This immensely quick and simple recipe for making Air Fryer Steak With Garlic Butter will no doubt be a huge hit for any meat lover. The air fryer gives you that perfectly cooked, tender, juicy, and mouth-watering steak, that is then paired with fabulously melting garlic butter.
The Perfect Air Fryer Steak
Not only do I love steak, but when garlic butter is drizzled on top, it makes for an irresistible and tantalizing meal. This is the perfect dinner for that special occasion and will truly impress anyone. The fact that an air fryer helps cut down on any smoke, smells, or splatters in your kitchen makes for a huge bonus.
You can serve this steak with so many side dishes, my favorite being creamy mashed potatoes because that garlic butter is perfect over them as well. Other sides you can try are loaded scalloped potatoes, cheesy mashed potatoes with bacon and chives, brandy glazed carrots, skillet green beans, or some roasted broccoli. For a much lighter fare, you can serve this steak with a nice Caesar salad for a fantastic meal.
What You Need For Air Fryer Steak With Garlic Butter
- Steaks – Use either strip steaks, rib eye or tri tip about 1-inch thick.
- Oil – I use olive oil.
- Salt/Pepper – Season generously with salt and pepper, to taste.
Garlic Butter
- Butter – Use unsalted and softened butter.
- Garlic – Nothing beats fresh garlic, minced for garlic butter.
- Italian seasoning – You can use store bought or use my recipe for this easy Italian seasoning.
- Lemon juice– Freshly squeezed will only do here. Lemon juice results in a mixture with more mellow garlic flavor and aroma, and none of the acridness.
How To Make Air Fryer Steak
- Preheat air fryer: Preheat the air fryer to 400°F while you prep the steaks.
- Oil and season steaks: Rub or brush the olive oil all over the steaks, then season with the salt and pepper.
- Cook steaks: Place the steaks in the air fryer basked and cook for 12 minutes, flipping over after 6 minutes. This will result in medium done. Check the temperature of the steaks with an instant read meat thermometer to make sure you cook the steaks to your liking. For medium rare the temperature should read 135-140°F when removing the steaks from the air fryer.
- Finish and rest steak: Meanwhile, mix all the garlic butter ingredients together. After the steak is done cooking, top each steak with half of he garlic butter and let the steak rest for 10 minutes before serving. After the steak has rested, it should reach an internal temperature of 145°F.
How Long To Cook Steak
My best tip is to invest in a good instant meat read thermometer, this way you’ll end up with the perfect steak every single time.
| Rare | 125°F (52°C) |
| Medium Rare | 135°F (57°C) |
| Medium | 145°F (63°C) |
| Medium Well | 150°F (66°C) |
| Well Done | 160°F (71°C) |
Can I Cook Frozen Steak In My Air Fryer?
Absolutely! This is why the air fryer is so great, you can go from the freezer directly to the air fryer. Simply follow the instructions as noted in the recipe, the only difference is that it takes about 14 minutes to cook, turning them over after 7 minutes. The actual time depends on the thickness of your steak and how you like your steak cooked.
Why Resting Meat Is Important
When you cut into a very hot piece of meat, all of the liquid is going to come out. If you rest it, it allows everything to relax and redistribute the juices, which creates a more tender, juicier cut.
Tips For Making The Perfect Steak
- Always make sure your steaks are at room temperature.
- It’s important not to overcrowd the air fryer for best results.
- Cooking time may need adjusting as necessary if using smaller versus larger steaks. Don’t be scared to open the air fryer as often as you like to check for doneness. If you prefer a rare steak doneness, reduce the time.
- Always allow your steak to rest after it’s been cooked. This allows the internal temperature to equalize and lock in the juices.
- When checking the temperature of the steak for doneness, insert the thermometer through the side of the steak, not touching bone or fat.
- Remove the steaks from the heat, when the thermometer registers 5°F lower than the desired doneness.
Leftovers
Store any leftover steak in the refrigerator in an airtight container for 3-4 days.
Can You Freeze Cooked Steak?
Yes! Freeze in an airtight container or freezer bag for 2-3 months for best results.
How To Reheat Cooked Steak
This is where your air fryer will shine. You can reheat your cooked steaks right in your air fryer. If your cooked steaks are frozen, make sure to thaw them in the refrigerator for 24 hours.
- Preheat the air fryer to 350°F.
- Place the steaks inside the air fryer basked.
- Cook the steaks for 4 to 6 minutes checking every 2 minutes, until the internal temperature reaches 110°F. Total reheat time depends on the thickness of your steak.
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Air Fryer Steak With Garlic Butter
Ingredients
- 2 strip steaks rib eye steaks of tri tip steaks
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ teaspoon salt or to taste
- ½ teaspoon pepper or to taste
Garlic Butter
- ¼ cup butter unsalted and softened
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice freshly squeezed
Instructions
- Preheat air fryer: Preheat the air fryer to 400°F while you prep the steaks.
- Oil and season steaks: Rub or brush the olive oil all over the steaks, then season with the salt and pepper.
- Cook steaks: Place the steaks in the air fryer basked and cook for 12 minutes, flipping over after 6 minutes. This will result in medium done. Check the temperature of the steaks with an instant read meat thermometer to make sure you cook the steaks to your liking. For medium rare the temperature should read 135-140°F when removing the steaks from the air fryer.
- Finish and rest steak: Meanwhile, mix all the garlic butter ingredients together. After the steak is done cooking, top each steak with half of he garlic butter and let the steak rest for 10 minutes before serving. After the steak has rested, it should reach an internal temperature of 145°F.
Recipe Notes
- Always make sure your steaks are at room temperature.
- It’s important not to overcrowd the air fryer for best results.
- Cooking time may need adjusting as necessary if using smaller versus larger steaks. Don’t be scared to open the air fryer as often as you like to check for doneness. If you prefer a rare steak doneness, reduce the time.
- Always allow your steak to rest after it’s been cooked. This allows the internal temperature to equalize and lock in the juices.
- When checking the temperature of the steak for doneness, insert the thermometer through the side of the steak, not touching bone or fat.
- Remove the steaks from the heat, when the thermometer registers 5°F lower than the desired doneness.
- Store any leftover steak in the refrigerator in an airtight container for 3-4 days.
- Freeze in an airtight container or freezer bag for 2-3 months for best results.
I can’t offer a star rating because I haven’t tried this recipe yet…..but, I need to know if I can use this recipe with the convection setting on my gas oven. We LOVE a good steak!
I haven’t tried just with the convection setting but I have pan seared the steak first then finished it in the oven until the desired temperature was reached. You probably can use just the convection setting, but I usually like my steak a bit more browned on the outside. The other issue I can see happening in the convection oven is splatter everywhere. Let me know if you give it a try, and how it turns out.
This recipe looks great. I have been wanting an air fryer, but do not know which one to buy. Any suggestions?
There’s a link to the one I used in the recipe card under equipment. I’ve been using this one for a while now and love it.