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You are going to love our easy Air Fryer Steak Bites with Cowboy Butter. Perfectly tender and so flavorful, these juicy morsels cook in 15 minutes or less and make an amazing appetizer, lunch, or dinner.
Paired with decadent cowboy butter sauce, this is a keto-friendly, inexpensive, and easy air fryer steak recipe you'll want to make over and over again.
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Best Air Fryer Steak Bites
We are in love with air frying steak is one of our favorite ways to cook it, and we're no strangers to cooking steak in the air fryer. I love a good filet mignon air fryer recipe - the air fryer is just amazing for steaks!
By far, these air fryer steak bites are our favorite. They're like our Garlic Steak Bites but even easier to make. Just a few simple ingredients and they're ready in 15 minutes or less! The best part about steak bites in the air fryer is how crispy they are on the outside and so tender on the inside.
Cowboy Butter Dipping Sauce Ingredients
Cowboy butter sauce is the most incredible compound butter recipe. It's loaded with flavor from a blend of sauces and seasonings. Our cowboy butter recipe uses:
- Butter
- Worcestershire sauce
- Dijon mustard
- Lemon juice and zest
- Garlic powder
- Salt and pepper
- Red pepper flakes
- and parsley.
It is a perfect match for our juicy Air Fryer Steak Bites. Cowboy butter sauce brings out the best in this dish!
How to Air Fry Steak Bites
- Preheat the air fryer to 400°F.Combine all cowboy butter ingredients in a bowl and mix well.
- Pat steak dry with a paper towel. Cut into ½-inch cubes, then add to a bowl with cowboy butter. Mix well, then remove from the bowl using a slotted spoon or tongs.
- Cover the air fryer tray with aluminum foil, then spray with cooking spray. Spread steak on the tray in an even layer. Don't overcrowd the trays.
- Air fry at 400°F for 10-15 minutes depending on your desired degree of doneness (approximately 10 minutes).
- Place the cowboy butter back into a pan and bring to a boil, lower the heat and let it simmer for approximately 15 minutes.
- Garnish with fresh chopped parsley and serve with reserved cowboy butter sauce. Enjoy!
Air Fryer Steak Bites FAQs
Sirloin, Ribeye, Tri-tip, and London Broil
The best part about this easy recipe is that you can use any cut of steak you'd like to make it. That means that not only is it completely delicious, but it also fits any budget. I have tried London Broil in the Air Fryer and it is not only delicious but air frying tenderizes the beef making it an amazing eating experience. London Broil bites are amazing!
Pat steaks dry with a paper towel. Trim any excess fat from your steak.
Cut into strips ½-inch wide and as evenly as possible.*
Rotate, then cut into bite-size ½-inch cubes.
Steak Temperature Chart
Follow this chart and our Steak Temperature Chart to find your ideal degree of doneness!
Air Fryer Steak Recipe Tips
- When combining your air fryer steak bites with the cowboy butter, remove them from the bowl with a slotted spoon or tongs so they aren't too wet.
- Leave some cowboy butter to the side for dipping.
- Preheat your air fryer before cooking the steak bites.
- Cook in batches if you have to - don't overcrowd your air fryer!
- Place the cowboy butter back into a pan and bring to a boil, lower the heat and let it simmer for approximately 15 minutes.
Tools
- Tongs or slotted spoon
- Air fryer oven
- Mixing bowls
- Aluminum foil
- Cooking spray (do not use pam in your air fryer! Use an olive oil spray!)
- Meat thermometer
Best Air Fryer Recipes
- Air Fryer Burger
- Air Fryer Meatballs
- Air Fryer Steak
- Milanesa Steak
- Air Fryer Prime Rib
- Philly Cheesesteak Egg Rolls
Best Steak Sauces
- Garlic Butter Sauce
- Red Wine Sauce
- Steak Diane Recipe
- Chimichurri Sauce
- Truffle Butter Recipe
- Au Jus Sauce
Check out my Best Steak Dinner Ideas, plus 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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📋 Recipe
Air Fryer Steak Bites with Cowboy Butter Dipping Sauce
Equipment
- Air fryer
Ingredients
Steak
- 1 lb. steak sirloin, ribeye, tri-tip, or London Broil
- cooking spray
Cowboy Butter Sauce
- 1 stick salted butter melted
- 1 Tbsp. lemon zest
- 1 Tbsp. lemon juice
- ½ tsp. garlic powder
- ¼ tsp. red pepper flakes
- ½ tsp. sea salt
- ½ tsp. black pepper
- ½ Tbsp. Dijon mustard
- ½ tsp. Worcestershire sauce
- 1 Tbsp. parsley freshly chopped
Instructions
- Preheat air fryer to 400°F. Combine all cowboy butter ingredients in a bowl and mix well.
- Pat steak dry with a paper towel. Cut into ½-inch cubes, then add to a bowl with cowboy butter. Mix well, then remove from the bowl using a slotted spoon or tongs.Note: Reserve some cowboy butter sauce for dipping!
- Cover air fryer tray with aluminum foil, then spray with cooking spray. Spread steak on the tray in an even layer. Don't overcrowd the trays.
- Air fry at 400°F for 10-15 minutes depending on your desired degree of doneness (we cooked ours 10 minutes).
- Place the cowboy butter back into a pan and bring to a boil, lower the heat and let it simmer for approximately 15 minutes.
- Garnish with fresh chopped parsley and serve with reserved cowboy butter sauce. Enjoy!
Video
Notes
- When combining your air fryer steak bites with the cowboy butter, remove them from the bowl with a slotted spoon or tongs so they aren't too wet.
- Leave some cowboy butter to the side for dipping.
- Preheat your air fryer before cooking the steak bites.
- Cook in batches if you have to - don't overcrowd your air fryer!
Stefan Steiner says
Sounds great! I’ll have to try this soon. Just remember, reserve some of the cowboy butter sauce for dipping later before you put the raw pieces in the sauce.
Em Beitel says
Definitely! You want to have leftovers of that sauce to dip with - it's amazing! Enjoy, Stefan!
Tee says
How long to cook it for medium rare?
Em Beitel says
Hi Tee! I recommend pulling the bites out at 12 minutes and using a meat thermometer to check the doneness. We have a guide here: https://bestbeefrecipes.com/degrees-of-doneness/
Thank you!
W Protheroe says
Very good recipe. I tried it yesterday and it was perfect, even with a lesser cut of steak. The only change I made was that I use the full butter sauce to let the steak marinate in for 2 hours. I made a second marinade without the lemon for dipping. Everybody loved it and as a addition I made mini potatoes with it. I only had a 2.6 quart air fryer and I could put up to 1 lb steak cubed in, but needed to make sure to move the pieces around after 10 minutes with a total cooking time of 15 minutes.
Em Beitel says
That sounds awesome! Thank you so much for your comment!
ANN SWANSON says
LOVE this recipe! I marinated the steak bites in the 'Cowboy Sauce'! I do NOT have an air fryer so instead I put them in a frying pan. After a bit, I drained off most of the liquid and 'fried them up' making sure they were still medium rare....they were to die for! EXCELLENT flavor!
Em Beitel says
That's amazing, Ann! We're so glad you enjoyed it, and thank you for the tips on making them in a frying pan!