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GET IT NOWGet ready for the ultimate dinner experience! This easy steak marinade recipe guarantees tender and juicy steak every time. And, you can use it with any cooking method you like — stovetop, oven, grill, or even air fryer.
There are many ways to make marinades for steak, but this simple balsamic version is my favorite. It’s the best steak marinade for maximum flavor and minimum effort. Pair your marinated beef with roasted broccolini, buttery sauteed mushrooms, and quick Instant Pot baked potatoes for the ultimate meal, from weeknight dinners to special occasions.
Why You’ll Love This Easy Steak Marinade Recipe
- Robust, savory flavors
- Juicy, tender steak
- Just 5 common pantry ingredients
- Quick to make
- Perfect marinade for a top sirloin steak recipe… but you can also use it for chicken, fish, or veggies
Ingredients & Substitutions
Here I explain the best steak marinade ingredients, what each one does in the recipe, and substitution options. For measurements, see the recipe card.
- Coconut Aminos Or Soy Sauce – Adds umami flavor and balances out the acidity of the vinegar. Coconut aminos is my favorite soy sauce substitute, but you could use regular soy sauce or low-sodium soy sauce if it fits your lifestyle.
- Olive Oil – Oil is a must to lock in moisture. Avocado oil would also work, or use any neutral oil you prefer.
- Balsamic Vinegar – Acidic ingredients are key in steak marinades, because they tenderize the meat. I like the slight sweetness from balsamic, but you can also try using red wine vinegar, lemon juice, lime juice, or apple cider vinegar. If you’re using something that isn’t sweet at all, add a few tablespoons of Worcestershire sauce to balance the flavors.
- Italian Seasoning – I used my own homemade Italian seasoning (it takes just 5 minutes), but you can use store bought. You can also swap in dried herbs on their own instead, such as rosemary, thyme, oregano, parsley, or basil.
- Spices – You will need garlic powder, sea salt, and black pepper. If you have fresh garlic, you can substitute 2 cloves (or more!) of fresh minced garlic in this marinade for steak, instead of the garlic powder. You can also add 1/2 teaspoon of onion powder if you like.
How To Marinate Steak
This section shows how to make steak marinade and use it for marinating steak, with step-by-step photos and details about the technique, to help you visualize it. For full instructions with amounts and temperatures, see the recipe card.
- Whisk together the steak marinade. Combine all ingredients together in a small bowl with a whisk.
- Marinate the steaks. Pour the marinade into a gallon zip lock bag (alternatively, you can use a larger bowl and just marinate directly in it). Add the steaks, seal the bag, and move them around to coat well. Marinate in the refrigerator.
- Cook your steak. Use your favorite cooking method! This steak marinade recipe works for sirloin steak made in a cast iron skillet, for grilled steak, or even air fry steak.
Tips For The Best Steak Marinade
Although steak marinade recipes are super easy to make, I have some tips for the juiciest steaks:
- A steak marinade should always include oil, an acidic ingredient (such as lemon juice or vinegar), seasonings, and salt. The salt and acid are key to tenderizing the meat, the oil locks in moisture, and the seasonings add flavor. See more ideas for steak marinade recipes using these components below!
- The optimal marinating time is between 3 and 12 hours. This allows enough time for the flavors and acids in the marinade to penetrate the surface of the meat and tenderize it, without breaking down the texture too much. Marinating for longer than 24 hours can result in a mushy texture.
- Refrigerate while marinating. For food safety, keep your steak in the fridge while marinating.
- Bring the steak to room temperature before cooking. Bringing the steak to room temperature before cooking allows it to cook more evenly and helps to prevent overcooking. Cold meat takes longer to cook in the center, which can result in uneven doneness and a dry exterior.
- Don’t freeze steak in marinade. Even if it’s frozen, keeping steak in marinade for more than 24 hours will make it mushy.
More Steak Marinade Recipes
Looking to switch up your steak marinade game? From spicy and tangy to sweet and savory, these marinades will take your steak to the next level.
- Chimichurri – For an Argentinian marinade for steak, use 1/3 to 1/2 cup of chimichurri sauce per pound of steak.
- Montreal – Instead of using Italian seasoning for this recipe, use 1 teaspoon Montreal steak seasoning instead. Follow the same instructions to marinate.
- Fajita – Follow my recipe for sheet pan fajitas (which uses a combination of oil, lime juice, and fajita seasoning). Just marinate the steak instead of cooking right away.
- Teriyaki – For a sweet and savory flavor, marinate your steak in teriyaki sauce! You can also add extra minced garlic and extra ginger. Mix well, then add the marinade for steak to a bowl or resealable bag, making sure the meat is fully coated.
- Lime – Follow the steak marinade recipe in my tutorial for cooking flank steak (but you can use the marinade for other types of steak, too).
Steak Recipes To Use Steak Marinade
My favorite cut of beef to use with this marinade is a sirloin steak or sirloin steak tips appetizers, but you can use it on just about any steak you like. It’s particularly great for tougher cuts of beef, such as flank steak or skirt steak. Here are more of my steak recipes to try with it:
Recommended Tools
- Cast Iron Skillet – I love to use the sear and oven method for steaks. This is the best pan to go from stove to oven and perfect for steaks.
- Meat Thermometer – So helpful to ensure you are cooking meat to the proper and desired temperature. I love this one because you can set the temperature that you want the meat to reach and it will go off when it’s hit that temp. No more overcooked meat!
Steak Marinade Recipe (5 Ingredients)
Made the best marinade for steak with just 5 ingredients! This easy steak marinade recipe make tenders, juicy and flavorful steak every time.
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Ingredients
Tap underlined ingredients to see the ones I use.
Balsamic steak marinade:
Steaks to use with steak marinade:
Instructions
Tap on the times in the instructions to start a kitchen timer.
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Whisk together all marinade ingredients in a small bowl.
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Pour the marinade into a gallon zip lock freezer bag. Add the steaks, seal the bag, and move them around to coat well.
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Marinate for at least 3 hours, but no more than 24 hours. (More may result in mushy meat.)
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Cook sirloin steaks as desired in a cast iron skillet, or cook steaks in the oven like this.
LAST STEP: Leave a rating to help other readers, or tag me @wholesomeyum on Instagram. I’d love to hear from you!
Maya’s Recipe Notes
Serving size: 1 steak (8 oz)
I provide nutrition facts as a courtesy. Have questions about calculations or why you got a different result? Please see my nutrition policy.
Add Your Notes Your Notes
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© 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.
The Best Steak Marinade Recipe
91 Comments
Linda Schilreff
0How long do you cook the sirloin steak in the oven after you have seared on stove top?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Linda, Just follow my sirloin steak recipe for detailed instructions. Hope you love it!
Linda Rice
0Marinade for top sirloin steaks, was easy to make. Oh, what a difference the taste was with the marinade. I “was” just a salt, pepper and garlic on our steaks, all I can say is Ooh, Lala!
Wholesome Yum D
0That marinade magic sounds amazing, Linda! It’s such a fun upgrade from the usual salt, pepper, and garlic. Ooh, la la is right! lol
Brittany
0This is my favorite marinade for sirloin I’ve ever had. I made it a lot like every week 5 years ago when I first found it… making it tonight for a friend who’s doing weight watchers and was so excited to have found the actual recipe website again because I realized I’ve been forgetting the garlic the last several times! I will never stop coming back to this one!
Wholesome Yum D
0I’m so glad you found it again, Brittany! That means so much to hear and I love that it’s been a favorite for so long. Hope your friend enjoys it too, and yay for remembering the garlic this time!
Peter Dmytrasz
0I found the berry marinade & sauce item to be a very interesting article, Many thanks. I haven’t seen any sites specific to the haskap (honeysuckle) berries. As such I was wondering what acidity level they contain? I’m certain it would differ by variety. However they’re both sweet and tart/tangy, so there has to be a significant acid component. I’ve marinated with tart cherry juice, pomegranate juice and have heard of Saskatoon berry marinades. I still have some berries left and would like to try it in a chicken, pork, beef or game marinade. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Many thanks in advance. P.D. Mississauga ON Canada
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Peter, I’m sorry, I’m not very familiar with that type of berries so don’t have advice on this. Maybe other readers can chime in if they’ve experimented with this!
Janet Dix
0The marinade was delicious. I added fresh chopped parsley and substituted dried basil for the Italian seasonings. I Pan fried the boneless top sirloins for 7 minutes on first side, turned them over, and after 2 minutes turned off the heat and let them rest in the pan for a few minutes which resulted in a perfect Med-Rare, delicious steak!
Wholesome Yum D
0Thanks for sharing that, Janet! Fresh parsley and dried basil sound like a great touch. And your cooking method sounds spot on for the perfect medium-rare!
TDHofstetter
0How do you figure that the oil would “lock in moisture” when that very moisture is water, which will be expanding violently in reaction to the heat and much of it will boil? Do you understand how much pressure is generated when you try to constrain steam at boiling temperature? Do you understand how a steam locomotive works?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi there, Oil locks in moisture because it acts as a barrier from moisture loss during the cooking process, both inside and outside the steak. My specialty is cooking, not steam locomotives, but yes, I know how those work. That is too say, differently from cooking a marinated steak. 😉
Brianna
0I used this recipe for a couple of top round and sirloin tip steaks that require a marinade due to their leaness, and this marinade made them flavored them perfectly, creating a moutwatering, flavorful steak!
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0I’m so glad to hear that, Brianna! This marinade is perfect for those. Enjoy!
KAREN D
0Ever since I used this marinade recipe, it’s the only one I use.
I may substitute the Italian seasoning for another seasoning, but the base will stay the same.
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Thank you so much, Karen! I’m honored that my recipe is the only one you use. 🥰 Feel free to customize the seasonings!
Naomi
0It was too sweet for me. I believe it was due to the coconut aminos.
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Naomi, I don’t notice a lot of sweetness when I make this, it’s very subtle. It could be a matter of taste, but did you by chance use coconut aminos with added sugar? Some brands are too sweet with sugar added.
Lynn
0Hi! I don’t have coconut aminos for this steak marinade recipe, will soy sauce work? Will the flavor be much different?
I know the sodium content is much higher with soy sauce.
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Lynn, Yes, soy sauce will work, it just has no sweetness to it unlike coconut aminos. You could add a tablespoon of honey to compensate for that part. I do recommend low or reduced sodium soy sauce, or you could try just reducing the amount of salt but I have not tried this to confirm by how much. Hope this helps!
John Davies
0This is a fantastic marinade. I used 1 Tbs each of the coconut aminos liquid and thick bbq aminos, olive oil and balsamic vinegar and 1 small crushed garlic clove as I didn’t have garlic powder. The meat was 2 Oyster Blade steaks, approximately 150g each. Griddle pan fried over medium high heat 4 minutes a side for medium rare. Rested the steaks 5 minutes before serving. Absolutely delicious. Nice and tender with a wonderful flavour. Thank you.
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0I’m so glad you liked it, John! Thank you for sharing your variation and how you cooked your steaks. Sounds perfect!
Carrie
0This is such a great tasting marinade! I’ve made it many times over- usually on flank steak but I’ve no doubt it would taste great on anything. Thanks so much for sharing!
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Thank you, Carrie! I’m so glad you like it. It’s great for flank steak.
Susan Gann
0Delicious!!! So easy! I grilled it and was very pleased.
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0I’m so glad you liked it, Susan! Thank you.
Candye
0Absolutely delicious! Will make this again. Thank you!
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Thank you, Candye! Enjoy!
Shelly
0The 2 people I grilled steaks for using this marinade, raved about it. It was my first time ever grilling steaks. I thank you for the success in the recipe. I had a less expensive cut, skirt steak, marinaded it for 3 hours and it came out juicy.
KAREN D
0Ever since I used this marinade recipe, it’s the only one I use.
I may substitute the Italian seasoning for another seasoning, but the base will stay the same.
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Thank you so much, Shelly! I’m so glad you liked this steak marinade.
Jules
0Hey! I’m curious to know if you have an idea of estimate on how much of the marinade will actually get absorbed and therefore should be included in my nutrition calculation for my steak. I know not all of it will and I thought I’d see if you had an idea to help me calculate more accurately. Thanks so much!!!
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Jules, It can vary but for marinades I usually estimate about 1/3 absorbed. The marinade makes a little over 1/2 cup, so if you wanted to be sure you could measure how much is left after you remove the steaks.
Nanna
0Can you cook the marinated steaks on a grill using this recipe? All your recipes that I have read so far are on my list of new recipes to try. The list is getting longer. Even at 70 years young, I still like to try new recipes with new ingredients. Thank you for sharing your wonderful recipes.
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Nanna, Yes, absolutely! Just let any excess marinade drip off before placing on the grill to prevent flare-ups. I have recommended grilling times in my grilled steak recipe, and you can just marinate the steak using this marinade instead.
Suzie-Q
0It came out very delicious and tender. I marinated the steaks overnight. Everybody loved it.
David
0It was so juicy and tender. I made it just as the recipe called for and it was delicious.
Don
0The steak turned fantastic thank you.
Dylser Chavez
0How long should I sear top sirloin if I am cooking medium on a cast iron skillet and at what temp should I bake it on the oven after searing?
Wholesome Yum D
0Hi Dylser, Here is my sirloin steak recipe.
Elizabeth
0Really would love to try but I don’t have balsamic vinegar is there a good substitute?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Elizabeth, No worries, there are several other options! I have an entire substitutions section in the post above. Hope this helps!
Jeff
0I added about a tablespoon of honey and a teaspoon (eyeballed it) of onion powder. Needless to say it got a 2 thumbs up from the Ms.
Sherry Steele
0What can be used in place of coconut aminos?
Wholesome Yum D
0Hi Sherry, Coconut aminos is a substitute for soy sauce.
Stephen Schneider
0It wasn’t terrible but I’ve never had a steak that had soy sauce and vinegar flavor and was not a fan. Be sure you are ok with your steak tasting strongly like soy sauce
Sarah
0This was delicious. I am not super experienced with making steak so I was nervous but it turned out great.
Shar
0My father requested for steak for dinner. I used this and he was filled and satisfied. I’m keeping this recipe!
Katie
0This is such a go-to recipe! Such a great pairing with so many sides.
Lori
0Why Coconut Aminos instead of soy sauce?
Wholesome Yum D
0Hi Lori, I don’t use soy sauce and you can read why here.
Bartosz
0Do you pat the steak dry with a paper towel before cooking/frying (after removing it from the marinade)?
Wholesome Yum D
0Hi, No need to do that.
Rachel
0This marinade is delicious!!!!!!!! Best steak I’ve ever had!!!!!
Mary
0What can I use instead of coconut amino acids
Susan
0Do you really need to add oil? I try to avoid it! I was under the impression the coconut aminos & your favorite seasonings together would work well—????
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Susan, Yes, I recommend including the oil in this steak marinade.
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Mary, Coconut aminos is a soy sauce substitute, so either actual soy sauce or other soy sauce substitutes would work.
Dennis
0Could this be used on Pork?
Wholesome Yum D
0Hi Dennis, Yes, that should work!
Dona
0I am controlling my diabetes with diet and no Rx’s with your help! I love this recipe and many more. And I love your Keto coffee syrup.
Thank you for helping me eat healthy.
Veti
0Hi, how do I cook them in a skillet?
Wholesome Yum D
0Hi Veti, I don’t have a recipe for cooking a steak in a skillet.
Dennis
0Could you simar this recipe with some xanthan gum to thinking to make steak sauce?
Craig McDaniel
0Why does the 5-ingredient marinade have 7 ingredients?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Craig, Salt and pepper are not included in ingredient counts by convention. It’s a very easy marinade.
Wholesome Yum D
0Hi Dennis, I have never tried this so I can’t say for sure if this would work.
Robin
0This marinade sounds delicious. However, balsamic vinegar has a lot of carbs, for those of us on 20g or less per day. Is there a reasonable substitute, like white or wine vinegar? I know the taste will be different. I’ve been looking for a super low carb marinade. Thx!
Wholesome Yum D
0Hi Robin, This marinade recipe makes 4 servings, and because it is just a marinade you will not be consuming all of the balsamic vinegar. But feel free to substitute if you do not want to use it.
Julie
0This is the first review I have ever done on a recipe. It was soooo wonderful!!! Followed the instructions exactly as written and it was perfect. Thank you for your wonderful recipe. To anyone that doesn’t have coconut aminos, don’t make it until you find it. It adds a wonderful flavor that totally makes the difference.
Christine
0I dont do very well cooking cheaper cuts of meat, turn out like shoe leather, but with meat prices rising, I had to resort to buying sirloin. Bought 2 large sirloin steaks for the grill, butcher suggested marinating them to make them tender. I used this recipe for the marinade, wow, blown away at how well it tenderized the meat and flavor was fabulous, thank you!
Hilary Graham
0Hi! Thanks for this recipe!
I have a drawer full of spices, but I don’t buy spice blends, so when I see 1 tsp Italian seasoning, I either just move on to a different recipe or I google Italian seasoning and then do the math to figure out how much oregano, thyme etc. I don’t know if this is an issue for others, but I’d appreciate it if you printed the quantities of specific spices. Thanks! Hilary
Agnes King
0Thanks for the recipes
BONNIE
0This marinade is perfect for steak! I tried it last night on a rib eye steak. So delicious!
Jeff Sample
0At the top of the article it says 5 minutes and just 5 easy ingredients that I probably have in my kitchen already. The recipe card at the bottom lists 7 ingredients (5 of which I do have) so can I just leave out the coconut aminos and italian seasoning? I assume it is really about the vinegar to tenderize and oil coat with salt, pepper and garlic powder for flavor.
Wholesome Yum M
0Hi Jeff, I generally don’t count pantry mainstays in ingredient count. In this case, it’s the salt and pepper. The coconut aminos and Italian seasoning lend a lot of flavors to this marinade, I don’t recommend skipping them.
Brenda
0Can I use soy sauce in the place of the coconut amino?
Wholesome Yum M
0Hi Brenda, Yes. As long as you don’t have any issues with gluten, soy sauce works great.
Laurie Bean
0This was the best steak marinade I have ever used. So easy and absolutely delicious. Love all your recipes. Thanks so much.
Barbara Befort
0How important is the coconut aminos? I’m from a small town and can’t find it our grocery store.
Jan
0Trader Joes Sells Organic Coconut Aminos Seasoning for $2.99 a bottle. If you have a Trader Joe’s store or online.
Wholesome Yum M
0Hi Barbara, Coconut aminos is a gluten-free and soy-free alternative to soy sauce. It provides a lot of flavor in dishes and would be noticeable to skip that ingredient. Coconut aminos can be found online here.
Breanna
0Are these nutrient facts for just the marinade or the marinade plus steak?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Breanna, The nutrition info includes the steak. I thought that was more useful than just the marinade by itself.
Emily
0Love this marinade. I’ve been missing the taste of balsamic vinegar since I’ve been doing low carb. So happy to find a recipe with the same taste but none of the carbs.
Chrissy
0Love this easy recipe! I usually do some sauteed mushrooms with my steak, but wanted something a little different. Had coconut aminos that I hadn’t got around to using yet so tried this. Super good. Love the balsamic flavor combo with the meat.
Lisa
0mmmm I’m always looking for an amazing steak marinade and this one was phenomenal!! It does help that I absolutely love balsamic. Either way, I will definitely have this again! 🙂
Julie Menghini
0This is brilliant! Balsamic is perfect for steak.
Nellie Tracy
0Such a great marinade! Makes for a great dinner!!