Grilled Steak

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Grilling steaks can feel a little unpredictable, but not anymore… my grilled steak recipe and guide is here! Many of you know I’m kind of obsessed with cooking all kinds of steaks perfectly — because nothing is worse than a dry, tasteless one — and have done it every which way, from oven steak to air fryer steak. But when it’s nice out, you can’t beat the flavor and char you get from the grill. Make these with me!

Why You Need My Grilled Steak Recipe

• Perfectly tender and charred – The grill gives you that smoky taste and grill marks you can’t get from cooking inside. And my foolproof method and tips deliver a perfect steak consistently. I even have a chart for steak grilling times, so you’ll feel like a grilling pro on the first try!
• Marinade or seasoning options – My not-so-secret marinade makes every bite super juicy. But if you’re short on time, I’ve got options to add flavor without it.
• Cooks super fast – Whether you’re entertaining a crowd or just want a backyard meal in a flash, you can’t go wrong with grilled steak. Hello, easy summer dinner!

Ingredients & Substitutions

Here I explain the best ingredients for grilling steak, what each one does in my recipe, and substitution options. For measurements, see the recipe card.

VARIATIONS: Try my other seasonings and marinades!

Sprinkle on my Montreal steak seasoning or lemon pepper seasoning (2 tablespoons per pound of meat) for quick options that have extra flavor, or marinate your steaks in my balsamic steak marinade or chimichurri sauce (1/2 cup per pound).

Last but not least, don’t forget the compound butter for serving! This is optional, but adds so much flavor to your grilled steak.

How To Grill Steak

I have step-by-step photos here to help you visualize the recipe. For full instructions with amounts and temperatures, see the recipe card.

1. Marinate or season your steak. If you’re using my marinade, whisk it together in a small bowl. Pour the marinade into a large zip lock bag and add the steaks, moving around to coat well. Marinate in the fridge. If you’re just using a seasoning, sprinkle liberally on both sides.
2. Bring to room temp. If you can, remove the steaks from the refrigerator 30 minutes before grilling to reach room temperature. (I leave them in the marinade for this part, when I use one, or start my timer after seasoning if I’m just using spices.)
3. Fire up the grill. Preheat at 500 degrees F for 15 minutes. It’s important for it to be smoking hot to get a proper sear!

4. Sear both sides. Place the steaks on the grill and close the lid. Sear for 2 minutes, then flip and sear again.
5. Finish over lower heat. Reduce the heat and continue grilling steaks until they reach your desired doneness. (See my cooking times and temperatures below.)
6. Let them rest. Transfer the steaks to a plate or cutting board, and top with herb butter if you like. Tent with foil and rest for 5 minutes before slicing.

My Grilling Tips

• Avoid marinating for more than 24 hours. The meat can get mushy if you marinate it for too long. But the closer you get to the 24-hour mark without surpassing it, the more tender your grilled steak will be.
• Start with a clean grill. If you don’t, you’ll end up with burned bits on your steak.
• Get your grill super hot. You need to start with a very hot grill temp for steak (i.e. 500 degrees F or high heat) to get that perfect sear. If you add your steaks too soon, they won’t cook evenly and tend to stick to the grates.
• Place the steaks on the grill grates diagonally. This is totally optional, but I think the grill marks look nicer this way.
• Leave the steaks in one spot to sear. Otherwise, you won’t get good browning or clear grill lines. Move them only to flip.
• Keep the lid closed, except to flip. If you don’t, the times will be way off. Plus, opening the lid lets out the heat, so your grill won’t stay hot enough.
• Flip with tongs or a spatula, never a fork. Piercing the meat can let all those precious juices escape.
• Internal temperature trumps grill time. You can use my time chart above as a guide, but I highly recommend using a probe thermometer (or at least an instant read thermometer) if you can. It takes out all the guesswork. These days I can tell how done the grilled steak is just by how it feels with tongs, but this takes a lot of practice.
• Slice against the grain. This breaks apart the muscle fibers in the meat, for a more tender texture and easier chewing. Just make sure you only cut after resting — this makes a big difference in tenderness as well.

Storage & Meal Prep

• Store: Keep leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. I like to use them for my steak salad.
• Meal prep: Since you can marinate steaks for up to 24 hours, you can easily meal prep the day before. You can also just make the marinade up to 5 days ahead and store separately.
• Reheat: I usually reheat my grilled steaks in my air fryer because it’s less drying than other methods. You can also use your oven at a low temp (like 250 or 300 degrees F), or throw the steaks on the grill again over indirect heat.
• Freeze: Wrap tightly or vacuum seal, and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator.

Serving Ideas

There really isn’t any wrong way to serve your grilled steak — it goes with just about anything! But here are my favorite side dishes to make with it:

• Grilled vegetables – Might as well cook your dinner all in one place! Try my grilled broccoli, grilled asparagus (pictured above), grilled zucchini, or cabbage steaks.
• Fresh salads – My cucumber tomato avocado salad is fresh and bright, while my wedge salad feels like you’re at a restaurant. For a backyard BBQ vibe, whip up my popular cauliflower potato salad or prep my 7 layer salad in advance.
• Steakhouse sides – Craving comfort food? Pair your grilled steak with mashed potatoes (or mashed cauliflower), creamed spinach, or sauteed mushrooms.

Tools I Use For This Recipe

• Marinade Basket – I love this reusable alternative to zip lock bags for marinating.
• Grilling Tools – It has all I need (and nothing I don’t) from my favorite brand.
• Probe Thermometer – I love this, because it beeps when ready and I don’t have to keep opening the grill lid.

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Recipe Card

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Grilled Steak (Perfect Every Time)

Grilling steak is easy with my foolproof recipe! Let me show you how to make a perfectly juicy, tender grilled steak with any cut you've got.

Prep: 5 minutes

Cook: 5 minutes

Marinating Time: 3 hours

Total: 10 minutes

Author: Maya Krampf from Wholesome Yum

Servings: 4 (adjust to scale recipe)

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Ingredients

Tap underlined ingredients to see the ones I use.

Grilled Steak Marinade:

• 1/4 cup Olive oil ▢
• 3 tbsp Worcestershire sauce ▢
• 3 tbsp Coconut aminos (or soy sauce) ▢
• 2 tbsp Lemon juice ▢
• 1 tbsp Italian seasoning ▢
• 6 cloves Garlic (minced) ▢
• 1 tbsp Sea salt ▢
• 1/2 tsp Black pepper ▢

Steaks:

• 4 8-oz Sirloin steaks (at least 1 inch thick, preferably 1.5 inches) ▢
• 4 tbsp Compound Butter (optional, but recommended for serving) ▢

Instructions

Tap on the times in the instructions to start a kitchen timer.

1. Whisk together all the grilled steak marinade ingredients in a small bowl.

2. Pour the marinade into a gallon zip lock freezer bag. Add the steaks, seal the bag, and move them around to coat well.

3. Marinate for at least 3-8 hours, but no more than 24 hours. (More may result in mushy meat.)

4. If possible, remove the steaks from the refrigerator about 30 minutes before you want to cook them to let them come to room temperature, but keep them in the marinade until right before cooking. (This will help them cook evenly.)

5. Preheat the grill to High for at least 15 minutes, until it reaches 500 degrees F (260 degrees C).

6. Place the steaks onto the grill. Close the lid and sear for 2 minutes. Flip the steaks over, close the lid again, and sear for 2 more minutes.

7. Reduce heat to medium-low. Continue to grill steaks with the lid closed until they reach your desired doneness. For 1.5-inch-thick steaks: 1-2 minutes (120 degrees F) for rare, 2-3 minutes (130 degrees F) for medium rare, 3-4 minutes (140 degrees F) for medium, 4-5 minutes (150 degrees F) for medium well, or 5-6 minutes (160 degrees F) for well done. Steak temperature will increase by an additional 5 degrees when resting in the next step. For 1-inch-thick steaks, they may be done to medium rare after step 6 without needing additional time at reduced heat.

8. Transfer the grilled sirloin steaks to a plate and place a tablespoon of compound butter on each. Tent the top with foil and let them rest for 5 minutes before serving.

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Maya’s Recipe Notes

Serving size: 1 8-oz sirloin steak

Nutrition info includes half of the marinade ingredients, as about half is discarded, and does not include the optional compound butter.

Nutrition Facts

Amounts per serving. Serving size in recipe notes above.

Calories 382

Fat 17.3g

Protein 50g

Total Carbs 3.8g

Net Carbs 3.4g

Fiber 0.4g

Sugar 2.1g

I provide nutrition facts as a courtesy. Have questions about calculations or why you got a different result? Please see my nutrition policy.

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Keywords: best grilled steak, cooking steak on the grill, grilled sirloin steak, grilling steak, perfect grilled steak

Calories: 382 kcal

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Try More Of My Recipes

• 
  Grilled Salmon
• 
  Grilled Cauliflower
• 
  Grilled Chicken Breast
• 
  Grilled Halibut

© Copyright Maya Krampf for Wholesome Yum. Please DO NOT SCREENSHOT OR COPY/PASTE recipes to social media or websites. We’d LOVE for you to share a link with photo instead.

Gratitude Moment

We just got back from a trip to Door County in Wisconsin earlier this week. Now I’m in catchup mode with work, so I need easy dinners, like this grilled steak.

Meanwhile, I’m sorting through so many pictures. Here’s one of them on a hike we did. It was a little muddy, but the views were gorgeous, and the kids had so much fun climbing over large rocks and branches.

We don’t get to hike as often as I’d like, because Florida (where we now live) is totally flat, and Minnesota (where I’m from and am visiting this summer) is also pretty flat. So, I’m always grateful for hiking opportunities when we travel.

Have you visited any places with great hiking trails? Tell me in the comments below! I’d love some inspiration for our future trips.