Best pan fried steak recipe that is easy, quick, and gives you perfect pan seared skin, tender and juicy inside, delicious garlic butter steak cooked on the stove top. Learn how to pan fry steak that is flavorful, tasty, and better than restaurant quality.
Pan Fried Steak Recipe
You will love this pan fried steak recipe because it's simple, requires just a little effort to cook and you get perfect steak every time.
Pan frying is the quickest way of cooking steak and this pan seared steak cooks in 6 - 10 minutes depending on how rare or well done you like it. This recipe is so good you'll come back to it again and again.
It uses few ingredients and you only need salt and pepper to season it although you can use additional seasoning like my homemade steak seasoning as I have done for this recipe.
This is the best fried steak recipe as it is steakhouse quality topped with garlic butter for the ultimate taste.
You can use this method to make rare, medium rare, medium, or well-done steak. I have included in this a post a timing guide and tips for it to come out just as you love it.
Pan fried steak is simple and this recipe uses just a tablespoon and half of oil to get crispy pan seared skin.
We like serving it with potatoes, gravy, vegetables, and sauces like garlic butter sauce for a tasty dinner.
A good quality cast iron skillet or stainless steel frying pan is what you need to cook steak on the stove top but if you are after other ways of cooking steak, check out my instant pot steak recipe which you all love, and air fried steak.
Ingredients
Steak - I used boneless rib eye steak but you can use any good cut of steak. Examples are rib eye, Newyork strip steak, skirt steak, tenderloin steak, porterhouse.
Pepper - Black pepper is the pepper of choice for this recipe.
Salt - Kosher salt or works well.
Steak seasoning - I added a bit of this homemade seasoning that I love on my fried steak.
Vegetable oil - You can substitute this with sunflower oil or any odorless oil with a high smoking point.
Butter - This flavor pairs well with meat.
Garlic- Whole cloves or freshly minced garlic works best for this recipe but you can use garlic granules or powder if that's what is available.
How To Pan Fry Steak (Stove Top Steak)
It's easy to cook steak on the stove so let me show you in easy steps how to pan fry steak:
Prep - Bring the steak out of the refrigerator and let it get to room temperature.
Season - Pat the steak dry with a paper towel. Sprinkle all sides with salt and pepper and any other seasoning.
Pan fry - Put the cast iron skillet on medium heat. When it's slightly hot, add vegetable oil to the pan and let the oil heat for about 2 -3 minutes.
Put the steaks flat in the pan and press down with a spoon. Let the steaks sear for 3 minutes or till nicely browned then flip them to the other side and fry for another 3 minutes on the stovetop.
In the last minute of cooking, add the butter, garlic, and chopped parsley into the pan and drizzle over the steaks till they are nicely slattered with it then take the skillet off the heat.
Serve steaks but leave them to rest for few minutes before cutting into them.
How Long To Fry Steak
Here's a simple guide on cook time and how long to pan fry steak:
Rare - Pan fry for 4-5 minutes.
Medium rare - Fry for 6 minutes or till internal temperature at the thickest part is 138F.
For Medium - Pan fry for 8 minutes (4 minutes on each side) or till the inner temperature is 143F/60C.
Medium well- Pan fry for 10 minutes or till the internal temperature is 148F/65C.
Welldone - Fry for 12 minutes or till the internal temperature is at least 160F and the inside is no longer pink.
What to Serve With
Fried potatoes with boiled broccoli
Roasted potatoes, with Meditteranean vegetables
Spicy rice, boiled carrots
Mashed potatoes and air fryer vegetables
Oven roasted carrots and fries
Salads
How To Store Steak
Leftover steak can be stored in the refrigerator. You can store it in the fridge or freezer depending on how long you'd like to store it.
To store in the fridge - Put in a Ziploc or airtight container before placing in the fridge. It will last up to 5 days in the fridge so consume within this period.
To store in the freezer - Put the steak in an airtight freezer-safe container or Ziploc bag, label with name and dates then store in the freezer where it will retain its quality and taste for up to 3 months.
Reheating Steak - You can reheat from cold or frozen. Reheat in the oven, microwave, or air fryer.
You can use leftover steak in:
Curries
Sandwiches
Casseroles
Salads
Tips for Pan Frying Steak
- Choose good quality steak. Use steak that's at least ½ inch thick that is boneless although you can also use bone-in steak.
- Pat steak dry to remove water or moisture before you season.
- You can season the steak with salt and pepper only or add herbs and spices according to your preference.
- Use a cast iron skillet for the best result. They are heavy based, heat well, and get even heat distribution which is required for even cooking and perfect searing of steaks.
- Let the pan heat for a minute before adding oil then another 2 minutes before adding the steak.
- Pan sear the steaks with vegetable oil before adding butter as vegetable oil has a higher smoking point than butter. This way the butter doesn't burn in the hot cast-iron skillet.
- Don't put the steak on top of one another. Arrange flat in a single layer, and leave room in the pan to be able to flip the steaks easily.
- Garlic butter is great for flavor however if you do not eat garlic, you can omit and use butter and herbs like parsley, coriander, thyme, rosemary.
- Rest the steak for five to eight minutes before cutting into it so the juice has time to redistribute inside the steak.
- You can use an instant-read meat thermometer to test for doneness.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I cook steak in a regular frying pan?
It's best to use a cast iron skillet because it is heavy based and retains heat well which makes it perfect for frying steak however it is possible to fry steak in a frying pan.
How do you cook fried steak so it's tender?
Ensure the skillet is heated before adding the steak and don't overcook. Overcooking can cause it to be dry and rubbery.
What steak can you fry?
You can fry any type of steak from cubed steak to flank steak, marbled steak, strip steak, porterhouse steak, rib eye steak.
More Steak Recipes
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Pan Fried Steak Recipe
Equipment
- Cast iron Skillet or Stainless steel frying pan
Ingredients
- 2 Steaks Rib eye, Newyork strip, porterhouse or any suitable.
- 2 teaspoons Black pepper or to taste
- Salt to taste
- 1 tablespoon Steak seasoning Optional
- 2 tablespoons Butter
- 2-4 cloves Garlic minced
- 1.5 tablespoons Chopped Parsley
Instructions
- Bring the steak out of the refrigerator and let it get to room temperature.
- Pat the steaks dry with a paper towel. Sprinkle all sides with salt and pepper and any other seasoning.
- Put the cast iron skillet or stainless steel frying pan on medium heat. When it's slightly hot, add vegetable oil to the pan and let the oil heat for about 2 -3 minutes.
- When oil is very hot, put the steaks flat in the pan and press down with a spoon. Let the steaks sear for 3 minutes or till nicely browned then flip them to the other side and fry for another 3 minutes.
- Add the butter, garlic, and chopped parsley into the pan and drizzle over the steaks till they are nicely slattered with it then take the skillet off the heat.
- Serve steaks but leave them to rest for few minutes before cutting into them.
Notes
- Choose good quality steak. Use steak that's at least ½ inch thick that is boneless although you can also use bone-in steak.
- Pat steak dry to remove water or moisture before you season.
- You can season the steak with salt and pepper only or add herbs and spices according to your preference.
- Use a cast iron skillet or stainless steel frying pan for the best result. They are heavy based, heat well, and get even heat distribution which is required for even cooking and perfect searing of steaks.
- Let the pan heat for a minute before adding oil then another 2 minutes before adding the steak.
- Pan sear the steaks with vegetable oil before adding butter as vegetable oil has a higher smoking point than butter. This way the butter doesn't burn in the hot cast-iron skillet.
- Don't put the steak on top of one another. Arrange flat in a single layer, and leave room in the pan to be able to flip the steaks easily.
- Garlic butter is great for flavor however if you do not eat garlic, you can omit and use butter and herbs like parsley, coriander, thyme, rosemary.
- Rest the steak for five to eight minutes before cutting into it so the juice has time to redistribute inside the steak.
- You can use an instant-read meat thermometer to test for doneness.
I tried this tonight with a couple of round steaks I thawed from the freezer. Fantastic results! So tender, they cut with a fork. This is the only way to pan fry steak. Thank you for the recipe.
So glad to read this feedback. Thank you Ann.