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My Carne Asada Recipe is a guaranteed family favorite that comes together in just 10 minutes after marinating! Serve carne asada beef in tacos, over rice, or simply as-is with a side dish. Enjoy!
Jump to:
- What is Carne Asada?
- Carne Asada Steak
- Carne Asada Marinade
- Seasoning for Steak Tacos
- How to Cook Carne Asada
- Tips for Grilled Carne Asada
- Carne Asada Tacos
- Tacos de Carne Asada Toppings
- Carne Asada Recipes FAQs
- Sauce for Carne Asada Taco
- Cheese for Carne Asada Tacos
- Taco Recipes
- 📌 Pin it for later!
- 📋 Recipe
- 💬 Reviews
What is Carne Asada?
Carne Asada is a grilled Mexican steak recipe consisting of thin steak marinated in citrus juice and garlic. It's seasoned simply with salt, pepper, and cumin, then grilled and sliced thinly. In the case of this carne asada recipe, orange juice is also used in the marinade for additional flavor.
Carne Asada Steak
The first time I tried grilled carne asada steak at my favorite Mexican restaurant, I knew I had to recreate it at home. The flavors are unlike any other steak recipe, combining a zesty citrus marinade with a simple-but-powerful seasoning and the perfect grill char. Oh, it is irresistible!
Sliced thinly, carne asada meat is perfect over rice, in carne asada tacos, burritos, fajitas, or as-is with a side of grilled Mexican corn, tortilla chips and avocado salsa. You really can't go wrong!
Best of all, you can marinate the steak 2 hours before dinner and grill it up in just 10 minutes when you're ready to sit down and eat. It's quick, easy, and beyond satisfying - so you can even make it on your busiest weeknights!
Carne Asada Marinade
- Lime juice
- Orange juice
- Minced garlic
- Carne asada seasoning (see below)
The best marinade for carne asada beef combines lime and orange juice with minced garlic and simple seasoning. This creates a perfectly tender steak you can easily slice thinly to serve in tacos, over rice, or however, you like it best!
Seasoning for Steak Tacos
- Cumin
- Kosher Salt
- Black Pepper
Aside from the carne asada marinade, all you need to season the beef is cumin, salt, and pepper. My simple Carne Asada Seasoning is closely inspired by traditional Mexican recipes in order to complement the beef!
How to Cook Carne Asada
- Trim excess fat from steak. If you prefer, cut the steak into slightly smaller lengths to make it easier to grill.
- Add orange juice, lime juice, cumin, salt, and pepper to a resealable plastic bag large enough to fit the steak. You can also use a large air-tight container as long as the meat is submerged in the liquid.
- Add the meat to the marinade and toss to coat, then cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, but less than 8.
- When ready to cook, remove the steak from the refrigerator a few minutes early and bring it to room temperature while you preheat your grill (about 30 minutes).
- Grill for a few minutes on each side until cooked through according to your preferred degree of doneness as read on a meat thermometer. You can do this on an outdoor grill or in a grill pan on the stove.
- Let your steak rest for about 5-10 minutes, then serve in thin slices by cutting against the grain using a sharp knife.
- Serve in flour tortillas and top with your preferred taco toppings, such as radishes, cilantro, spring onions, and avocado slices.
Use any leftover carne asada beef for Steak Nachos!
Tips for Grilled Carne Asada
- For perfectly cooked steak, pull your beef off of the heat 5 degrees below your preferred degree of doneness and let it rest for 5-10 minutes before slicing. Take a look at my Steak Temperature Chart for more info.
- Always use a meat thermometer when checking if your beef is done.
- You don't need a grill to make this recipe. You can also use a cast iron skillet on the stove.
Carne Asada Tacos
Make your carne asada beef into tacos easily by pan-frying tortillas, then filling them with beef. Top them with your favorite taco toppings, or serve as part of a tacos bar by placing the meat at the center of the table surrounded by toppings.
You can also pan-fry the tacos as I do with my Birria Tacos recipe. Give it a try if you want to try something new!
Tacos de Carne Asada Toppings
- Thinly sliced radishes
- Grilled spring onions
- Cilantro
- Avocado slices or guacamole
- Sour cream or Mexican crema
- Mexican cheese or Cotija Cheese
- Refried Beans
- Fresh lime juice or lemon juice
- Lime wedges
- Salsa or pico de gallo
- Lettuce
Pair these easy grilled beef tacos with all your usual favorite taco toppings, or try something new! Carne asada beef pairs amazingly well with radishes and grilled spring onions.
While I'm cooking the beef, I like to add the spring onions to the pan and let them char a little before removing them to slice for topping. Enjoy a fun Taco Tuesday!
Carne Asada Recipes FAQs
Flank steak or skirt steak is the best cuts of meat to use for carne asada. They are thin steaks perfect for slicing for tacos or enjoying in fajitas, quesadillas, over rice, and more.
Carne asada tacos use thin steak, lime and orange juice, garlic, cumin, salt, and pepper to make the marinated carne asada beef. Then, enjoy the beef in flour or corn tortillas with your preferred taco toppings, such as tomatoes, avocado, spring onions, cilantro, and even radishes.
Simple cumin, salt, and pepper are all you need for seasoning carne asada. I do not recommend using taco seasoning for carne asada, as it includes many seasoning ingredients that may overpower the natural flavor of the steak and the marinade. Simple is best for carne asada.
Pair carne asada tacos with taco toppings like salsa, Mexican crema or sour cream, radishes, chiles, and crumbled Mexican cheeses like cotija or queso fresco. My family loves these easy street tacos with fresh slices of avocado.
Sauce for Carne Asada Taco
The best sauce for steak tacos is my Avocado Crema recipe. The garlic and lime flavors in this tangy crema make it a perfect pair with Mexican-inspired taco recipes like this one. For a more simple sauce, simply pair it with sour cream or crème fraîche.
Cheese for Carne Asada Tacos
Pick a cheese you know you will like with your tacos; otherwise, use queso fresco or cotija! These crumbly Mexican cheeses are the perfect choice for pairing with carne asada beef and have just the right amount of creaminess to complement the tangy and bright flavors of the citrus.
Taco Recipes
- Birria Tacos
- Barbacoa Tacos
- Crockpot Taco Meat
- Taco Seasoning
- All my favorite Beef Taco Recipes!
If you love this dish, you are sure to love my Garlic Guajillo Steak - give it a try!
Try more of the best beef cuts according to your needs and budget by following my guide on the Best Cuts of Beef and our Popular Beef Dishes!
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Carne Asada Recipe
Equipment
- Cutting board
Ingredients
- 1 lb. skirt steak or flank steak, or top sirloin
- 2 Tablespoons lime juice from 1 whole fresh lime
- ¼ cup orange juice
- 3 cloves garlic minced large cloves; use 3 if they're small
- ½ teaspoon cumin
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
See our Beef Temperature Chart for helpful tips on cooking any cut of beef!
Instructions
- Trim any excess fat from the steak and, if you prefer, cut into slightly smaller lengths to make it easier to grill.
- Put the orange juice, lime juice, garlic, cumin, salt and pepper in a freezer bag big enough to hold the meat, or container that allows the meat to lay coated in the marinade. Add the meat and toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate to marinate at least 2 hours, but less than 8.
- When ready to cook, remove from refrigerator a few minutes early to come to room temperature and preheat grill. Grill for a few minutes on each side until cooked through.
- Let your steak rest for about 5-10 minutes, then serve in thin slices by cutting against the grain using a sharp knife.
- Serve in tortillas and top with your preferred taco toppings, such as radishes, cilantro, spring onions, and avocado slices.
Notes
- Note: Nutrition calculation does not include tortillas.
- For perfectly cooked steak, pull your beef off of the heat 5 degrees below your preferred degree of doneness and let it rest for 5-10 minutes before slicing. Take a look at my Steak Temperature Chart for more info.
- Always use a meat thermometer when checking if your beef is done.
- Grill on high for best results (around 500°F). You don't need a grill to make this recipe. You can also use a cast iron skillet on the stove or in the oven under the broiler.
- You can marinate the beef in a large plastic bag for easy clean up or in a bowl.
- Cooking time is an estimate and depends on the thickness of your cut of beef. Use a meat thermometer for best results.
Nutrition
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