Get Your Sizzle On – Easy Air Fryer Steak Fajitas Recipe
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Sizzling, succulent, and full of flavor – that’s what you’ll get with our easy air fryer steak fajitas recipe. If you’re craving delicious fajitas but need a quick and hassle-free solution, this is just the recipe you need!
All it takes to create this deliciousness is a handful of ingredients and an air fryer, and you can whip up these mouthwatering fajitas in no time. Using the air fryer not only makes the steak incredibly tender but also gives it a tantalizing charred crust that mimics grilling but with far less effort. So, fire up your air fryer and get ready to experience the sizzle and satisfaction of our easy air fryer steak fajitas. It’s so simple to achieve restaurant-quality flavors right in your kitchen.
This recipe is a Dined and Dashed Level 3 Recipe which means it takes 45 minutes or less to prepare and starts to push the boundaries for many busy people to prepare on an average weekday. With some smart planning and pre-prep, however, these recipes can often be tackled successfully in less time.
I erred on the side of caution when deciding which level to place this air fryer steak fajitas recipe. The prep time combined with the need to cook in batches depending on the capacity of your air fryer, bumped it from a level 2 to a level 3.
If you don’t have an air fryer, there are a lot of great options. You can get yourself a Ninja Foodi, or any number of other name-brand fryers including Cuisinart, and Instant Pot. I use a Nuwave Brio and have been very happy with it. Read the reviews, analyze the features, and then choose the best one that fits your needs.
- 2 INDEPENDENT BASKETS: The original Air Fryer with 2 independent baskets, the XL air fryer lets you cook 2 foods, 2 ways, at the same time, eliminating back-to-back cooking like a traditional single-basket air fryer.
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Do you cook steak before cutting fajitas?
Whether or not you cook the steak before cutting it for fajitas depends on how you plan to prepare it. If you are going to grill it, you will want to marinade the meat uncut, grill it, and then slice it (against the grain). If you are doing more of a “stir-fry” style fajita you can marinade the meat, cut it, then cook it or cut it, marinade it, then cook it. For air fryer fajitas, you will need to cut the meat before you cook it.
What cuts of steak are good for a steak fajita recipe?
Skirt steak is the best cut of meat for fajitas, but in a pinch, flank steak will also work. Top sirloin is another type of steak to use for fajitas and is generally more tender so if you don’t have as much time to marinade it, that might be a better option.
How do you get tender fajita meat?
The key to tender fajita meat is two-fold. First, use a marinade that has an acid base like lemon juice, lime juice, or vinegar. Second, cut the meat against the grain.
Tools needed for air fryer steak fajitas
Like all air fryer recipes, of course, you need an air fryer among your arsenal of small kitchen appliances. If you don’t have one, there is information early in this article with some links and a recommendation on the one I use.
You will also need:
- cutting board
- large bowl
- sharp knife
- whisk
Below is a description of what you need and how to cook this easy air fryer steak fajita recipe. For specific quantities and additional information, scroll down to the recipe card.
Ingredients needed for air fryer beef fajitas
Traditionally fajitas are cooked with all sorts of colorful peppers and onions to infuse the flavors into the meat. You will notice that we created this air fryer steak fajitas recipe as more of a street taco-style steak fajita because of some discerning palates (picky eaters) here. You do have a couple of options with picky eaters, you can make the veggies separate, or not at all like we chose to do.
This recipe is full of amazing flavor on its own so you won’t be sacrificing that. Some people prefer to cook the veggies separately anyway to keep them from getting too soggy with the meat.
- various colorful bell peppers (green bell pepper, red bell pepper, yellow bell pepper, etc.) and red onion
- skirt steak, flank steak, or top sirloin
- olive oil
- water
- kosher salt
- minced garlic
- onion powder
- black pepper
- paprika
- ancho chili pepper
- lemon juice (or lime juice)
- lime wedges (optional)
How to make air fryer steak fajitas
This is a pretty easy recipe if you don’t add the fresh veggies in. With the fresh veggies, you will need extra time to cut them up. The time is also impacted by how full you make the air fryer basket.
I cooked this in 3 batches so it took 45 minutes. And it’s labor intensive because you need to shake the air fryer basket as the steak cooks. So cooking time does vary based on how full you fill the air fryer.
You can speed this recipe up by buying already cut-up fajita strips. I buy my meat from Wild Pastures because I prefer to buy grass-fed, grass-finished meat. They have 1 lb packs of already cut-up fajita meat. If you are interested in Wild Pastures, you can save $20 on your first order if you click through this link. That is an affiliate link so I will also save $20 off my next order when you place an order.
The only issue I had was that they left some of the pieces kind of big, so in hindsight, I would have cut up some of the bigger ones into smaller pieces. But it’s a great way to save time using pre-cut steak strips.
This recipe has two stages, the marinade and the air frying.
For the marinade:
- combine the marinade ingredients in a bowl
- cut your steak into thin strips (against the grain)
- add steak strips to the marinade
- mix the steak in the marinade making sure that the meat is fully coated
- if you do have veggies, you will want to increase the marinade recipe by about 25%
For the frying:
- I fried this recipe in 3 batches because I felt like for my 7.25 qt air fryer, it was the right amount in the basket for the perfect fried finish
- Fry for roughly 15 minutes per batch, shaking the basket or using tongs (silicone coated) to stir the food in the basket
- You can serve the batches as they come out or add them to a covered bowl to stay warm while you cook everything before serving
- If you are cooking the veggies separately, they won’t take as long to fry up depending on how tender you want them
Serve your fajitas on a flour or corn tortilla (I double up the corn) with your favorite toppings (sour cream, fresh cilantro, etc.) and lime wedges in a small bowl. Fajitas taste best on a warm tortilla, which you can do individually on the stove in a cast iron skillet, or wrap a stack of them in foil and warm them in the oven.
The skillet option produces the best results but it is more time-consuming. Add a side of refried beans and some restaurant-style salsa for a complete meal the whole family will enjoy.
Easy Air Fryer Steak Fajitas Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 lb skirt steak
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 1/2 cup water
- 2 tsp Kosher salt
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 2 tsp onion powder
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 2 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp ancho chili pepper
- 1/2 cup lime juice
Instructions
- Cut the skirt steak in narrow strips (against the grain)
- Combine all of the remaining ingredients into a large bowl and whisk until combined
- Add the steak strips to the bowl and toss to combine until all of the meat is fully coated with the marinade
- Cover and marinade in the fridge for 2 hours up to overnight
- Depending on the size of your air fryer (I used a 7.25 qt), add 1/3 of the meat mixture to the air fryer basket and cook at 390 degrees for 15 minutes, shaking or stirring the meat at least twice.
- Transfer meat to a clean bowl, cover, and add the next batch of meat to the air fryer and repeat the process above until you have cooked all of the meat.
- Serve on your favorite tortillas with your favorite toppings.
Notes
Nutrition
The key to this air fryer steak fajitas recipe is the marinade and it does not disappoint. It is full of great flavor and will leave everyone wanting more!
