Air-Fryer Steak with Garlic-Herb Butter

By Eleanore Park

Updated April 4, 2024

Air-Fryer Steak with Garlic-Herb Butter
Christopher Testani for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.
Total Time
45 minutes
Prep Time
10 minutes
Cook Time
35 minutes
Rating
4(134)
Comments
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A classic cast-iron steak recipe is hard to beat, but cooking steak in the air fryer is a reliable way to nail the perfect internal temperature in a fraction of the time thanks to the machine’s circulating high heat. Both the steak seasoning and herb butter work well for other occasions and can be easily scaled up, stored and saved for future use. The small amount of brown sugar doesn’t add much sweetness, instead, it helps encourage caramelization. Fast and dependable, this may become your new go-to way to cook steak on a weeknight.

Why You Should Trust This Recipe

In creating this recipe, Eleanore Park tried cooking more than five different cuts of steak in the air fryer to reach the ideal result. The recipe tester then tried another cut and also helped adjust the timing to make sure the steak comes out perfectly medium-rare every time.

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Ingredients

Yield:2 servings

    For the Steak

    • 1  ¼  teaspoons kosher salt (such as Diamond Kosher)
    • ¾  teaspoon brown sugar
    • ½teaspoon black pepper
    • ¼teaspoon ground coriander
    • ¼teaspoon sweet paprika
    • 1(12- to 16-ounce) boneless steak, such as sirloin, strip or ribeye, about 1 inch thick
    • Olive oil, for brushing, or olive oil cooking spray
    • Flaky salt, for serving

    For the Garlic-herb Butter

    • 4tablespoons unsalted butter (½ stick), softened
    • 3garlic cloves, grated
    • 1½teaspoons chopped fresh parsley
    • 1½teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
    • 1teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary
    • 1teaspoon lemon zest
    • ½teaspoon flaky salt
Ingredient Substitution Guide
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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Bring steak to room temperature for at least 30 minutes. Heat air fryer to 400 degrees, if preheating is recommended.

  2. Step 2

    Combine salt, brown sugar, pepper, coriander and paprika in a small bowl. Pat steak dry with paper towels and brush with olive oil. Rub the spice blend all over the steak. (Steak can be seasoned and left uncovered in the refrigerator for up to 12 hours.)

  3. Step 3

    Transfer the steak to the air fryer basket. Cook for 5 minutes. Flip the steak and cook to medium-rare, 3 to 5 minutes more. (Remove the steak from the air fryer once an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part reaches 130 degrees; it will increase 5 to 10 degrees while resting and eventually climb to 135, or medium-rare.). Transfer the steak to a cutting board and let it rest for 10 minutes.

  4. Step 4

    Meanwhile, make the garlic-herb butter: In a small bowl, combine butter, garlic, parsley, thyme, rosemary, lemon zest and flaky salt until well combined. (Any leftover garlic-herb butter can be kept in an airtight container and refrigerated for up to 1 month or frozen for up to 3 months.)

  5. Step 5

    Add a spoonful of the garlic-herb butter on top of the steak, sliced or unsliced, and top with any leftover chopped herbs, pepper and more flaky salt, if desired.

Ratings

4 out of 5
134 user ratings
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Comments

Richard

How can I make this vegan?

John

What can I substitute if I dont have an airfryer or steak?

G Mac

I'm sure the comments about this one will be well-reasoned and level-headed!

Lindy

What heat do I cook it on in the air fryer Plse?

Ellie

Actually a good piece of steack tastes better cooked this way in the air fryer than any other recipes I've tried so far. My kids agree. I didn't bother with the spice crust and only applied olive oil and "herbes de provence". The garlic herb butter was nice but unnecessary, perhaps because the herbs were already in there.

Elaine Courval

This was perfect… I did 5 minutes on one side and 2 minutes on the other side. Once rested it was medium rare and delicious . Thank you

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