Flank Steak Tacos with Cilantro Chimichurri Sauce

Make the best Flank Steak Tacos with a simple chili lime marinade, quick grill and a topping of flavorful cilantro chimichurri sauce! This recipe is easy to make and is sure to make your next Taco Tuesday or weekend BBQ the most delicious one yet!

Thank you to California Beef Council for sponsoring this post!

If I had to pick one food to eat for the rest of my life, it would probably be tacos! There’s just something so satisfying about picking up a warm tortilla filled with juicy, tender beef, flavorful sauce and all your favorite toppings.

For this Flank Steak Taco recipe, I made a simple marinade with 7 ingredients that combine perfectly to make a steak that’s juicy, tender, flavorful, with just a hint of spice.

After marinating the steak, I like to toss it on the grill, but if you don’t have a grill available, you can also cook it inside on the stovetop. Dice up the steak, then add it to warm tortillas with all your favorite taco toppings to create a delicious Mexican fiesta!

Ingredients

• For the steak:
  • Flank steak – this recipe was made using a flank steak, but other cuts of beef could also be used to make juicy and delicious steak tacos. These cuts include skirt steak, bottom round steak, eye of round steak, top round steak, top sirloin steak or chuck eye steak. If using a thicker steak, be sure to add to the cooking time. A general rule of thumb is 4-5 minutes per side for every 1 inch of steak. A thinner steak, like a flank steak, only needs 3-4 minutes because it’s just slightly less than 1 inch thick.
  • Olive oil – other vegetable oils can also be used, like avocado oil, sunflower oil, canola oil or peanut oil.
  • Low-sodium soy sauce – I like to salt my steaks at the end, so I use a low-sodium soy sauce to reduce the salt content in the marinade. If using traditional soy sauce in the marinade, I recommend tasting the steaks before adding more salt at the end.
  • Lime juice – fresh squeezed is always preferred for the most flavorful marinade.
  • Chili powder
  • Ground cumin
  • Dried oregano
  • Garlic cloves – fresh minced cloves are always preferred for the best flavor! In a pinch, you could use 1 teaspoon garlic powder in place of the fresh minced garlic.
• For the cilantro chimichurri:
  • Fresh cilantro – be sure to pick cilantro with bright green leaves. This lets you know that it’s fresh and perfect for making this chimichurri sauce.
  • Red wine vinegar
  • Garlic cloves
  • Oregano – these can be fresh oregano leaves, or dried oregano. I used freeze-dried oregano for the closest-to-fresh flavor from dried oregano.
  • Crushed red pepper flakes – this sauce does have a kick to it with 2 teaspoons of red pepper flakes. Use less, or omit the pepper flakes for less spice.
  • Black pepper + salt – to flavor the sauce.

Instructions

I’ve included step by step photos below to make this recipe super easy to follow at home. For the full detailed recipe instructions, video and ingredient quantities, scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of this post.

1. Prepare the marinade. In a small bowl, combine olive oil, soy sauce, lime juice, chili powder, ground cumin, oregano and minced garlic cloves.
2. Marinate the steak. Place a flank steak in a large bowl or zipper bag and pour the marinade over the steak. Make sure the steak is fully covered in the marinade, then place it in the refrigerator. Marinate the steak for at least 30 minutes, or up to 8 hours.

3. Prepare the cilantro chimichurri sauce. Add fresh cilantro to a food processor, or blender, with red wine vinegar, garlic cloves, oregano, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper. Add 1/4 cup olive oil and blend just until the ingredients are combined. Stir in the remaining 1/4 cup olive oil and set aside until ready to serve the sauce with the tacos.

4. Grill the steak. Use tongs to remove the steak from the marinade. Let any excess marinade drip off the steak, then discard the marinade. Place the steak on a grill preheated to medium-high heat, between 350-400 degrees Fahrenheit. Grill the steak for 3-4 minutes per side, for a flank steak that’s less than 1 inch thick. This will achieve a perfect medium-rare steak. Add 1 minute per side for a medium steak.  Insert an instant read thermometer into the steak. Remove the steak once it reads 130°F for a medium rare steak. For a medium steak, wait until it reaches 140°F and for a medium well steak, wait until it reaches 150°F.

5. Slice the steak. Remove the steak from the grill, place it on a large cutting board and let it rest for 5-10 minutes. The steak will rise approximately 5 degrees after you remove it from the grill and let it rest. Thinly slice the steak against the grain of the meat. The steak can be served in the tacos thinly sliced, or diced, depending on your preference.
6. Assemble the tacos. Add 12 corn tortillas to the grill and heat them on each side for 10 seconds. Alternatively you can heat the tortillas in a dry skillet on the stove over high heat. Add the grilled steak to each tortilla, then top with cotija cheese, sliced avocado, fresh cilantro and the prepared cilantro chimichurri sauce.

How to serve them

Flank steak tacos are delicious wrapped up in warm corn or flour tortillas with a variety of toppings. They’re also great when served with popular Mexican side dishes, like rice, street corn and guacamole. Here are a few ideas for how to top the tacos.

• Pico de gallo
• Sliced avocado
• Fresh cilantro
• Diced onions
• Sliced radishes
• Cotija cheese
• Pepper jack cheese
• Sliced jalapenos
• Poblano sauce – another scrumptious sauce option that you can try instead of the chimichurri sauce.
• Cilantro lime sauce – a zesty, creamy sauce that can take the place of the chimichurri.

And don’t miss out on these scrumptious side dishes for serving with the tacos!

• Mexican Street Corn
• Creamy Avocado Salsa
• Mexican Rice
• Grilled Pineapple Tomatillo Guacamole
• Green Chili Queso Dip
• Mexican Pickled Vegetables

More beef taco recipes

Try all of these delicious taco recipes, made with different cuts of beef!

Slow Cooker Shredded Beef Tacos

Chipotle Lime Carne Asada Tacos

Slow Cooker Chipotle Brisket Tacos

Slow Cooker Taco Soup

Taco Salad with Ground Beef

Taco Ring

For even more beef recipes, visit CalBeef.org.

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Flank Steak Tacos

Make the best Flank Steak Tacos with a simple chili lime marinade, quick grill and a topping of flavorful cilantro chimichurri sauce! This recipe is easy to make and is sure to make your next Taco Tuesday or weekend BBQ the most delicious one yet!

Servings: 12 tacos

Prep Time: 10 minutes mins

Cook Time: 12 minutes mins

Marinating Time: 30 minutes mins

Total Time: 52 minutes mins

Author: Whitney Bond

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Mexican

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Ingredients

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Flank steak marinade

• 1 ½ pounds flank steak, approximately ¾ inch thick
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons lime juice, fresh-squeezed
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• ½ tablespoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 3 garlic cloves, minced

Cilantro chimichurri sauce

• 1 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tablespoon dried oregano, or 2 tablespoons fresh oregano leaves
• 2 teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon black pepper
• ½ cup extra virgin olive oil

For serving

• 12 corn tortillas
• ½ cup cotija cheese, crumbled
• 1 avocado, thinly sliced
• ¼ cup fresh cilantro leaves, chopped

Instructions

Marinate the steak.

• Add the flank steak to a large zipper bag.
• Combine the olive oil, low-sodium soy sauce, lime juice, chili powder, ground cumin, dried oregano and minced garlic cloves in a small bowl.
• Pour the marinade in the bag with the steak and toss to make sure the steak is completely coated in the marinade.
• Place it in the refrigerator and marinate for at least 30 minutes, or up to 8 hours.

While the steak is marinating, prepare the chimichurri sauce.

• Add the cilantro, red wine vinegar, garlic cloves, oregano leaves, red pepper flakes, salt and black pepper to a food processor or blender. Add ¼ cup olive oil. Blend for 15-20 seconds.
• Transfer to a medium bowl and add the remaining ¼ cup olive oil. Stir to combine. Store in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

Grill the steak.

• Preheat a grill over medium-high heat, between 350-400 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Use tongs to remove the flank steak from the marinade and discard the marinade.
• Add the flank steak to the hot grill.
• For a perfect medium rare steak, grill a ¾ inch thick flank steak for 3-4 minutes per side.
• Insert an instant read thermometer into the steak. Remove the steak once it reads 130°F for a medium rare steak. For a medium steak, wait until it reaches 140°F and for a medium well steak, wait until it reaches 150°F.
• Remove the steak from the grill and let it rest for 5-10 minutes. The internal steak temperature will rise approximately 5 degrees during this time.
• Slice the steak thinly, against the grain of the meat.

Assemble the tacos.

• Add 12 corn tortillas to the grill and heat them on each side for 10 seconds. Alternatively you can heat the tortillas in a dry skillet on the stove over high heat. 
• Add the grilled steak to the warm tortillas and top with chimichurri sauce, cotija cheese, sliced avocado and fresh chopped cilantro.

Video

Notes

• To cook the steak on the stove:
  • Preheat a cast iron skillet, or grill pan, on the stove over medium-high heat. If you don’t have a cast iron skillet or grill pan, use the heaviest skillet you have to cook the steak.
  • Add a small amount of oil to the skillet to prevent sticking. Depending on how large the skillet is, 1-2 teaspoons will do. 
  • Cook the steak the same amount of time, as if you were grilling it.
  • Remove the steak from the skillet and let it rest 5-10 minutes before slicing it against the grain and adding it to the tacos.
• I do not recommend marinating the steak for more than 8 hours. The acidity of the marinade will start to break down the proteins in the meat and can cause the steak to become mushy.
• The marinade can be made up to 2 days in advance and stored in the refrigerator until you’re ready to marinate the steak.
• This recipe can be used to marinate up to 2 pounds of steak. You can easily double the marinade ingredients to make 4 pounds of meat to feed a crowd at a party or BBQ.
• This recipe makes 12 tacos, and I recommend 3 tacos per person, making the serving for this recipe 4 people.
• Do not rinse the marinade off of the steak. If you’re grilling the steak, it can go straight from the marinade onto the grill. If you’re cooking the steak in a skillet, I do recommend patting the steak dry before adding it to the skillet. When placing steaks on the grill, any excess marinade will drip through the grill grates. When cooking the steaks in a skillet, the marinade has no where to go, so it will stay in the skillet and you won’t get that beautiful sear on the outside of the steak.
• To make this recipe gluten free, replace the soy sauce with tamari, or coconut aminos. This soy sauce alternative is soy-free, gluten-free and contains much less sodium. For this reason, I do recommend adding 1/2 teaspoon salt to the marinade if you replace the soy sauce with coconut aminos.
• To make a spicy marinade for the steak, add 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper, or 2 tablespoons hot sauce to the other marinade ingredients.

Nutrition Facts

Calories 289kcal (14%)Carbohydrates 15g (5%)Protein 15g (30%)Fat 19g (29%)Saturated Fat 4g (20%)Polyunsaturated Fat 2gMonounsaturated Fat 12gCholesterol 40mg (13%)Sodium 326mg (14%)Potassium 388mg (11%)Fiber 4g (16%)Sugar 1g (1%)Vitamin A 475mg (10%)Vitamin C 3mg (4%)Calcium 87mg (9%)Iron 2mg (11%)

Did you make this recipe?Tag @WhitneyBond on Instagram and hashtag it #WBRecipes!

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