Best Steak marinade made with soy sauce, brown sugar, olive oil, ginger and garlic; you’ll never taste a better grilled steak. It’s fast, flavorful and everyone enjoys it.
Steak marinade recipe that’s insanely delicious & has been a favorite in our family for years. Comes together in minutes and you won’t believe the incredible flavor! This steak marinade recipe has been in our family for years (Thanks Aunt Pam!) and continues to be one of our favorites.
What is steak marinade?
Steak marinade refers to a combination of ingredients added to steak to tenderize and add flavor. Steak marinade can be made of liquids, like my recipe below, or a combination of dry ingredients that’s most often referred to as a “dry rub.” When I make a marinade, I aim to combine the following: an acid to tenderize + an oil + flavor. For my acids, I usually use soy sauce, lemon juice, orange juice or even Dr.Pepper or Coke. I prefer using a light olive oil in my marinades. I always add some salt for flavor, but I also like to add garlic, onion or onion powder and dried seasonings. There are so many types of marinade; it’s always fun to try new recipes!
What type of steaks to marinate?
Our entire family of 7 really enjoys steak, but whew, it can get pricey! A great compromise is to buy less expensive cuts of steak and marinate them for tenderness and added flavor. Our favorite steaks to marinate are Flat Iron steak, Skirt or Flank steak, Tri-tip steak or even London Broil.
How do you make marinade?
It’s quite simple! When I make a marinade, I aim to combine the following: some form of acid to tenderize (soy sauce, lemon juice, orange juice & even Dr.Pepper!), an oil and flavor. I always add some salt for flavor, but I also like to add garlic, onion or onion powder and dried seasonings. Whisk the ingredients together and toss with your choice of meat. Small pieces of meat season faster, so you won’t have to marinate them for very long. Remove the meat from the marinade and discard. Cook however you’d like and enjoy your juicy, flavorful meat.
How long do you have to marinate steak?
How long you marinate steaks really depends on how thick the steak is before cooking. If you’re using a Tri-Tip steak, which is 2-3″ at it’s thickest part, you’ll want to marinate it for 6-7 hours. Skirt teak or flank steak is one of my favorite cuts of beef for a few simple reasons- it’s inexpensive, super tender and easy to cook! Skirt steak often is folded in the package so once you remove it, you’ll see it’s quite thin. Thin steaks don’t need to marinate very long! I aim for 3-6 hours, and usually end up marinating mine for 4 hours.
This really is the BEST Steak Marinade ever! It’s very simple to make as it uses just 6 ingredients that you likely already have in your pantry. Marinade for 3-6 hours, depending on the type of steak you’re using. Small, thin round steaks take less time to marinade than flank steak, but I love flank steak, so that’s what I use most often. The marinade yields a flavorful, juicy steak that everyone loves. It’s reminiscent of teriyaki with a slight twist- try it and you’ll see what I mean!
BEST Steak Marinade ingredients
Here’s what you need to make our steak marinade:
–Soy Sauce: You’ll need 1/2 cup. I use Kikkoman brand. Low sodium works! You can use Coconut Aminos as a soy alternative as well!
–olive oil: I prefer a light olive oil. You’ll need 2 TBSP.
–brown sugar: we use 1/2 cup regular brown sugar for this steak marinade. You’re welcome to reduce the sugar to 1/3 if you prefer.
–Season All: You’ll need 1/2 teaspoon of any type of all-purpose seasoning salt.
–SPICES: You’ll need 1/4 teaspoon each ground ginger, garlic powder & black pepper.
How to marinade steak
Put a gallon-sized Ziplock bag in a bowl and add all the ingredients of the marinade to the bag. (The bowl helps keep the bag upright and in place.)
Seal the bag and shake the bag around a bit, as well as squish it around with your hands to mix all the ingredients.
Add the steak and squish it all around again, until the marinade covers the steak.
Allow to marinate for 3-6 hours, depending on the thickness of your steak.
Grill steak 2-6 minutes per side, depending on the type of steak used and overall thickness.
Let steak rest for 5-10 minutes after grilling, to allow the juices to redistribute. Slice, serve & enjoy!
THE BEST STEAK MARINADE
Ingredients
- ½ cup Soy Sauce
- 2 TBSP olive oil
- ½ cup brown sugar
- ½ tsp Season All {or any type of all-purpose seasoning salt}
- ¼ tsp ground ginger
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- ¼ tsp garlic powder
Instructions
- Put a gallon-sized Ziplock bag in a bowl and add all the ingredients of the marinade to the bag. (The bowl helps keep the bag upright and in place.)
- Seal the bag and shake the bag around a bit, as well as squish it around with your hands to mix all the ingredients.
- Add the steak and gently shake the bag around again, until the marinade covers the steak.
- Allow to marinate for 3-6 hours, depending on the thickness of your steak.
- Grill steak 2-10 minutes per side, depending on the type of steak used and overall thickness.
- Let steak rest for 5-10 minutes after grilling, to allow the juices to redistribute. Slice, serve & enjoy!
Video
Notes
Nutrition
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What to Serve with Grilled Steak?
I love serving grilled steak with a fresh & flavorful salad like our GARDEN VEGETABLE CAPRESE SALAD or LEMON CAESAR SALAD. Serve ROASTED RANCH POTATOES or ALFREDO TWICE BAKED POTATOES as a side dish. Breads like our Homemade Hawaiian Bread or Cheesy Breadsticks go well with grilled steak too. Finish the meal off with Lemon Cake Drops or Frosted Strawberry Cookies!
Find even more BBQ recipes here:
- BBQ Chicken Pineapple Kabobs with Bacon
- Best Cheeseburger Recipe
- Greek Chicken Souvlaki with Lemon Rice
- Ranch Chicken Bacon Kabobs
- Grilled Honey Mustard Chicken
- Easy Grilled Italian Chicken with Vegetables
- Grilled BBQ Chicken with Pineapple Salsa
- BBQ Sticky Chicken recipe
- Jack Cheese Pineapple Chicken
- Grilled Honey Chicken with Glazed Pineapple
Steak marinade for the best steak of your life! Made with soy sauce, brown sugar, olive oil, ginger and garlic; you’ll never taste a better steak marinade!
Kesha says
Trying this tonight with top round I bought by mistake. Serving with southwest ranch salad. Very excited to try it!
Jessica says
I hope you like it!
Susanne says
With grilled season fast approaching I know this marinade will be a huge hit! Lots of great flavors and perfect for steak!
Susanne
Jessica says
I agree completely Susanne!
Patricia. M. Schenbeck says
I have a vacuum seal machine from Cabelas. Can I use this marinade in these bags,, then freeze them for use at a later date?
I am going to make a large batch, then freeze divided portions for thawing and using at later dates.
Jessica says
I think that’s a great idea!
Alison Scott says
This is my all time favorite Steak Marinade! Thanks for sharing!
Cindy says
I add pineapple chunks also, so yummy.
Jessica says
Great idea!!
Tonia Kimble says
How many steaks can you use for this recipe
Jessica says
Hi Tonia! It really depends on how big your steaks are. When I use flank steak, I usually just make 1 large slab.
Dan Brown says
I’ve not tried it, but will on Mother’s Day. Hope it’s good.
Jessica says
I hope everyone enjoys it!
Mary says
Thanks Ken. Love the marinade doubled the ginger and garlic though and added a teaspoon of balsamic.
Lee says
I’ve done a lot of grilling…love this marinade!…Family raved about it. Thank you
Jessica says
So glad you all enjoyed it Lee!
Dek says
Awesome marinade. Bbq and slow cooker on several different steak cuts and roasts! THANK YOU!
Jessica says
I’m so glad you liked it Dek!
vicky says
Does anyone know if this marinade is good on a venison steak?
Maria says
Looks Awesome. Great surely will try.
Jessica says
I hope you like it Maria!
Kim Rios says
Hi ! Can I marinate thick rib eyes for 24 hour ?
Jessica says
Hi Kim! I worry 24 hours would be too much. Maybe try 8-10? It’s a strong marinade.
Helen says
Not only have I never used a marinade like this before, I’ve never marinated steak before!
I know, crazy!
And now I have no excuse, since I have this fabulous family-heirloom recipe!
Jessica says
I hope you like it Helen!
Jillian says
This really is the best marinade, my steak tasted amazing!
Beth Lee says
Wow – so glad to find your site. This is a wonderfully comprehensive post – great recipe and tips!
Wilhelmina Wessel says
I have used this and it is DELICIOUS!
Diana Grygiel says
I bought a top round roast; will try this marinade on it. Hope it tenderizes the meat
Alison says
Diana, it is an excellent meat tenderizer! I hope you enjoyed it!
Trishia says
I found this recipe today for my steaks I was grilling for dinner. My steaks marinated a little under 4 hours. TALK about a wonderful smell coming off the grill!! What we were expecting wasn’t real sure. My husband took the first bite and all I hear is OH MY GOD! This is amazing! Do this from now on! Please tell me you remember how you made it. I showed him this page he said thank you to you and your aunt Pam. So with that being said I had to leave a review. Prepare your taste buds for a mouth watering explosion of flavor!
Alison says
Trishia, I’m so glad you and your husband enjoyed this! Thank you for your review!
John says
Against the wishes of my wife. I tried this, arinade last evening.
My wife LOVED it so we’re now going to make a quantity and freeze portions ready for Barbecue season 2019 which, for us, starts sometime in March.
Last year we had over 100.