The Best Steak Fajitas Recipe (2024)

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The best steak fajitas are the ones we make at home! These healthy steak fajitas can be served with zucchini noodles for extra veggies, and have a delicious teriyaki marinade recipe that makes them taste better than a restaurant.

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It might be because we live in Tucson where it’s easier to grill outside than heat up the house, but we love grilling and I love the super easy prep that fajitas need. I added zoodles (zucchini noodles) to my fajitas instead of tortillas a few weeks ago, and… YUM. This recipe makes the best steak fajitas we have had!

To make the zoodles, I use my food processor or a spiralizer.

The Best Steak Fajitas Recipe (2)

This recipe for Fajita Zoodles combines my love of Zoodles with my husband’s amazing fajita recipe that we have been making for years. The marinade ingredients might surprise you, but the ingredients are SO delicious together. Trust me on this one.

Table of Contents

What kind of meat is best for fajitas?

Something with a bit of fat but not a ton–we love a cut that we get from Costco called loin flap. Other great cuts are flank steak and skirt steak.

I cut the fat off the underside of whatever steak we use. I’ve never thought it was dry or unflavored by doing this, and would much rather trim the fat before we cook it than after it’s cooked.

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Ingredients in the Best Steak Fajitas with zoodles:

  • Steak (we use loin flap, flank steak, or skirt steak from Costco), about 1 pound
  • Like I said, we use different veggies–whatever you love. But our staples are: 1-2 multi-colored bell peppers, an onion, a zucchini, and a package of mushrooms, sliced.
  • Teriyaki Coconut Aminos (you can absolutely use regular teriyaki sauce here, but I highly recommend this coconut one!)
  • pineapple chunks
  • Worcestershire Sauce
  • Montreal Steak Seasoning for the veggies
  • About two tablespoons olive oil for the veggies

Optional:

As I mentioned, I think this steak fajita recipe is pretty darn perfect–but if you’re wanting more…

  • onion and garlic powder
  • freshly squeezed lime juice
  • cilantro

Instructions for our Steak Fajita Zoodles Recipe:

  1. Mix together pineapple chunks with the teriyaki coconut aminos. If you want to be extra (you do), you’ll want to add in some Worcestershire sauce with your marinade. Mix these ingredients in a small bowl or pour them right into a zipper bag and add the steak in.
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2. Slice the veggies that you’re not going to spiralize, then spiralize the veggies you need.

3. Add veggies and a bit of olive oil to a plastic bag. Again–you get extra points if you sprinkle some Montreal steak seasoning in with the veggies. Not sure why these tastes are so perfect together, but they are. Trust me on this one.

4. Grill your veggies for 8-10 minutes on high. Grill your steak on medium high heat for 3-5 minutes per side, or until it’s done.

5. While the grill is going, saute your spiralized veggies in a large skillet over medium heat for 5-10 minutes, being very careful to not overcook them. Watch them while they cook, stirring often.

6. Slice the steak into thin slices, cutting into strips that go against the grain, and serve immediately.

You have some options here for everyone in your family. Another reason why this is the best steak fajita recipe is that you can make fajitas with it (served in small flour tortillas), fajita zoodle bowls (served with zoodles, veggies, and steak fajita meat), burritos (large flour tortillas with veggies and steak), or a steak fajita salad!

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Need to cook these steak fajitas on the stove?

No worries! Cook both the steak and veggies in separate skillets over medium high heat. As the veggies are finishing, move them to the side of your pan and add your zoodles in.

Pro cooking tips:

  • On the day that you buy the steak, cut it up and marinate it, then stick it in the freezer. Your steak will be ready to cook in an hour or so after removing it from the freezer and placing it in a sink full of cold water.
  • Spiralizing onions is delicious and I swear it makes the entire meal taste better.
  • If you’re cooking this on the stove, I’d cut your steak in even smaller slices.

Top these fajitas with:

  • sour cream or plain greek yogurt
  • salsa
  • guacamole
  • queso

Special Diet Information

21 Day Fix:

This one is easy! Fill each container with what you’d like and count accordingly. I add a teaspoon because of the oil I use. My usual container count for this recipe is 2G (one for zoodles, one for fajita veggies), 1R (for meat) and 1 tsp for oil.

Looking for more 21 Day Fix Grill Recipes?

Weight Watchers:

This recipe is great for the Weight Watchers. It’s just 8 points for 1 serving of this recipe on Blue Plan, Green Plan, and Purple Plan Points. You can have as many veggies as you’d like! I figured these points using skirt steak. Different meats will have different points

Trim Healthy Mama:

This is a THM-S recipe. Stick to a small “garnish” amount of pineapple and this will be a perfect S!

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5 from 4 ratings

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Best Steak Fajitas Recipe with Zoodles

Created by: Becca Ludlum

Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 15 minutes mins

Total Time 35 minutes mins

Servings 4 people

The best steak fajitas are the ones we make at home! These healthy steak fajitas can be served with zucchini noodles for extra veggies, and have a delicious teriyaki marinade recipe that makes them taste better than a restaurant.

Equipment

  • Food processor

  • Kitchen Knife

  • Cutting Board

Ingredients

  • 1 pound steak skirt or loin flap is best
  • 2 tbsp Worcestershire Sauce
  • 1/4 cup teriyaki coconut aminos
  • 1/2 cup diced pineapple
  • 1 zucchini large
  • 2 onion small
  • 1 tbsp Montreal Steak seasoning optional
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 2 bell peppers any color
  • 16 oz mushroom

Instructions

  • Marinate steak in Worcestershire, teriyaki aminos, and pineapple marinade for 1-24 hours. 1 pound steak, 2 tbsp Worcestershire Sauce, 1/4 cup teriyaki coconut aminos, 1/2 cup diced pineapple

  • Spiralize the zucchini (with the skin on) and 1 of the onions (with the skin off). 1 zucchini, 2 onion

  • Sauté spiraled veggies for 8-10 minutes on med-high, drizzled with olive oil and fresh garlic. 2 cloves garlic

  • Slice peppers, your remaining onion, and mushrooms. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle lightly with Montreal Steak seasoning. 2 bell peppers, 16 oz mushroom, 1 tbsp Montreal Steak seasoning

  • Grill veggies (we use a grill basket) and steak

  • Slice steak thinly when it comes off the grill

  • Use your Zoodles as a base for your fajitas or add them in to your tortilla with the other fajita ingredients if you’d like!

Notes

For 21 Day Fix, count containers as you fill them.

Weight Watchers: 8 Blue Plan Points / 8 Green Plan Points / 8 Purple Plan Points

Nutrition

Serving: 4g | Calories: 271kcal | Carbohydrates: 8g | Protein: 23g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Cholesterol: 69mg | Sodium: 482mg | Potassium: 394mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 43IU | Vitamin C: 11mg | Calcium: 30mg | Iron: 3mg

Make This Recipe?

Make sure to follow on Pinterest @bludlum and on Instagram @beccaludlum

The Best Steak Fajitas Recipe (8)

Becca Ludlum

Healthy recipe creator, self-confessed food snob, and certified Level 1 Precision Nutrition Coach. I create healthy recipes with minimally processed ingredients, but have never turned down a homemade brownie. ;)

The Best Steak Fajitas Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What is the best steak to use for fajitas? ›

Skirt steak is the traditional cut used for fajitas. It used to be inexpensive, but now it's not so cheap; oftentimes flank steak costs less. Either will be a good choice.

How do you keep steak tender for fajitas? ›

Tricks to Tender Fajita Meat
  1. Cut the Beef Against the Grain. Slicing meat against the grain helps tenderize it. By looking closely at the steak, you'll be able to see the direction the grain is running. ...
  2. Marinade with an Acid. Acids like citrus juice or vinegar tenderize meat by breaking down its fibers.
Feb 2, 2024

Do you cook steak before cutting fajitas? ›

Fajita meat is marinated and grilled before it is cut into strips and served. The best way to get a tender slice of meat is to cut perpendicular to (across) the grain of the meat.

What cut of meat do Mexican restaurants use for fajitas? ›

"We use inside skirt steak," he said. "It's already marinated when we buy it. Then we add our own seasonings."

What onion is best for steak fajitas? ›

There's no one-size-fits-all answer to choosing the right onion for your fajitas. You can go for the traditional white or yellow onions, offering a more savory option, or experiment with sweet onions like Vidalia or Walla Walla to add a subtle sweetness to your dish.

How long to marinate steak? ›

How long should I let steak marinate? Marinate steak for at least 1-2 hours in the refrigerator. However, for best results, use a steak marinade for several hours or overnight. The extra time allows the steak fibers to break down and tenderize before cooking.

How do restaurants make their steaks so tender? ›

The Aging. Most fine restaurants age their beef to intensify the flavor and improve the tenderness of the cut. Aging is done by letting the meat sit (in very controlled conditions) for several days or weeks.

How do I make my steak super tender? ›

7 Ways to Tenderize Steak
  1. Pounding. Using a meat mallet (or kitchen mallet) to pound steaks helps soften and tenderize the meat. ...
  2. Salting. Most cuts of steak benefit from being salted up to an hour in advance of cooking, but especially tougher cuts. ...
  3. Marinating. ...
  4. Velveting. ...
  5. Slow Cooking. ...
  6. Enzymatic Application. ...
  7. Scoring.
Oct 18, 2022

What is fajita marinade made of? ›

Whisk water, lime juice, olive oil, garlic, soy sauce, salt, and liquid smoke flavoring together in a bowl. Stir in cayenne and black pepper until combined.

When cooking fajitas do you cook meat or veggies first? ›

This recipe promises to be a one-pan dinner, but to ensure that the chicken's juices don't steam the vegetables — making them soggy — cook the vegetables first. Transfer them to a plate or cutting board, then cook the chicken in the same pan before bringing things together.

Do Mexicans put cheese in fajitas? ›

Thirdly, the toppings for fajitas and tacos can differ. While both dishes can be served with guacamole, salsa, and sour cream, fajitas usually have more substantial toppings, such as cheese and grilled vegetables, while tacos tend to have more traditional toppings like lettuce, tomatoes, and cheese.

Which steak is better for fajitas? ›

Skirt Steak

What is this? This steak cut tends to have a heartier beef flavor than flank steak, making it a good option for tacos or fajitas with lots of ingredients that could overwhelm a milder steak. Use a marinade to tenderize the steak and add even more flavor before the cooking process.

What makes restaurant fajitas so good? ›

The key to really good, flavorful fajitas is searing the meat and vegetables over high heat so they get a smoky, charred flavor. That said, be certain to not overcrowd the pan so the ingredients sear vs steam. Work in batches and make sure the oil is smoking hot before searing each batch of chicken and vegetables.

What cut of meat is used traditionally for a fajita plate? ›

Fajita is a Tex–Mex, Texan–Mexican American or Tejano, diminutive term for little strips of meat cut from the beef skirt, the most common cut used to make fajitas.

What cut of steak do Mexicans use? ›

Falda – Flank

This cut is near the beef groin. Its fat content and tenderness have made it a prime choice in Mexico. This is a soft boneless cut to fry on a pan or grill. It has a lot of fat and if you go to a grilling, it's the one piece you can't miss out on.

What is skirt steak called at the grocery store? ›

Typically, when you buy skirt steak at the grocery store, it'll be labeled as simply "skirt steak." It might also be labeled as "inside skirt" and "outside skirt," however, depending on where exactly in the diaphragm the meat came from.

What steak is the most tender? ›

The most tender of all cuts of beef, tenderloin steaks are lean and known for their delicate, butter-like texture and thick cut. These mouthwatering steaks are so tender they can be “cut with a butter knife.” Tenderloin steaks are commonly known as filets or filet mignon.

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