Air Fryer Ribeye

This Air Fryer Ribeye recipe creates extra flavorful and juicy ribeye steaks done to perfection. Instructions include how to marinate and cook to an internal doneness of your choosing. Once you cook steak in an air fryer, you will never want to prepare it any other way.

During the fall and winter months this steak recipe is amazing served alongside homemade Creamy Mac and Cheese, Roasted Butternut Squash, Twice Baked Mashed Potatoes or Steakhouse Style Red Skin Mashed Potatoes. Throughout the spring and summer months serve this steak with salads such as Broccoli, Creamy Cucumber and Tomato, Tabouli or Summer Pasta Salad. 

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Ingredients Needed

• 14-16 ounce Ribeye Steak
• Coarse Grain Salt– For the best results use a Kosher Salt or Maldon’s Sea Salt Flakes. This is because fine grain salt will dissolve too quickly which can cause very salty meat. Additionally, course salt helps in creating the gorgeous caramelized sear.
• Fresh Garlic Cloves– You will need 4-6 large garlic cloves crushed for each steak. The easiest way to crush garlic is to use a garlic press.
• High Heat Oil– I personally use avocado oil for baking and high heat cooking. See “Best Oil to Use in an Air Fryer” section below for more details. 

How To Make Ribeye Steak in the Air Fryer

Making Garlic Marinade 

1. Peel and crush garlic cloves.
2. Add crushed garlic to small bowl.
3. Add salt to garlic.
4. Stir the salt into garlic well.
5. Add oil to garlic mixture. (Less oil is used for this marinade to create a more paste like consistency.)
6. Stir the mixture well.

Marinating the Steak

1. Place the steak into a shallow pan or on a plate. 
2. Pour the garlic marinade over the top of the steak and spread evenly.
3. Refrigerate and let marinate for at least 1 1/2 hours. 
4. Scrap the marinade off the top of the steak and set aside in the pan.
5. Turn the steak over. 
6. Comparing photo 5 to photo 6, the marinated side will be a deep reddish brown and the un-marinated side will have a bright red color. 
7. Spread the marinade over the top of the second side and place in the refrigerator for another 1 1/2-2 hours to continue marinating.
8. Remove marinade by using a bowl scraper. Generously salt and pepper each side and use hand to pat the salt crystals into the meat. 

Cooking in the Air Fryer

If you haven’t purchased an air fryer yet and are in the market for one, it can be a very confusing venture. Both my husband and I adore our Ninja Foodi Smart Grill because not only does it cook meat perfectly, it roasts, bakes and has a crisp function. It is important to note that the specific steps in grilling may look a bit different for each air fryer. 

1. Plug in the air fryer and the thermometer into the thermometer jack located on the right hand side of the air fryer. Hit the power button, press the Grill option and then choose high heat setting. Press the Preset/Manual button (has thermometer image) and choose Beef setting using the arrows on the right-hand side of the screen. Next, choose desired doneness using the arrows on the left-hand of the screen (see Air Fryer Steak Doneness Chart below). Press the Start button and close the lid to allow the air fryer to heat. 
2. Meanwhile, insert the other end of the thermometer horizontally into the center of the steak. The air fryer will prompt you when to add the steak. Once prompted add the steak, close the lid and wait for the prompt to flip the steak.
3. As the steak cooks it will tell you the target temperature that the steak needs to cook to and its current temperature. Use long handled tongs that are safe for nonstick cookware to flip the steak once the air fryer prompts and close the lid. Wait for the prompt to remove food and then transfer onto a clean platter. Following the prompt, allow steak to rest for 5 minutes. 

Air Fryer Steak Doneness Temperatures 

It is important to note the desired temperatures listed below are slightly lower than other cooking charts. As the steak rests it will continue cooking, bringing the steak to the perfect level of doneness.

 

Expert Tips for Juicy and Flavorful Steaks

Marinating Ribeyes

So let’s be honest, a ribeye steak is a delicious cut of meat without even having to marinade it. This is because of the fat marbling that ribeyes contain and fat has a ton of flavor.

However, using this garlic marinade takes an already wonderful steak and makes it 5 star gourmet delicious. The reason, freshly crushed garlic imparts a ton of flavor. If you love garlic, this is sure to become your new favorite marinade. 

Remove Marinade and Salt the Steak

Once you have marinaded the steak for at least a few hours on each side, the next step is to remove the marinade from the steak. The main reason is because the marinade will burn like crazy if left on the steak while cooking. 

Additionally, generously salting the steak on both sides right before cooking will not only impart more flavor, it will also help to create a gorgeous seared crust. In other words, seared steak tastes like the steak was grilled on a very expensive outdoor grill. 

Use the Air Fryer Thermometer 

Using the air fryer thermometer is the best guide in cooking steak to a temperature that will prevent food borne illness. Also, the thermometer provided with your air fryer will guide you to perfectly cooked beef just the way you like it. 

Resting the Steak

Once you have cooked your steak to the perfect temperature for you, the next step is the most important one. Rest your steak on a plate for 5-7 minutes. This allows the beef to cool slightly which redistributes the juices back into the meat. In other words, you will have an insanely juicy steak. 

Best Oil to Use in an Air Fryer

My family has been marinating steak for decades with this very simple garlic marinade. However, prior to using an air fryer we would always use olive oil in the marinade. When cooking on an open grill or in a frying pan you can bend the rules and use olive oil in for the marinade. However, with an air fryer it is important to use a high heat cooking oil such as avocado oil to prevent smoking and burning. 

Pro Tip: Here is a helpful breakdown of cooking oils and their best uses.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is an Air Fryer good for steak?

Oh my word YES!!! In fact, it is safe to say that the Ninja Foodie Smart Grill air fryer does the absolute best job at cooking steaks that I have ever seen.

Does the steak need to come to room temperature before cooking?

This is a highly debated topic and I have personally gone back and forth with my opinion of whether a steak needs to come to room temperature before cooking. The reality is, it takes hours to bring a steak to room temperature and I have yielded great results pulling a steak from the refrigerator and cooking immediately. Presently I do a happy medium by pulling the steaks from the refrigerator a hour before cooking. 

Do you need to flip steak when cooking in an Air Fryer?

Yes, I highly recommend flipping the steaks to achieve the gorgeous sear on both sides. It is that sear that makes the steak feel like gourmet BBQ diner. 

What is the best thickness to buy for ribeye steaks?

I recommend buying 1 1/4- 1 1/2 inch thick rib eye steaks. 

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Beef and Dumplings

Crispy Sesame Beef

Tuscan Black Pepper red Wine Stew

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Carne Asada