These Garlic Butter Steak Bites are a delicious appetizer or main course and they will keep you coming back for more! Best of all, they can be ready in around 20 minutes.
When we’re looking for quick and easy steak that can feed a crowd, these Garlic Butter Steak Bites are our go-to recipe. Made with just 6 ingredients, trust us when we say they will be gone before you know it.
You can serve these steak bites as an appetizer with toothpicks or as main course over noodles or mashed potatoes. The most important part of this recipe is choosing a high-quality steak with lots of marbling, this guarantees that they are so tender. Ask your butcher for a recommendation, we also prefer ribeye, strip steak, or sirloin.
These are one of my son’s favorite meals, so we have them in our house pretty frequently. They’ve even become a staple for tailgates and backyard barbecues. If you are looking for more easy beef recipes, try our Beef Stroganoff with tortellini or Pulled BBQ Beef Sandwiches.
Why You’ll Love this Recipe
- 6-Ingredient appetizer or dinner. With just a handful of ingredients, these delicious steak bites are simple for anyone to make.
- Full of insane flavors. Everyone loves garlic butter and it happens to be the ideal flavors for cooking steak as well.
- Use any steak you have on hand. The best part about these bites is that they work with any thicker steak of your choice. We find they’re a great way to use up leftover steak or steak we have in the freezer.
Ingredients
- Steak of choice: We recommend using a well-marbled steak that is 1-inch in thickness. Ribeye, sirloin, or strip are all nice choices. It’s a great way to use up leftover steak as well.
- Unsalted butter: The base of the garlic butter and delicious to baste the meat in.
- Minced garlic: You can use pre-minced for ease or mince your own.
- Smoked paprika: Adds a hint of smokiness and vibrant flavor to every bite.
- Black pepper: We add extra black pepper to these bites to bring out the garlic butter flavor.
- Red pepper flakes: Gives every bite a hint of spice.
How to Make Garlic Butter Steak Bites
- Step 1: Cut steak into 1-1.5″ chunks and salt while pan is heating. I like to let steak sit around 10-15 min at room temp after applying salt.
- Step 2: In a large pan or cast iron skillet, add bacon grease or high smoke point oil. Just enough to spread across the bottom.
- Step 3: Cook steak in batches to prevent overcrowding. Sear 90 sec on one side then flip and repeat.
- Step 4: Remove steak bites form pan and start on next batch. I do 90 sec on just 2 sides to keep steak med rare to medium.
- Step 5: Once all steak is cooked reduce heat to medium low.
- Step 6: Add butter and once melted add minced garlic.
- Step 7: Once minced garlic is fragrant, add seasonings and stir.
- Step 8: Add steak bites back in and toss until well coated. Enjoy!
Expert Tips
- Let the steak sit at room temperature for 10 to 15 minutes before cooking. This is so important when cooking meat and something we like to teach everyone. You want to take the chill off the meat after it’s been in the fridge for more even cooking and distribution of the natural liquids. Trust me, it makes for a juicier steak bite.
- Sear the steak just for 90 seconds on two sides to avoid overcooking. This is so important in the recipe method. This ensures that the steak will not be overcooked and still medium-rare when you finish it in the garlic butter.
- Cook the steak in bacon fat. You can buy this at the store or save some of your own from breakfast. It’s a game changer on the flavor. The bacon grease adds a nice smokiness that compliments the steak so well.
- Use a cast iron skillet. For cooking steak on the stovetop, this is the best pan around. It gets a nice crust on the bites with minimal cook time.
- Cook the steak bites to medium-rare. If you want to use a meat thermometer that is around 125ºF.
Storage
Store any leftover steak bites in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. You want to reheat these bites carefully as they can overcook and become well-done if you’re not careful. We recommend microwaving for 30 seconds and eating them room temperature to keep the meat medium-rare.
You can freeze cooked steak bites, just be cautious then when you defrost them and reheat them they may be a little more well-done and tough.
FAQs
How to you cook garlic butter steak bites?
It’s best to sear them in a really hot pan for only a minute per side so they don’t overcook.
Why are my steak bites tough?
You cooked them for too long in the pan. It takes barely any cooking time to sear these small bites on every side.
Do I need to marinate steak bites?
You don’t need to, you can if you want, but the garlic butter and flavor from searing the bites will add a lot of flavor.
More Easy Beef Recipes
- Slow Cooker Steak and Gravy
- Easy Cheesesteaks
- Pulled BBQ Beef Sandwiches
- Roast Beef and Gravy Sliders
Garlic Steak Bites
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1.5 lbs steak of choice
- salt to taste
- 6 tbsp unsalted butter
- minced garlic
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
Instructions
- Cut steak into 1-1.5" chunks and salt while pan is heating. I like to let steak sit around 10-15 min at room tempo after applying salt.
- In a large pan or cast iron skillet, add bacon grease or high smoke point oil. Just enough to spread across the bottom.
- Cook steak in batches to prevent overcrowding. Sear 90 sec on one side then flip and repeat.
- Remove steak bites form pan and start on next batch. I do 90 sec on just 2 sides to keep steak med rare to medium.
- Once all steak is cooked reduce heat to med low.
- Add butter and once melted add minced garlic.
- Once minced garlic is fragrant, add seasonings and stir.
- Add steak bites back in and toss until well coated. Enjoy!
Video
Notes
Store any leftover steak bites in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. You want to reheat these bites carefully as they can overcook and become well-done if you're not careful. We recommend microwaving for 30 seconds and eating them room temperature to keep the meat medium-rare. You can freeze cooked steak bites, just be cautious then when you defrost them and reheat them they may be a little more well-done and tough.
0 Comments