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Home / Recipes / Small Meals / Appetizers / Garlic Butter Steak Bites

Garlic Butter Steak Bites

40 mins
| 2 Comments |
5 from 9 votes
Jump to Recipe 02/10/22 | Updated: 02/10/22 | by Nora
Steak Bites Image Pin

These Garlic Butter Steak Bites are quick and easy to make – and they vanish fast! Serve them as finger food on appetizer night, as part of your game day spread or as part of a fun family dinner date.

overhead view of garlic butter steak bites in cast iron skillet

My family appreciates a good steak – be it Filet Mignon for an extra-special occasion, air fryer steak or a classically seared and oven baked steak… Everyone likes it.

Steak bites are especially fun for the kids. I know it’s a recipe mostly served as an appetizer (Super Bowl! or any Game Day party!) , but we don’t mind them as a regular meal at all. They are quick and easy to whip up, and turn out so tender!

Ingredients you’ll need

Here is a visual overview of the ingredients in the recipe. Scroll down to the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post for quantities!

ingredients for steak bites with text labels
Ingredients for Garlic Butter Steak Bites: Steak, butter, minced garlic, oil, salt, pepper and optionally chopped parsley.

Ingredient notes

  • Steak: You can use any tender, boneless cut of steak, cut into cubes. Sirloin steak, strip steak or ribeye all work. You can use beef tenderloin/fillet if you want them extra-tender and special, which is something I love to do for a Valentine’s Day dinner with the kids.
  • Minced garlic: I HIGHLY recommend using fresh garlic. Dried or powdered doesn’t come close.
  • Parsley: Totally optional, but highly recommended by my entire family, save the picky 5 year old who thinks the green bits are a waste of space 😉

How to make steak bites

1. Start by removing your meat from the fridge about 30 minutes before preparing it. You’ll want to take it out of the package, cut it, season it and then leave it on the counter on a plate.

2. Once you’re ready to cook the steak, heat a cast iron skillet over high heat until sizzling hot. Add the oil, then sear the steak bites for about 2 minutes per side. Watch out for splatters – wear something long sleeved and keep your face away!

You’ll want them with a really nice, browned crust, which does need the high heat. If your stove is very strong and your steak chars too much, consider switching down to medium-high.

And make sure you don’t overcrowd your pan, I seared mine in 3 batches. Just set the finished pieces aside on a plate and tent them with foil to keep them warm.

  • raw steak bites in cast iron skillet
    sear in batches
  • browned steak bites on white plate
    set aside
  • butter and garlic in cast iron skillet
    add butter and garlic
  • garlic butter steak bites in cast iron skillet
    toss with steak bites

3. Once all of your steak is seared, reduce the heat to medium. Add the butter and garlic to the skillet and heat for 1-2 minutes, until the garlic is fragrant. Take off the heat.

4. Add the steak bites to the skillet and toss around in the hot garlic butter. Toss around, then serve with chopped parsley, if you like.

close up photo of steak bites in cast iron skillet, with fork stuck in one piece

Recipe tips

Meat temperature: It does really help with tenderness to have the steak at room temperature before starting to cook it. So I highly, highly recommend to plan ahead and remove the steak from the fridge 30 minutes before cooking it.

Bite size: You can really cut these as large or as bite-sized as you like. Smaller bites cook more quickly and are more done, larger “bites” stay more tender and have a more medium middle.

I cut mine just under 1 inch, and cooked them for around 2 minutes per side, plus some extra tossing around for 30 seconds to get the edges charred.

Searing time: 4 minutes yielded just under 1-inch bites with a medium-done middle. If you want yours more rare, stick to 1-inch cubes and go with a short and blazing hot sear.

For more done bites, sear them a little longer on medium-high heat instead; and/or cut them smaller. Just make sure you don’t overcook them, or they may turn out chewy.

steak bite on fork

Serving ideas

If you make these as part of an appetizer spread, they go really well with air fryer potato wedges, homemade chipotle mayo, ranch dip, stuffed mushrooms, zucchini fries…

As a dinner, we like them over rice, over mashed potatoes (or smashed potatoes – so good) or with air fryer french fries. Roasted asparagus (air fryer asparagus), roasted broccoli (air fryer broccoli), sautéed zucchini or garlic butter baked mushrooms make for some great sides.

More easy appetizers

  • Crockpot BBQ Little Smokies
  • Baked Honey Wings
  • Sticky BBQ Slow Cooker Meatballs
  • Loaded Sheet Pan Nachos

PS If you try this recipe, please leave a review in the comment section and add a star rating in the recipe card – I appreciate your feedback! Follow along on Pinterest, Facebook or Instagram. Sign up for my email list, too!

Printable Recipe Card
close up photo of steak bites in cast iron skillet, with fork stuck in one piece
Save Recipe Saved!

Garlic Butter Steak Bites

These Garlic Butter Steak Bites are quick and easy to make – and they vanish fast! Serve them as finger food on appetizer night, as part of your game day spread or as part of a fun family dinner date.
Recipe by Nora from Savory Nothings
made it? tap the stars to add your rating!
5 from 9 votes
Print Add Review

Recipe details

Prep 5 mins
Cook 5 mins
Extra time 30 mins
Total 40 mins
Servings 8 servings
Difficulty Easy

Ingredients
 

  • 2 pounds steak cut into bites
  • salt and ground black pepper to taste (season on the generous side)
  • 1 tablespoon oil
  • 4 tablespoons butter
  • 2 cloves garlic or more to taste
  • 2 tablespoons chopped parsley optional for serving

Instructions
 

  • Prep steak: Remove steak from fridge 30 minutes before cooking. Unwrap, cut into cubes (see notes at bottom of recipe for size recommendation) and season with salt and pepper. Let sit on plate on counter for 30 minutes. (For best results, do not skip this step.)
    2 pounds steak, salt and ground black pepper
  • Sear steak: Once ready, heat a large skillet (preferably cast iron) over high heat. Add oil, then sear steak for around 2 minutes per side, until a nice, browned crust forms but middle stays tender. Work in batches if needed, do not overcrowd pan! Set seared steak bites aside on a plate and tent with foil.
    1 tablespoon oil
  • Make garlic butter: Once steak is done and set aside on a plate, reduce heat to medium. Add butter and garlic to empty skillet. Heat about 2 minutes, until garlic is fragrant. Take off the heat.
    4 tablespoons butter, 2 cloves garlic
  • Finish: Add steak to skillet with garlic butter. Toss to coat. Serve immediately with chopped parsley, if desired.
    2 tablespoons chopped parsley
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Notes

Steak: Use any tender, boneless cut of steak, cut into cubes. Sirloin steak, strip steak or ribeye all work. You can use beef tenderloin/fillet if you want them extra-tender and special.
Parsley: Totally optional, but highly recommended by my entire family, save the picky 5 year old who thinks the green bits are a waste of space 😉
Bite size: You can really cut these as large or as bite-sized as you like. Smaller bites cook more quickly and are more done, larger “bites” stay more tender and have a more medium middle.
I cut mine just under 1 inch, and cooked them for around 2 minutes per side, plus some extra tossing around for 30 seconds to get the edges charred.
Searing time: 4 minutes yielded just under 1-inch bites with a medium-done middle. If you want yours more rare, stick to 1-inch cubes and go with a short and blazing hot sear.
For more done bites, sear them a little longer on medium-high heat instead; and/or cut them smaller. Just make sure you don’t overcook them, or they may turn out chewy.
Nutrition is an estimate.

More recipe information

Course: Appetizer, Main Course
Cuisine: American

Nora Rusev from Savory Nothings
About Nora 
When I got married to my professional chef husband, I realized I had to step up my game in the kitchen. Now I share my favorite foolproof family recipes here on Savory Nothings: Chef-approved, kid-vetted and easy enough for everyday home cooks like you and me!   Learn more.

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Comments

  1. Denise says

    August 09, 2022 at 1:35 am

    5 stars
    This was super yummy. I buy a cow tenderloin (much cheaper than a beef tenderloin) and skin it out. Chop it up into 4 or 5 chunks, freeze them. I use them for steak tacos, mongolian beef and now garlic steak bites. Any recipe that calls for a better cut of meat. I admit I was a bonehead and added mushrooms to the cast iron pan! The meat didn’t sear but hubby and I ate it all up. I will use this recipe again w/o the mushrooms(and the water they created). It was so good. Great call on using the real garlic.

    Reply
    • Nora says

      August 21, 2022 at 12:03 pm

      That’s so smart, Denise! Love this tip. And I’m glad it turned out great despite the mushroom situation 😉

      Reply

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Nora Rusev from Savory Nothings

Hi, I'm Nora! I wasn't always a good cook, but then I fell in love with a professional chef and learned my way around the kitchen. Now I share all my secrets to effortlessly great food here on my blog, bite-sized for home cooks just like me and you.

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