Air Fryer Steak Recipe

People who love to make their own steak at home tend to have fairly strong opinions about their red meat of choice. Which is the best cut? How well should it be cooked through? Ketchup or no ketchup? Flip it over repeatedly while cooking? Or only once? Sous vide, sear, no sear, reverse sear, cast iron skillet, outdoor grill ... yes, no, maybe? The list goes on. But what if steak-making didn't have to be such an extraordinarily "precious" process? What if you could make an excellent steak at home, simply, reliably, and without the need to babysit your beef throughout the entire cooking process? 

That's where recipe developer Susan Olayinka's recipe for air fryer steak comes in, which makes this recipe a no-brainer for weeknight meals. "I find the air fryer and meat is a good match," she tells us. Although "less oil is needed," it turns out tender on the inside and crispy on the outside. And the clincher? Olayinka's recipe is designed to allow the cook to "set it and forget it," as she says. 

Olayinka's recipe for air fryer steak is for one steak that weighs 8 ounces. She cuts it into two portions of 4 ounces each. That may or may not be the right number for you, so you should adjust the amount of steak, and the respective amounts of the other ingredients, proportionately, based on the following formulas: For an 8-ounce steak, Olayinka's recipe calls for 1 tablespoon of a steak seasoning blend, 1 tablespoon of extra-virgin olive oil, ¼ teaspoon of paprika, ¼ teaspoon of onion powder, ¼ teaspoon of garlic powder, and ¼ teaspoon salt. Divide or multiply as needed. 

The steak Olayinka uses is 21-day aged rump, which may or may not be your cup of tea. Olayinka tells us that filet mignon would work as well, and as she points out, there is nothing to fear about it getting "tough when put in the air fryer." Olayinka's instructions assume that your steak will be at least a ½-inch thick, as hers was. Following Olayinka's instructions, your steak of the same thickness will turn out medium to medium-well. If you like to work with steak of that general thickness, you can achieve a more rare-cooked result by cooking for fewer minutes, as discussed below. If you prefer a thicker steak, you will need to cook it for longer to achieve Olayinka's results.

This may be the most labor-intensive step in Olayinka's entire recipe, and yet it's hardly any work at all. Simply place the steak seasoning, along with the extra-virgin olive oil, paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, and salt into a large mixing bowl, and mix to combine them thoroughly. Then dip your steak into the seasonings to cover the entire exterior of the steak, and let it sit as you move onto the next step. 

Before you put your seasoned steak into the air fryer, line your air fryer with parchment paper that has been perforated. This is important, according to Olayinka, to ensure that the steak has enough air-flow so that it won't become soggy. Set your air fryer to 15 minutes at 350 F — for a ½-inch thick steak such as the one Olayinka used. This is going to be true regardless of your steak's total weight; the thickness is what matters for this purpose. Adjust the time down if you'd like a rarer ½-inch thick steak, and up if you'd like it more well done. For a thicker steak, the 15 minutes will cook the steak to less than medium, so adjust the time to be two minutes longer if you want your steak to be more well-cooked. 

At the end of the cook-time, remove the steak from the air fryer immediately and place it on a serving plate. Because the air fryer will still be hot, if you leave it in the air fryer too long, it would otherwise continue to cook the steak. Allow the steak to rest at room temperature for a few minutes to allow the juices to redistribute throughout the flesh. Then serve your air fryer steak with a side of veggies. Might we suggest Olayinka's air fryer roasted asparagus or her roasted broccoli and asparagus?