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Our favorite easy steak marinade requires only four ingredients and makes mouth-watering steak every time!
our favorite marinade!
Summer means grilling season is upon us, which means you can find us regularly cooking steak, Chicken, and our Hamburgers for dinner.
Decades ago, we got a steak marinade recipe from a neighbor, and we’ve been using it ever since. Not only is it super simple, but it makes our steak even more delicious and flavorful.
Trust us – you’ll never need another steak marinade recipe after trying this one!
Why we love it:
- So easy. This simple recipe whips up in minutes and only requires 4 ingredients!!!
- Make it yours. You can easily change up the flavor profile or add a bit of spice, but we love this marinade just as it is.
- For all grilled dinner ideas. This works well with a variety of steak cuts, chicken, or even ribs!
Ingredients
PREP TIME: 4 hours 5 minutes
COOK TIME: 12 minutes
- 1 cup Italian dressing – We don’t have a favorite brand and have successfully made this recipe for steak marinade using whatever brand was on sale that week. Use 1 cup liquid dressing, not a powdered Italian seasoning mix.
- ½ cup A.1. Original sauce – the original flavor. A1 Sauce is a commonly found steak sauce in the US. A very similar product outside the US would be HP sauce. It is a bit tangier and spicier than A1 sauce, so you may wish to balance the flavor by adding a bit of sugar.
- ½ cup Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice – optional, or lime juice to add a bit of a zesty layer of flavor
- 1 pound steak of choice
Best Cuts for the Grill
- Our family loves flat iron steak or skirt steak, but other cuts of meat that are good for marinating and grilling include sirloin, t-bone, porterhouse, round steak, New York strip steak, and flank steak.
- Prime cuts like filet mignon, ribeye, or other premium aged beef are already flavorful and tender so pass on marinating those.
How to Marinate Steak
This steak marinade recipe is perfect for 2 whole steaks. If you are grilling more, double the recipe for every two steaks added.
- MARINATE. Combine 1 cup Italian dressing, ½ cup A.1. sauce, ½ cup Worcestershire sauce, and 1 teaspoon lemon juice in a large resealable plastic bag or airtight container. Mix well.
- Add 1 pound steak to the marinade, coating all sides.
- Place in the refrigerator to marinate for at least 4 hours up to 36 hours.
- GRILL. When ready to cook, preheat the grill to 450–500°F. Allow steaks to come to room temperature.
- Place steaks on the grill and cook until golden brown and slightly charred (4–5 minutes). Flip steaks over and continue to grill to the desired doneness (see below; 5–7 minutes for medium).
- Let meat rest for 5 minutes before serving. The steak will continue to cook a bit and the juices will distribute.
Simple Steak Marinade Tips
- Poke a few holes in the steak with a fork to allow the marinade to easily reach the center of the meat.
- Be sure you have enough marinade for the amount of meat. Flip the steak halfway during the marinating time to ensure all sides get coated.
Complete the Meal
- SIDE DISHES: Oven Roasted Vegetables, Roasted Brussel Sprouts, Best Mashed Potatoes, Twice Baked Potatoes
- DESSERTS: Chocolate Lava Cake, Jello Cheesecake, Strawberry Shortcake
- More marinades: Fajita Marinade, Best Chicken Marinade, Carne Asada Marinade
More collections: Beef Dinner Ideas, Grilled Dinner Ideas, Family Dinner Ideas
Steak Marinade
Our all-time favorite steak marinade requires only four ingredients and makes mouth-watering steak that tastes amazing!
Ingredients
- 1 cup Italian dressing
- ½ cup A.1. Original sauce
- ½ cup Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice, optional
- 1 pound steak of choice, (flat-iron, skirt, top sirloin or flank steak)
Instructions
- Combine dressing, A.1. sauce, Worcestershire sauce, and lemon juice in a large resealable plastic bag or airtight container. Mix well.
- Add steak to the marinade, making sure it is coated on all sides.
- Place in the refrigerator to marinate for at least 4 hours or up to 36 hours.
- When ready to cook, preheat the grill to 450–500°F. Allow steaks to come to room temperature.
- Place steaks on the grill and cook until golden browned and slightly charred (4–5 minutes). Flip steaks over and continue to grill to the desired doneness (see below; 5–7 minutes for medium).
- Let meat rest for 5 minutes before serving. The steak will continue to cook a bit, and the juices will distribute.
Video
Notes
Grill prep. Start with a clean grill and add a little vegetable or olive oil to the grate before heating.
Doneness guide. For steaks that are 1½ inches or thicker, use a meat thermometer. Start by charring them on both sides over high heat, then move them to low heat to finish cooking to the desired temperature:
o Rare: 120°F
o Medium-Rare: 130°F
o Medium: 140°F
o Medium-Well: 150–160°F
o Well Done: over 160°F
Freeze marinating meat. Freezing stops the marinating process so it is safe to add your meat to a marinade and then keep it in the freezer until ready to thaw and cook. For best results, do not freeze in this flavorful marinade for longer than 3 months. Thaw in the fridge.
STORE. After cooking the meat in the homemade steak marinade, store it in a Ziploc bag and place it in the fridge for 3-4 days.
FREEZE. Wrap the steak tightly and place it in a freezer bag for up to 3 months.
Nutrition
Serving: 1steak, Calories: 702kcal, Carbohydrates: 41g, Protein: 50g, Fat: 36g, Saturated Fat: 8g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 13g, Monounsaturated Fat: 11g, Trans Fat: 0.1g, Cholesterol: 136mg, Sodium: 3154mg, Potassium: 1609mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 25g, Vitamin A: 271IU, Vitamin C: 14mg, Calcium: 148mg, Iron: 8mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Recipe FAQ
What makes a great steak marinade?
- A great steak marinade has 3 key components. The components can be mixed and matched to create so many flavor combinations. They should be balanced and given ample time to marinate the beef.
- Fats enhance flavors and moisturize. Use coconut oil, olive oil, sesame oil, duck fat, butter, or an oil-based salad dressing.
- Acid to tenderize and flavor. Use vinegar, wine, citrus, or buttermilk.
- Flavor not only enhances the taste but aids caramelization. Try fresh herbs, spices, sauces, sugar, honey, garlic, onions, chilis, pepper, salt, or onion powder. Add spice with red pepper flakes or cayenne pepper.
steak grilling tips?
- Oil. Start with a clean grill and add vegetable or olive oil to the grate before heating.
- Room temperature. Allow the steaks to come to room temperature before putting them on the grill (about 30 minutes).
- Cooking. Only flip the steak once. Let the meat rest after taking it off the grill. The steak will continue to cook a bit and the juices will distribute.
- Marinade. Never reuse this best steak marinade for steak once it has come in contact with raw meat. To use this best marinade for steak to baste the meat or to make a sauce, set some aside BEFORE adding raw meat.
- Cooking temperature. I heat my grill to between 450-550°F before grilling steak.
- Searing. Remember to sear the steak over direct heat.
- Thinner steaks will cook sufficiently with searing.
- For a thinker cut. once seared, move to indirect heat to finish cooking.
How can I tell when the steak is done cooking?
- For steaks that are 1½ inches or thicker, use a meat thermometer. Start by charring them over HIGH heat then moving them to a section set to LOW heat to finish cooking.
- Rare: 120°F
- Medium Rare: 130°F
- Medium: 140°F
- For thinner steaks, use a timer and cook over high heat
- Rare: 3 minutes on each side
- Medium Rare: 4 minutes on each side
- Medium: 5 minutes on each side
Cook steak without a grill?
- Use a cast-iron skillet or a grill pan to cook the steak on the stovetop.
Can I freeze steak in marinade?
- Freezing stops the marinating process so it is safe to add your meat to a marinade and then keep it in the freezer until ready to thaw and cook. For best results, do not freeze in this flavorful marinade for longer than 3 months. Thaw in the fridge.
How to store leftover steak?
- After cooking the meat in the homemade steak marinade, store it in a Ziploc bag and place it in the fridge for 3-4 days.
- Wrap the steak tightly and place it in a freezer bag for up to 3 months.
Love this marinade. Super simple and easy, the steak turned out juicy and flavorful.
Marinading the steak first added so much flavor to it and helped keep the steak from drying out when cooking.
This was the best and easiest marinade I have ever used! Can’t wait to make this again!
I have always experimented with marinade, but I have to say this recipe is excellent.
This is my “go to” steak marinade. I can hardly believe something so easy to prepare transforms a steak into tender deliciousness. Thanks for sharing!
You’re welcome! So happy to hear you love the marinade. We do too! 😉
Making steak tomorrow will use this marinade
This is one I am DEFINITELY going to try!! It’s so hard for me to get steak perfect, you make this look soooo easy!!! A keeper for sure!!
Love the steak marinade, and easy to make.
looks like an amazing marinade. will be trying this for our first steak bbq.
This steak looks so good! Perfect for my birthday dinner this weekend. I want potato salad, corn on the cob, and bbq beans with it!!
sounds like a partly. happy birthday!
Really love this one. Used it on steak and pork. Came out wonderfully
Easy to make and great taste!
Really enhanced the steak and made it so flavorful!
Had everything and i had my doubts about using a bottled dressing – but i had a Trader Joe’s balsamic and used that – delicious – Thank you
This marinade was delicious. It got great reviews from my family to use it again when we have steaks. Thank you for the simplicity and absolute delicious recipe!
I love this marinade! With four simple ingredients, it’s fast and easy to put together in a hurry. It is very flavorful and helps keep the meat moist.
Yum!!!
We are new to barbecuing (just bought a new barbecue and it took a month for my husband to put it together) and sadly my husband isn’t learning quickly enough. His last attempt was flavorless steak that was burnt on the outside and raw on the inside. I had to finish cooking them on the stove to make them more edible (barely). Thank you for the recipe and cooking times and how to cook them. Hopefully he will bookmark this recipe and use it on his next attempt.
Yes, this is such an easy recipe and make the steaks SO tasty!!
This looks really tasty, going to have to try it!!! We are the type of people that grill all year and this looks like something we would try out!!
Hope you enjoy the marinade! It’s a definitely a year round recipe for us too.
Sooooooo good! a weekly staple in our house!
Going yo try yhos recipe tonight.
This is the best marinade. Love it.
I love steak this was beautiful can’t wait to have it again
Thank you paula
Absolutely love this recipe and will be my go to for marinating whatever I bbq . It’s the best!
I love the flavor of grilled steak so much, but I can’t finish in one sitting. It never tastes as good the next day.
I am completely obsessed! My food aversions have been insane with this pregnancy & it has been such a relief to find something this tasty! Thank you☺️
We recently used this marinade when making copy cat deli style shaved beef sandwiches. We pulled the meat from cooking just before it was rare and tender enough to be shredded with two forks. We let the meat continue cooking until medium rare. Grabbed the meat with a slotted spoon and placed on sub buns with lots of banana peppers and pepper Jack cheese. This marinade was really zippy when combined with the peppers. The flavors were singing! Would recommend. I love that this recipe isn’t trying to be something it’s not. It’s simple and easy.
Oh my gosh! Don’t you just love Italian dressing as a marinade? This recipe makes the meat incredibly flavorful! In fact don’t wait till Memorial day! try it next time you have steak, you won’t be disappointed!!! Oh and I have even used grapefruit juice instead of lemon. Its the citrus that helps “break down” the meat to make it tender.
Definitely! That acid in the citrus does a great job with tenderizing the meat. So glad you love the marinade recipe!
I’m always looking for a new marinade recipe. This one looks delicious, thank you.
This marinade is amazing! I’ll definitely be making this on repeat this summer!
Sounds delish…simple, wonderful flavors and healthy ingredients! I will definitely try this marinade this week since I have all of the ingredients on hand. i may use it as a marinade/dressing for some veggies, too.
Great recipe and so easy. Steaks turned out delicious.
This is a must marinade. Steaks taste so good and very juicy. I usually just use salt, but decided to try this. Husband raved about the steak.
Yay! So glad you enjoyed the steak marinade!
Such an easy and tasty little marinade. Thanks! I, too, like to marinate overnight for the best flavor. Bring on grillin’ season!
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Such an easy and tasty little marinade. Thanks! I, too, like to marinate overnight for the best flavor. Bring on grillin’ season!
I never marinated my steaks, so I thought I would try this recipe. Y’all, what a DIFFERENCE!! I marinated mine overnight and it turned out AMAZING!!! this will definitely be my new go-to recipe for steak!
Wow!! My family loved this marinade so much! Definitely saving this recipe to make again.
Love the ingredients in this recipe. Love a good grilled steak. This gets my vote.
This is by far the best marinade. Steaks come out so delicious. Great flavor.
This is by far the best marinade. Syraks come out so delicious. Great flavor.
Hi kristyn, i was wondering could you use pork steak instead of beef?
what brand of italian dressing do you use?
I do not have a favorite. I have honestly used so many….Kraft, Wish Bone, Olive Garden, store brand… I like them all 🙂 Whatever is on sale!
I used this marinade when making beef kabobs. I doubled the recipe to marinade the cut up steak in one Ziploc bag, and the cut up bell peppers and mushrooms in another Ziploc bag. I did use the optional lemon juice when I made this. The kabobs came out great, and I got several compliments on them when served at a cookout.
This is GO TO!
Thank you! So glad you enjoy it!
Soooo good! So helpful when you can’t decide how to cook the steak
Sohbet
Always good recipes to try. All very good!
Thank you!! So glad you enjoy the recipes!
I absolutely love the smell of steak grilling. This marinade was absolute perfection. Perfect combination of flavors. I love that I had all the ingredients on hand too!
I can’t eat steak without this marinade!! It adds a delicious flavor!
Thanks a lot for this tasty recipe! It’s very helpful.
Can I substitute lime juice for lemon juice ?
You sure can! 🙂
Dry Italian seasoning or liquid Italian seasoning?
It is 1 cup Italian dressing (liquid).
My fav!
My favorite marinade! Steaks, chops, brisket, it’s the only one I use.
We enjoy this so much. Thank you for a great recipe
Love this simple marinade!! We used this all summer on different cuts of meat. So much flavor from just a few ingredients that we always have in hand.
I would like to put this in the oven, how long should I bake it for and on what temperature?
one of my bosses give me this recipe over 30 years ago . did not have a1 sauce in it but have used the recipe for years. have grilled and cooked under broiler. it is so easy and tastes awesome. I have also used top of round cut at least 1 inch thick.
You will have to try adding the A1 sauce & let me know what you think. Thanks for sharing that!
Made this tonight, and the family loved it!
Thanks for trying it! Glad they did!
Thanks for this recipe- it sounds delicious. I’m planning on trying it for my daughter’s birthday dinner next week. Do you use a full bottle of each of these ingredients for the marinade?
Thank you so much!
You are welcome!! It is our favorite go-to!! No, the measurements are listed in the recipe box 🙂 Hope you like it!
WE followed the directions exactly and this was a “miss” for me and my husband, It sure was easy though. We marinated for 1.5 days. Used Rib eyes. Not our favorite 🙁
I appreciate you giving it a try 🙂
Soooooo easy and sooooo delicious. THanks!
This Recipe was a hit with the Entire Family! That Marinade is to die for! So tasty!
NEEDED A STEAK MARINADE LAST MINUTE AND THIS SOUNDED QUICK AND EASY – I MISSED THE a1 SAUCE IN THE INGREDIENT LIST, SO ADDED SOME HONEY ~ LESS THAN 1/4 CUP – AND USED IT ON SOME SKIRT STEAK – IT WAS AMAZING! THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE RECIPE, WILL TRY IT WITH a1 NEXT TIME <3
You are welcome!! I’ll have to try adding honey! Thank you for letting me know!
This is seriously the best marinade. It adds so much flavor! I need to try it with chicken next! I love how easy it is too!!
Easiest recipe ever. The meat comes out so flavorful and tender. A definIte one to try.
I used this recipe to serve to my family at our annual bbq & it was fabulous!! Definitely a go to from now on!!!
Woohoo!! Isn’t it the best?! Thank you for trying it!!
What brand of Italian Dressing do you use?? There are so many out there would love to know which you prefer please!
I do not have a favorite. I have honestly used so many….Kraft, Wish Bone, store brand…I like them all 🙂 Whatever is on sale!
The steak looks so great! Wow! Thank you for sharing the recipe! Gotta try this recipe soon!
It is the best marinade! I hope you try it & like it!!
interesting marinade. Do you pat the steak dry before grilling.
Nope 🙂 It is so good!!
Hi,
Can you please tell me what ‘A1 (original) is? I’d love to try your marinade but have no idea what A1 is.
Thanks,
Mike
It’s a sauce that is so good with meat!! Here is the definition from google…..A.1. Sauce includes tomato purée, raisin paste, distilled vinegar, corn syrup, salt, crushed orange purée, dried garlic and onions, spice, celery seed, caramel color, and xanthan gum. The original sauce included more expensive malt vinegar, molasses, and marmalade in its ingredients.
Wow all of those looks absolutely delicious and love the photos! Steak has always been one of my favorite foods to cook! Also those fried zucchini got me very interested to try, thanks for sharing this!
Thanks and they are so good together! It’s a great meal!
I too have been using this homemade marinade for years & sometimes I replace the worsteshire sauce for terriyaki marinade & it’s so good too!
Oh, I love teriyaki!! Thanks so much for sharing!!
What kind of steaks do you use? I only use rid eyes or new york steaks..haven’t seen the kind you used..going to make this the next time I cook steaks..just bought 6 steaks 2 days ago..I froze them..
thank you for sharing your recipe with us…
I love flat irons! But, I also love steak, so usually whatever is on sale, that’s what we get. Hope that helps!! This marinade is so tasty!
Hi Krystyn
I live in Australia & I would love to use your Marinade, but I am lost as to what “A1” is???
Could you please explain & suggest a substitute?
Kind regards
A friend “Down Under”
A1 is a steak sauce and I can’t think of anything that would work for it. It’s has a very unique flavor.
HP sauce would work
Hi, what is A1, can somebody tell me please? Thank you!!!
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I tried this the other night and you’re right it is amazing!!!! We’re having guests this weekend and I’m planning on soaking the steaks tomorrow!! The only A-1 I had in the house is the one with tobasco in it and it truly was amazing!! Thank you fir sharing!!!
Made this marinade for dinner last night and it was so good. My filets came out so juicy and flavorful. Definitely my new favorite marinade.
Thank you, this looks delicious! Will try this tonight 🙂
how many steaks will this cover? sorry if I missed that earlier in the post…
I usually will stick 2 whole steaks in there and it gets covered well. I think 1 1/2 the recipe would do 3 or 4 easily. 🙂
Ah ha! The steak marinade! Yes, I can attest that it is delicious. I may have to actually try cooking steak sometime cause it was so good.
Ooooo YUM!!I cannot wait to try this!!
Every picture is mouthwatering! Can’t wait to try the marinade;)
This looks so good! I love grilling season! I am going to add this to our list of things to try this summer! xo
How can I print this recipe for the Steak Marinade??????
What a great recipe! I’d love for you to share it at my party this week!
http://www.livingbettertogether.com/2013/07/tgif-link-party-no-4_11.html
Have a great day!
Rebecca
This looks amazing!! Have to try it!
(The steak marinade 🙂 )