This Steak Tacos recipe is sure to be a family favorite, made with tender grilled flank steak and crowd-pleasing fresh toppings wrapped in warm corn tortillas. Serve this easy and fun recipe on weeknights or for parties! The tacos are easy to hold, and you can let your guests top them as desired, making them both kid-friendly and ideal for backyard gatherings.
The best steak tacos recipe combines salty, sweet, and savory flavors. I love using a bit of sugar, chili powder, cumin, paprika, and garlic to add deep flavor to the flank steak. The spice marinade mixes quickly, and you can grill the meat on an outdoor grill or a large grill pan on your stovetop, for delicious tacos all year round, rain or shine. For more taco recipes, try my birria tacos, fish tacos, or shrimp tacos.
What You Need to Make This Recipe
Seasoning – for the seasoning marinade, you’ll need a combination of chili powder, cumin, paprika, garlic powder, salt, black pepper, and sugar.
Steak – a flank steak is the ideal cut of steak for tacos because it takes on flavor well when marinated and is just the right thickness to slice for tacos. If you can’t find flank steak at your grocery store, sirloin, skirt steak, or flat iron steak are great substitutes.
Corn Tortillas – warm tortillas are the perfect wraps for marinated steak. Choose storebought or make homemade corn tortillas for extra tender and foldable handheld bites. You can also use flour tortillas if preferred.
Toppings – red onion, avocado, fresh cilantro, and lime wedges are my go-to toppings for this recipe, but you can add any of your favorite taco toppings, such as queso fresco, guacamole, or salsa verde.
How to Make Steak Tacos
1. In a small bowl, stir together the chili powder, salt, cumin, sugar, paprika, black pepper, garlic powder, and lime juice.
2. Rub the steak with the marinade and place on a small-rimmed baking sheet. Cover and chill for at least 4 hours or up to 12 hours.
3. Preheat a grill or grill pan to medium-high heat. Lightly grease the grates with vegetable oil. Grill the steak on one side, until charred, 2-3 minutes.
4. Turn the steak and continue cooking for 2-3 additional minutes or until cooked to your preferred amount of doneness. A total cooking time of 6 to 10 minutes is ideal for medium rare, depending on how thick your steak is.
5. Transfer the steak to a cutting board and let rest for 5 minutes. Slice the steak against the grain into thin strips.
6. Top each warm tortilla with the sliced steak. Sprinkle with the red onion, avocado, and cilantro, or your preferred toppings, and serve with lime wedges.
Pro Tips For Making This Recipe
- Marinate the flank steak for at least 4 hours. The meat will absorb the flavor of the rub as it sits, so plan on marinating the steak for 4-12 hours before grilling.
- Preheat the grill. One of the best things about grilling steak for homemade steak tacos is the grill marks that add flavor, lock in moisture, and add visual appeal. A hot grill is essential to getting those charred grill marks.
- Wait to turn the steak after it has grill marks. Don’t try to flip the steak too soon, or you’ll miss out on flavor, and it may stick to the cooking surface. If it takes longer than 3 minutes, keep cooking the steak for a few more minutes, or increase the heat of your grill to help it cook a bit faster and get some good coloring on the outside.
- Transfer the steak to a cutting board and let it rest before slicing. Grilled meat, especially steak, will continue to cook after it is removed from the heat. The rest is essential for it to finish cooking, and let the juices settle back into the steak so they won’t run right out when slicing.
- Always slice against the grain. For the most tender slices of meat for grilled steak tacos, slice against the grain using a sharp knife. You can cut thinner or thicker slices depending on how tender your steak is or your preference.
- Warm your tortillas. A warm tortilla elevates this meal and also helps the corn tortillas to soften and not crack or break as easily when folded. Heat tortillas on the grill, in a skillet on the stove, or wrapped in foil in a 300°F oven for 4-6 minutes.
Frequently Asked Questions
Leftovers will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Enjoy leftovers cold, at room temperature, or hot. Reheat the steak in a skillet with a small amount of oil on the stovetop at medium heat for a few minutes and serve with soft tortillas. Or, enjoy leftover sliced meat on top of a salad or as a sandwich on a dinner roll with sliced avocado and red onions.
For taco night, serve with chips and classic salsa or mango salsa and queso dip. To serve as street tacos or appetizers, slice the steak into small pieces and serve in small street taco-size tortillas. You can also serve this recipe with a choice of taco toppings such as sour cream, queso fresco, pico de gallo, diced jalapenos, or roasted corn salsa.
You can make this steak taco recipe with other types of steak; just adjust the cooking time as needed. Skirt steak is usually a little thinner than flank steak, so decrease cook time to about 2 minutes per side for medium rare. Sirloin steak or flat iron steak is typically thicker than flank, so increase marinating time to 12 to 24 hours and cook time to about 4 minutes per side or until a meat thermometer inserted in the thickest portion registers 130°F.
For tender and juicy taco meat, always cut the steak against the grain after cooking. Grilling the whole steak is not only easier to manage, but also cooks the juiciest steak.
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Steak Tacos
Equipment
- Grill or grill pan
Ingredients
For the Steak:
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 2 teaspoons cumin
- 1½ teaspoons sugar
- ¾ teaspoon paprika
- ¾ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- 2 tablespoons lime juice
- 1½ pounds flank steak (685g)
- Vegetable oil for grilling
For the Tacos:
- 8 corn tortillas warm
- ¼ cup chopped red onion (35g)
- 1 avocado diced
- 1 tablespoon chopped cilantro
- Lime wedges for serving
Instructions
- In a small bowl, stir together the chili powder, salt, cumin, sugar, paprika, black pepper, garlic powder, and lime juice. Rub the steak all over with the marinade and place on a small rimmed baking sheet. Cover and chill for at least 4 hours or up to 12 hours.
- Preheat a grill or grill pan to medium-high heat. Lightly grease the grates with vegetable oil. Grill the steak, turning once, until charred and cooked to desired degree of doneness, 2 to 3 minutes per side for medium-rare. Transfer the steak to a cutting board and let rest for 5 minutes. Slice the steak against the grain into strips.
For the Tacos:
- Top each tortilla with the sliced steak. Sprinkle with the red onion, avocado, and cilantro. Serve with lime wedges.
Notes
- Marinate the flank steak for at least 4 hours. The meat will absorb the flavor of the rub as it sits, so plan on marinating the steak for 4-12 hours before grilling.
- Preheat the grill. One of the best things about grilling steak for homemade steak tacos is the grill marks that add flavor, lock in moisture, and add visual appeal. A hot grill is essential to getting those charred grill marks.
- Wait to turn the steak after it has grill marks. Don’t try to flip the steak too soon, or you’ll miss out on flavor, and it may stick to the cooking surface. If it takes longer than 3 minutes, keep cooking the steak for a few more minutes, or increase the heat of your grill to help it cook a bit faster and get some good coloring on the outside.
- Transfer the steak to a cutting board and let it rest before slicing. Grilled meat, especially steak, will continue to cook after it is removed from the heat. The rest is essential for it to finish cooking, and let the juices settle back into the steak so they won’t run right out when slicing.
- Always slice against the grain. For the most tender slices of meat for grilled steak tacos, slice against the grain using a sharp knife. You can cut thinner or thicker slices depending on how tender your steak is or your preference.
- Warm your tortillas. A warm tortilla elevates this meal and also helps the corn tortillas to soften and not crack or break as easily when folded. Heat tortillas on the grill, in a skillet on the stove, or wrapped in foil in a 300°F oven for 4-6 minutes.
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