Easy Steak Fajitas Recipe

Name: Easy Steak Fajitas Recipe
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 30 min
Ingredients: 1 teaspoon sea salt; 1/4 teaspoon black pepper; 2 tablespoons chili powder; 1 teaspoon smoked paprika; 1 teaspoon garlic powder; 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano; 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes; 3 large bell peppers (cut into thin strips; or 1 pound of frozen sliced bell peppers); 1 large onion (thinly sliced; 8 ounces); 2 pounds top sirloin steak (cut into thin strips; not bottom sirloin); 2 tablespoons avocado oil; 1 tablespoon cornstarch (if using frozen peppers)

Jump to Recipe

These easy steak fajitas are made with sirloin steak. Ready in about 30 minutes, they are wonderfully flavorful and surprisingly easy to make. You don't have to serve them in tortillas! They're excellent by themselves or in lettuce wraps.

Steak fajitas are served in a cast-iron skillet.

I adore Mexican food. The flavors are so bold! I enjoy recipes such as jalapeno poppers, keto nachos, and slow cooker carnitas. These fajitas are exceptionally good. The spice mix is delicious! Plus, this is such an easy recipe. It's ready fast, making it the perfect choice for a weeknight dinner.

Ingredients

Here's an overview of the ingredients needed to make this recipe. The exact measurements are listed in the recipe card below:

Seasoning mix: Salt and pepper, chili powder, smoked paprika, garlic powder, dried oregano, and red pepper flakes.
Bell peppers: It's fun to use different colors.
Onion: Thinly sliced. You can use yellow or white onion.
Top sirloin steak: You can buy top sirloin and slice it yourself or buy beef strips such as those sold by Whole Foods or Wild Fork Foods (pictured below).
Oil: Avocado oil is perfect for this recipe since it has a high smoke point.

Variations

An excellent way to vary this recipe is by adding more spices. Good options include cumin and dried thyme. I like to add ½ teaspoon of each.
Instead of using avocado oil as your cooking oil, you can use olive oil or ghee.

Instructions

Scroll down to the recipe card for detailed instructions. Here are the basic steps for making this recipe:

Your first step is to mix the spices together in a small bowl. You can mix them in two separate bowls. Half will season the veggies, and the other half will season the meat.

Cook the vegetables with half the spices until tender, then remove them to a plate.

In the same skillet, cook the beef strips with the remaining spices.

Add the vegetables back and cook everything together until heated through. Serve immediately.

Expert Tip

You can make your life easy - as I do in the video below - by using a package of frozen sliced bell peppers. They add extra liquid to the dish, but I haven't found that to be an issue. If using them, you can add a cornstarch slurry at the end of cooking to thicken those liquids.

The only caveat: frozen peppers won't look as pretty as fresh peppers. See how colorful the fresh peppers are in the photos? Frozen peppers are not as colorful when cooked, as the video demonstrates.

Recipe FAQs

What cut of steak is best for fajitas?

Traditionally, you would use skirt steak or flank steak. However, both of these cuts are tough, so they should be marinated before cooking.

To make this a quick and easy recipe, I prefer to use top sirloin, which is tender enough to allow me to cook it without marinating it first.

It's important to use top sirloin and not bottom sirloin, which is a tough cut of beef.

How do you make the fajita meat tender?

Marinating the steak helps to tenderize it. But if you use top sirloin strips, you can skip the marinade.

Simply season the beef and the vegetables and saute them quickly, and the fajitas will turn out just as delicious and flavorful as if you've made the dish with marinated beef.

If you're willing to use beef tenderloin in this recipe, it will turn out even more tender. But it's obviously an expensive cut of beef, and most would feel it's better served as steak.

Do you cut fajita meat before cooking?

I do. Pre-slicing the meat allows the seasoning to coat it well, resulting in a highly flavorful dish. It also allows for faster cooking.

Serving Suggestions

Steak fajitas are traditionally served with flour tortillas. But you can also serve them on a bed of cauliflower rice, sauteed spinach, shredded lettuce, or use lettuce wraps.

These fajitas are lovely when simply served on a plate and eaten with a fork and a knife. That's how I usually serve them.

You can top them with tasty toppings such as guacamole, sour cream, salsa, and shredded cheese.

Storing Leftovers

You can keep the leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Gently reheat them in the microwave at 50% power. You can also freeze the leftovers for up to three months.