Home » Recipes » Air Fryer

Juicy Air Fryer Steak Bites

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Read my disclosure policy.

Air fryer steak bites are a simple and delicious meal! Air frying lets you have these juicy morsels of beef on the table in less than 15 minutes, making this a perfect dinner for a busy weeknight.

The bite-sized pieces of meat have charred edges with a tender interior for a delicious melt-in-your-mouth flavor. The ingredients are simple, but still offer all the flavor of a more complicated dish!

Save This Recipe Form

Want To Save This Recipe?

Enter your email below & I will send it straight to your inbox. Plus you’ll get great new recipes each week!

Enjoy these tender steak bites with mushrooms and potatoes for a classic steak dinner, serve them with a dipping sauce or on a salad. You will love how easy these are to make!

Looking for more ideas for dinner for weeknights? Try air fryer Mongolian beef or air fryer chicken fajitas!

Key Ingredients

For exact amounts needed see the recipe card below

Beef – The best cuts of steak to use are tender, boneless cuts. Strip steak, sirloin steak, or ribeye all work well. You can also use cuts like tenderloin, but they are more expensive.

Seasoning – I keep things simple and season these with salt, pepper, and thyme. You can add more spices if you wish.

Worcestershire sauce – This sauce helps tenderize the meat and adds flavor. If you are using an inexpensive cut of meat that might be tougher, like round steak, then let the meat sit in the seasoning for 10-15 minutes before air frying.

Oil – Adding oil adds flavor and browns the meat.

ingredients for steak bites

How to Make Steak Bites in the Air Fryer

1. Prep

Cut the beef into 1-inch pieces. Try to make the pieces a uniform size so they will all cook at about the same rate.

Put the steak cubes in a bowl and add the oil, Worcestershire sauce, thyme, salt and pepper. Sitr it to mix so that the pieces are all coated with the seasoning.

seasoning the steak bites

The Worcestershire sauce will help tenderize the meat if it is tough. Cuts like sirloin and NY strip don’t need extra tenderizing. But if you want to have the most tender meat possible let it sit for 10-15 minutes before air frying.

2. Air Fry

Preheat the air fryer at 400 degrees F for 3 minutes. Then add the beef and spread it out in the air fryer basket. Don’t overcrowd the meat and cook it in batches if you need to.

My 5.8 quart Cosori air fryer can easily hold 1 pound of cubed meat. It would probably hold closer to 1 1/2 pounds if I wanted to cook that much.

The total cooking time is going to depend on your preferred doneness level and your air fryer. Using an instant-read thermometer to check the internal temperature of the meat will give the best results.

After all beef is expensive, and you can buy a thermometer that you use over and over again for less than $15. So I will give approximate cooking times, but a thermometer is an excellent investment!

If you don’t have a thermometer then pull a piece of meat out and cut it in half to check how done it is.

DonenessInternal TemperatureApprox. Cook Time
medium rare130 °F7 minutes
medium140 °F8 minutes
medium well150 °F10 minutes
well done160 °F12 minutes
Steak Bites Temperature Chart

Cook the beef pieces at 400 degrees F for 5 minutes. At this point, it will be still a little pink on some sides of the meat. Use tongs to flip the pieces of steak over.

Then cook it for another 2-7 minutes, depending on how you want your meat to be done. When you check the internal temperature of the meat chose one of the larger beef pieces.

My Favorite
ThermoPro TP03 Digital Meat Thermometer
$14.99
Buy Now
I earn a commission if you make a purchase, at no additional cost to you.
02/19/2024 01:45 pm GMT

3. Make Herb Butter

I like to toss the meat with some herb butter to make it extra delicious. To do this mix a tablespoon of butter with fresh herbs. Since I seasoned the meat with thyme I used thyme butter. But any herb such as fresh parsley or basil would work fine.

herb butter on top of steak bites

Put the butter on top of the steak pieces and stir them so that it melts and coats them with butter and herbs.

Serving Ideas

Serve air fryer steak bites with one of your favorite vegetables. I love to make these with potatoes for a classic steak and potatoes meal. They taste awesome served right on top of mashed potatoes, especially with the added herb butter.

Other great side dishes for this dish are broccoli, asparagus or sauteed mushrooms. The steak cubes are also perfect for serving on top of a salad or rice bowl. Or make these with a dipping sauce as a fun alternative. Tzatziki sauce or chimichurri sauce are easy to make or buy and enhance the flavor of the meat.

How to Store

If there are leftovers store the pieces in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 2-3 days. To reheat it put them back in the air fryer at 400 degrees F for about 3 minutes.

steak bite cut open to show inside

Variations

  • Make these with garlic butter instead of herb butter.
  • Use a different fresh herb, such as rosemary, basil or parsley.
  • Use a seasoning mix to change up the flavor. Chili powder, lemon pepper seasoning or your favorite seasoning are all delicious on these juicy steak bites.
  • Add some sliced mushrooms to the air fryer basket along with the meat as it cooks.

Tips for the Best Air Fryer Steak Bites

Be sure to check out the step by step instructions

  • Cut the meat into similar size pieces so it cooks evenly.
  • Let the meat marinate for 10-15 minutes (or longer) if using a tough cut of beef.
  • Use a thermometer to check the internal temperature so they are done the way you prefer.

Did You Make This? Leave a Star Rating!

steak bites on a plate with potatoes
4.58 from 14 votes

Air Fryer Steak Bites Recipe

Published By Anne
Bite-sized air fryer steak bites have charred edges with a tender interior for a delicious melt-in-your-mouth flavor. Ready in about 15 minutes.
Prep Time5 minutes
Total Time15 minutes
Servings: 4
Print Save Rate Pin

Ingredients
 

  • 1 pound sirloin steak or ribeye, NY strip or similar cuts
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
  • 1/2 teaspoon thyme
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt or to taste
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper or to taste

Optional Herb Butter

  • 1 tablespoons butter softened
  • 1/2 tablespoon fresh thyme or another fresh herb

Instructions

  • Cut the meat into bite-size pieces and place them in a medium bowl.
    1 pound sirloin steak
  • Drizzle the oil over the meat pieces and add the Worcestershire sauce, thyme, salt, and pepper. Toss it to mix and coat the beef with the seasoning.
    1 tablespoon olive oil, 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce, 1/2 teaspoon thyme, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
  • If you are using a tough cut of meat let it marinate for 10-15 minutes. Sirloin, ribeye or NY strip shouldn’t need to marinate.
  • Preheat the air fryer at 400 F for 3 minutes. Then add the steak cubes to the air fryer basket. Don’t overcrowd the basket and cook in batches if you need to.
  • Total cooking time will depend on your desired degree of doneness. Here are approximate total cooking times.
    medium-rare: 7 minutes
    medium: 8 minutes
    medium-well: 10 minutes
    well-done: 12 minutes
  • Air fry at 400 F for 5 minutes. Then pull the basket out and flip the pieces over.
  • Air fry for the remaining time for your desired degree of doneness, which will be 2-7 minutes more.
  • Check the internal temperature of a few of the larger pieces.

To make the optional herb butter:

  • Mix the softened butter with the fresh thyme.
    1 tablespoons butter
  • Add the herb butter to the cooked steak bites and stir so that it melts and coats them.
    1/2 tablespoon fresh thyme

Notes

  • You can substitute garlic butter or another type of herb butter. Or skip the butter completely.
  • Cut the meat into similar size pieces so it cooks evenly.
  • Let the meat marinate for 10-15 minutes (or longer) if using a tough cut of beef.
  • Use a thermometer to check the internal temperature to ensure they are cooked to the doneness you prefer.

As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.

Nutrition Information

Calories: 214kcal | Carbohydrates: 1g | Protein: 25g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 77mg | Sodium: 433mg | Potassium: 433mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 146IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 43mg | Iron: 2mg

Nutrition facts are estimates.

Enjoy this recipe?Follow Family Friendly Foods on Facebook
top view of steak bites with mashed potatoes
anne

Hi, I’m Anne!

I love to cook and I want to share my recipes with you. I believe cooking should be approachable and fun, not a chore. I want to make simple recipes using everyday ingredients that you can make again and again, whether it is for a busy weeknight, a summer cookout or a special dessert. Read more...

3 thoughts on “Juicy Air Fryer Steak Bites”

  1. 4 stars
    It was very tasty. I used Sirloin Tip Steak. It was pretty chewy. I made a Garlic Butter and the flavor was good. I will try a more tender cut next time and not cook it as long as it was supposed to be Medium rare and was closer to Well done.

    Reply

Leave a Comment

Recipe Rating