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These Easy Steak Fajitas are juicy, tender, flavorful, and way better than the ones at your favorite Mexican restaurant! Served with a healthy dose of peppers and onions, these fajitas are gluten-free, low carb, and paleo.
Steak fajitas are one of my favorite easy Mexican dinners of all time. They’re great for summer grilling, perfect for celebrations like Cinco de Mayo, and make a wonderful addition to your weekly meal prep routine.
They’re incredibly versatile. You can serve them as tacos with guacamole and sour cream, as an entree with Mexican rice and refried beans, or as a low-carb lunch with an avocado salad and cilantro lime cauliflower rice.
The secret to flavorful steak fajitas
The secret to getting the meat irresistibly flavorful and juicy is marinating the steak for at least 2 hours up to 8 hours.
This helps tenderize the meat and infuse all the good flavors that are in the actual marinade. I know the marinating process requires planning, but the end result is so worth it.
Once finished, remove the meat from the marinade and place it on a surface covered with paper towels. Pat the steak until completely dry and generously season with coarse sea salt and crushed black pepper.
Pro tip: Using coarse sea salt is very important. It helps to further tenderize and break down the fibers of the meat, making the steak super juicy and melt-in-your-mouth delicious.
What kind of beef do you use for fajitas?
Flank steak and skirt steak are the best cuts of beef for fajitas. I prefer to use flank steak (pictured above). Whichever cut of beef you use, make sure to cut it as thinly as possible to prevent it from being too chewy.
How to cook steak fajitas
To cook the flank or skirt steak, heat a large skillet or grill pan over medium-high heat. Coat the skillet or grill with a bit of oil and cook each side of the steak for about 3-5 minutes, depending on how thick it is.
My husband is a master at using the finger test to check for doneness, whereas I prefer to use a meat thermometer.
This is the meat thermometer that I have, and I use it all the time.
They’re inexpensive and take all the guesswork out of knowing whether something has reached a certain temperature or not.
More Mexican Recipes
Easy Steak Fajitas
Ingredients
For the meat and marinade
- ¼ cup olive oil
- ¼ cup orange juice
- 2 tablespoons lime juice (about 1 lime)
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 2 teaspoons chili powder
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- ¼ cup chopped cilantro
- 2 pounds flank steak or skirt steak
- kosher salt and black pepper
For the pepper and onions
- 2 ½ tablespoons cooking oil, divided
- 2 medium white onions, sliced
- 1 large poblano pepper, sliced into strips
- 3 large bell peppers, sliced into strips
- 1 pinch kosher salt
Optional toppings
- guacamole, sour cream, cilantro, flour tortillas, corn tortillas, lettuce cups
Instructions
- In a large resealable plastic bag (or a large mixing bowl) add all the ingredients except the coarse sea salt and black pepper and toss to combine.
- Cover and marinate in the fridge for 2 hours up to 8 hours.
- Remove the meat from the marinade, transfer to a clean large surface or cutting board and pat dry with paper towels. Generously season both sides of the steak with coarse sea salt and black pepper.
- In a large skillet over medium-high heat, add 1 tablespoon of cooking oil. Add the steak to the skillet and cook on each side for about 3-5 minutes, depending on how thick the steak is and how “done” you want it to be. I recommend using a meat thermometer for this step if you have one.
- Remove the steak from the skillet, transfer to a cutting board to let it rest and lightly cover with aluminum foil.
- While the meat is resting, add the remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons of cooking oil to the skillet. Add the onions, peppers and a pinch of salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, for about 8 minutes, until the veggies are soft.
- Uncover the steak and slice it against the grain and at an angle into thin slices. Serve along with the fajita veggies in tortillas, on a salad or in lettuce cups and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Update Notes: This recipe was originally posted in 2018, but was updated in April of 2019 with new photos and tips.
My mom, who doesn’t like Latin food, loved this.
I made these for Christmas Eve and they were amazing! The marinade is super easy and flavorful. We had flank steak & marinated overnight. I also made a half batch of the marinade for the veggies. I will definitely be making this again.
Hi Ann! That sounds like a great dinner!
I am not the primary cook in our home and this was fun. This recipe is fantastic! I served it to my wife and she loved it so much she asked that I cook it for the whole family on Christmas.
Sorry, forgot to rate my comment… please give it 5 stars.
Great recipe! I’m a fairly experienced home cook but it is always nice to have a starting place, get some ratios and maybe learn something new. As soon as I saw the ingredients list (simple but adequate), I knew this recipe was a winner, and it didn’t disappoint.
I make halibut ceviche from my own recipe regularly, and the trick is to use OJ and LJ in the same ratio you use in your marinade so it doesn’t overpower the delicate fish. Thank you Isabel!
*(pro tip) Everyone make sure to use fresh squeezed citrus, it makes all the difference…
My four grandchildren, my daughter and her husband all absolutely loved this recipe and insisted I keep it and promise to make it again!
Thank you so much for these recipes I do appreciate
Can you use a more tender cut of meat? What kind?
Hello Lynn! We recommend using flank or skirt steak for this recipe!
I am new to your site and want to say so far Everything I have tried has been great. The food is easy to make and tasted wonderful. Thank you.
Will try, have flake salt so that’s what I will use.
Please send us your tortilla soup recipe(s).
Here’s a link: https://www.isabeleats.com/mexican-chicken-tortilla-soup/