This Easy Garlic Herb Steak Marinade turns simple cuts of beef into a juicy, flavorful dinner using basic ingredients you probably already have in your kitchen. Instead of spending a fortune at a steakhouse, this simple mix does the heavy lifting in your fridge, giving you a homemade meal that fits right into a hectic weeknight schedule!
📸 Recipe Snapshot
- Prep Time: 5 Minutes
- Marinating Time: 2 Hours (up to overnight)
- Servings: 4-6 servings
- Key Tool: Large ziplock bag or glass storage container
⚠️ Crucial: Watch your clock when it comes to timing. This mix is built for flavor rather than breaking down tough meat, and the acid from the lemon juice can actually start “cooking” the proteins if left too long. Keep it between two hours and overnight for the best texture.
The Best Steak Marinade
Ingredients
- ¼ cup fresh parsley (chopped)
- 2 sprigs fresh thyme (leaves removed)
- 2 cloves garlic (minced)
- ⅓ cup olive oil
- ¼ cup lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
- ½ teaspoon salt
- black pepper (to taste)
- 1.5 pounds steak
Instructions
- Prep:You need a large zip-top bag or a lidded container that holds your steak comfortably for this recipe. Get your ingredients ready.
- Make marinade:Combine all ingredients except for the steak in a measuring cup and stir well.
- Marinate:Place the steaks in a large ziploc bag and pour the marinade on top. Close the bag, letting out as much air as you can. Shake and gently massage the bag to distribute the marinade – make sure there's marinade between the steaks, too! Chill in the fridge for a couple of hours or up to overnight. See notes below for freezer instructions.
- Cook:Cook the steaks your preferred way. Either in a skillet, in the oven, in a foil packet or directly on the grill. All methods work with this marinade!
- Serve:Let the steak rest on a plate for 5 minutes before serving!
Video
Notes
Best Steak Cuts to Use:
This marinade is versatile, so it’s great for a lot of different steak cuts! Flank steak, skirt steak, rib eye, strip… They all work great with this marinade!Cooking Tips:
- Use about 1.5 pounds of steak with this amount of marinade for best flavor intensity
- Marinate the steaks in a glass or stainless steel container with a lid for a no plastic option. Just make sure the steaks are covered in marinade! You may need to double the marinade depending on the size of your container.
- Discard used marinade for food safety reasons, do not reuse it.
- If you’re using defrosted steaks from frozen, do not re-freeze.
Marinating Time:
This marinade is mainly meant to add flavor, there’s nothing much to tenderize in a good beef steak. The acid and salt in the marinade can actually start the cooking process of the proteins, so I recommend marinating for a couple of hours, and up to overnight. You can get away with as little as 30 minutes if you’re in a hurry – there will just be less flavor soaked up by the meat, but it’s still better than nothing. Maximum marinating time: If you’re wondering about the maximum safe time you can leave marinated steaks in the fridge, according to the government’s food safety tips, you can marinate beef in the fridge for up to 5 days (I never do more than 2-3 though, because I’m a hygiene stickler). Read more here on food safety when it comes to marinating.Freezer Instructions:
Don’t freeze meat you have already defrosted once. Let the steaks marinate in the fridge for 2-3 hours, then label the bags with the name and use-by date (freeze the marinated steaks for up to three months). To defrost the steaks in marinade, put them in the fridge overnight. If you made a large batch, they may need closer to 24 hours to defrost. Cook the defrosted steaks the same way you would freshly marinated steak.More easy marinade recipes
🔥 Substitution & Ingredient Notes
Can I use dried herbs? Yes. If your grocery store is out of fresh parsley or thyme, swap them for an extra tablespoon of dried Italian seasoning from the pantry.
What if I run out of soy sauce? Tamari or liquid aminos work perfectly as a direct swap to keep that deep, savory base flavor.
Plastic-Free Option: If you want to skip the ziplock bags, toss the meat into a glass or stainless steel container with a tight lid. Just make sure the liquid covers the meat, double the batch if your container is on the larger side.
The Steak Cuts: This recipe is incredibly forgiving, so buy whatever is on sale. Flank steak, skirt steak, ribeye, or New York strip all take to this mix beautifully.
The Magic Behind the Flavor
Getting deep flavor into beef without drying it out comes down to proper containment and smart timing.
Why we massage the bag:
Do not just throw the meat in the liquid and call it a day. Zip that bag tight after squeezing out the extra air, then get your hands in there to work the marinade into every single fold of the beef. You want a good layer of garlic and herbs trapped between each piece so nothing sits dry in the fridge.
The Leftover Marinade:
Never reuse the liquid left in the bag as a pouring sauce at the table. Raw meat juices sit in that mixture while it chills, so you need to toss the leftover liquid right into the trash as soon as the steaks hit the heat. If you want an extra sauce for serving, mix up a small, separate batch in a clean measuring cup that never touches the raw beef.
These smart marinating tricks are my favorite way to stretch the grocery budget on a weeknight, much like in my Balsamic Chicken Marinade or my Lemon Garlic Chicken Marinade.
How to Cook Your Marinated Steak
You can cook this batch of meat in whatever way fits your evening schedule:
- The Weeknight Skillet: Sear the meat in a smoking hot cast-iron skillet with a pat of butter for a fast crust.
- The Backyard Grill: Toss the pieces directly over hot coals for that classic summer char flavor.
- The No-Mess Foil Packet: Wrap the beef up with some sliced potatoes and onions, then bake the whole packet together in the oven.
How to Serve Your Steak:
To turn this easy prep work into a full dinner your family will actually finish, try these simple presentation styles:
- The Family Steakhouse Night: Slice the beef and serve it alongside a pile of air fryer potato wedges, air fryer baked potatoes or mashed potatoes and sautéed green beans, with plenty of garlic herb butter. It gives the kids that fancy restaurant feel without the massive bill at the end of the night.
- The Quick Salad: Slice up the hot, seared steak against the grain. Lay it across a big bed of mixed greens with some crumbled blue cheese, cherry tomatoes, and a quick vinaigrette for a lighter summer dinner.
- The Next-Day Steak and Egg Scramble: Dice up any leftover steak chunks from the night before and toss them into a hot pan with a few beaten eggs and cheddar cheese for a filling, budget-friendly breakfast-for-dinner rotation.
- The Loaded Steak and Cheese Sub: Toast up some cheap hoagie rolls under the broiler with a smear of mayo. Stuff them high with your warm, sliced beef and a couple of slices of provolone cheese until everything melts together perfectly.
💡FAQs
If school pickup ran late and you are in a massive rush, you can get away with 30 minutes on the counter. The flavor won’t be quite as deep, but it still beats cooking it plain!
Government food safety guidelines say you can safely keep beef in a marinade for up to 5 days. I usually stick to a maximum of 2 or 3 days myself because I prefer keeping things moving quickly in my fridge rotation.
Mix everything up and put the meat in the bag. Let it marinate in the fridge for 2 to 3 hours so the flavor locks in, write the date on the front, and freeze it flat for up to 3 months. Just remember to never freeze meat that you already thawed once!
To cook, let the bag sit in the fridge for 24 hours to thaw completely before heating.
Marlene says
I absolutely crave savoury and this marinade was so perfect!!!. I’m writing this post in the middle of enjoying my strip sirloin. I marinated the steaks all day. So amazing. Thank you for this recipe.
Vernon says
If you want to improve these steaks, sous vide them in the vacuum sealed bags, then pan fry them for 1-2 minutes per side
Nora says
Yep, sous vide steak is amazing for sure!
Sue says
I made this tonight for steak! This is the best marinade ever! The right balance of flavours. My family all agrees this is our go to from now on. I plan to try on chicken next!
Rob says
Amazing ! I also added fresh oregano but otherwise suck to the recipe, everyone raved about the great flavor!
Nora says
That’s great to hear, Rob! Thanks for the review – I appreciate your time.
Lala says
Was looking for a marinade on Pinterest and so glad I found this one! Used it on some sirloin steaks and turned out great! I let them marinade for 2h and the. Cooked on the grill.
Nora says
Glad to hear it! And thanks for the review – I appreciate it!