Air Fryer Steak Bites

Super quick and easy Air Fryer Steak Bites are perfectly tender on the inside, crispy on the outside, and seasoned to perfection! Serve them as an appetizer for any occasion, or enjoy them as your main dish!

Air fryer steak bites are my new favorite way of cooking steak!

Okay that was a blatant lie.

For me, nothing will ever top a Perfect Grilled Steak.

However, I will say, these air fryer steak bites took me by complete surprise in the best possible way.

A nice crisp on the outside, tender throughout, and the ability to cook the bites to your desired level of done-ness (medium-rare, medium, well-done, you catch my drift), and amazing flavor.

They’re shockingly good!

The way I see it, steak bites are the perfect appetizer, snack, or even main dish when paired with sides.

Let’s put the car in reverse and backtrack for a bit.

What Are Steak Bites?:

If you’re anything like me, you may be a little unsure about what constitutes a steak bite. And furthermore, you may be curious about their purpose.

Well. Steak bites are simply little bites of juicy tender steak. The steak gets chopped into bite-sized pieces before cooking it. Then, the bites are cooked to perfection by either searing the bites in a skillet, baking them on a sheet pan in the oven, or (as seen in this case), air frying.

The end result is a luscious little appetizer or meal depending on what you’re going for. The way I see it, steak bites are a great little number to tide you (and your guests) over while you’re cooking the main event.

Let’s chat about the simple ingredients needed to make these beauties are reality. The best part is you can find all of these ingredients at any grocery store.

Wondering what type of steak to use for juicy air fryer steak bites? Let’s dive in.

Ingredient Notes:

Steak: The main ingredient and star of the show here! Pick your favorite cut of steak. My typical go-to’s are NY Strip or ribeye. 

Filet mignon is phenomenal if you don’t mind the added expense. I will say, any cheap piece of steak will work, especially if you marinate it ahead of time.

What is amazing about this recipe is it works really well with other cuts of steak, including stew meat, strip steak, and sirloin steak too. Stew meat tends to be very hard unless it is cooked for a long period of time. Oddly enough, it turns out tender and juicy…plenty interesting!

Avocado Oil: Avocado oil ensures the steak bites stay nice and lubed during the air fryer process so that they get that delectable crisp.

It also helps keep the seasonings pasted to the beef for optimal flavor. Use olive oil if you prefer.

Liquid Aminos or Soy Sauce (or Coconut Aminos): Just a touch of liquid aminos, soy sauce, or coconut aminos gives the steak bites that steakhouse rich flavor. If you prefer worcestershire sauce, you can use that instead!

Garlic Powder, Paprika, Sea Salt, and Black Pepper: An epic steak seasoning blend for any type of animal protein, the combination of garlic powder, paprika, sea salt, and black pepper works flavor wonders!

Remember, there is quite a bit of salt in liquid aminos and soy sauce already to go a little easier on the sea salt than you’d think – you can always add salt at the end if needed.

Recipe Customizations:

• If you love using Italian seasoning or lemon pepper, feel free to use your own spice blend creation.
• For garlic butter steak bites, use 3 to 4 tablespoons of melted butter and 4 to 5 cloves of minced garlic.
• Use The Best Steak Marinade to enhance the flavor even more!

Let’s make these air fryer steak bites, shall we?!

How Long to Air Fry Steak Bites:

The short answer for how long to cook steak bites is 4-5 minutes for two to three intervals.

You can adjust the cooking time depending on your desired level of doneness.

If you’re looking for crispy steak bites: If you want that crisp around the outside, air fry at 400 degrees for 10 to 15 minutes total, shaking the air fryer basket once or twice part-way through.

If you’re looking for a medium-rare steak bite, be sure to cut the steak into larger pieces, or they will most certainly cook through during the air frying process.

Cook for 6 minutes, shake, cook for another 1 to 2 and check for done-ness.

If needed, you can always air fry for a minute or two longer.

The air fry time depends on the size of your steak pieces and whether or not the pieces of steak are at room temperature going into the air fryer. Smaller pieces will need less cooking time than large chunks.

For the best results, spot check the internal temperature using a meat thermometer. Simply insert the meat thermometer and wait until the numbers stop moving for an accurate read.

How to Make Air Fryer Steak Bites:

Transfer the steak to a large cutting board and use a sharp knife to cut it into 1-inch cubes. Try to make the bite size pieces fairly uniform so that all of the bites cook to the same level of doneness.

Preheat the air fryer at 400 degrees for 2-3 minutes.

Add all of the ingredients to a mixing bowl and stir well until everything is coated in oil and seasoning. 

Note: if you’d like to marinate the steak for 1 to 24 hours, feel free to do so, but it is not necessary. You can cover the large bowl of marinated steak pieces with plastic wrap and refrigerate until you’re ready to cook.

Transfer the raw steak bites to the air fryer basket in a single layer. Depending on the size of your air fryer, you may need to do this in batches.

Air fry 10 to 20 minutes or until steak reaches desired done-ness, stopping twice throughout the air fry process to shake the drawer.

I let mine go for about 12 to 15 minutes and they turn out perfectly tender and juicy with crispy edges.

And that’s it! Crispy, juicy, tender bites of beef that will surely please!

Make these juicy steak bites for any occasion as a great low carb snack, side dish, or serve it with a side salad or roasted veggies for a delicious meal for busy weeknights.

Store any leftover steak bites in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.

And obviously serve this air fryer steak bites recipe with melted butter, steak sauce, or garlic butter sauce 😉

Recipe Tips:

1. Preheating the air fryer yields the crispiest result, because the bits of steak achieve a good sear when air fried at a high heat.
2. Prepare side dishes to serve with steak bites to turn it into a full meal.

And that’s it! An easy recipe involving minimal prep time and little clean up. This air fryer steak bites recipe is a great way of enjoying perfect bites of crispy yet tender beef every time you’re craving a delicious steak.

If you love steak bites in the air fryer and are a fan of crispy proteins, also try my Sesame Garlic Air Fryer Salmon Bites and my Crispy Air Fryer Salmon recipe.

Or my Air Fryer Steak for a whole perfect air fryer steak!

Here are some more of my favorite air fryer recipes.

I hope you enjoy these bites of beef as much as I do!

More Delicious Air Fryer Recipes:

• Air Fryer Chicken Buffalo Wings
• Air Fryer Cream Cheese Stuffed Mini Peppers
• Air Fryer Lamb Chops
• Crispy Baked Avocado Fries
• Air Fryer Chicken Wings
• Air Fryer Buffalo Cauliflower Bites