One pan and 30 minutes to make these easy steak fajitas for an authentic healthy Mexican dinner at home! Serve with white rice or cauliflower rice, lettuce, tomato, avocado, and lettuce wraps or tortillas for the ultimate experience. Great for an easy weeknight meal or meal prep! Gluten-free, paleo, and Whole30 approved!
Last updated on May 2, 2021.
I am all about fajitas. I mean we do live in Austin and what’s not to love about a hot sizzling pan/plate. Today we are sharing one of my favorite ways to do them – steak fajitas!
Why we love these steak fajitas:
- made in one pan – yay for fewer dishes
- ready in 30 minutes (minus the time you marinate the meat)
- packed with protein and veggies
- super customizable with how you want to serve them!
- way cheaper to make than ordering out
Whether you want to make them for an easy and healthy weeknight meal or for meal prep, they totally hit the spot
How to make easy steak fajitas
Loaded with marinated steak, onions, peppers, and taco seasoning, these steak fajitas make a delicious and hearty one-pan meal the whole family will love! And they only take 30 minutes with a total of 6 ingredients!
Steak fajita ingredients:
- steak – I like skirt or flank
- taco seasoning
- onion
- peppers
- olive oil
- lime juice
First, you want to marinate the steak. Mix together olive oil, taco seasoning, and lime juice. Rub all over the steak and place in a large glass dish or plastic bag. Place in the fridge and let marinate for 2 to 6 hours.
When the steak is done marinating, remove it from the fridge and let sit for a few minutes to warm up. Then, place a well seasoned large cast iron pan over medium heat and let it get hot, about 1-2 minutes.
Add steak and cook for 2-5 minutes per side (length will depend on how thick your steak is) without moving until it reaches your preferred doneness. You will be adding it back to the pan so it doesn’t have to be cooked all the way to your liking. Remove from the pan and let rest.
Next, cook your veggies. If needed, add some oil to the pan. Add onions and sauté for 3-5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until softened and slightly browned. Add peppers, taco seasoning, and salt and pepper and stir to incorporate, and sauté for another 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally.
While the peppers cook, slice the steak against the grain into thin pieces. Turn the heat off, add in cut steak and 1 tablespoon lime juice. Stir to incorporate and cook for another 1 minute or so until warmed through and well incorporated.
Serve with sides and toppings and enjoy!
What kind of steak for fajitas
I prefer skirt or flank steak for steak fajitas. It doesn’t have too much marble as some of the other cuts of steak but still has a great flavor. It is also a somewhat lean piece of meat.
Since there are some muscle fibers, marinating the steak, having a hot skillet, and giving it a good sear, helps it become pretty tender. Make sure to cut against the grain when preparing it.
Steak fajita marinade
The secret to the best fajitas is marinating the steak! The taco seasoning gives it the flavor and the acid also helps break down the muscle fibers and makes it really tender.
You do want to be careful not to over marinate though as it can break down the meat too much.
You need:
- olive oil
- taco seasoning – a mix of chili powder, garlic powder, cumin, paprika, cinnamon, and cayenne
- lime juice
Simply mix it all together, fully coat the steak, and let sit for 2 to 6 hours for the best flavor.
What to serve with steak fajitas
The beauty of fajitas is you can eat them in multiple ways depending on what you are feeling, your dietary restrictions, or what you have on hand. Here are few suggestions to serve with fajitas:
- white rice or cauliflower rice
- lettuce wraps or cups – I like butter lettuce
- tortillas
- black beans or refried beans
- diced tomatoes
- chopped romaine
- avocado
- pico de gallo or salsa
- sour cream or plain yogurt
- chips
- cilantro
- lime juice
Using cauliflower rice and lettuce wraps keeps the meal low carb, paleo, and Whole30. You can also make a fajita salad by using a bed of lettuce for the greens, topping it with some of the toppings above, and using salsa as a dressing. This is my favorite way to eat them and works great for leftovers too.
Different ways to meal prep
This recipe is super easy to throw together and works great for meal prep. Depending on how much prep you want to do, you can either meal prep it all or just a few components. Here are a few suggestions for prepping:
- partial prep – marinate the steak and slice your onion and peppers. Store veggies in a container until you are ready to cook. You can also cook your steak in advance, but I find cooking the veggies in the steak juices really adds to the recipe.
- full prep – just follow the directions as written and store it in a tightly sealed glass dish. I suggest undercooking the steak just a tad so it does not overcook when you reheat it.
More easy healthy Mexican recipes
- Chicken Fajita Casserole
- Chicken Burrito Bowl
- Easy Shrimp Fajitas
- Chicken Fajita Soup
- Chicken Enchilada Dip
Easy Steak Fajitas
Ingredients
Steak Marinade
- 1 pound steak (skirt, flank, sirloin...- I like skirt the best for fajitas)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 1/2 tablespoons taco seasoning
- 2 tablespoons lime juice
Fajita Mixture
- 1/2 large onion, sliced (200 grams)
- 4 medium bell peppers, julienned (600 grams)
- 1 tablespoon taco seasoning
- 1 tablespoon lime juice
- salt and pepper, to taste
- optional toppings: cilantro, pico de gallo, avocado, lime juice, hot sauce…
- for serving: white rice/cauliflower rice, tortillas, lettuce cups, lettuce, tomato, salsa, guacamole...
Instructions
- Make the steak marinade. Mix together olive oil, taco seasoning, and lime juice. Rub all over the steak and place in a large glass dish or plastic bag. Place in the fridge and let marinate for 2 to 6 hours. When the steak is done marinating, remove it from the fridge and let sit for a few minutes to warm up.
- Place a well seasoned large cast iron pan over medium heat and let it get hot, about 1-2 minutes. Add steak and cook for 2-5 minutes per side (length will depend on how thick your steak is) without moving until it reaches your preferred doneness. You will be adding it back to the pan so it doesn't have to be cooked all the way to your liking. Remove from the pan and let rest.
- If needed add some oil to the pan. Add onion and sauté for 3-5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until softened and slightly browned. Add peppers, taco seasoning, and salt and pepper and stir to incorporate, and sauté for another 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- While the peppers cook, slice the steak against the grain into thin pieces. Turn the heat off, add in cut steak and 1 tablespoon lime juice. Stir to incorporate and cook for another 1 minute or so until warmed through and well incorporated. Serve with optional topping and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Recipe by Kelly Nardo, Eat the Gains | Photography by The Mindful Hapa
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Kim
April 10, 2018 at 4:49 pmOMG! I just found your website and you are amazing! Your recipes are very creative and comprised of exactly what my family wants and needs. My husband will love this fajita recipe. And my daughter is pescatarian and coming over for dinner tonight. I am going to prepare her one of your salmon bowls to take home with her. Thank you, so much!
Kelly
April 12, 2018 at 3:43 pmThank you so much Kim, that means a lot to me! I used to be a pescatarian for 5 years so I’m all about the veggies, eggs, and fish dishes. Thanks so much for stopping by!
Jenn
May 4, 2021 at 9:55 amWe tried the 30min steak fajitas and they were FANTASTIC! I stumbled onto the website and I absolutely LOVE all the recipes and content!! My teen boys loved it, so that’s saying something! We will definitely be making more!