These flank steak fajitas pair zesty, juicy beef with tender peppers and onions for a restaurant-quality meal in your own home. Make the easy dinner in a skillet on the stovetop or outside on the grill! Served with a stack of soft, warm tortillas, it’s a family-friendly meal that everyone can agree on.
Table of Contents
If you’re looking for even more fajita recipes, don’t miss these sheet pan fajitas, this dump-and-bake chicken fajita casserole, a batch of sheet pan chicken fajitas, and these skillet shrimp fajitas, too!
Why You’ll Love this Recipe
- Easy. Use a quick homemade fajita seasoning blend or grab a packet of store-bought seasoning. This recipe comes together quickly with simple ingredients that you can find in just about any store.
- Versatile. Whether you prepare them on the outdoor grill or in a cast iron skillet on the stovetop, flank steak fajitas are such an easy way to make the whole family happy. While you might pile your steak on top of a salad or rice bowl with all of the toppings, the kids can keep it simple with just meat, cheese, and tortillas. Customizable meals are the way to go — and you don’t even need to visit your local Tex-Mex restaurant!
- Healthy. Full of lean protein and vegetables, these fajitas are a light and healthy way to nourish your family.
Ingredients
This is just a quick overview of the ingredients that you’ll need for our favorite steak fajita recipe. As always, specific measurements and step-by-step instructions are included in the printable recipe box at the bottom of the post.
- Flank steak: or substitute with skirt steak. These are the best cuts of beef for fajitas. Skirt steak is a little bit more tender than flank steak, so it can be cooked more without getting tough or chewy (in other words, choose skirt steak if you prefer your meat well done). By contrast, we typically opt for flank steak, which is leaner and therefore best when cooked rare or medium-rare.
- Onion and bell peppers: yellow onion, white onion, or sweet onion will work. You can also pick your favorite bell peppers. We like the sweetness of red, orange, or yellow bell peppers, while green adds a little bit of a zesty bite that’s also tasty.
- Olive oil: to sauté the vegetables and sear the steak in a cast iron skillet.
- Spices: paprika, chili powder, ground cumin, onion powder, garlic powder, cayenne pepper, kosher salt, and ground black pepper come together to create the perfect zesty fajita seasoning dry rub. The meat and veggies are full of flavor — no marinade necessary!
Instructions
You can make flank steak fajitas from scratch on the grill or in a cast iron skillet on the stovetop. Pick whichever method you prefer! While the meat rests, sauté the veggies and you’re ready to feast. You’ll find detailed directions in the recipe card below, but here’s the quick version:
- Stir together the seasoning and rub it on all sides of the meat.
- Cook the steak on a grill or in a large cast iron skillet on the stovetop. Use a meat thermometer to know exactly when your meat is done to your liking. Flank steak stays tender and juicy when it’s cooked rare or medium-rare, so be careful not to cook it for too long.
- Allow the meat to rest before slicing. This allows the juices to redistribute throughout the meat (rather than running onto the grill, skillet, or cutting board), yielding the juiciest fajita steak possible!
- Sauté the vegetables in a skillet.
- Thinly slice the meat against the grain (perpendicular to those natural lines that you see running through the steak). This shortens the muscle fibers and tenderizes the meat.
- Assemble the fajitas with warm tortillas and your favorite toppings.
Serving Suggestions
There are so many great toppings to add to your fajitas. For instance, try shredded lettuce, pico de gallo, salsa, cheese, guacamole or diced avocado, chopped onion, and sour cream.
On the side, pair the beef fajitas with easy Mexican rice or a cilantro lime rice (like you might find at Chipotle), a simple green salad topped with a creamy buttermilk dressing or salsa ranch dressing, a tostada de tinga, refried beans, chips and salsa, black bean and corn salad, or this quick and easy pico de gallo.
Preparation and Storage Tips
- Prep Ahead: You can prepare the fajita seasoning mix in advance and keep it stored in an airtight container in the pantry for up to 3 months. If you make fajitas regularly, triple or quadruple the ingredients to make a larger batch to have on hand.
- How to Store: Leftovers will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for about 3 days.
- How to Freeze: You can freeze cooked steak fajitas; however, I find that the meat is the only component that keeps well. Wrapped tightly, the cooked steak will stay fresh in the freezer for up to 2 months. The vegetables tend to have a mushy, watery texture when thawed, so I don’t recommend freezing those.
Recipe Variations
- Don’t want to prepare your own fajita seasoning? For a shortcut, you can purchase packets of store-bought seasoning instead.
- Instead of flank steak, use skirt steak or just about any other steak that you prefer. Skirt steak is a little bit more tender than flank steak, so it can be cooked more without getting tough or chewy (in other words, choose skirt steak if you prefer your meat well done). By contrast, flank steak is leaner and therefore best when cooked rare or medium-rare. We’ve also used New York strip steaks for fajitas in the past (just adjust the cooking time for larger, thicker cuts).
- Serving just two people? Cut the ingredients in half and prepare one flank steak (about 1 lb. total).
Helpful Tips
- This steak fajita seasoning has a small amount of “heat,” thanks to a little bit of cayenne. I would consider it comparable to “medium” salsa. If your family prefers a spicier fajita, increase the amount of cayenne or serve the fajitas topped with jalapeños. By contrast, if you want a more mild fajita seasoning, I suggest cutting the amount of cayenne in half (or omit it altogether).
- Cooking time will vary depending on the size, thickness, and cut of your meat, as well as your personal preference. It’s always best to use a digital instant-read meat thermometer to know when your steak has reached the ideal temperature.
- We prefer soft, warm flour tortillas with fajitas, but you can also serve the meat and veggies with corn tortillas, over rice, on cauliflower rice, or on top of salad.
- Warm the tortillas in the microwave wrapped in damp paper towels until heated through, about 15-30 seconds. You can also char or toast flour or corn tortillas directly on gas burners over a medium-low flame for about 15 seconds per side.
- Squeeze fresh lime juice over the fajitas just before serving for a bright, acidic finish.
More Flank Steak Recipes to Try
Flank Steak Marinade
2 hours hrs 20 minutes mins
Easy Carne Asada {for the Grill or Oven}
1 hour hr 25 minutes mins
Steak Salad
1 hour hr 18 minutes mins
Flank Steak Fajitas
Ingredients
FAJITA SEASONING
- 2 tablespoons paprika
- 2 tablespoons chili powder
- 2 teaspoons cumin
- 2 teaspoons onion powder
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon cayenne
FAJITAS
- 2 lbs. flank steak (or sub with skirt steak)
- 1 large onion, thinly sliced
- 2 sweet bell peppers (any color), thinly sliced
- Olive oil
- Optional, for serving: salsa, flour tortillas, sour cream, guacamole, shredded cheese, fresh lime juice, cilantro
Instructions
- In a small bowl, stir together the seasoning.
- Rub the seasoning into the beef and set aside. Reserve any leftover seasoning for the vegetables, if desired.
GRILL METHOD
- Prepare a hot fire by piling charcoal on one side of grill, leaving other side empty. (For gas grills, only light one side.) Place food grate on grill. Place steak on lit side of grill. Grill, covered with grill lid, over medium-high heat (350° to 400°) about 20 minutes, flipping halfway through. If you are cooking a smaller flank steak or skirt steak (about 1 lb.), it may only need about 15 minutes on the grill.
- The steak is done when the edges are charred and crispy, and you see some nicely dark searing on the top. Check the temperature in the thickest part with an instant-read thermometer: 115 to 120°F for rare steak, 120 to 125°F for medium-rare steak, 130 to 135°F for medium steak, and 140 to 145°F for medium-well steak.
- Let the steak rest while you prepare the vegetables.
SKILLET METHOD
- Heat a large cast iron pan or griddle over high heat. Add 1 tablespoon of oil to the hot skillet and heat the oil for 1 more minute. Sear the steak in the hot oil for about 3-4 minutes per side, or until it reaches desired temperature.
- Check the temperature in the thickest part with an instant-read thermometer: 115 to 120°F for rare steak, 120 to 125°F for medium-rare steak, 130 to 135°F for medium steak, and 140 to 145°F for medium-well steak.
- Let the steak rest while you prepare the vegetables.
FOR THE VEGETABLES
- Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Cook and stir the onions and peppers in the hot oil until they’re tender (about 7-10 minutes). Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
SERVE
- Warm up the tortillas by heating them in the microwave, on the grill or in a dry pan.
- Slice the beef against the grain in ½-inch thick slices. Serve the beef with the warm tortillas and the vegetables. Garnish with optional toppings and serve!
Notes
- This steak fajita seasoning has a small amount of “heat,” thanks to a little bit of cayenne. I would consider it comparable to “medium” salsa. If your family prefers a spicier fajita, increase the amount of cayenne or serve the fajitas topped with jalapeños. By contrast, if you want a more mild fajita seasoning, I suggest cutting the amount of cayenne in half (or omit it altogether).
- Cooking time will vary depending on the size, thickness, and cut of your meat, as well as your personal preference. It’s always best to use a digital instant-read meat thermometer to know when your steak has reached the ideal temperature.
- Thinly slice the meat against the grain (perpendicular to those natural lines that you see running through the steak). This shortens the muscle fibers and tenderizes the meat.
- We prefer soft, warm flour tortillas with fajitas, but you can also serve the meat and veggies with corn tortillas, over rice, on cauliflower rice, or on top of salad.
- Warm the tortillas in the microwave wrapped in damp paper towels until heated through, about 15-30 seconds. You can also char or toast flour or corn tortillas directly on gas burners over a medium-low flame for about 15 seconds per side.
- Squeeze fresh lime juice over the fajitas just before serving for a bright, acidic finish.
Nutrition
A Note on Nutrition
Flank steak fajitas are actually a healthy Tex-Mex meal! They’re also flexible, because you can customize your toppings to suit your individual nutritional goals. Ounce for ounce, a flank steak has fewer calories and more protein than a ribeye or porterhouse. Grilling the steak doesn’t add any fat or calories to the meat, and the seasoning is low in sodium, fat, and calories. Top it off with some healthy sautéed vegetables and you’ve got a delicious dinner that’s really nutritious!
One sixth of this steak fajitas recipe has approximately 330 calories, 18 grams of fat, 9 grams of carbohydrates and 33 grams of protein. The nutrition information will vary as you add tortillas or rice and other toppings. To keep it light and low-carb, serve the sliced meat and vegetables over salad greens or cauliflower rice.
This recipe was originally published in July, 2020. It was updated in April, 2024.
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