Air Fryer Steak Tips
Serve your family steak any night of the week with these delicious and juicy air fryer steak tips ready in less than 30 minutes.
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My family loves steak, but it’s not always possible to fit a steak dinner for four into my grocery budget. That’s why I love preparing these seasoned steak tips. When served with a few sides, my family gets the flavor of steak that they crave without carving a huge chunk out of my grocery budget. Another plus: These are prepared in the air fryer, so we can have steak any night of the week — even on busy weeknights.
What are steak tips?
Steak tips are cubed beef cut from sirloin, the part of the cow just under the ribs and in front of the hip. They are not the same as beef tips, which usually come from cheaper cuts of meat such as chuck. Sirloin is leaner and more tender than chuck, which works well for dishes that do not require long cooking times to break down the muscle fibers.
Best cut of beef for steak tips
I wanted to keep this recipe relatively budget-friendly, so I selected a round round tip roast, also known as sirloin tip roast. Depending on where you live, it may also be called French roll roast, knuckle roast, ball tip roast, bald tip roast or just tip roast. It is an affordable cut that, when prepared correctly, still has that juicy steak flavor.
The pros and cons of cooking steak tips in the air fryer
Despite the name, air fryers aren’t fryers. They are little countertop convection ovens. The combination of the heating element and the fan circulates hot air for a faster and more even cooking time. Though it is possible to achieve a nice crispy crust on some fried foods, they aren’t actually fried.
Pros
- Shorter cook time. I can prepare food in a fraction of the time that it would take to cook something in my oven, making it a great option for busy weeknights.
- It’s hands-off. There is no standing over a skillet on the stove. I can place these in the air fryer basket, set the cook time and go work on side dishes while it’s cooking.
- Easy clean up. I don’t have grease splattering all over like I would if I cooked these in a skillet on the stove.
- Less grease. The basket insert allows grease to drip off the meat and away from my food. Not so if these were prepared in a skillet or in the oven.
Cons
- Little to no caramelization. I will offer some tips to help with that later, but there is not going to be a nice crusty sear on the outside like you would get from a grill or hot skillet. A longer cook time does allow some caramelization to develop, but you run the risk of overcooking and ending up with chewy meat.
Ingredients and tools you will need
Juicy air fryer steak bites requires nine ingredients. Many of these you may already have in your cabinet. To make this recipe, you’ll need:
- 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 cup of water
- 2 pounds top sirloin – try to remove any hard fat and cut the meat into one-inch bite-sized pieces.
- 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 3/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 3/4 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/2 teaspoon olive oil
- Colander
- Air fryer – I used one of the basket style air fryers.
How to tenderize the steak tips
While sirloin is more tender than a cheap chuck roast, it’s not as tender as a premium cut. Therefore, it does benefit from some tenderization. We are going to use a technique commonly used in Chinese cuisine called velveting.
Velveting is the process of marinating tough cuts of meat in a slurry of baking soda and water. It may sound weird to marinate meat in baking soda, but there is a scientific explanation behind it. Long story short, the baking soda prevents the proteins in the meat from bonding together and making your meat chewy. Trust me, once you learn this technique, you’ll be using it all the time.
Dissolve the baking soda in the water. Add the steak pieces and stir to coat the meat with the slurry. Let the steak bites soak in the dissolved baking soda for 15 minutes. Drain the water and thoroughly rinse the meat. We don’t want the baking soda to affect the flavor or the beef, that’s why it’s important to rinse the baking soda thoroughly.
How to make air fryer steak tips
As I mentioned above, we won’t be able to get a crust on our beef tips, but there are a few things we can do to promote a little color. First, we want the surface of the meat as dry as possible. Once you’ve rinsed the baking soda off the meat, spread it out on a layer of paper towels and blot any excess moisture. Let the beef tips continue to sit at room temperature for about 15 minutes while you mix up the seasoning.
Again, to promote some color on our meat, I opted not to flavor the steak tips with a wet marinade, but used a dry rub instead. In a small bowl, combine the kosher salt, garlic powder, onion powder, ground black pepper and dried thyme.
Coat the tips with the olive oil. This may not seem like much oil, but remember, we want just enough oil to encourage our seasoning to coat the surface of the meat but not discourage browning. Sprinkle half the seasoning mix over the steak tips, give it a good stir, then sprinkle the other half and stir again.
Preheat the air fryer to 400 degrees for five minutes. Spray the bottom of the basket with cooking spray. Spread the steak tips in an even layer on the bottom of the basket. If you have a small air fryer you may have to do this in batches. Don’t overcrowd. You want the steak tips spread out so that air can circulate freely all around.
Air fry the steak tips for three minutes at 400 degrees F. Open the basket and shake or flip the meat. Then cook them at 400 degrees F for another three minutes, six minutes total. This will give you juicy, medium-rare meat with an internal temperature between 130 – 140 degrees on an instant-read thermometer. If you prefer your steak tips more well done, cook them for longer. I recommend cooking the steak tips for (2) four-minute intervals (eight minutes total) for medium well (internal temp of 150 F on a meat thermometer) or (2) five-minute intervals (10 minutes total) for well done (internal temperature of 155 degrees F).
Storage, freezing and reheating instructions
Storage. Air fryer steak tips should be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator within two hours. Consume within four days.
Freezing. Store steak tips in a freezer-safe container or plastic freezer bag. Consume within three months. Thaw before reheating.
Reheating. You will want to be careful reheating steak tips because you could run the risk of overcooking the meat, leaving the texture tough and chewy. Preheat the air fryer to 350 degrees F for five minutes. Then add the steak tips to the basket and heat for 1-3 minutes until the steak is heated through.
Frequently asked questions
I don’t like thyme. Can I use a different herb?
Yes, rosemary is a woodsy herb that holds up well to heat and pairs nicely with steak. You could also omit the thyme entirely.
Can I use stew meat?
Stew meat is a tougher cut of meat than sirloin. It’s meant for dishes that are cooked slow and slow. Even by tenderizing the stew meat with baking soda, I still don’t recommend using it for this dish.
Can I use a different cut of meat such as tenderloin or ribeye?
You may run across other variations of steak tips that use cubed tenderloin, ribeye or New York Strip. I don’t know about you, but if I’m shelling out that kind of money for a premium steak, I’m throwing that sucker on a grill, not cutting it into little pieces for an air fryer. But if you can afford it, go right ahead.
My favorite sides to serve air fryer steak tips with
Air Fryer Steak Tips
Ingredients
- 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 cup of water
- 2 pounds top sirloin fat removed and cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 3/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 3/4 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/2 teaspoon olive oil
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the baking soda and the water until the baking soda is dissolved. Add the meat and stir. Let the meat stand for 15 minutes, then drain the water and rinse the baking soda off the meat.
- Spread the steak tips out on a layer of paper towels. Gently blot any excess moisture from the surface of the meat. Let the steak tips continue to air dry while you mix the seasonings.
- Combine the salt, garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper and thyme. Drizzle the meat with the olive oil and stir to coat. Sprinkle the meat with half the seasoning, stir, then repeat with the other half.
- Preheat the air fryer to 400 degrees F for five minutes. Spray the bottom of the basket with cooking spray. Spread the steak tips out in an even layer in the basket. If you have a small air fryer, you may have to do this in batches. Don’t overcrowd the meat.
- Cook the steak tips at 400 degrees for three minutes. Flip the steak tips or shake the basket, then cook for another three minutes, six minutes total for medium rare. Add two minutes to the cooking time for medium well and four minutes to the cooking time for well done.
