I promise this is the Best Steak Marinade you’ll try! The balance of salt, tang, herb, and a touch of sweetness is the perfect way to treat your favorite steaks. When you’re serving up a special meal, it deserves to be a guaranteed flavor bomb.
Easy Steak Marinade Recipe
I usually just stick to some salt and pepper on my steaks, but every once in a while I crave more in each bite. This steak marinade will do just that for you! The flavors complement that beef beautifully to create such a harmony. If you’re going to expand that grocery budget to include steaks, you have to do it right.
I am such a big fan of this marinade, I’ll keep the excess to brush liberally over the steaks as they grill. You can even make an extra batch, without touching raw meat, of course, to serve on the side as a dipping sauce. Am I obsessed with this recipe or what? I’ll happily include it in each step of the process!
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Balsamic vinegar – Wine vinegars or lemon juice can be used instead.
- Soy sauce – Make sure to use low-sodium.
- Worcestershire sauce – You can use more or less if you like.
- Olive oil – Sunflower, safflower, canola, vegetable, or avocado oils will work instead.
- Garlic – You’ll need some freshly minced garlic, use as much or little as you like.
- Brown sugar – Honey or agave can be used instead.
- Herbs – Dried basil and rosemary. Italian seasoning will work too.
- Pepper – Freshly cracked.
- Steaks – You can use rib eye, sirloin, New York strip but this marinade is even great on filet mignon, flank steak or skirt steak.
How To Make The Best Steak Marinade
- Whisk all the ingredients together. Pour over your steak(s) of choice in a sealable freezer bag and let the steaks marinate for two hours to overnight in the refrigerator.
You can even skip the bowl and add all the ingredients straight to the freezer bag. Mix everything well by squishing it around with your hands. This marinade can be used for other types of meat like poultry or pork as well!
How Do You Know When Your Steak Is Done?
Now that you’ve given these steaks the tender love and care they deserve, let’s make sure the cooking process goes off without a hitch! Whether you’re using the grill or a skillet on the stove top, you want to make sure the heat is nice and high to get that sought-after sear.
- Rare: 130°F-140°F, 2-3 minutes per side
- Medium-rare: 145°F, 4-5 minutes per side
- Medium: 160°F, 6-7 minutes per side
- Well done: 170°F, 8-9 minutes per side
Expert Tips
- Before you start, give the meat 20-30 minutes to sit at room temperature. This will help give you a nice and even color throughout.
- First make the “okay” sign with your pointer finger and thumb. Now poke the fleshy part right under your thumb with your other pointer finger, that is how rare steak feels.
- Next press your thumb and middle finger in the okay sign and feel that same fleshy part, that is how medium rare steak feels.
- Press your ring finger and thumb in the “okay” sign and feel that fleshy part, that is how medium steak feels.
- Now press your pinky and thumb together and feel the fleshy part, that is how well done steak feels.
How Long Does Steak Marinade Last?
You can make a big batch of this marinade and keep it on hand for whenever you need to marinate some protein. Keep this marinade in an airtight container in the fridge for 2-3 weeks.
You can also keep the marinade in the freezer. If it’s already in the bag with the steak, it will keep for 3 months. If you’re storing the marinade on its own, you can freeze it up to 9 months. It it thaw overnight in the fridge if it’s paired with meat, or it can thaw at room temperature if it’s alone.
Other Great Homemade Grocery Staples:
- Chimichurri Sauce
- Thousand Island Dressing
- Homemade Mayonnaise
- Homemade Pesto Recipe
- Enchilada Sauce
- Seasoning Salt
- Italian Seasoning Recipe
- Lemon Pepper
Looking for more recipes? Follow on… My Newsletter Pinterest Facebook Instagram
Best Steak Marinade
Ingredients
- ¼ cup balsamic vinegar
- ¼ cup soy sauce low sodium
- ¼ cup Worcestershire sauce
- â…“ cup olive oil
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 2 teaspoon brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon basil dried
- 1 teaspoon rosemary dried
- ½ teaspoon pepper freshly cracked
Instructions
- Whisk all the ingredients together. Pour over your steak(s) of choice in a sealable freezer bag and let the steaks marinate for two hours to overnight in the refrigerator.
Recipe Notes
- You can make a big batch of this marinade and keep it on hand for whenever you need to marinate some protein. Keep this marinade in an airtight container in the fridge for 2-3 weeks.
- You can also keep the marinade in the freezer. If it’s already in the bag with the steak, it will keep for 3 months. If you’re storing the marinade on its own, you can freeze it up to 9 months. It it thaw overnight in the fridge if it’s paired with meat, or it can thaw at room temperature if it’s alone.
This marinade is soooo good! I now double/triple it and store in a jar to have on hand. I’ve used it with T-bone, strip loin, but my fav…..beef tenderloin. Have also made beef tenderloin kabobs with this marinade. I throw it all together in the morning and let it marinate all day. Great flavour! A must try recipe.
Great recipe,,but less oil and more lite soy sauce
Maybe I can make the steak a lot tastier with your recipe. Thankyou Jo
Hi Jo, just wondering if this marinade also has a tenderising effect on the meat?
Yes, it does, the vinegar does that.
Great easy marinade with ready ingredients that hits every taste bud. Personally recommend this with a flank or tri tip to slice and share. Do yourself a flavor and use the fancier soy sauce 🙂
Fantastic! Loved that the marinade used ingredients already in my pantry. Will definitely make again.
I made this last night and wasn’t as wowed as I expected. I used round steak, hoping that the marinade would tenderize, but I don’t feel that it did. The flavor was fine, but I don’t think I’d make again.
Round steak is a tougher cut of meat! For this reason it’s usually braised rather than seared.