Learn how to make delicious, restaurant-quality carne asada at home! This recipe is full of flavor and made with simple, fresh ingredients. Perfect for tacos, fajitas, nachos and so much more! Give it a try!!
This grilled meat is one of my family’s all-time favorite recipes, and I’m so excited to share it with you today!
We eat steak quite a bit, like these garlic butter steak bites or pan-seared steak with mushrooms. So, this easy carne asada recipe is always a crowd-pleaser at my house. My son, Thomas, loves thinly sliced pieces on their own. It’s so funny—every time he comes into the kitchen, he sneaks a piece from the pan. I’m sure you and your family also will love it too!
What is Carne Asada?
This is one of the most popular Mexican dishes, made with marinated, grilled beef—typically skirt or flank steak. You can cook it in a cast iron skillet on the stove or on the grill.
The meat is seasoned with spices and often marinated with ingredients like lime juice, garlic, and cilantro before being cooked on a grill. Mm. this is definitely the best carne asada recipe ever.
Carne Asada Marinade Ingredients:
Olive oil —I like to use a high-quality olive oil, but any neutral cooking like vegetable oil will work.
Limes — Freshly squeezed citrus juice will help tenderize the beef. You can use white vinegar too. Also, you lime wedges for serving.
Garlic — I use about 4 cloves, though you can certainly add more if you’d like!
Cilantro — I love fresh cilantro, but if you’re not a fan you can go with parsley instead.
Spices — A blend of salt and black pepper with cumin powder and chili powder. If you like spicy food like me, try adding jalapeño, chiles, or a pinch of red pepper flakes for an extra kick.
Flank steak — This cut of meat is my favorite because it’s lean, inexpensive, and easy to cook.
Note: Feel free to put your own twist on the marinade! You could add more fresh herbs, spices, chopped onions, soy sauce or fresh orange juice. The options are endless!
Instructions To make Carne Asada:
Carne Asada Marinade: First, combine all the marinade ingredients in a large casserole or a bowl. Then, pour it over the cut of steak, making sure it’s well-coated on all sides. Cover the steak and let it marinate for 1 to 4 hours.
Grill: Preheat your grill pan on the stove top to medium-high heat and cook the steak for 5 to 7 minutes on each side. Going to be medium-rare.
Ps: If you don’t have a grill, you can make this carne asada in the oven, instead.
Rest and Slice: Remove the steak from the grill and place on a cutting board to rest for about 5 minutes. Use a sharp knife to slice the steak thinly against the grain and enjoy it with carne asada tacos!
How do I slice carne asada against the grain?
The grain is the direction of the muscle fibers within the steak. I start by finding which way the fibers run. Then, I slice the carne asada across that grain instead of parallel with it.
This recipe can be made with various cuts of beef, such as sirloin or tenderloin, but flank steak and skirt steak are the most common choices.
I’ve tried both and definitely favor outside skirt steak for its superior flavor and texture. Just remember to slice the steak thinly against the grain to ensure it’s as tender as possible!
Carne Asada Tacos: We absolutely LOVE this grilled meat with corn tortillas to make tacos. I like to load mine up with all the toppings like sour cream, cheese, chipotle sauce, guacamole and lots of fresh peach salsa or avocado salsa.
Beans and rice: Round out the meal with a side of fluffy rice or Mexican rice, diced avocados and black beans to make a delicious bowl of burritos.
Grilled vegetables: Since the grill is already hot, I like to whip up some delicious grilled corn to serve on the side.
Fresh greens: Carne asada is also fantastic in a salad! I love it in a taco salad or this good pico de gallo.
Carne Asada Recipe
Ingredients
- ⅓ cup olive oil
- 3 limes juiced
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- ¼ cup fresh cilantro chopped
- 1 teaspoon cumin powder
- ¼ teaspoon chili powder
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 lbs flank steak
Instructions
- In a medium glass bowl, whisk together all of the oil, lime juice, garlic, cilantro, cumin, chili powder, salt, and pepper.
- Place the steak in a glass baking tray, and pour the marinade over it. Ensure both sides of the steak are well coated. Cover the baking tray with plastic wrap and marinate for 1 to 4 hours. You can marinate overnight for even more flavor.
- Preheat a grill to medium-high heat. Place the carne asada on the grill and cook for 5 to 7 minutes on each side. Transfer the steak to a cutting board and allow it to rest for an additional 5 minutes before slicing.
- With a sharp knife, cut the carne asada diagonally against the grain. Enjoy!
Notes
- The longer you marinate the flank steak, the more tender and flavorful it’ll be. I like to marinate it overnight for the best flavor.
- To cook the steak evenly, let it sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes before grilling.
- The cooking time may vary depending on the thickness of your steak. You can always use a meat thermometer to check if it’s done.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Did You Make This?
Follow @primaverakitchen on Instagram, snap a photo, and tag it #primaverakitchen. We’d love to see your recreation.
If you don’t have a BBQ, does this work as well In the oven?
yes absolutely you can!
Sounds great. Did you know that flank steak is very expensive now. One yesterday was $25.00. Flank used to be inexpensive but no longer.
Yes, you’re absolutely right! Flank steak used to be such an affordable cut, but the price has definitely gone up. It’s still delicious, but I totally get the sticker shock—$25 is a lot!
Top sirolin is excellent and less expensive
Your recipe mentions ‘salt & pepper’ but not the amount.
Great question! I leave the amount of salt and pepper up to each person because it really depends on individual taste preferences. Feel free to start with a small amount and adjust as needed! 😊
Am I able to cook the meat in a pan, my grill decided to die…
Yes you can make it in the other.