How to Cook the Perfect Air Fryer Steak

Nothing beats a perfectly cooked steak, and now it's so easy to cook a steak even in the winter months using an air fryer. The air fryer sears the outside of the steak while locking in the juices and cooking your steak to perfection! This tutorial will show you how to cook the perfect air fryer steak so you can enjoy it all year round!

I've been using my air fryer for about a year and a half, and it's still my favorite kitchen appliance. I've used it to cook Air Fryer "Grilled" Chicken Breasts, Air Fryer Steak Bites and Air Fryer Mini Cheeseburger Sliders. They all come out perfectly cooked every time, so I decided it was high time to test cooking steak in my air fryer. I had two New York strip steaks in my freezer, so I thawed them out and decided to give them a try! Let me just tell you, they came out more amazing than I could have imagined...my two steaks were perfectly charred on the outside, juicy on the inside and full of flavor. I will definitely be air frying steaks regularly from here on out!

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What is an Air Fryer?

An air fryer is pretty much a countertop, high powered convection oven that circulates heat around your food while cooking it. The rapid circulation cooks food evenly. It leaves food crisp on the outside and perfectly cooked on the inside, somewhat mocking a deep frier, but without submerging food in hot oil. So, essentially, it can cook food like a grill, oven or deep fryer, but in a healthy way!

If you are looking to purchase an air fryer, there are 3 different air fryers I would recommend. On the less expensive side, I like the Gourmia Air Fryer, for mid-priced I love the Philips Air Fryer, and if you are looking for a higher end air fryer that toasts, bakes, broils, dehydrates and air fries food plus more, then I suggest the Breville Smart Oven... I use it daily instead of my oven for the most part.

How to Cook Steaks in the Air Fryer

Start by bringing the steaks to room temperature. It's super important not too cook steaks when they are cold so they cook evenly on the inside and out. It usually takes 30 minutes to an hour for steaks to get to room temperature.

Once your steaks have come to room temp, it's time to season them. I like to keep it simple and season them with salt and pepper or Weber Steak Seasoning ( Purchase HERE )

Preheat your air fryer to 400° F. Once the air fryer is ready, place the steaks on the rack or basket at least an inch apart so the air can circulate around them. Cook for 12-24 minutes, flipping midway through. Use an instant read meat thermometer (Purchase HERE) to check the temperature.

What Temperature Should You Cook Steaks To?

The safe temperature for cooked beef is 145° Fahrenheit, but most people prefer their cakes cooked differently. I typically love my steaks cooked medium-rare to medium. Here are the temperatures for steak doneness...

• Rare: 115 to 120°F
• Medium-Rare: 120 to 125°F
• Medium: 130 to 135°F
• Medium-Well: 140 to 145°F
• Well-Done: 150 to 155°F

Once you pull your steaks from the air fryer, place them on a plate or pan with aluminum foil lightly tenting them, and allow them to rest for 10 minutes.

Slice and serve immediately. I enjoy my steaks with Instant Pot Baked Potatoes, Instant Pot Sweet Potatoes and my favorite Black and Blue Steak Salad!

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