Make this savory marinated cube steak in your air fryer in a flash! We’ll show you how to turn an inexpensive beef cut into a delicious dinner.
“This was my first time making cube steak, and I couldn't believe how easy and delicious it is! Thanks for a new family favorite. :)”
Recipe Overview
The key to a tender and delicious air fryer cube steak is this simple marinade. In fact, I find that marinades make most things better. I use this BBQ Tofu Marinade with all sorts of proteins and veggies, but the marinade I’m sharing today is perfect for beef.
If you grew up eating tough, dry cube steaks, you will be pleasantly surprised with this recipe. We are tenderizing the cube steak even more with our delicious savory marinade.
You’ll pull these out of the air fryer and have tender, juicy cube steaks like you’ve never had before.
For a different spin on cube steak, make Air Fryer Chicken Fried Steak!
ingredients you’ll need
- Cube Steak – You’ll need about 1 pound of cube steaks for this recipe. That’s usually four pieces.
- Olive Oil – This is the base of our marinade and adds tons of moisture.
- Worcestershire Sauce – Check for gluten-free Worcestershire sauce if needed. This sauce has a savory, umami flavor that goes beautifully with beef.
- Balsamic Vinegar – for both flavor and tenderizing. Balsamic vinegar helps break down the meat a bit more during the marinating time.
- Dijon Mustard – This thickens up the marinade, helps the oil mix with the vinegar, and adds a tangy flavor.
- Garlic – Fresh garlic is best for this marinade. It adds tons of flavor to the beef.
- Salt – I like kosher salt for marinades.
- Pepper – Freshly ground adds the most flavor.
How to Make it
- Place the cube steaks in a shallow baking dish or pan.
- Create the marinade by mixing together the olive oil, Worcestershire sauce, balsamic vinegar, dijon mustard, and minced garlic.
- Stir to combine.
- Pour the marinade over the cube steak. Allow to marinate for at least an hour in the refrigerator.
- Preheat the air fryer to 400ºF for 5 minutes.
- Remove the steaks from the marinade being sure to let excess sauce drip off. Place cube steaks in the air fryer in a single layer, working in batches if needed.
- Air Fry as directed in the recipe card below. Let steaks rest for 5 minutes before serving.
Serving Tips
If you love sauce you might want to whip up your own steak sauce! This recipe is ready to be served with your favorite side dishes!
Air Fryer potato wedges are always a hit when served with steak, and perfect for dipping into ketchup or your favorite sauce. Other potato dishes, like Air Fryer Baked Potatoes or New Potatoes would be delicious too.
I like to serve a vegetable with my meals as well. Try Air Fryer Broccoli or Air Fryer Asparagus.
How Long Does It Take to Cook?
It really only takes about 5-7 minutes to cook a cube steak in the air fryer. The most time-consuming part of this recipe is the marinade.
Is Cubed Steak Supposed to Be Tough?
Nope! If cooked right, your cube steak will be tender and juicy. Follow this recipe for the best air fryer cube steak.
Air Fryer Cube Steak
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 lb cube steak
- ¼ cup olive oil
- ¼ cup Worcestershire Sauce
- ¼ cup balsamic vinegar
- 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
Instructions
- Place cube steaks in a shallow baking dish or pan.
- Mix together the olive oil, Worcestershire sauce, balsamic vinegar, Dijon mustard, and minced garlic. Stir to combine.
- Pour the marinade over the cube steak. Let marinate for at least an hour in the refrigerator.
- Preheat air fryer to 400F for 5 minutes.
- Remove the cube steaks from the marinade, being sure to let excess sauce drip off the steaks. Place the cube steaks in the air fryer in a single layer, working in batches if needed.
- Air fry at 400F for 6-7 minutes, or until the cube steaks have reached an internal temperature of 145F. Be sure not to overcook as the steak will get tough.
- Let rest for 5 minutes before slicing so the juices don't run out of the steaks.
Notes
- You can typically find cube steak pre-tenderized at the grocery store in the meat section.
- Cube steak is a tougher cut of meat, so marinating it for at least an hour helps to break down the meat and create a more tender steak.
- Pro Tip: This recipe can be made in the air fryer unit with a basket or the air fryer oven. If you are using the air fryer oven, use the middle rack and select the “Air Fry” function.
- Pro Tip: Check your food as it cooks. Each air fryer runs a bit differently. Sometimes airfying is a trial and error process. Check your food as it cooks to learn your air fryer better! When cooking a new recipe or food items be sure to check your food often to help avoid over/under cooking.
Nutrition
I remember when my Mom used to make cube steaks when we were kids. They were tougher than shoe leather! Boy not with this recipe! These are tender, delicious and incredibly easy! Thanks.
Hi Beth! So glad we could take a childhood memory and make it delicious!!
Love how the air fryer allows you to make simple yet delicious dinners! I wouldn’t be without my air fryer 🙂
Love how easy this recipe is. Can’t wait to try it this weekend.
I’m new to air frying and just learning through recipes online. Is there a reason you preheat before you marinate?
Hi Brian!
Thank you for pointing that out. This was a mistake in the recipe card and has now been fixed. I hope that helps!
Happy air frying 🙂
I should start using our air fryer more often. Your recipe is a great inspiration 🙂 I cannot wait to give it a try!
This was my first time making cube steak, and I couldn’t believe how easy and delicious it is! Thanks for a new family favorite. 🙂
Can the balsamic be substituted for like an apple cider or regular vinegar? I don’t have balsamic on hand.
You can use ACV as a sub. It may alter the taste a bit, but it will work 🙂
So yummy! I cooked them the whole time on the recipe, not thinking about them being thinner ones. Next time, I’ll follow your advice to check them. Especially if they are on the thinner side. Still very tasty! A keeper, for sure!
So glad you enjoyed them!
This was the most interesting thing I’ve cooked in a long time! I had my mother’s depression-era cube steak in my head, and for some reason wanted to re-create it. However, I really didn’t want it to be fried to save the calories.
I did one on bake and one on air fry using the same marinade and appliance. I have a new dual air fryer, and the one in air fry was actually juicy and very enjoyable! The one on bake was leathery and tough. Not only did I like cube steak again, but understand now how different the air frying cooking really is! Thank you for the moce meal and lesson!
I take the basic ingredients then substitute if I have to. for example using avocado oil instead of evoo. using brown mustard instead of djon. every time comes out good.
Great idea! Sometimes you have to work with what you’ve got!