This steak fajita marinade is loaded with olive oil, lime juice, garlic, and fajita seasoning for bold, juicy flavor. It makes the most tender, sizzle-worthy steak fajitas!
Best Beef Fajita Marinade
This steak fajita marinade recipe uses just a few ingredients and within a few hours, works its magic and provides you with an unforgettable taste experience. It’s quick and easy, made with your choice of flank steak or skirt steak.
The tangy citrus tenderizes the beef and marinating the meat for at least an hour in the Mexican inspired spices gives the steak fajita marinade time to permeate the meat for incredible, bold flavor resulting in the best steak fajitas for dinner!
Ingredients in Steak Fajita Marinade
- Olive oil: This coats the meat in a good fat that provides moisture and helps lock in the flavor.
- Lime juice: This acidic fruit not only provides flavor but helps break down muscle tissue in the meat leading to tender results.
- Minced garlic: Adds additional flavor.
- Fajita seasoning: I used my fajita seasoning that contains chili powder, cumin, salt, paprika, garlic powder and onion powder but a store bought one could be used instead. Add some cayenne pepper if you like a little heat!
Best Steak for Fajitas
When biting into a fajita, or any piece of steak, the last thing you want is stringy, hard-to-chew meat. Grilled flank steak or using this for a skirt steak marinade are great choices, as they both are fibrous pieces of beef.
Flank steak is a bit leaner and has fibers running down the length of the steak, whereas skirt steak muscle fibers run perpendicular and the marbling creates more fat which equals flavor.
As long as you cut against the grain, and marinate for longer than an hour and don’t overcook – you’ll end up with very tender meat whether choosing flank or skirt steak!
How Long to Marinate Steak Fajitas
You want to marinate at least an hour or two but more if possible. Up to 8 hours or even overnight in the fridge is ideal. The longer the flavors have to penetrate, the more immense the taste.
I would not go longer than that though as the texture of meat might begin to break down due to the citric acid. Once it’s ready, you can grill it, sear on the stovetop or even make steak in the oven using a cast iron skillet!
Variations
- Citrus swap. Omit the lime juice and use orange juice or lemon juice instead. You could also use a combination.
- Liquid smoke. Just a drop of liquid smoke goes a long way. Add a bit if you like a smoky BBQ flavor.
- For a sweet note. Pour in a bit of pineapple juice. I prefer canned as the enzymes in fresh pineapple juice can break down the beef fajitas meat too much.
- Fresh herbs: Add some fresh chopped cilantro for another layer of flavor similar to a carne asada marinade.
- Different protein. This marinade recipe is great for a steak fajita recipe or my sheet pan chicken fajitas, but will also give an abundance of flavor to shrimp fajitas.
- Make a sauce. Once the marinade has made contact with raw meat it is no longer safe to consume. This doesn’t mean you need to throw it out, however. Boil it on the stovetop until it thickens, season as desired, and serve as an extra sauce.
- Use just a rub: If you forgot to leave time to marinate, try this steak rub for an amazing steak!
Serving Suggestions
This marinade makes the best steak fajitas recipe that can then be wrapped up with homemade flour tortillas and sauteed onions and bell peppers. You could even make a fajita salad!
Another favorite way to enjoy this steak fajita marinade is to make flank steak tacos and then serve them with all your taco favorites like pico de gallo, refried beans and guacamole.
Check out these other delicious marinade recipes like teriyaki steak marinade, steak taco marinade and chicken marinade!
More Mexican Recipes to Try
Browse all
HUNGRY FOR MORE? Subscribe to my newsletter and follow on Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram for all the newest recipes!
Steak Fajita Marinade
Ingredients
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 1 Tablespoon lime juice
- 1 Tablespoon fajita seasoning
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic
- 1 pound skirt or flank steak
Instructions
- Place 1 pound steak in bowl. You can leave it whole or slice into strips (against the grain).
- Combine 1/4 cup olive oil, 1 Tablespoon lime juice, 1 Tablespoon fajita seasoning and 2 teaspoons minced garlic in a small bowl. Whisk until combined.
- Pour marinade over the steak and toss to combine. Cover the bowl and place the steak in the refrigerator and allow to marinate for at least 60 minutes. Best when marinated for 4 hours+.
- Grill or cook to desired internal temperature.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition provided is an estimate. It will vary based on specific ingredients used.
Did you make this recipe? Don’t forget to give it a star rating below!
FAQs
There are two parts! For the best tender steak first cut your meat against the grain then marinate it with an acid. The lime juice is the acid in this steak fajita marinade and helps break down any tough muscle fibers in the meat.
A marinade always contains liquid and some sort of acid, in this case, citrus. This helps break down the fibers in the meat making it extremely tender and flavoring it at the same time!
There are two sides to this answer! Cutting your steak before marinating while it does allow the marinade to fully penetrate the meat for flavor at the same time because your meat is now thinner it will shrink a bit more while grilling and may not get as good of sear if you were to leave it whole.
Really the decision is up to you!
Categorized as: American, Condiments
Jamielyn Nye is the founder and recipe creator at I Heart Naptime. She is the author of the I Heart Naptime Cookbook and shares easy family-friendly recipes and desserts for every occasion.
This marinade was amazing! We loved it!
I love a good marinade recipe, and this one looks fabulous!