Want to learn how to make beef fajitas that taste as good as in the restaurants? This easy-to-follow recipe will teach you how!

I spent a few years trying numerous fajita recipes, trying to find one that has tons of flavor with tender cuts of meat. Good news – I finally discovered it!
I’ve provided some quick tips that will help you ensure that your beef fajitas will turn out great, too.
Table of Contents
How to Make the Best Beef Fajitas
There are a few elements that will almost guarantee your fajitas will turn out great. Let’s quickly discuss each one:
What Kind of Steak to use for Beef Fajitas
First, let’s start with the meat. A good flank or skirt steak is traditionally used in beef fajitas.
I have also made fajitas with New York Strip, ribeye, and sirloin. As long as the steak isn’t overcooked, any good piece of steak should suffice! But I generally prefer to use cheaper cuts of steak when I’m marinading, and save my more expensive cuts for grilling.
How to Make a Marinade for Beef Fajitas
To create the marinade for beef fajitas, combine:
- 1/4 cup lime juice
- 1/3 cup water
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 4 crushed garlic cloves
- 3 tsp soy sauce
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp liquid smoke
- 1/2 tsp chili powder
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 2 tbsp rice wine vinegar
- 1/2 tsp sugar
Stir ingredients until well combined. Place 1 – 2 lbs of steak into a large plastic bag and pour the marinade over the meat. Refrigerate 4 to 12 hours.
The Right Veggies for Beef Fajitas

My favorite vegetables to use for beef fajitas are:
- 1 onion, Sliced
- 1 bell pepper,sliced
- One roma tomatoes, diced
- 1 – 3 jalapenos, diced
To make a simple sauce for the veggies, you’ll combine
- 2 tbsp water
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp soy sauce
- 1/2 tsp lime juice
- salt and pepper, to taste

For the fajita toppings, you’ll need:
- Shredded lettuce
- Grated cheese
- Diced tomatoes
- Sour Cream
- Salsa (make your own)
How to Prepare Beef Fajitas
Warm up your grill or grill pan to medium-high heat and add 1 tbsp olive oil. Remove the steak from fridge, discarding any remaining marinade.
Grill the steak until cooked just slightly less than your desired doneness. We’ll be cooking it a little more, so you don’t want to overcook it at this point.
Remove the steak from the pan and let rest on a cutting board for 5 minutes. After 5 minutes, cut the beef into thin slices, against the grain.
Meanwhile, using the same grill pan or a skillet, add a little olive oil and saute onions, green peppers, and jalapenos until almost browned and slightly soft.

Add tomatoes and cook another 1-2 minutes. Pour vegetable sauce over veggies and mix, then add your steak back in and reduce heat to low.

Fill your tortillas with the fajita mix, and top with shredded cheese, lettuce, sour cream and salsa. You can also squeeze a little lime on top, if that’s your kind of thing.

Fajita Recipe

Beef Fajitas
An easy-to-follow recipe for restaurant-quality beef fajitas.
Ingredients
- 1-2 lb steak flank or skirt steak
Marinade
- 1/3 cup water
- 1/4 cup lime juice
- 2 tbsp rice wine vinegar
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 3 tsp soy sauce
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp liquid smoke
- 1/2 tsp sugar
- 1/2 tsp chili powder
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 4 crushed garlic cloves
Veggies
- 1 bell pepper sliced
- 1 onion sliced
- 1-3 jalapenos sliced
- 1 roma tomato diced
Veggie Sauce
- 2 tbsp water
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp soy sauce
- 1/2 tsp lime juice
- salt and pepper to taste
Toppings
- 6-8 flour tortillas
- lettuce shredded
- 4 oz monterey jack cheese shredded
- Salsa
- Sour Cream
Instructions
-
Combine all ingredients for marinade and whisk until well incorporated. Add meat to a large plastic bag, then pour marinade over steak. Refrigerate and marinade for 4 to 12 hours.
-
Combine ingredients for veggie sauce and mix well.
-
Warm grill or grill pan up to medium-high. Place steak in warmed pan or grill (discard marinade) and cook until medium doneness. Remove and let rest on cutting board for 5 minutes. Slice against the grain into thin strips.
-
In grill pan or skillet, sauté onion, pepper and jalapenos until almost brown and soft. Add tomatoes and cook an additional 1-2 minutes. Pour sauce over veggies, and add sliced steak. Reduce heat to low, then stir.
-
To prepare your fajitas, warm up flour tortillas and fill with fajita mix. Top with cheese, shredded lettuce, sour cream and salsa.
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Side Dishes
Beef fajitas pair well with side dishes! These are my favorite:
- Grilled Mexican Corn on the Cob
- Calabacitas
- Green Chile Chicken Enchiladas (enchiladas are totally a side dish, right?)
This recipe is so good! The marinade for the meat is awesome. I couldn’t stop eating the meat as I was slicing it =)
I marinaded the beef for almost 48 hours (on accident) and I used seasoned rice vinegar (because that’s what I had). Also, I had a cross-rib roast that I needed to use, so I just sliced that into about 5-6 large steak size pieces and it worked great!
I have never left a review on food recipes before (I just always forget). But I came back to this site to print it off for a couple friends and so am leaving my first ever review. That’s how good it was!
Thanks so much for leaving your feedback, Robyn! I truly appreciate you taking the time, and feel honored my site was your first review 🙂 I am so glad you enjoyed the recipe, and appreciate you sharing it with your friends!
Thank you so much for this recipe!!! Whole family loved them! Soo delicious and easy! Also made the homemade tortillas (for the first time) and they turned out delicious! This recipe is now a staple in our home!
I am so happy to hear that, Machela!! Thank you for the feedback 🙂
Fajitas are a favorite at this house too! We lived in the Southwest for a long time, so we know what good is! You are so right about fajitas from Chilis. Good, but not great!
Your recipes sounds great! The hint about cutting cross grain is great!
Thank you so much for joining the In and Out of the Kitchen Party! I can’t wait to see what you will bring next week . I am off to share this will all my bloggy buddies!
Cynthia at http://FeedingBig.com
Thank you for allowing me to share it on your Link-up Party! There are so many great recipes and craft ideas there, I am sure I will be inspired for more great dishes 🙂