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Enjoy a juicy Air Fryer Steak with Compound Butter in just less than 15 minutes tonight! This naturally low-carb, gluten-free meal is quick and easy enough for a busy weeknight.
Air Fryer Steak
This easy Air Fryer Steak with Compound Butter is full of flavor and ready super quickly! Simply air fried with oil and steak seasoning, this sirloin turns out juicy and medium rare after just 10 minutes. The garlic rosemary butter adds a delicious herby flavor that perfectly complements the natural beef flavor!
The compound butter is easy to make ahead of time, and you can make a double batch to freeze for special occasions, too! Enjoy fresh, juicy steaks tonight, or meal prep several to add to salads, tacos, nachos, and wraps for the rest of the week. This is a simple way to cook steak that’s great for beginners and busy people.
Ingredients for Garlic Rosemary Butter for Steak
Here’s a quick overview of what you’ll need for this recipe. For exact measurements, keep scrolling down to the printable recipe card near the bottom of the page.
- Salted butter, Minced garlic, Grated parmesan cheese, and Minced rosemary – This all is mixed together to make a super flavorful, delicious compound butter. Fresh rosemary will give SO much more flavor than dried rosemary, but you could use about 1 tsp of dried if it’s all you have.
- Sirloin steaks, Cooking oil (preferably avocado oil), and Steak seasoning – We used 1″-thick sirloins for this recipe. Any tender cuts work well with the air fryer method, so you could use Ribeye, Tenderloin, Tri-Tip or other tender cuts if you prefer. Use your favorite steak seasoning–Anything with a good base of garlic and onion powders, salt, pepper, and maybe some paprika will work!
How to Make Compound Butter
Compound butter is easy! It’s just softened butter that’s been mixed together with delicious herbs, seasonings, and sometimes cheeses. To make this garlic rosemary butter, just stir together butter, minced garlic, grated parmesan cheese, and chopped rosemary in a small bowl.
You can keep the butter in the fridge up to 3 days or in the freezer for 6 months. If you want to get fancy, you can transfer your mixture to a butter mold and freeze for pretty, giftable sticks of butter that would look great on a charcuterie board!
How to Make Air Fryer Steak
This couldn’t be any easier! Here’s a step-by-step guide to cooking steak in the air fryer.
Season steaks
Preheat the air fryer to 400 degrees F. Rub the steaks with oil, then sprinkle and coat with steak seasonings. Make sure to work the oil and spices into every nook and cranny for a super flavorful steak.
Cook
Place the steaks in the preheated air fryer basket and cook at 400 degrees F for 10-12 minutes, flipping at the halfway mark (around minute 5 or 6). It’s important that each steak has its own room–They shouldn’t be stacked or overstuffed. If your air fryer is small, you might need to cook one steak at a time. If your steaks are more than 1″ thick, you may need longer.
Rest
Allow the steak to rest for 10-15 minutes to allow the juices to redistribute evenly through the whole cut. Finally, top with garlic rosemary compound butter and serve!
What to serve with steak
We love this steak with Keto Dinner Rolls, Mashed Cauliflower, and a Basil Whiskey Sour for a super flavorful low-carb dinner. If you’re starting your day on a special note, add Parmesan Eggs and Swiss Chard with Bacon, and Buttermilk Biscuits (or Keto Chaffle Toast for a low-carb bread option).
More great sides for steak:
- Cheesy Roasted Asparagus
- Bacon Wrapped Cabbage
- Italian Baked Mushrooms
- Cheesy Cauliflower Casserole
- Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes
Store
You can store steak in an airtight container in the fridge up to 3-4 days. Compound butter is also best within 3 days, and it should be stored in its own container, separate from the steak to keep the best texture.
Freeze
Cooked steak can be cooled and frozen up to 6 months (best texture within 3 months, though). Once the steak has cooled, wrap in multiple layers of plastic wrap or aluminum foil, then store in a freezer bag. Compound butter should also be wrapped multiple times in plastic, stored in a freezer bag, and used within 6 months.
Reheat
Steak can be difficult to reheat without overcooking! The best method is taking a “low and slow” approach.
- Oven – Place the steak + a tablespoon of water or beef broth in a baking dish and heat on 325 degrees F for 8-15 minutes or until heated through.
- Skillet – With your skillet on low and covered with a lid, warm steak for 5-10 minutes, checking and turning/flipping every few minutes for even reheating.
- Air Fryer – Heat on 325 for 2-3 minutes or until heated through. If your steak is smaller, consider lowering the temperature to make sure it doesn’t get overcooked or dried out.
- Microwave – 50% power, 45 second blasts. Check and turn the steak after each blast, make sure to not overdo it.
If you love this recipe, you’ll like these easy air fryer meat recipes:
- Air Fryer Pork Chops – These achieve perfectly juicy (not dry or overcooked) thick, boneless pork chops that are super filling and satisfying!
- Air Fryer Salmon – This is a great, light, quick recipe that can be paired with tons of healthy veggies for low-calorie, low-carb dinners.
- Air Fryer BBQ Chicken Legs – Unbelievable flavor from these little chicken drumsticks! This is the perfect recipe when you’re craving a cookout but don’t want to grill.
- Asian Pork Tenderloin and Vegetables – This gives you a healthy full meal so quickly; you’ll want to save this one for sure!
- Cajun Chicken Thighs – These are so easy and incredibly juicy! If you prefer a leaner cut, you can make Easy Air Fryer Chicken Breasts, too.
Air Fryer Steak FAQs
This depends on the size of your steak and your preferred cook. For a 1″ steak at 400 degrees F in the air fryer, cook 10 minutes for a medium rare cook, 11 for medium, or 12 for well-done. Larger steaks will need longer while thinner steaks will be ready quicker. Steak Tips need much less time and can be ready in 5 minutes!
Because homemade compound butter doesn’t include any preservatives, it’s best when eaten within 3 days if stored in the fridge. If you freeze this, though, it can keep for up to 6 months! Simply wrap in multiple layers of plastic wrap and store in a freezer bag.
For tender, flavorful cuts of steak, you don’t HAVE to marinate. You can easily toss the steak in some oil and seasonings for a delicious meal. However, if you like to marinate for more flavorful, it’s recommended to only marinate tender cuts for 15 minutes to 2 hours. Tougher cuts like flank steak can be marinated for a whole 24 hours, however, and they benefit more from additional flavor.
Air Fryer Steak and Compound Butter
Ingredients
- 2 sirloin steaks, 1 inch thick
- 2 tbsp oil, avocado or canola
- 2 tsp steak seasoning
- Garlic Rosemary Butter
- ¼ cup salted butter, softened
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 tsp dry grated parmesan cheese
- 2 tsp fresh minced rosemary
Instructions
- Preheat the air fryer to 400 degrees. Place the steaks in a bowl, and rub them with the oil and steak seasoning.
- Place the steaks in the air fryer basket and air fry at 400 degrees for 10-12 minutes, flipping halfway through. Depending on the size of your air fryer, you may have to do one steak at a time.
- Meanwhile, make the garlic rosemary butter by combining the butter, garlic, parmesan cheese, and rosemary together in a small bowl.
- Once done, allow the steaks to rest for 10-15 minutes. Top with the garlic rosemary butter and serve!
Notes
- 10-minute cook time results in more medium-rare, 11 minutes for medium, and 12 minutes for well done. I personally prefer the 10-minute mark!
- Store the garlic rosemary butter for up to 3 days in the refrigerator, it’s so easy to make ahead!
- If you have large steaks, cook time may need to increase. This recipe was tested with 1 inch thick steaks.
- Make sure to preheat the air fryer, otherwise steaks will be underdone.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
