This steak bites recipe is the ultimate all-in-one dinner that everyone will love! I’ll show you how to make steak bites with garlic butter, which you can certainly serve on their own (or as a steak appetizer), but I like to make them into a one-pan meal by adding zucchini noodles. The combination is easy, healthy, and simple: garlic butter steak bites with lemon zucchini noodles blend tender pieces of meat with a flavorful veggie pasta, all in one pan.
What Are Steak Bites?
Steak bites are simply bite-sized portions of steak. Just like a full cut of steak, they cook up meaty and juicy, and pair well with an array of veggies.
Garlic Butter Steak Bites Ingredients
This section explains how to choose the best ingredients for garlic butter steak bites, what each one does in the recipe, and substitution options. For measurements, see the recipe card below.
Ingredients for the garlic steak bites:
Steak – See below for the best cuts of beef for steak bites.Sea Salt & Black PepperOlive Oil – Avocado oil can work, too.Butter – Any unsalted variety you keep on hand.Garlic – Fresh will taste best, but jarred minced garlic works, too.
Ingredients for the lemon zucchini noodles:
Zucchini – Get firm, medium-sized zucchini with no nicks or cuts.Lemon Juice – Fresh squeezed juice is best, but use bottled if you need to.Plus, the butter and garlic from the steak gets used to cook the zoodles as well.
What Cut Of Steak For The Best Steak Bites?
Making tender and juicy garlic butter steak bites starts with great steak! And you have lots of choices:
Sirloin – Steak bites are usually made from a sirloin steak, and that’s what I used. A nice combination of affordability and tender texture.Filet Mignon – More soft and tender with minimal fat, but more expensive. This is my favorite cut, but I much prefer to enjoy a cast iron filet mignon whole.New York Strip – A fair amount of marbling keeps this meat perfectly tender. Like filet mignon, I usually prefer to cook a whole New York strip instead of cutting it up for steak bites.Ribeye – Very tender due to more marbling, but also a bit more expensive.
TIP: You can also buy cuts of meat labeled as “steak tips”. These are often sirloin and already cut into pieces. I find that grass-fed beef makes the best steak bites recipe (see my favorite way to source it here), but it’s not required to make this dish.
How To Make Steak Bites
This section shows how to cook steak bites with step-by-step photos and details about the technique, to help you visualize it. For full instructions, including amounts and temperatures, see the recipe card below.
How to cook steak bites with garlic butter:
Season. Season steak with salt and pepper.
Cook. Sear steak for 2-3 minutes on each side, without moving, until browned.
TIP: Avoid turning the steak too much. Let it sit in the pan to develop a golden crust on all sides.
Add more flavor. Reduce heat and add butter and garlic. Stir to coat the butter garlic steak bites. Transfer to a plate and cover with foil.
TIP: For even more flavor, use compound butter here. You can add it to the pan instead of just butter and garlic.
How to make lemon zucchini noodles:
Cook. Add zoodles to the remaining garlic butter, season, and saute until crisp tender.
Add lemon juice. Squeeze it over zucchini noodles and stir to combine.
Serve. Plate the garlic steak bites recipe with zucchini noodles.
Storage Instructions
To store: Garlic butter steak bites with lemon zucchini noodles store nicely in the fridge. Cover and store for 2-4 days.To meal prep: To prep this dish ahead, spiralize the zucchini and store in a covered container. You can also cut steak into bite-sized pieces ahead of time, but avoid storing for longer than a day or two as it may start to brown.To reheat: Drain excess liquid from the zucchini, then reheat this dish in hot skillet, until warm. I recommend adding a bit more butter when reheating, as you’ll lose some when you drain it.To freeze: You can freeze steak bites easily! Wrap tightly and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before serving. Avoid freezing zucchini noodles, as they will get too mushy.
What To Serve With Steak Bites
These garlic and butter steak bites come with zucchini noodles, but here are some other options you might enjoy!
Sides:
Radishes – Tastes like potatoes, especially smothered in garlic butter!Mushrooms – Garlic butter steak bites with mushrooms make the perfect savory combo.Asparagus – Easy and tender.Rutabagas – Another tender veggie side that tastes like roasted potatoes.Broccoli – Absorbs lots of garlicky, buttery flavor!
Lemon Garlic Aioli – Tangy, creamy, and simple.Blue Cheese Dressing – A classic pairing with steak.Pesto Sauce – An easy sauce if you want to skip the creamy ones.Chimichurri – Loaded with fresh herbs!
More Easy Steak Recipes
Now that you know how to make tender steak bites, try these other simple steak dishes!
Easy Surf And TurfReverse Seared SteakNew York Strip In The OvenInstant Pot Steak Fajitas
Share your recipe picture by tagging @wholesomeyum and hashtag it #wholesomeyum on Instagram, or in our Facebook support group, too – I’d love to see it!
