender, like filet or ribeye (I season them and grill them, as in this ribeye recipe).
- Tenderize: Marinades contain acidic ingredients like wine, vinegar, lemon juice, or a combination. Acid breaks down the tough fibers of the meat, making it tender.
- Flavor: Marinades usually contain salt, herbs, aromatics, & bold flavors that flavor the meat.
- Caramelize: Sugars in a marinade help with caramelization to give that nice brown crust we all love.
You should always marinate in glass or plastic, not in a metal bowl, as the acid can react with the metal. A freezer bag works well, too, for easy cleanup.
Ingredient Notes
- Oil: The oil helps the seasonings adhere to the meat. I use olive oil as I always have it on hand, but any light-flavored oil works.
- Acids: I like to use balsamic vinegar to tenderize the meat, but any vinegar (like red wine vinegar) will work. Lemon, lime, pineapple, and orange juice are all great acids to experiment with!
- Seasonings & Flavor: Dijon helps the marinade emulsify and adds sharpness. Whole grain mustard works, though the texture will be slightly different. Fresh garlic gives the best flavor, but garlic powder works if needed.
- Herbs: Fresh parsley adds a pop of fresh flavor and a little color to the marinade, but dried parsley works just fine. Rosemary pairs naturally with beef and gives the marinade a more robust flavor, and if using dried rosemary, crush it between your fingers to release the oils.
- Variations: A little lemon juice can be added if you want a brighter finish. If you prefer a slightly sweeter marinade, add a spoonful of brown sugar or honey. Red pepper flakes are an easy way to add a little heat.
How to Marinate Steak
- Combine all ingredients in a bowl or freezer bag.
- Add the meat and coat well (full recipe below).
- Refrigerate until the steak has time to soak up all the flavor.
- Remove from marinade and grill steak to desired doneness.
Keep It Fresh
- Unused Marinade: Keep marinade that has not touched raw meat in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Freeze for longer storage in small portions.
- Cooked Leftover Steak: Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours and use up to 4 days. Freeze for up to 3 months.
- Reheating: Reheat in a skillet, in the oven covered with foil, or slice thin and serve cold over salad or in wraps.
Steak Night Sides
Did you enjoy this Steak Marinade Recipe? Leave a comment and rating below.
Equipment
Ingredients
- ¼ cup olive oil or light flavored oil
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley 1 teaspoon dried
- 2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary 1 teaspoon dried
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 sprigs fresh thyme or ¼ teaspoon dried thyme leaves
- 1 clove garlic minced or more to taste
Instructions
- In a glass bowl or freezer bag, combine olive oil, Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, balsamic vinegar, Dijon mustard, parsley, rosemary, pepper, thyme, and garlic.
- Add up to 2 pounds of steak and marinate for at least 1 hour or up to 4 hours.
- Remove steaks and discard marinade.
- Grill or broil to desired doneness.
Notes
- Steak marinade is perfect to use on those tougher, less expensive cuts of meat.
- Marinate meat in a non-metal (glass or plastic) container or a freezer bag in the refrigerator.
- Discard used marinade or boil it at a rolling boil for a few minutes to ensure it reaches 165°F.
- Freeze marinade in ice cubes trays so you can pop out as little or as much as you like when it’s time to marinate a steak-this way the marinade stays fresh!
Marinating Times
- Filet mignon or ribeye are perfectly tender without marinating but can be marinated for 30-60 minutes for flavor if desired.
- New York strip or sirloin can marinate for about 4 hours.
- Tougher cuts of beef, such as flank steak, skirt steak, or even chuck can marinate longer, up to 24 hours (I usually do it the night before for the next day’s dinner).
Nutrition Information
Calories: 576 | Carbohydrates: 18g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 55g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 6g | Monounsaturated Fat: 40g | Sodium: 2630mg | Potassium: 481mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 487IU | Vitamin C: 14mg | Calcium: 91mg | Iron: 4mg
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Dressing, Sauce
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This is my new favorite marinade for steak. I highly recommend you try it. I made the marinade as written other than I did use dried herbs instead of fresh. After 2 hours my New York steaks were so flavorful. I can’t wait to eat the leftovers for lunch tomorrow. Thank you for a great recipe!
This is my new favorite marinade! I had decreased the amount of worcestershire sauce because I’m not a huge fan of it, but next time I will add the full amount. I marinated my steaks for 2 hours and they were delicious.
So glad you enjoyed this recipe, Barbara!
It is unbelievable how well this brings out exceptional flavor and a good cut of beef. It has become my go to recipe, every time we want steak. I can’t recommend it highly enough.
Great Marinade!,
Don’t waste your time marinated all day long no taste had to add my own steak seasoning to it
I made this with a steak I bought yesterday. I marinade over night and broiled it this am for breakfast. It was delicious. The only difference I might make in the future is adding a little salt. But will definitely make again , the marinade saturates the entire steak.
Marinated for 4 hours and let the steak warm to room temperature before pan frying/cooking and it was tender – very buttery in the mouth! – and flavorful! Pinned to use again!
Sounds delicious but I’m not too crazy about the herbs so can I leave them out of the marinade and just use the basics? Just asking before I make this recipe.
Hi Donna, you can but it will change the flavor of this marinade.
Excellent taste I didn’t have all the fresh herbs but with salt, pepper and garlic, this made NY strips very tasty!
Excellent.
I didn’t have balsamic vinegar, so subbed dry red wine (cab/sauv) I already had opened.
Used all dried herbs (1teaspoon each) but didn’t have rosemary! Was still good without it!
Thank you Holly.
Mother’s Day 2023 Success
Thank you ❤️
I am so happy to hear you enjoyed this recipe Lynn!
I’m sorry but I don’t get why this has such a high rating, all you can taste is the vinegar!
I tried this for the first time tonight and got rave reviews from everyone. I will be using this regularly.
Is the sodium information listed for this recipe correct or is it a typo? 2526mg of sodium seems high for the ingredients listed. Thank you!
The sodium is correct as listed, but it is for the whole recipe which is used to marinate multiple steaks. The majority of the sodium is coming from the soy sauce, so you could use a low sodium soy sauce to reduce it.I hope this helps!
This is the best! My husband, a self proclaimed steak sauce lover, actually likes the flavor of this marinade that he doesn’t use steak sauce!
I am so happy to hear this recipe was a hit Kathy!
Marinaded about 2 hours in fridge then 30 minutes to come to room temp. The steak was tender and extremely tasty! Going to save this recipe for sure.
Fabulous! One of my favorites
Loved the marinade
Actually you don’t have to discard the marinade. If you pour it into a small saucepan and bring it to a boil, then simmer it for 10 minutes, it’s perfectly safe to pour over your steak. I’ve done this for many, many years and have never once gotten sick. I also do this with my chicken marinades. Just make sure to simmer it for at least 10 minutes. But watch it so it doesn’t boil away. If it’s getting low, just add a little water.
Made this marinade for tonights steak supper and it was . I even boiled the left ovdr marinade woth a rsp of cornstarch and drizzled ut over out steak and potatoes.
At what temp will my steak be well done*
A well done steak is about 160°F.