Healthy Recipes
These Steak Fajitas will Blow Your Mind without Busting Your Macros
Learn the secrets to making tender, juicy steak fajitas that will fit any healthy eating plan.
I don’t want to overhype this, but… we knocked it out of the park this time.
These simple steak fajitas are more than just good. They’re don’t-talk-to-me-while-I’m-chewing-this-heavenly-mouthful-with-my-eyes-closed good.
This equation will help you understand why you need to make these fajitas ASAP:
Tender, marinated steak + sizzling fajita veggies + creamy sour cream + crisp cilantro + buttery avocado + a warm, soft flour tortilla =
… the most divine Tex-Mex bite you’ll ever chomp.
Unlike restaurant fajitas which are often loaded with processed oils and cheese, these mouthwatering fajitas make a nutritious and wholesome meal.
You can easily customize this meal to fit your goals. Using whole wheat flour tortillas provides the healthy, whole grain carbs your body needs. If you’re looking for a lower-carb option, just pile your steak, fajita veggies, avocado, sour cream, and all the fixins on a mountain of greens to make it a steak fajita salad!
We’ll kick it off with some essential secrets on how to make these fajitas utterly fabulous. After that, we’ll get into the (surprisingly easy) recipe.
4 Tips for Keeping Fajita Meat Tender
Use these simple techniques to prevent toughness, chewiness, and other undesirable meat adjectives.
Marinate
Marinating the beef for at least two hours is crucial for its flavor and tenderness. Luckily, this marinade comes together quickly and uses common ingredients that come in handy in plenty of other dishes.
Don’t Overcook
Flank steak becomes tough, chewy, and flavorless when cooked too long. Cook the meat to medium-rare to ensure maximum tender juicy goodness.
Let it Rest
Once you pull the meat off the heat, let it rest for 5–10 minutes. Resting the meat helps it retain its juices when you cut it. You don’t want to lose those precious juices on the cutting board.
Slice Against the Grain
Find the grain (long muscle fibers) running through the meat and slice opposite or across the grain.
Choose from 2 Equally Delicious Ways to Cook Your Steak
- The “reverse sear”, which uses your oven and stovetop, or
- The grill.
We tested both methods and they were glorious. Choose whichever one works best for you and your kitchen setup!
Pro Tip from the Grill Master
The “reverse sear” method of cooking steak in the oven at low heat followed by searing it in a hot pan or on the grill works beautifully for any cut of steak. Next time you’re making a New York or a Ribeye, try it out. It’s the most foolproof way to cook a perfect steak every time.
3 Tips for Making Amazing, Sizzling Fajita Veggies
For years, I thought I was making fajita veggies by simply sautéing onions, peppers, and mushrooms in olive oil. But after researching how to make colorful, smoky, tender-crisp fajita veggies, I realized I had been doing it wrong!
I was making two rookie mistakes:
- Overcooking the veggies, and
- Skipping the fajita spices.
No wonder my aforementioned fajita veggies were soggy, bland, and fifty shades of brown. :(
Oh well — we learn from our mistakes, right?
After doing some serious reading and YouTubing on how to make Michelin-Star-worthy fajita veggies, I finally nailed it — and it’s super easy. I just had to make the following changes:
Use Coconut Oil Instead of Olive Oil
Why? Because coconut oil has a higher smoking point than olive oil. This allows you to cook at a higher heat and get that sizzling, perfectly charred flavor.
Sprinkle Those Fajita Spices
All you need are a few pinches of chili powder, cumin, salt, and pepper. Game changer! Especially the chili powder.
Skip the Mushrooms
Mushrooms have a high water content, which was a key reason why my old veggies were mushy. And brown. Ew. By limiting your veggies to colorful peppers and onions, it’s easy to get that sought-after rainbow of fajita flavor!
Now that you know how to make tender, juicy flank steak and flawless fajita veggies, let’s whip up some fajitas!
Famous Flank Steak Fajitas
Prep time: 20 minutes
Cook time: 30 minutes
Macros / calories per serving: 46g protein, 26g fat, 39g carbs. 571 calories. (Assumes 6 oz. of flank steak and 1 whole wheat tortilla. Includes sour cream, avocado, and fajita veggies. Data from MyFitnessPal.)
Ingredients
Steak Marinade
- 1/3 cup of olive oil
- 1/3 cup of lime juice
- 1 tablespoon of garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon of ground cumin
- 1 tablespoon of chili powder
- 1/2 tablespoon of paprika
- 1/2 tablespoon of salt
Flank Steak
- 2 whole flank steaks. A typical flank steak weighs ~2 lbs, so you’ll want to get ~4 lbs total.
Fajita Veggies
- 2 red onions, thinly sliced
- 1 green bell pepper, thinly sliced
- 1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
- 1 yellow bell pepper, thinly sliced
- 1 tablespoon of coconut oil
- 2 pinches each of: chili powder, ground cumin, kosher salt, and black pepper
Fixins
- Cilantro, coarsely chopped
- 1 avocado, sliced
- Sour cream
- Flour tortillas. Our top pick is Mission’s whole wheat flour tortillas, but feel free to use your fave tortillas.
- Lettuce, tomato, and cucumber for a quick and easy salad. Always eat your veggies!
Instructions
Marinate the Steak
- Combine the marinade ingredients in a bowl and mix well.
- Put each whole steak into a 1-gallon zipper-lock bag and pour half of the marinade into each bag. Press out the air, seal the bags, and squish the beef and marinade around until the beef is completely covered.
- Marinate in the fridge for at least 2 hours and up to 24 hours.
Cook the Steak
You’ve got two options for cooking your meat: you can use your oven and stovetop, or you can grill it. We tested both methods and we honestly didn’t have a preference; both were delicious.
Oven / Stovetop Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 260°F.
- Put the marinated steaks on a flat roasting pan and cook them in the oven at 260°F for 20 minutes. Pull the steak out of the oven and set aside.
- In a large cast iron skillet or sauté pan, heat 1 tablespoon of coconut oil on high heat. Once the oil is shimmering, put one of the steaks in the pan and cook for 4 minutes per side. Use a spatula to press the meat down into the pan to maximize searing and give the meat a nice char. Check the bottom of your steak every couple of minutes to make sure it’s not burning. You want it to be nicely seared with a bit of char, but not blackened.
- Pull the steak from the pan and set it aside on a cutting board. Let it rest for 5–10 minutes before slicing it. While the first steak is resting, repeat the process (sear, then rest) for the second steak.
Grill Instructions
- Heat up your grill to 500°F.
- When the grill is hot, sear the steaks on the grill for 1–2 minutes per side.
- Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook the steaks for 7–8 minutes per side.
- Pull the steaks from the grill and set aside on a cutting board. Let the meat rest for 5–10 minutes before slicing it.
After the meat has rested, find the grain running through it and cut it into thin slices, opposite the grain.
Make the Fajita Veggies
- Heat 1 tablespoon of coconut oil over high heat in a large cast iron skillet or sauté pan. Once the oil is shimmering, add the onions and bell peppers. Stir every few minutes to ensure they don’t burn.
- While the veggies are cooking, sprinkle with 2 pinches each of chili powder, cumin, salt, and pepper.
- Cook for about 8 minutes, or until the veggies are tender-crisp and slightly blackened, but still have plenty of color and life. Don’t overcook them into a sad, limp pile!
Build the Best Fajita of Your Life
Follow these seven steps to build your life-changing fajita:
- Warm your tortillas and put ‘em on a plate.
- Dollop that sour cream.
- Add your juicy steak strips.
- Layer on those next-level fajita veggies.
- Avocado time — drop it like it’s hot.
- Sprinkle that cilantro.
- Wrap it up and take a bite.
BOOM. You’re welcome.
I’m so excited for you and your friends and family to enjoy these mind-blowing steak fajitas!
