Frozen Steak in Air Fryer

Here are the perfect air fryer frozen steak directions so it comes out tender, medium rare, 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!

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.

Ninja Air Fryer Frozen Steak

You can use an AirWave, Cosori or make as a Ninja Foodi recipe and the temp and timing will remain the same. The only difference to keep in mind with the latter is that you need to use the lid that is attached. With larger baskets you could add firm vegetables on the side like cauliflower as long as they don’t overlap, cooked in a single layer is very important.

How Long to Cook Frozen Steak in Air Fryer

The average time is 16 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.

What type of frozen steak can you cook in air fryer?

Filet Mignon is the most expensive cut but the most tender and thicker as well. New York Strip is popular with marbling which provides a richer flavor. T-bone has well a bone in it which makes it a bit harder to slice when done but nice flavors. Ribeye has more fat than other which means they are tender and a popular cut. 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.

How Long to Cook Frozen Steak Bites in Air Fryer

We love bite sized air fryer steak bites too! Cooked for just 5-7 minutes at 375 degrees fahrenheit, they’re always a hit. If they are frozen though you would need to make sure to toss the basket ever 2 minutes to rotate and keep them in a single layer for best results too.

How do you know when frozen steak is done?

You do not want to rush things. Using a bit lower temp, will avoid the grey banding that may occur if you cook too fast where the outside layer cooks faster than the insides and becomes overcooked and dry. You can cook 2-3 at a time but they cannot overlap so the number you can cook at a time depends on the size of your basket.

Cook time below is for 1 inch thick, when cutting this in half to let’s say 1/2 inch thick pieces you would follow the same temperature always but timing would be cut down by 2 minutes, 1/4 inch thick cook time would be cut in half.

• Rare (120–125°F): 12–14 minutes
• Medium Rare (130–135°F): 14–16 minutes
• Medium (140–145°F): 16–18 minutes
• Well Done (150°F+): 18+ minutes

Helpful Tips

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. In this case you MUST allow them to rest inside the air fryer basket after the cook time is up (so the center can reach the proper temp.)

I usually need a bit of time to finish up our side dishes anyway, so leave them there and beyond that keep them covered under foil until you sit down to eat.

• The meat we used were ribeyes, 2 of them.
• 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.

Troubleshooting

Why is my steak tough? If you feel like the end result is not as tender as you might expect you likely cooked it too long. Red meat like this is better with more pink honestly. Take it from someone who used to order well done always until I tried a really pink medium cut and it changed my world. Try that timing next go around and see for yourself.

How to Season 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. You can also sprinkle salt and pepper on both sides, along with any other seasonings or our tri tip dry rub.

Can you wrap with bacon?

We have made bacon wrapped air fryer steak when it is defrosted but when frozen the meat will only get to about rare to medium rare inside by the time the pork strips become crispy. If you are ok with that then wrap away with “normal” vs. thick slices for best results.

Serving Suggestions

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. 😉

Reheating leftovers

Store when cooled in a sealed baggie in the fridge. When reheating you want to add moisture or it will dry out. You can do this in a pan over the stove or in the air fryer again at 360F but either way you want to put in with a pat of butter on top just until warmed, rest again for 5 min., then enjoy.