How to Make Beef Fajitas Skillet

These Steak Fajitas are so insanely delicious, you won't believe they cooked in as little as 10 minutes. Our quick and easy method makes tender, expertly seasoned skirt steak in a sizzling skillet filled with bell peppers and onions. This meal is delicious enough for a treat, but simple enough for the regular dinner rotation!

Easy Skirt Steak Fajitas = BEST Skillet Dinner!

Fajitas have always been my meal of choice. Since I grew up in Texas, I quickly became a connoisseur and most definitely hold opinions on what makes great fajitas.

These homemade Beef Fajitas will stack up against your favorite Mexican food restaurant any day!

They check all the most important boxes:

Super tender
Over the top flavor
Insanely fresh

And not only do they have the big stuff covered, what makes these the BEST steak fajitas also deliver on the EASY factor big time cooking in only 10 minutes, plus just a few extra minutes of prep all made in just one skillet for easy clean up!

That my friends is what dinner should be.

How to serve Steak Fajitas

When you make Fajitas, you already have the base of a full meal with a protein and veggies.

To take it from good to great, you need to add some toppings and a couple of sides.

What to put in Fajitas

I like to offer a variety of toppings so that each person can customize their own fajita. This makes not only for a kid pleasing dinner, but also a great option for entertaining or having a party.

Start with a tortilla- you can use flour or corn based on preference. Then add all the toppings you want… or that your fajita can hold!

Here are my favorite toppings for fajitas:

Homemade Salsa
Sour cream
Guacamole
Cheddar cheese
Pico de Gallo
Shredded lettuce
Chopped cilantro

Got the toppings! So what goes well with fajitas?

Sides for Fajitas

Mexican rice
Refried or black beans
Chips – served with salsa, guacamole or queso
Green chile cheddar mashed potatoes (not traditional but we love it!)

How much fajita meat do you need per person?

You should account for 4 oz of raw meat per person when served with vegetables, rice, and beans. If there are no sides, you should estimate 8 oz of steak per person.

Cooking Secrets – How to Make Steak Fajitas

As I mentioned above, the beauty of these steak fajitas is all in the method.

I am going to walk through my tips and tricks here, to help answer any questions that might pop up, but you will find the full recipe card at the bottom of this post.

The Ingredients

What is the best steak for fajitas?

I prefer to use skirt steak for fajitas. I think it offers the best combination of tenderness and flavor, plus it was the original meat that was used when fajitas were first created!

Flank steak, hanger steak and sirloin flap all have a similar texture and taste and can be good substitutes as well.

Fajita Veggies

I like to keep it traditional with my fajitas. Although these days you will see everything from mushrooms, to cauliflower and more in fajitas, this recipe just calls for the classics- bell pepper and onion.

You can use any color bell pepper you want for fajitas, but I really like to use 1 green and 1 red, yellow and orange. Since the red, yellow, and orange peppers have a sweeter taste than the green peppers it gives a bit more depth of flavor.

Fajita Seasoning

I highly recommend using a homemade fajita seasoning because it gives the best flavor without the fillers.

This homemade fajita seasoning I use only takes minutes to put together, and it will keep in your cabinet for as long as a year.

Another added bonus of fajita seasoning made from scratch is that it is friendly for gluten free, dairy free, and low carb diets. So if you are cooking for a special diet, make sure to use homemade since many packages on the shelf don't comply with these restrictions.

Our 4 Step method (The Secret Sauce!)

The method in cooking these beef fajitas is both what makes them so delicious and what makes them so easy! It is a simple 3 step process:

Prep the ingredients
Cook on high heat
The signature fajita sizzle

Prep

We use HIGH HEAT in this recipe so things move fast!

TIP: Make sure to have all of your ingredients prepped and ready before starting to cook so you can keep up with the pace for the best results!

In some fajita recipes you will cook the steak as a whole, and then slice it after it is cooked. In our recipe you will pre-slice the skirt steak.

This is important because it allows the steak to cook quickly in the skillet.

The veggies should also be sliced into uniform strips.

How long to cook steak fajitas

We use high heat to give the outside of the skirt steak and vegetables the delicious caramelization that makes the flavor so good!

Since the heat is so high, it only takes just a couple of minutes to get them cooked to where we want them. You also have to keep a careful eye on them so that you don't leave them on too long and burn or over cook both the steak and vegetables.

The vegetables will take about 3-4 minutes and I like to cook these first for 2 reasons.

The vegetables will continue to cook and soften as they sit
This allows you to serve the steak as hot, fresh and sizzling as possible

The steak fajitas will take about 4-5 minutes total to cook, done in steps.

First lay the steak in the pan in a single layer- getting it as spread out and flat as possible will add more flavor. Resist the urge to stir, you want it to sit 2-3 minutes so it get get that nice rich brown caramelization on the out side.
Flip the steak to the other side. I find that almost as soon as I am done doing this I can move on to the next step.
Mix in the butter, garlic and lime juice. Since the skillet and steak are so hot, these cook almost instantly, so you can remove the skillet from the heat and serve while the fajitas are still sizzling!

Sizzling Fajitas

This last step is where you get that signature sizzle for your fajitas.

When you add the butter garlic and lime juice into the skillet on high heat, it will immediately produce the sizzle from the moisture in the butter and lime juice.

The combination of these three ingredients also add an insane level of flavor!

Be ready to stir back in the veggies and get your hot sizzling skillet to the table asap!

Time Saving Tips

It doesn't get much faster than this recipe, but if you know you will be in a hurry when it is time to cook, there are a few things you can do to make this recipe even more quick and easy.

Buy pre-cut peppers and onions– you can find these in the refrigerator in the produce section of most grocery stores. If you don't want to buy pre-cut veggies, you can also cut them up to 48 hours in advance and store them in the fridge.
Pre-cut your steak– In many nicer grocery stores, the butcher will cut meat for you to your specifications if you bring it to the counter. Utilize this short cut to save time and mess. You can also pre-cut your own meat up to 48 hours in advance of making the recipe.
Prep or buy Fajita seasoning – You can make homemade fajita seasoning up to a year in advance or buy pre-made seasoning at the store.
Steak Fajita Freezer Meal– You can make this recipe as a freezer meal so that it is all prepped and ready to go as soon as you are ready to cook. See full directions below.

Freezer Meal Instructions

Steak fajitas can be frozen both before or after cooking to prep for an easy meal another night.

Using a Steak Fajita freezer meal will give you similar results in taste as the original recipe, however the texture of the vegetables will be slightly less crisp when cooking after being frozen.

Steak fajitas will last about 2-3 months in the freezer.

To freeze before cooking:

Cut and season meat. Place in a zip top or vacuum sealed bag and remove as much air as possible then seal.
Chop peppers and onions and place them in a separate zip top or vacuum sealed bag.
Garlic, butter and lime juice can also be frozen in a separate bag if desired, or used fresh when cooking.
Place all bags in the freezer and freeze.
When ready to cook, thaw for 24-48 hours in the refrigerator.
Cook as directed in the recipe.

To Freeze after cooking:

Prepare steak fajitas as directed.
Let cool.
Package beef and veggies in meal sized portions in a freezer bag or airtight container.
Freeze.
When ready to eat, thaw in the refrigerator or heat in the microwave, or in a skillet.

Dietary Restrictions

Beef Fajitas are naturally friendly for many types of diets and can be easily modified to meat others.

Many of the things that might be restrictive are in the toppings and optional!

Gluten free– This recipe is naturally gluten free when made with homemade fajita seasoning.
Dairy Free– This recipe can be modified to be dairy free by using margarine in place of butter.
Low Carb – This recipe is naturally low carb with only an estimated 6 g net carbs per serving.
Paleo- This recipe can be modified to comply with the paleo diet by substituting olive oil for butter and using homemade fajita seasoning.
Whole30 – This recipe can be modified to comply with a Whole30 diet plan by substituting olive oil for butter and using homemade fajita seasoning.
Keto- This recipe is naturally compliant for a Keto diet when not eaten with tortillas.

Steak Fajita Leftovers + Recipes

To save any leftovers you might have, divide them into meal sized portions and place in the

refrigerator for 3-4 days
freezer for up to 2 months

Leftover Fajitas Recipe Ideas

Fajitas are one of my favorite leftovers simply because there are so many delicious ways to make them into new meals.

Steak Fajita Nachos- Spread layer of tortilla chips on a baking sheet. Chop leftover fajitas into bite sized pieces and sprinkle the meat, peppers and onions over the chips. Add corn and beans if desired. Then top with shredded cheddar or mexi blend cheese. Bake at 425˚F for 8-12 minutes or until cheese is melted.
Steak Fajita Burrito Bowls– Layer rice, beans and lettuce into a bowl. Top with fajita leftovers, salsa, guac, sour cream and cheese.
Steak Fajita Salad– Chop romaine hearts and top with fajita leftovers, pico de gallo, sliced avocado and drizzle with ranch dressing.
Fajita Fried Rice– Chop beef fajitas and veggies into bite sized pieces. Heat a skillet over high, add 1 tbsp vegetable oil. Then add cooked rice, fajitas, and 1/2 cup salsa and cook stirring regularly for 3-5 minutes. Push rice to the side and fry and egg then break it up and stir back together.

More Quick and Easy Recipes

If you loved the combo of easy and delicious in these skirt steak fajitas, then I hope you will find some more recipes to try in our collection! Here are a few favorites:

BEST Cajun Butter Steak
Cheesy Taco Skillet
Green Chile Chicken – Reader's favorite!
Easy Alice Springs Chicken
Best Ground Turkey Tacos
Baked Chicken Fajitas – pinned over 200k times!

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Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 8 minutes

Serves: 6 servings

Hover over "serves" value to reveal recipe scaler

▢ 2 lbs skirt steak
▢ 2 tbsp fajita seasoning
▢ 2 tbsp vegetable oil divided
▢ 1 green bell pepper sliced
▢ 1 red bell pepper sliced
▢ 1 sweet yellow onion sliced
▢ 1 tbsp butter
▢ 3 cloves garlic pressed
▢ 1/2 lime juiced

Cut the steak into 1/2-1 inch strips. Toss with the fajita seasoning and 1 tbsp of the oil, and place in a zip top bag or container to marinate while finishing prep.
Cut the peppers and onions into thin strips.
Heat the remaining 1 tbsp oil over high heat in a large skillet. Once hot, carefully place the peppers and onions in the skillet, cooking for 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove the peppers and set aside.
Then place the steak in a single layer in the hot skillet. Let cook (without stirring) for 2-3 minutes. Then flip the meat to the other side and cook for 1 minute.

Stir the butter, garlic, and lime juice in and cook for 1 additional minute. Then remove from heat and stir in the onions and peppers.
Garnish with fresh cilantro and serve hot. Enjoy!

Serving: 8 oz Calories: 320 kcal (16%) Carbohydrates: 8 g (3%) Protein: 34 g (68%) Fat: 18 g (28%) Saturated Fat: 9 g (56%) Cholesterol: 100 mg (33%) Sodium: 194 mg (8%) Potassium: 590 mg (17%) Fiber: 2 g (8%) Sugar: 4 g (4%) Vitamin A: 850 IU (17%) Vitamin C: 46.4 mg (56%) Calcium: 27 mg (3%) Iron: 3 mg (17%)

(Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.)

Course: Dinner

Cuisine: Mexican

Keyword: beef fajitas, best, easy, skillet, skirt steak, steak fajitas

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Source: https://easyfamilyrecipes.com/skillet-steak-fajitas/