Flat Iron Steak Tacos
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Make mouth-watering Flat Iron Steak Tacos with a simple marinade and quick trip to the grill. This recipe for grilled steak tacos is so easy to make, full of flavor, and guaranteed to spice up your next taco night!
Thank you to California Beef Council for sponsoring today’s post. Check out Taco Time California for more beefy taco ideas!
Table of contents
There’s really nothing better than juicy, marinated steak, grilled to perfection and loaded up in warm tortillas with a sprinkle of onion and cilantro. This simple taco is bursting with flavor!
For this steak taco recipe, I’m using flat iron steak. A rich, beefy cut of steak that’s extremely tender, well-marbled and perfect for grilling!
The steak is marinated in lime juice, a zesty meat tenderizer, agave syrup, perfect for caramelizing the meat on the outside, and oil, which helps brown the meat on the grill. Toss in a few delicious herbs and spices, and you’ve got yourself the best steak taco marinade out there!
Toss the steak in the marinade in the morning, then come home in the evening and toss it on the grill. In just 15 minutes, you’ll have an incredible taco dinner!
Ingredients
- Flat iron steak – I love using flat iron steak for these tacos. It’s beefy flavor and tender texture make these steak tacos absolutely mouth-watering and delicious. That being said, there are several other cuts of beef that will also work well for this recipe including flank steak, skirt steak, bottom round steak, eye of round steak, top round steak, or top sirloin 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.
- Lime juice – I highly recommend fresh-squeezed lime juice for the best flavor. The acid in the lime juice helps tenderize the beef in the marinade.
- Oil – any neutral-flavored oil will work, like vegetable oil, canola oil, or avocado oil. The oil in the marinade helps the steak achieve a wonderful char on the outside.
- Agave syrup (or honey) – the sweetness balances out the acid and salt in the marinade, and will help caramelize the steak on the outside.
- Sea salt – to flavor the beef in the marinade.
- Ground cumin – this spice adds a warm, earthy layer of flavor to the marinade.
- Ground chipotle powder – this powder is made from ground chipotles, which are dried, smoked jalapeno peppers. They add a delicious, spicy and smoky flavor to the marinade. If you can’t find chipotle powder, chili powder can be used in it’s place, but the flavor of the marinade will be less smoky and spicy.
- Cilantro – if you’re not a fan of cilantro, you can leave it out, or replace it with flat-leaf parsley.
- Garlic cloves – I recommend fresh-minced cloves for the best flavor.
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 and ingredient quantities, scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- Marinate the steak. Place a flat iron steak in a zipper bag. Add lime juice, oil, agave syrup, salt, cumin, chipotle powder, cilantro and garlic cloves. Close the bag and massage the marinade all over the steak. Place it in the fridge to marinate for at least 2 hours, or up to 10 hours.
- Grill the steak. After the steak has marinated, heat a grill to high heat. Once the grill is hot, use tongs to remove the steak from the marinade and place it on the grill. Grill the steak for 5 minutes per side for a medium-rare 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. The steak will rise approximately 5 degrees after you remove it from the grill and let it rest.
- Slice the steak. Remove the steak from the grill when it reaches your desired temperature. Place it on a cutting board and let it rest for 5-10 minutes. This ensures that the juices redistribute throughout the steak, leaving you with the most juicy steak! Use a sharp knife to slice the steak against the grain. You can then dice it into cubes to load up your tacos.
How to serve them
Flat iron 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 queso. Here are a few ideas for how to top the tacos.
- Pico de gallo
- Sliced avocado
- Guacamole
- Fresh cilantro
- Diced onions
- Sliced radishes
- Cotija cheese
- Pepper jack cheese
- Sour cream
- Sliced jalapenos
- Chipotle sauce
- Poblano sauce
- Cilantro lime sauce
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 Guacamole
- Mexican Quinoa Salad
- Green Chili Queso Dip
You can also make steak burrito bowls by adding the steak to bowls with cilantro lime rice or cauliflower rice, and your favorite toppings.
How to cook the steak without a grill
To cook the steak on the stovetop, use a cast iron skillet or grill pan, if available. If not, use the heaviest bottom largest skillet you have. Turn the stove on to high heat. Once the skillet is hot, add the marinated steak and cook for 5-7 minutes per side.
To cook the steak in the oven, turn the broiler on to low. Place the steak on a large rimmed baking sheet, on the middle rack of the oven, and cook for 4-6 minutes per side. If using this method, be sure to keep an eye on the steak while it’s cooking as oven broilers can vary in temperature and you don’t want the steak to burn.
Recipe tips
- Always use tongs to remove the steak from the bag of marinade and transfer it to the grill. This is the cleanest and safest way to move the meat from the marinade to the grill.
- Always marinate the whole steak. Do not slice it before adding it to the marinade. This makes it easier to grill and will give you evenly cooked steak that’s juicy and tender inside.
- I do not recommend marinating the steak for more than 10 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 a spicy marinade for the steak, add 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper, or 2 tablespoons hot sauce to the other marinade ingredients.
- This recipe is naturally gluten free, when the steak is served on corn tortillas.
More beef taco recipes
If you’re on the hunt for tasty beef taco recipes, I’ve got plenty! Try each of these popular recipes, made with different cuts of beef, and be sure to also visit CalBeef.org for even more beefy goodness!
Flat Iron Steak Tacos
Ingredients
- 1 ½ pounds flat iron steak
- ⅓ cup fresh squeezed lime juice
- ¼ cup oil
- 1 tablespoon agave syrup, or honey
- ½ tablespoon sea salt
- ½ tablespoon ground cumin
- 1 tablespoon ground chipotle pepper
- ¼ cup cilantro, chopped
- 2 large garlic cloves, minced
For serving
- 12 corn tortillas
- diced onions
- fresh chopped cilantro
Instructions
- Place the flat iron steak in a zipper bag. Add the lime juice, oil, agave syrup, salt, cumin, chipotle powder, cilantro and garlic cloves. Close the bag and massage the marinade all over the steak.
- Place it in the fridge to marinate for at least 2 hours, or up to 10 hours.
- After the steak has marinated, heat a grill to high heat.
- Once the grill is hot, use tongs to remove the steak from the marinade and place it on the grill. Grill the steak for 5 minutes per side for a medium-rare 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. The steak will rise approximately 5 degrees after you remove it from the grill and let it rest.
- Remove the steak from the grill when it reaches your desired temperature. Place it on a cutting board and let it rest for 5-10 minutes.
- Use a sharp knife to slice the steak against the grain. You can then dice it into cubes to load up your tacos.
- Heat the tortillas for 30 seconds per side on the grill, then add the steak to the tortillas, and add the toppings of your choice, like diced onions, fresh cilantro, or guacamole.
Video
Notes
- If you don’t have a grill, you can cook the steak on the stovetop or in the oven.
- To cook the steak on the stovetop, use a cast iron skillet or grill pan, if available. If not, use the heaviest bottom largest skillet you have. Turn the stove on to high heat. Once the skillet is hot, add the marinated steak and cook for 5-7 minutes per side.
- To cook the steak in the oven, turn the broiler on to low. Place the steak on a large rimmed baking sheet, on the middle rack of the oven, and cook for 4-6 minutes per side. If using this method, be sure to keep an eye on the steak while it’s cooking as oven broilers can vary in temperature and you don’t want the steak to burn.
- I do not recommend marinating the steak for more than 10 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.
- To make a spicy marinade for the steak, add 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper, or 2 tablespoons hot sauce to the other marinade ingredients.
- This recipe is naturally gluten free, when the steak is served on corn tortillas.
Nutrition Facts
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