Air Fryer Steak Bites

BEST air fryer steak bites with dry rub with dry rub are awesome for dinner! Made with cubed sirloin, rib eye, tenderloin or air fryer flank steak means you can have a high protein meal served inside tacos or over rice in just 15 minutes.

We made bites of steak with a few T bones we had in the fridge and they came out amazing!! SO we thought we’d share our recipe and a video of how to make it with y’all. Find this and more easy air fryer recipes here on The Typical Mom blog.

I am telling you, these bite size bites of heaven over rice or beside some veggies are the best. Rarely do I ever even grill them whole anymore. Even when it’s summertime I’d rather cube and remove the bones and fat and air fry steak this way. Easier to eat and each bite has so much flavor.

We’ve used this same dry rub on our air fryer filet mignon and it’s always a hit, no matter what it’s on. T-bone, New York strip or even cubing a roast will work to make this one.

How Long to Cook Steak Bites in Air Fryer

In this case 5 minutes is all, you want them to stay pink and tender, medium rare, on the inside. You don’t want to overcook these, longer doesn’t mean more tender, rather it will do the opposite and make them tough.

Ingredient Notes

You want to start with one or a few Steaks cut into bite size pieces. I like to trim most of the fat off first, remove the bone if any and cut into small bite size pieces. They should all be the same size to cook at an even rate. Thinner cuts like air fryer cube steak will take less time, check the steak every 2 minutes near the end to check.

Olive oil goes on first so your seasonings will stick nicely. You could use avocado oil instead. Both have great health benefits and enhance the overall flavor of each piece.

Dry Rub

To make this I use a bowl to combine; Brown sugar for sweetness, Paprika for a pop of wow, Chili powder provides some heat, use less or more, Garlic powder we like too for a deeper flavor but use your favorite blend or just salt and pepper.

Variations

Ok so you could really use any type of beef you had in the fridge for this. I like t bones or flank steak or beef tips would work. Whatever on hand is what is used. Since you’re trimming the fat and cubing it up into bite size pieces, it really doesn’t matter what you use.

You could marinate this first if you wanted to but the rub here already gives it a real pack of flavor. So that is up to you. I have used other meats for instance made with Venison Cube Steak gives it a whole new flavor we love.

If you wanted teriyaki steak bites, you could use the sauce from our air fryer roast recipe. Instead, I opted to use our dry rub. IT IS INCREDIBLE!! You could use the latter if you preferred though, you’d just want to add a bit of olive oil before cooking.

Can you add mushrooms?

You could EASILY add air fryer mushrooms to the basket as well. They both cook at the same temperature and timing so use this recipe. Add half of your meat + half the shrooms in your bowls. Then cook second half for best results and serve.

Can you use frozen steak?

I wouldn’t. For steak bites this really wouldn’t work because you need it cubed too. I would defrost and cook the way directed below. If you don’t have time to do that we have directions for how to cook whole air fryer frozen steak to tender this way. You could sprinkle the same seasonings on halfway thru so they stick.

Ninja Foodi Steak Bites

For a Ninja Foodi recipe you will use the lid that is attached. That is the only difference since there are two. The button reads air crisp on the front but the rest of the directions are the same. Here’s a quick step by step, but there is also a printable recipe card at the bottom as well.

How long should dry rub sit on steak?

I have done this a few different ways and I really think that tossing the meat into your steak dry rub and just letting it sit for 30 minutes while your air fryer basket preheats is just fine. By all means if you wanted it on there longer it wouldn’t hurt anything though the sugar will kinda’ “melt off” with the moisture on the raw meat.

How big should you cut steak for steak bites?

I recommend removing the bone (if there is one), trimming off the fat and then cutting into 1×1″ pieces. The biggest thing to remember is to make them all the same size so they all cook evenly. If you have smaller kids you can make the pieces smaller but the cook time would need to be decreased.

FAQ

What to serve with

We like throwing these on a plate with some air fryer vegetables. You could opt for pressure cooker quinoa on the bottom instead for lower carbs too though. Or just have some air fryer corn with it. That is a quick idea.

How to serve

With these or our Steak Tips in the Oven I would say our go to is to use small flour tortillas and make some tacos. You can then throw in some sliced avocado, cheese, sour cream, lettuce and OH WOW are they great.

How to reheat

Spread steak bites and mushrooms out on a baking sheet. Preheat your oven to 250 degrees F and check after about 10 minutes. Check every 5 minutes until they’re as warm as you want.