This Ninja Air Fryer Steak recipe helps you make perfectly cooked steak in less than 15 minutes. It includes just a few ingredients and a 5-minute homemade garlic butter that you can use as a compound butter topping. Perfect for 1-inch thick, boneless sirloin, rib eye, and New York Strip steaks. Enjoy this mouth-watering steak as a main dish with cauliflower mash, garlic shrimp scampi, air fryer asparagus, air fryer mushrooms, or any of these keto side dishes for steak to have a restaurant-quality steak dinner at home.
Why Make Ninja Foodi Steak
- Easy air fryer steak recipe: Simply season both sides of your steak and add it to the air fryer. After flipping once, you get tender steak in less than 15 minutes.
- A few ingredients: this recipe includes less than a handful of simple ingredients
- Made specifically in the Ninja Foodi: though you can use this in different brands of basket style air fryers, this recipe was tested in the Ninja Foodi.
Ingredients Needed
Cooking steak in an air fryer doesn’t require much. Here is what you’ll need to gather:
- Steak: this recipe works best with boneless, 1-inch thick sirloin steak, ribeye steak, and New York Strip steak. These range in size from 8oz to 10oz. I used two steaks. This recipe was not tested with frozen steak and I would not recommend it.
- Steak Seasoning: I’m using the steak seasoning from one of my favorite spice blend companies to bring out the natural flavors of the meat. The blend includes things like salt and black pepper, garlic, red pepper flakes, coriander, and rosemary. You can also use other blends like Montreal Steak seasoning.
- Herb Butter for Steak: this garlic herb butter is optional, but it takes 5-minutes and adds extra flavor
- Avocado Oil: This oil has the highest smoke point, making it a perfect light oil to use when cooking foods in the air fryer. You can also use olive oil too.
Be sure to check out the recipe card at the end of the post for the exact ingredient amounts and full recipe instructions.
You can get the full list of ingredient amounts and instructions from the full recipe card at the end of the post.
How to Cook Steak in the Ninja Air Fryer
- Preheat your air fryer by turning it on for 5 minutes without food. While your air fryer preheats, pat your steak dry with a paper towel, then rub both sides of the steak with steak seasoning and a little oil
- Add the steaks in a single layer to your air fryer basket to allow the hot air to fully circulate
- Cook the steak to your desired internal temperature (flip halfway through)
- Allow the steak to rest (loosely covered with foil) on a plate for 5 minutes before cutting into it.
Top Cooking Tips & FAQs
- Preheat the air fryer for a nice sear: the Ninja Foodi doesn’t have a preheat setting because it generally doesn’t need to preheat. But, I’ve found that for steaks, turning on the air fryer at the desired temperature for at least 5 minutes before adding the steak to your air fryer basket helps it to brown the outside of the steak quickly without overcooking the meat.
- Take the steak out of the refrigerator 20-30 minutes before cooking: allowing the steak to come to room temperature before cooking helps the meat cook more evenly
- Use a 1-inch thick steak for best results: This thickness of the steak changes the cooking times. So, be sure to use a 1-inch thick steak or adjust the cook time based on the thickness of your steak.
- Allow the steak to rest outside of the Foodi: the cooking basket will be hot when the steak is complete. So, it’s best to allow your steak to rest for 5-10 minutes (loosely covered with foil) on a plate.
How to Store Leftover Steak
If you have any leftovers of this delicious air fryer steak, the best way to store them is in an airtight container for next time (up to 5 days). You can also wrap them up tight in aluminum foil.
How Long to Cook Steak in Ninja Air Fryer
The cooking time depends on your preferred level of doneness, whether your steak has bones, as well as if you’re using a thick steak.
For a one-inch boneless steak, the minimum time is 12 minutes, or 6 minutes per side for a steak cooked to medium.
I cooked my steak for 13 minutes to reach medium well.
One great benefit of air frying steak in the Ninja Foodi is that you can always pop open the lid and check the temperature with your meat thermometer.
So, be sure to add more or less time.
Does steak taste good in the air fryer?
Yes, you can make delicious steak in an air fryer! Plus, it’s super easy. One thing to note, though:
If you’ve ever made steak in a cast iron pan, you should know that no air fryer steak will get as browned or seared as it does in that type of pan.
But, that doesn’t mean your steak will lack color or be gray. By preheating your air fryer, you will ensure that you get browned juicy steak.
My Favorite Steakhouse Sides
Enjoy this Ninja Foodi Sirlon with these easy and delicious side dishes:
- Easy Garlic Butter
- Air Fryer Cajun Shrimp
- Garlic Shrimp Scampi
- Creamed Spinach
- Air Fryer Mushrooms
- Chimichurri Sauce
- Air Fryer Green Beans
More Easy Air Fryer Steak Recipes
- Air Fryer Surf & Turf
- Air Fryer Steak Bites
If you try this recipe, please stop back and leave it a star rating and/or a review in the comments. Stay connected & share photos of your creations with me & others on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest!
