Authentic Carne Asada Recipe + The BEST Marinade! (2024)

This tender Carne Asada recipe is flavorful and proof that sometimes all you need is a few simple ingredients to make a delicious steak dinner. Juicy grilled flank steak full of incredible Mexican flavors makes this carne asada the best you’ve ever had!

An Easy Carne Asada Recipe

You probably know Carne Asada as a meal you order at your favorite Mexican restaurant. When you take your first bite, it seems like one of those dishes that you just can’t make at home. You think to yourself – there is just no way you could recreate that, it tastes soooooo good.

Think again! Here I will give you a fool-proof recipe for the best carne asada with the perfect marinade. All you’ll need is some citrus, jalapeno, garlic, vinegar, and a few seasonings.

Looking for more steak recipes? Don’t miss these my other favorites – filet mignon, NY strip steak, steak pizzaiola, churrasco, garlic butter steak bites, London broil, and reverse sear steak.

Why You’ll Love This Carne Asada Meat

Here are a few reasons this is one of my all-time favorite steak recipes.

• Bursting with flavor. Though it needs to marinate for just 2 hours, this carne asada recipe is just bursting with flavor. Between the citrus, seasonings, jalapeno, and garlic, there’s always a new flavor to make your mouth water.
• Super easy. Carne asada might be one of the easiest Mexican dishes out there to prepare. All you need to do is combine the carne asada seasoning, allow the meat to marinate, and grill to perfection.
• Versatile. Carne asada can be served as the entree with a few sides or added to tacos, burritos, quesadillas, salads, and more.

What is Carne Asada?

While you likely recognize the name from your favorite Mexican restaurant, you may still wonder, what is carne asada?

Carne Asada translates to “grilled meat.” Pretty straightforward, right?

More specifically, carne Asada is marinated and prepared steak that has been sliced against the grain of the cut. It is simple, fast, and easy to make. It’s perfect for a small get-together or a large gathering and can be served as steak itself or sliced and served in tacos, burritos, salads, and more.

Should You Marinate the Steak?

Yes, marinating your flank steak is key to make perfect carne asada.

Marinating the steak is important because the citrus flavors will make the meat tender while the oil will allow the citrus to disperse evenly. This will make your meat flavorful, juicy and give your meat that melt-in-your-mouth texture.

To marinate your steak, you will use a combination of orange juice, olive oil and various herbs and spices. The flank steak is combined with this tenderizing marinade for a minimum of 2 hours, or as long as overnight. Once it has finished marinating, take the steak out of the bag and discard any leftover marinade.

What You’ll Need

Here’s a quick overview of what you’ll need to make this carne asada recipe. Be sure to scroll down to the recipe card for specific amounts:

• Citrus: Orange juice (no pulp), lemons, and limes help to tenderize the flank steak and add flavor as well.
• Olive oil
• White wine vinegar – Adds a tang to the steak marinade.
• Spices: Cumin, cilantro, salt, and pepper are used as part of the carne asada seasoning.
• Jalapeno – Adds just a bit of heat to the carne asada meat.
• Garlic cloves – Minced into small pieces.
• Flank steak – See notes below.

What Type of Meat Should I Use for Carne Asada?

Traditionally, carne asada is made with skirt steak or flank steak.

Personally, I prefer flank steak as it is more lean and seems to hold onto flavor better. Some people prefer the marbled appearance from the higher fat content of the skirt steak.

It’s a personal preference, and neither is wrong.

How to Make Carne Asada

Carne asada couldn’t be any easier to make. Marinate the meat, grill it, cut it against the grain, and serve! Here’s how to do it:

• Make the marinade. Combine the orange juice, olive oil, cilantro, lime juice, lemon juice, white wine vinegar, cumin, salt, black pepper, jalapeno, and garlic in a large mixing bowl and whisk together until it is well blended.
• Reserve some of the marinade. Save ⅓ cup of the marinade in a covered container in the refrigerator.
• Marinate your steak. Combine the remaining marinade and steak in a large resealable freezer bag. Refrigerate the steak in the marinade for at least 2 hours, or overnight.
• Preheat your grill to high heat, or 500 degrees. If you are cooking the Carne Asada on the stove, you will want to set it to high heat. Make sure the grill pan or skillet is hot before you start to cook the meat.
• Remove the steak from the marinade and pat dry. Discard any leftover marinade.
• Cook. Add the steak to the preheated grill and cook for 6 to 8 minutes per side, or until you’ve reached your desired doneness. Note that if you use flank steak, it tastes best when it is cooked to rare or medium-rare because it’s a lean cut of steak. Use an instant read meat thermometer to check the temperature for accuracy.
• Remove the steak from the heat and let it rest for 10 minutes. Giving the steak time to rest is very important!
• Slice and serve. Once the steak has had time to rest for 10 minutes, thinly slice the steak against the grain and serve it with the ⅓ cup of reserved cilantro mixture.

How Long Does it Take to Cook Carne Asada?

This will depend on how thick the steak is. To check the temperature of your meat, use an instant read thermometer for accuracy. The FDA recommends that steak be cooked to an internal temperature of 145˚F.

Here is a guide you can use to gauge whether your steak is done cooking:

• 125°F to 130°F internal temperature for RARE
• 135°F to 140°F internal temperature for MEDIUM RARE
• 145°F to 150°F internal temperature for MEDIUM to MEDIUM WELL
• 150°F internal temperature for WELL DONE

How to Cut Carne Asada Meat

After your steak has had time to rest and when it’s time to cut, you will cut the steak in very thin slices against the grain. The fine lines you see in the steak is the grain, or muscle fibers.

By cutting against the grain, NOT alongside the lines, you will get the melt-in-your-mouth tender goodness that Carne Asada is known for!

Serving Suggestions

Carne Asada is typically served with Mexican rice and beans. I also love serving carne asada with fiesta rice, restaurant style salsa, grilled corn, and Mexican street corn (elotes).

How to Store and Reheat Extras

• Fridge: You can store your Carne Asada in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to five days.
• Freezer: Place it in a freezer friendly ziplock bag for up to 3 months. When you’ve decided it’s time to use it, pull it out of the freezer and let it thaw in the refrigerator overnight.
• To reheat: When it comes time to reheat it, you can microwave thawed carne asada or warm it up on a skillet until it is heated through.

Ways to Use Leftover Steak

Carne asada leftovers are THE most versatile of leftovers! Anything goes with carne asada. You can have it alone or how you originally served it, or you can use your leftovers for things like sandwiches, soups, tacos, burritos, nachos, or even with your eggs for breakfast!

More Grilled Steak Recipes

• Grilled Flank Steak with Avocado Chimichurri Sauce
• Jack Daniel’s Grilled Steak Recipe
• Oven Grilled Steak

ENJOY!