Marinated air fryer flank steak with dry rub is fabulous! Beef comes out tender, medium rare and pink on the inside with a little crisp on the outside. Make in your Ninja Foodi or Cosori this week.
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- Ninja Foodi Flank Steak
- How Long to Cook Flank Steak in Air Fryer to Medium Rare
- Frozen Flank Steak in Air fryer
- How Long to Marinate Flank Steak
- Flank Steak Dry Rub
- How do you know when flank steak is done?
- Air Fryer Flank Steak Recipe
- What is the best way to slice flank steak?
- Other steak recipes
- Is flank steak a good cut of meat?
Look at this killer air fryer flank steak! Using some simple seasonings you can add some spicy or sweetness and either way it is delicious. Tender beef steak is just one of many easy air fryer recipes on our site.
Have you bought this cut of beef before at the grocery store? It isn’t the most common I suppose but it’s quite lean and very flavorful if you use the right seasonings and cook it right. What is the best way? Well we’re here to show you. 😉
There are so many ways to cook meat right, we are here to compare them all depending on the time of year. Of course I love our slow cooker flank steak recipe which I do make year round. This doesn’t get the outside crisp at all though, and I love that.
Ninja Foodi Flank Steak
Tips: My Favorite models are the Cosori or making Ninja Foodi recipes with the lid that is attached.
It is best practice to put food into a hot basket. This is how to preheat air fryer first before adding your food so it becomes as crispy as possible. For best results, here’s a printable free air fryer cooking time chart here for your fridge.
Ok so then you could get that in the oven right? Well during the summertime that isn’t going to happen when it is 100 degrees outside. Get ready to ditch your grill this weekend because this may be a game changer for your next dinner. Even my kids loved this easy air fryer beef recipe.
How Long to Cook Flank Steak in Air Fryer to Medium Rare
You do not want to cook for too long or it will be tough. You want a decent amount of pink in the center so it is tender and slices easily. Ideally you will want to cook for approximately 7-8 minutes depending on how well done you want it and always allow to rest for 5 minutes and then slice against the grain and serve.
Frozen Flank Steak in Air fryer
Of course this isn’t ideal but you can save dinner if you follow the right steps. You wouldn’t be able to marinate it beforehand but if you follow the steps in our Air Fryer Frozen Roast recipe you can defrost and then cook to tender still!!
How Long to Marinate Flank Steak
We like to use our fajita marinade the night before and soak overnight (8 hours) which adds a ton of flavor for sure. You need at least 2 hours to let it sink in (kept in the fridge) but longer is better (up to 12 hours max). Before adding you could pound it with a meat mallet too. This will create a deep flavor and break down the connective tissues if you add some citrus.
Flank Steak Dry Rub
This time we instead just used a simple dry rub but using our tri tip dry rub is fantastic too. That one has some sweetness to it though so if you just want simple use just salt and pepper but we also love some cajun seasoning and smoked paprika too.
How to Make Spicy
A bit of cajun seasoning was added this round for a bit of a kick of heat. Use it sparingly or you may regret it but a little is a really nice addition to the outside flavors. If you want to really heat it up use dry Sriracha instead!
Depending on how large your piece is you could fit 1-2 pieces in your basket at a time. You do NOT want them to overlap for sure. We’re looking for a very even cook on all sides for optimal tenderness and flavor.
If you use our sweeter dry rub for this or on our air fryer ribeye steak you’ll want to spray the basket or it may stick a bit.
How do you know when flank steak is done?
You can check the internal temperature with a meat thermometer once you remove it. Ideally it should read 130 degrees F, then when resting it will increase by 5 degrees making it a perfect 135 degrees. This will ensure the middle will be tender and juicy. Serve with a glass of red wine and YUM!
You should never overcook this cut or it will get chewy and dry. Instead get the internal meat temperature to be medium and nothing more. Cooking it low and slow in your slow cooker is good too. For that follow our Crockpot flank steak recipe here.
Air Fryer Flank Steak Recipe
Equipment
- 1 air fryer
Ingredients
- 1.5 – 2 lb flank steak
Marinade
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 1/3 cup beef broth
- 1 tsp dry sriracha, or chili powder
- 1.5 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp pepper
- 1 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp garlic powder
Dry Rub
- 1 tbsp cajun seasoning
- 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 pinch salt
Instructions
- In a gallon freezer bag add and mix all marinade ingredients. Put meat in, press air out of bag, seal and keep in fridge for 2-12 hours. Remove from fridge 30 minutes before cooking to come closer to room temperature for ideal results.
- Preheat air fryer to 400 degrees F for 5 minutes. Mix dry rub seasonings together in small dish.
- Dab outside of steak with a paper towel to remove moisture. Rub seasonings all over.
- Spray inside of basket with non stick spray and lay steak flat inside.
- Cook for approximately 7-8 minutes. 7 minutes will typically make a 2 lb. steak medium rare – 130F. (check with thermometer in middle, thickest part – timing will vary depending on how large/thick your piece is)
- Once it hits 130-135 degrees F, remove from basket and wrap in foil to keep warm and allow to rest for 5 minutes. Then slice against the grain and serve.
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
What is the best way to slice flank steak?
Similar to a “regular” air fryer steak, you’re going to want to allow it to rest first. Then grab a sharp knife and slice each piece thin and against the grain. This will allow you to chew it easier as you break apart the muscle fibers with every cut. The thicker the pieces the more “tough” they will seem to you.
Cooking flank steak has seriously never been easier. Other than our Instant Pot steak, air frying steaks is super quick and an under 30 minute meal with prep, side dishes and everything taken into account.
If you want to add more flavors once sliced, you can offer soy sauce, Worcestershire and/or A1 sauce.
Other steak recipes
If you love your slow cooker try Crockpot steak and potatoes some night. Air fryer chicken fried steak is great sliced into strips like this so you can dip them into sausage gravy and have a finger food kinda’ night.
Printable recipe including nutritional information like calories, saturated fat, etc is below. Keep in mind that the amounts will vary depending on your serving size and amount of fat on the cut you chose.
The seasonings are so simple yet give the steak a great flavor. And this is such an easy way to cook a steak too. Thanks for sharing!
I made this flank steak for dinner last night and OMG was it delicious! I loved being able to use my air fryer, too!
We loved the flavors in the rub, and how easy this was in the air fryer!
Do you flip it or just cook the full time on one side?
After 7 minutes my 1 pound steak was still raw so I️ would definitely recommend cooking it longer but the flavor was very good, would have it again with an adjusted cooking time