Super Juicy Air Fryer Steak Recipe (With Sirloin!)

I give more details in my free motivational guide to explore your potential in the kitchen, Make Cooking Fun!, how setting realistic goals with your cooking is key to success! If steaks are intimidating to you, then trying it out in the air fryer is awesome for so many reasons, such as its reliability and how it’s a hands-off cooking method! You won’t be disappointed when you try this out, and I’m sure you’ll be hooked on air frying steak!

To visually follow along with all the mistakes you could be making with your air fryer steak and troubleshooting to guarantee success, be sure to watch the video! It would mean a lot to me if you could please subscribe to my YouTube channel, and don’t forget to hit the bell button to be notified when all my latest video recipes go live! Let's get air frying the best sirloin steak ever!

Why You’ll Love This Air Fryer Steak!

• Quick: This process is actually extremely speedy! You’ll just need to prep and season, cook, then rest. There’s no excuse not to have a nutritious and protein-packed dinner even on your busiest nights!
• Easy: With an easy-to-follow 3-step method to perfecting sirloin steak in the air fryer, this makes cooking steak accessible to everyone! It’s understandable that cooking steak on a cast iron can be a bit more intimidating. However, the air fryer is certainly accessible to beginner cooks, so I really recommend you start your steak cooking journey here!
• Healthy: Steak is already very nutritious because it’s loaded with B vitamins, iron, and protein. Cooking steak in the air fryer is a healthier option compared to other methods since we’ll be using much less oil. Furthermore, most of the oil will drip into the basket, resulting in little oil sticking onto the steak.
• Consistent cooking method: The air fryer will give you consistent results! I’ll show you how to cook an excellent medium rare sirloin here, and I’ll provide a guide to other doneness levels based on your preference.
• Less clean-up: The air fryer is much easier to clean than a cast iron pan, in my opinion! Bonus points if you have an air fryer liner to catch all the drippings - cleanup will be super fast then!
• Super juicy steak: Yep, as you can see from the photos, this sirloin steak sure is juicy! We got it to a fantastic medium-rare here, and I guarantee if you follow these steps, you’ll get an incredibly juicy steak in your air fryer!

Tools Needed to Make Air Fryer Steak

• Gloves
• Salt crock
• Air fryer
• Chef’s knife
• Cutting board
• Meat thermometer
• Tongs

Ingredients for Air Fryer Steak

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• Steak: I’m using top sirloin here. You can also use a filet mignon, ribeye, T-bone, or New York strip.
• Olive oil: Protects the spices from burning on the steak and protects the protein from getting over-cooked in the high heat of the air fryer.
• Himalayan Pink Salt: The salt that I always use.
• Black pepper: While nothing beats freshly cracked black peppercorns, but my pepper mill sadly broke! Don’t worry, ground pepper will work just fine.
• Compound butter: Completely optional, but in my opinion a truly special steak dinner isn’t complete without a compound butter! You can make it with butter and any herbs of your choice. I made mine with a bit of lime juice, fresh chives that were finely chopped, and minced garlic. If you’re using unsalted butter to make your compound butter, then add some salt.

How to Make Air Fryer Steak

Preheat the air fryer to 400°F (200°C).

Pat the sirloin steak completely dry with paper towels.

Season both sides generously with salt and pepper, sprinkling from a height for even coverage.

Lightly spray or brush both sides with olive oil to help with browning and prevent the surface from drying out.

Insert a thermometer into the thickest part of the steak.

Place the steak in the preheated air fryer basket, leaving space around it for proper airflow.

Air fry at 390–400°F, flipping halfway through cooking.

For a 1 to 1¼ inch sirloin, start checking the internal temperature around 8–9 minutes. Thicker steaks may take 10–12 minutes.

Remove the steak when it reaches about 5–8°F below your desired final doneness (see doneness guide below). For medium-rare, pull around 120–122°F.

Transfer to a board or plate and let rest for 5–7 minutes. The temperature will continue to rise during this time due to carryover cooking.

If using a smart thermometer, remove the probe after resting.

Slice against the grain, top with the chive-garlic compound butter and serve.

Enjoy!

Common Mistakes with Air Fryer Steak and How to Fix Them!

Buying a Piece of Steak That’s Too Thin

Because of the heat of the air fryer, you’ll want to ensure that the steak is thick enough. If your steak is too thin, then the inside may over-cook before the top gets a nice golden crust. You want to aim for a cut of steak that is 1 inch to 1 1/2 inches in thickness. For best results, you want to look for a cut of steak that has marbling all throughout the cut. Sirloin has a little less marbling compared to other cuts of steak since it is leaner.

Overcrowding the Basket

If you overcrowd the basket, then you won’t allow for proper air flow to cook the steak. This can affect getting a nice brown crust on the exterior, and it will result in you steaming the steak instead of “frying” it! No one wants a boiled steak! With that being said, if you’re cooking multiple steaks, ensure to spread them out so that there is enough space for each to have enough air flow. If your basket is not large enough, then you’ll have to cook your steaks one at a time.

Trusting the Time and Not Measuring Temperature

You can’t just blindly set a time for the steak to cook and hope for the best! There are plenty of factors that affect the cooking time of your steak, which include the following:

• Thickness of the steak
• Temperature of the steak - did it come directly out of the fridge or was it left at room temperature?
• Power of the air fryer - is your air fryer really strong?

Other Tips for the Juiciest Air Fryer Steak

• Preheat the air fryer: Preheating the air fryer is an essential step to ensure that once you add the steak in the air fryer, the air fryer is hot and ready to go. This allows for more consistent and predictable cook times and results.
• Season generously: Don’t be afraid to season your steak! I suggest for best results to wear gloves so that you can really massage the seasonings into the steak without fear of getting your hands dirty!
• Add olive oil: Olive oil will help add flavor to the steak and protect the spices from burning. Furthermore, it helps protect the protein in the air fryer from the outside getting too brown before the inside has finished cooking.
• Flip halfway through the cooking time: In the case of flipping the steak, you’ll want to do this based on time and not on the colour. The top side will brown before the bottom due to the direct fan exposure. If you wait for the “correct colour,” then the bottom may lag behind. Based on the estimated cook time, simply flip your steak at the halfway point.
• Allow the steak to rest: If you don’t let the steak rest, all the amazing juices will slip away! When the steak rests, the juices are retained into the steak, allowing the flavors to stay locked in!

Seasoning Variations for Air Fryer Steak

I’ve always gone by the motto that a good steak only needs some salt and pepper to make it incredible. However, based on how you want to serve your air fried steak, then you can experiment with different seasonings to suit the meal! Here are some ideas:

• Italian Seasoning
• Cajun Seasoning
• Blackening Spice
• Taco Seasoning
• Hawawshi spice
• Montreal steak spice

Storing and Reheating Instructions

Freezing

I would strongly suggest you avoid freezing cooked steak! I really don’t know why you would! It will really end up turning out rubbery when you thaw it. For the price of a sirloin, it’s really best to enjoy it at its fullest potential - fresh!

Reheating

You can’t go wrong with reheating your steak in the air fryer! All you need to do is place the cooked steak in the basket of your air fryer and select the “Reheat” for about 5 minutes, or until entirely warmed through.

What to Serve Air Fryer Steak With

Steak can be served with so many sides to create a fantastic meal! Mix and match to create an unforgettable dinner!

• Salad: You can have an appetizer-sized version of my Healthy Caesar Salad recipe or have your steak alongside with my Arugula Goat Cheese Salad with Almonds. You can also use leftover steak for a delicious salad!
• Tacos: I did have leftover steak when making this sirloin in the air fryer, so the next day the pieces were excellent for tacos!
• Pasta: Enjoy with a side of mac and cheese, such as Classic Baked Mac and Cheese or Lobster Mac and Cheese.
• Rice: Your steak will best be served with a special kind of rice! My recommendations are Mexican Red Rice, Greek Lemon Rice Pilaf, and Chipotle Cilantro-Lime Rice.
• Other sides: Air Fryer Jalapeño Poppers, Air Fryer Chicken Nuggets, Spicy Supreme Garlic Bread, Popcorn Shrimp.
• Eggs: How about some steak and eggs? No need to limit your air fried sirloin steak for lunch or dinner - how about breakfast or brunch! You can serve the sirloin with a French omelette, fried eggs, poached eggs, scrambled eggs, or perhaps some Deviled Eggs!
• Veggies: Coconut Green Beans, Garlic-Sautéed Broccoli, sautéed carrots, sautéed asparagus, or even Cheesy Sautéed Mushrooms.
• Potatoes: Steak and potatoes are a match made in heaven! You can do mashed potatoes, such as my The Ultimate Creamy Mashed Potatoes or my Garlic-Herb Mashed Potatoes! Steak frites anyone? Since you’re already using the air fryer, you can make my Air Fryer French Fries, Air Fryer Waffles Fries, Air Fryer Sweet Potato Fries, or Air Fryer Potato Cajun Wedges. Other delicious sides include Crispy Air Fryer Roasted Potatoes, Diner-Style Hashbrowns, or Butter & Garlic-Herb Sautéed Baby Potatoes.

Sauces

• Chimichurri
• Salsa Verde
• Salsa Roja
• Argentinian Salsa Criolla
• Avocado Lime Crema
• Green Goddess Dressing

More Air Fryer Protein Essentials

• Air Fryer Chicken Breast
• Air Fryer Salmon
• Air Fryer Boiled Eggs
• Air Fryer Korean Tofu
• Air Fryer Buffalo Chicken Wings
• Air Fryer Chicken Nuggets
• Air Fryer Healthy Meatballs

Other Steak Recipes

• Bold Cajun Steak and Shrimp Alfredo
• Sizzling Steak Fajitas
• Beef and Vegetable Couscous Bowl
• Tender Jamaican Pepper Steak