Perfect Air Fryer Steak with Homemade Herb Butter

Want to learn a magic trick? This easy air fryer steak recipe is exactly that! Thanks to the air fryer, you can have a juicy, perfectly medium-rare steak in as little as 12 minutes. It’s totally foolproof and wonderfully hands-off, with a gorgeous crust and rich herb butter that will absolutely wow your dinner guests.

♨️ What Makes This Recipe So Good

• I love a really good grilled steak or sous vide steak, but when I want a perfectly juicy steak with basically zero effort? It’s straight to the air fryer for me. Honestly, the air fryer makes one of the best steaks I’ve ever eaten, believe it or not. Super juicy, beautifully tender, and gorgeously medium-rare in basically 15 minutes? I was blown away the first time I tried it.
• The air fryer method works for any type of steak! I used sirloin for this recipe, but you can use whichever cut is your favorite.
• The simple homemade herb butter is a multi-purpose favorite in my house, and it compliments these delicious steaks so well. I like to make up a large stick of compound butter every couple of weeks so I’ve got it on hand for whatever I might end up cooking – steak, chicken, veggies, it works for everything!

Chef’s Tips

• I also recommend preheating your air fryer – it just ensures the accuracy of the timing and helps everything cook evenly. Here, the preheated air fryer starts cooking the steaks as soon as you put them in the hot air fryer basket. That simple little move helps create a beautifully crisp crust on the outside of the steaks. Absolutely worth it.
• Don’t rely on your eyes or your intuition or even the clock to know when your air fryer steaks are perfectly cooked. I mean, you could. But if you really want accurate results, use an internal meat thermometer. All air fryers behave differently, so my steaks that cooked to medium-rare in 7 minutes might need 9 or 10 minutes in your air fryer. Steaks vary in size and thickness, too, which will also affect the cook times. A meat thermometer negates all of those little variables and lets you know exactly what’s going on inside your food.
• Let the steaks rest after they come out of the air fryer. It’s a simple step that makes a big difference. For one thing, the residual heat keeps cooking the steaks as they rest, bringing them up to your preferred level of “done” inside. Not only that, but letting them rest locks in all the juices, allowing those juices to redistribute throughout the steaks as the muscles in the steaks relax. The result? Much juicier, more-tender meat than if you served it immediately.

More Air Fryer Recipes

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• Air Fryer Chicken Legs
• Sausage in the Air Fryer
• Air Fryer Chicken Breast
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• 30 Keto Air Fryer Recipes
• Air Fryer Cauliflower with Lemon-Garlic Aioli
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Recipe By: Cheryl Malik

Perfect Air Fryer Steak with Homemade Herb Butter

Prep 15 minutes minutes

Cook 15 minutes minutes

Total 30 minutes minutes

Thanks to the air fryer, you can have a juicy, perfectly medium-rare steak in as little as 12 minutes.

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2 servings

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Equipment

• Food processor
• Silicone spatula or wooden spoon
• food-safe plastic wrap
• air fryer
• internal meat thermometer
• Tongs
• Large plate or cutting board

Ingredients

For the Herb Butter

• ▢ ¼ cup unsalted butter softened
• ▢ 1 large clove garlic minced
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon salt more or less to taste
• ▢ 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
• ▢ 1-2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper more or less to taste

For the Steaks

• ▢ 2 medium steaks approximately 8 ounces each
• ▢ 2 teaspoons salt plus more to taste

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Instructions

 

For the Herb Butter

• Add ¼ cup unsalted butter, 1 large clove garlic, ¼ teaspoon salt, 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley, and 1-2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper to food processor bowl. Secure lid on food processor and pulse ingredients together until fully incorporated into smooth mixture.
• Lay sheet of food-safe plastic wrap on flat work surface, then spoon butter mixture onto center of plastic wrap. Fold top and bottom edges of plastic wrap to cover butter mixture completely, then gently roll wrapped butter back and forth until log-shaped.
• Twist or fold ends of plastic wrap to enclose butter, then place butter in refrigerator and chill until firm.

For the Air Fryer Steaks

• Preheat air fryer to 400° Fahrenheit.
• While air fryer preheats, place 2 medium steaks on large plate or cutting board. Season both sides of each steak generously, using 2 teaspoons salt plus more as needed.
• Once air fryer is preheated, place steaks in air fryer basket, making sure steaks don't touch or overlap. Return basket to air fryer.
• Air fry steaks 7 minutes, then remove air fryer basket and check steaks with internal meat thermometer. If needed, return basket to air fryer and continue cooking steaks, checking steak temperature every 2 minutes until desired temperature is reached. See Notes below for target temperatures.
• Once target temperature is reached, remove basket from air fryer and transfer steaks to large plate or cutting board. Set steaks aside to rest 5 minutes.
• After 5 minutes, plate steaks with desired sides and serve immediately.

• Preheating the air fryer helps the steaks develop a really nice crust, so don’t skip that step.
• Steak Seasoning: I prefer my steaks seasoned simply with salt, but you can absolutely use any steak seasoning or marinade you like!
• Make it Paleo/Whole30: Replace the butter with ghee.
• Make it Dairy Free: Use plant-based butter.

 

Target Internal Temperatures

To avoid overcooking your steaks, remove them from the air fryer once they reach the recommended internal temperatures shown below. The steaks will continue cooking during the 5-minute rest time.

• Rare: 120°-125°F. Remove steaks from air fryer when internal temperature reaches 110º Fahrenheit.
• Medium Rare: 130°-135°F. Remove steaks from air fryer when internal temperature reaches 120º Fahrenheit.
• Medium: 140°-145°F. Remove steaks from air fryer when internal temperature reaches 130º Fahrenheit.
• Medium Well: 150°-155°F. Remove steaks from air fryer when internal temperature reaches 140º Fahrenheit. 
• Well Done: 160°-175°F. Remove steaks from air fryer when internal temperature reaches 160º Fahrenheit.

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Approximate Information for One Serving

Serving Size: 1 serving (1 steak with half of prepared butter)Calories: 515calProtein: 50gFat: 34gSaturated Fat: 18gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 199mgSodium: 2750mgPotassium: 813mgTotal Carbs: 1gFiber: 0.3gSugar: 0.05gNet Carbs: 1gVitamin A: 883IUVitamin C: 3mgCalcium: 82mgIron: 4mg

Nutrition Disclaimers

Number of total servings shown is approximate. Actual number of servings will depend on your preferred portion sizes.

Nutritional values shown are general guidelines and reflect information for 1 serving using the ingredients listed, not including any optional ingredients. Actual macros may vary slightly depending on specific brands and types of ingredients used.

To determine the weight of one serving, prepare the recipe as instructed. Weigh the finished recipe, then divide the weight of the finished recipe (not including the weight of the container the food is in) by the desired number of servings. Result will be the weight of one serving.

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