This steak marinade recipe is made with olive oil, soy sauce, garlic, lemon, herbs and spices, and takes just 5 minutes to put together. It adds tons of flavor to any tender cut of beef and can be used for grilled, broiled or sauteed marinated steak.
I love to use marinades in cooking, it adds so much great flavor with very little effort. I regularly marinate grilled chicken tenders, grilled shrimp and marinated salmon, and I always have this amazing steak marinade in my constant rotation.
You can never go wrong with a good marinade, whether it’s a tri tip marinade, turkey marinade, shrimp marinade or this savory steak marinade.
Table of Contents
Steak Marinade Ingredients
This marinade consists of pantry staples that you probably already have on hand.
- Olive Oil: The oil forms the base of the marinade. It adds flavor to the meat and helps to prevent it from drying out as it cooks.
- Soy Sauce: This sauce adds much needed salt to the steak, as well as a complex, savory flavor.
- Worcestershire Sauce: This sauce pairs perfectly with red meat, and is a must-have for this marinade.
- Lemon Juice: Freshly squeezed lemon juice is best. This ingredient helps to tenderize the meat, as well as adds a bright, fresh flavor.
- Garlic: You can’t have steak without garlic! Mince your own fresh garlic for the best results.
- Seasonings: The ingredients of dried Italian seasoning, salt, pepper and onion powder round out the flavor profile of the marinade.
How Do You Make Steak Marinade?
This steak marinade is a blend of soy sauce, olive oil, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, garlic, Italian seasoning and spices. Mix everything together in either a bowl or a gallon sized freezer bag. Add your steak, and give it at least one hour to soak up all that great flavor!
Tips For Steak Marinade
- Feel free to use a low sodium soy sauce if you’re watching your salt intake.
- Italian seasoning is a blend of dry herbs that is available in the spice aisle of most grocery stores. This seasoning is typically a blend of dried basil, parsley, garlic and oregano. If you can’t find Italian seasoning, you can blend together your own dried herbs in equal amounts.
- The steak in these photos is topped with an herb butter which is super easy to make. Simply combine 1/4 cup softened butter with 2 tablespoons fresh chopped herbs, 1/4 teaspoon minced garlic, salt and pepper. Add a dollop of butter on top of each steak as it comes off the grill.
- Looking for a Mexican inspired meal? Try my steak fajita marinade recipe!
- This marinade works well with most cuts of beef, I recommend using it on flank steak, New York strip, ribeye, T-bone, skirt steak, sirloin or filet mignon. If you are making London broil, be sure to check out my London broil marinade recipe!
Quick Tip
This marinade will stay fresh in the fridge for up to 5 days, so it’s great to make in advance if you’re entertaining. You can even freeze your marinade for up to 2 months if need be!
Recipe FAQs
While it’s not a requirement to marinate your steak, most cuts of beef benefit from being marinated. The marinade adds a lot of flavor, and a longer marinating time allows for the ingredients to really penetrate the meat.
I recommend marinating your steak for a minimum of one hour, but if you have time, it’s really best to marinate your steak for at least 6-8 hours. You can leave your steak in the marinade for up to 24 hours if you prefer.
This marinade will help to tenderize steak. The acid in the lemon juice is the tenderizing agent.
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Steak Temperatures
Use a digital thermometer to gauge when your steaks are done. You can insert your thermometer into the thickest part of your meat to determine whether the steak is at your preferred level of doneness. I personally like to cook my steaks to medium, I don’t recommend cooking your meat over 150 degrees F as it will be more likely to be tough or dry.
Keep in mind that steaks should rest for at least 5 minutes before you cut into them, so it’s best to take them off the heat a few degrees before you reach your desired temperature, as they’ll continue to cook as they rest.
- Rare: 130 degrees F
- Medium Rare: 135 degrees F
- Standard Medium: 145 degrees F
- Medium Well: 150 degrees F
- Well Done: 160 degrees F
I typically grill my steaks, either on an outdoor charcoal grill or inside on a grill pan. That being said, this marinade is perfect with sauteed or broiled steak, so go ahead and use whatever cooking method works best for you. Offer a variety of fabulous side dishes such as Olive Garden salad, make ahead mashed potatoes, Southern mac and cheese, funeral potatoes, carrot souffle or air fryer baked potatoes. Your family will thank you!
More Great Steak Recipes
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Steak Marinade
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup soy sauce
- 1/4 cup lemon juice
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic
- 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
Instructions
- Place all the ingredients in a bowl or in a resealable gallon sized freezer bag. Mix to combine.
- Add steaks to the marinade. Marinate for at least 1 hour, or up to 24 hours.
- Cook steak as desired. Marinade makes enough for 2 pounds of steak.
Notes
- This marinade can be stored in the fridge for up to 5 days, so it’s great to make in advance if you’re entertaining. You can even freeze your marinade for up to 2 months if need be!
- Feel free to use a low sodium soy sauce if you’re watching your salt intake.
- The steak in these photos is topped with an herb butter which is super easy to make. Simply combine 1/4 cup softened salted butter with 2 tablespoons fresh chopped herbs, 1/4 teaspoon minced garlic, and salt and pepper to taste. Add a dollop of butter on top of each steak as it comes off the grill.
Its absolutely YUMMY!!! My family loved it and my husband was asking if I could use the same marinade for chicken too?
Yes it will work with chicken!
Hi, Do you wash off the marinade of before cooking.
Thanks
No do not wash it off!
Why would you want to do that? Defeats the purpose of a marinade
I am going to try this marinade on my steaks for supper let you know how it goes sounds so good!!!!!!
Do I need to poke with a fork prior to marinating?
No you do not need to poke it!
The marinade was perfect. Medium rare steaks came out juicy and tender. My family was bartering each other for more. I have resolved to marinate all of the meats we grill from now on and this recipe will be my go to recipe.
Tried this marinade many times. Can’t say enough about it. The steaks are tender and very tasty. I have some marinating overnight in the refrigerator as I type. Thanks for such an awesome product.
I tried this a few months back. I was looking for something easy to make using ingredients I already had in my pantry. The reviews were good so I decided to try it. Wow! Far and away the best steak marinade and so easy! I used good quality strip loin and the results were very close to something you would get at a high end steakhouse. Served with grilled garlic mushrooms, grilled corn on the cob, and Caesar salad. Delicious!
I have made many of your recipes and they have always turned out great. So when I was looking for a marinade, I decided I couldn’t go wrong trying out this one. I am so glad I did. It turned out awesome. (The only things I did different was blend everything together, so my daughter wouldn’t see the garlic pieces.) No one complained and everyone ate it!! Another recipe in the win column!!
Hi,
Can this marinade be used for chicken?
Yes that will work!
I use this recipe on everything. I do vary the marinade time depending on what im marinating. I double the time for chicken and pork. Ive injected it as well with large pork roasts
Tried this marinade tonight with some New York Strips: the result was nothing short of amazing! The aroma on the grill had me anticipating something good, and I was definitely not disappointed.The flavor in that first bite was unexpected and nothing short of heavenly. Everyone at my table was raving about the flavor. I think the olive oil kept the meat moist, too. Needless to say I will be using this marinade every single time in the future. Thank you!
Have you ever tried to freeze the marinade with the steaks?
That should work fine!
MY FAMILY LOVES THIS MARINADE! IT’S GREAT!!!
Question I’m about to fix this steak now do I put that top recipe on now or after the steak is done?
The butter goes on the cooked steak!
Hi for the top of the steak what is the exact ingredients that you use? i’m making the marinade tonight to cook for friday. and would like to know exactly what you put on top?
4 tablespoons of butter mixed with 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic, salt and pepper to taste, and 1 tablespoon of fresh herbs, can be one type of herb or a combo.
Tried this easy steak marinade here at the Zoo! I am so impressed and delighted with the wonderful results. Tender, juicy, and delicious! I save this recipe to Pinterest and will definitely be my go to marinade!
Perfect every time!!!
Fantastic Marinade!! Best ever!!
Far and away the best steak marinade I have ever used. My 5 year old who lives on a steady diet of cheese and crackers ate her entire plate and asked for seconds. I barely ate because I was so shocked watching her!
Just wondering if you are poking holes in the steak with a fork? Great marinade thanks!
I do not poke any holes in the steak!
I found this steak marinade about eight months ago. Ever since then, this is the only way I have been cooking them. I use a simple propane grill and they turn out awesome everytime. I would highly recommend this marinade.
The best and only steak marinade I use