Frozen steak in air fryer directions so it comes out tender and juicy. How to cook frozen steak like Ribeye, T-bone, Filet or Sirloin perfectly to pink and tender in a Ninja Foodi or Cosori!
It’s easier than ever to cook frozen steak in air fryer perfectly. If you’re forgetful like me don’t worry, I have a way to cover up the fact that you forgot to defrost dinner. 😉 An easy air fryer recipe to keep on hand. (affiliate links present)
Air Fryer Frozen Steak
If you’re forgetful like me, this is going to come in really handy… I have made things like air fryer cube steak and others defrosted but I had to experiment with this. It had to be perfect before sharing it with you.
First, I shared how to make a frozen roast in Instant Pot which was a real hit. I don’t always want such a large thick piece of meat if there are just a few of us so I thought steaks were the next go to to tackle.
Table of contents
If you love extra crispy food and quick recipes, here are some resources to start with:
- My Favorite models are this Cosori or for a dual machine, the Foodi.
- You can find more Ninja Foodi recipes here as well; bookmark them both!
- It is best practice to put food into a hot basket. this is how to preheat air fryer first.
- Here’s a printable free air fryer cooking time chart here for your fridge.
Frozen Sirloin Steak in Air Fryer
I know I cannot be the only one who is forgetful. When I first started cooking frozen meat I figured out how to cook air fryer frozen chicken wings. That was necessary one night the other week.
Then frozen chicken breast in air fryer was perfected. Always comes in handy when I have had a really hectic day and haven’t defrosted anything for the main entree. Seriously if you do it right nobody is the wiser that I had a moment and the meat was never defrosted beforehand.
Ninja Foodi Frozen Steak
You can use any brand you might have at home too. Use the air fry button and the lid that is attached if you have a Foodi machine. So long as your piece is about the same thickness as you see here then it really doesn’t matter which type you want to make.
What are the types of steak?
- Filet Mignon
- New York Strip
- T-bone
- Ribeye
- Skirt steak we love to make air fryer flank steak
Just make sure they aren’t too too thick or the timing will need to be longer obviously than listed below. You can adjust and add more easily at the end if needed.
Here are a few questions you might have before attempting this. Hopefully we can answer them all for you.
How long do you cook frozen steak in air fryer?
The average time is 18 minutes. It will vary slightly depending on how thick each one is, whether there is a bone, and how well done you like it. This cook time is a good place to start though, checking at 15 minutes is good to do the first time. Use our steak internal temperature chart for reference.
Yes!! We will show you how to do just that right here! Whether you want a thick ribeye or smaller filet, this method works just great.
Yep, we did just that to make Ninja Foodi frozen steak. With a bit of olive oil you can get any seasonings you like to stick just fine. We love our steak dry rub, but plain salt and pepper works too.
Is frozen steak as good as fresh?
Of course I do prefer my meat to be defrosted beforehand, but that isn’t always possible. In those cases it is nice to have this kitchen hack in your pocket so you can still have a great meal on the table in no time. See what you do here, easy peasy right?? Just season, throw them into a preheated air fryer and cook!
Frozen Ribeye Steak in Air Fryer
Let me give you another tip so you get tender steak every time, whether it’s rock hard or not. As with any sort of beef you should let it rest before you slice it. Why?? Resting allows the juices to stay in, and not seep out. Even 5 minutes vs. right away is better, 10 – 15 is ideal if you ask us.
I usually need a bit of time to finish up our side dishes anyway, so just cover it to keep it warm and then cut when you sit down to eat.
- The meat we used were ribeyes.
- Each one was about 3/4″ thick.
- 18 minutes total, flipping halfway through gave us these results.
- I would say they’re medium well cooked.
Of course if you want them closer to medium I might guess 15 minutes would be better. Well done might be 19 depending on how thick they are.
Here’s a quick step by step but there’s a printable recipe card at the bottom of this post too. Brush olive oil on both sides of your frozen steaks, on both sides. Sprinkle salt and pepper on both sides, along with any other seasonings or our tri tip dry rub.
How to Cook Frozen Beef in Air Fryer
- Preheat air fryer to 360 degrees F. Cook steaks in basket once preheated.
- Set to 18 minutes total for medium well. Cook for 12 minutes for rare.
- Flip the steaks halfway thru. (timing will vary depending on how thick each piece is and how well done you want them to be).
Use thermometer to check internal temp. - If you read thermometer and it is not as done as you’d like, add an extra minute for each side of the steak and check again.
- Allow meat to rest at least 5 minutes before slicing.
Eat them with some frozen biscuits in air fryer, air fryer baked potatoes or corn in an air fryer is fabulous. Total perfection right?
Air fried frozen foods have been a game changer for us! I work full time and although I cook food for a living, I don’t always do it every day. I am forgetful as well. Eeeeek.
If I don’t have time for my meat to reach room temperature by the time 5p.m. rolls around, I need tips like this. I hope it helps you out too. 😉
Want to try something new next time? If you have defrosted meat, try our bacon wrapped air fryer steak or bite sized air fryer steak bites too! Cooked for just a few minutes at 400 degrees fahrenheit, they’re always a hit.
Frozen potstickers in air fryer are a great quick meal or snack to try out too. AND if you want to go all out, try air fryer filet mignon.
Frozen Steak in Air Fryer
Equipment
- 1 air fryer
Ingredients
- 2 steaks, sirloin, 3/4 lb. each
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
Instructions
- Brush olive oil on frozen steaks, on both sides.
- Sprinkle salt and pepper on both sides, along with any other seasonings you desire.
- Preheat air fryer to 360 degrees F. Put frozen steaks in once preheated.
- Set to 18 minutes total, flipping halfway thru. (timing will vary depending on how thick each piece is and how well done you want them to be)
- Allow meat to rest at least 5 minutes before slicing.
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
My half defrosted 1″ steaks have been in my Ninja Foodi Air Crisp for almost 40 min now at 390* and still very red inside while outside burning. My husband is not going to be happy as he complains about my new purchase.
8 min each side sirloin let it rest was perfect will definitely cook this way again
I bought a family pack of top sirloin at Sam’s Club. There were a total of 6 steaks that were about 0.5 each.
Frozen steaks –
I used the Cosori Air Fryer and 360 degrees for 6 min on each side followed by 10 min natural release for medium rare.
Thawed steak-
I also cooked 3 steaks at 360 degrees for 10 min. on a Ninja Foodie Pressure Cooker on the Broil function and let it rest for 5 min. for medium rare doneness.
I used Weber steak and chop generously.
The steaks using both techniques turned out perfectly medium rare (I used a meat thermometer), were both very tender, and tasted absolutely delicious! I will never go back to using an oven or the frying n pan pan to cool my steaks again. The clean up was super easy nand there wasn’t grease all over the place…and oh what a time saver!
There are alot of home cooks on various platforms that are speaking highly of cooking from frozen rather than defrosting, to preserve the fresher texture and flavor of the meat.
Defrosting unless done very naturally and slowly at a refrigerated temp, (which can take a day or two, depending on the package of meat you have) Can be devastating to a good cut of meat.
I tired a 3/4 inch ribeye in my air fryer. It was not 100% frozen. And it took over 25 mins to cook and I even turned the temp up to 425
I did roast a bit to get a bit of sear. Only olive oil kosher salt and cracked pepper. Perfect. Delicious. Amazing from frozen. Dang good if fresh. Just WOW. Thank you (ribeye)
Cooked a ribeye steak. I did not use the oil. It turned out great. 9 minutes on each side. Thick cut. Cooked to med rare.
So glad it was a hit
Just made the frozen steaks in my new air fryer. I did not use oil just salt n pepper. They were so tender cooked perfect. Thank you.
Yay so glad they were a hit
I haven’t yet tried the actual recipe so that is the only reason I didn’t give 5 stars. Tfs
Hi,
When you say “cook” the steaks, is that “Sear”, or “Air Crisp”, etc.?
Air crisp on Ninja Foodi.