Air Fryer Flank Steak

What is Flank Steak?

Flank Steak is a flat, boneless cut from the underside of beef. (Here's a handy guide to the various cuts of beef: https://canadabeef.ca/cuts-by-colour/) Flank steak is very lean and it's super flavourful. Because flank steaks are so lean, if cooked incorrectly they can be tough, dry, and chewy.

Flank steaks should usually be marinated, and they need to be cooked briefly at high temperatures.

Ingredient Notes

• Flank Steak. Try to find a steak that's as uniform in thickness as possible.
• Red Wine. You don't have to use an expensive, premium red, but do always use a wine that you don't mind drinking. Bad wine will impact the flavour. And you'll have three quarters of a bottle left, so why not drink it?
• Soy Sauce. I use a gluten-free, reduced sodium soy sauce or tamari. You can also use coconut aminos instead to keep the recipe gluten-free. Regular reduced sodium soy sauce works just as well if you're not gluten-free. If you don't have low sodium soy sauce, omit the salt when seasoning the steak.
• Garlic. I recommend using fresh garlic for the best flavor. I love jarred, minced fresh garlic for convenience.
• Fresh Herbs. Fresh rosemary and thyme are always best, but if you don't have them, use a teaspoon each of dried herbs.
• Beef Stock and Butter These ingredients are optional and you can use them to make a serving sauce with the marinade.

How to Cook Flank Steak in the Air Fryer

Air fryer flank steak is very simple and quick to cook, but you will need to marinate it first, so plan ahead for the marinating time. You will need at least four hours marinating time and up to eight. I'm not recommending overnight, because you probably don't want steak for breakfast. (But if you do, overnight it is).

1. Start by using a sharp knife to score the surface of the steak in a criss cross pattern, first across the grain and then the other direction. Don't cut too deeply, just shallow cuts about ¼ inch deep. Do this on both sides.
2. Sprinkle both sides of the steak with salt and pepper.
3. Whisk together the marinade ingredients.
4. Add the flank steak, cover with plastic wrap, (or pour everything including the steak, into a sealable freezer bag). Refrigerate and allow the steak to marinate at least 4 hours, but up to 8 hours.

Then you simply remove the steak from the marinade and air fry for 5 minutes on each side for medium rare. Add five minutes to the cooking time if you prefer your steak medium.

Want to Use the Grill?

This marinated flank steak is just as perfect on the grill! For grilled flank steak, follow all of the instructions before and after the air fryer. Substitute "grill" for air fryer and that's it!

Serving Suggestions

This air fryer steak recipe is perfect for tacos or these Flank Steak Lettuce Wraps. You can use it instead of chicken to make a Burrito Bowl. You can serve it with the optional red wine sauce, or drizzled with Chimichurri Sauce or Basil Chimichurri Sauce. Serve it with salads like Greek Pasta Salad, or Classic Potato Salad. Or with side dishes, for example: Air Fryer Carrots, Sautéed Green Beans With Garlic & Lemon, Air Fryer Rutabaga Fries or Sautéed Beet Greens. And leftovers are good for sandwiches, or in a Steak & Asparagus Stir Fry.