Name: Air Fryer Steak Bites with Garlic Herb Butter
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 25 min
Ingredients: 1 1/2 lb sirloin steak (cut into 1 to 1 1/2 inch cubes); 1 tbsp olive oil; 1 tsp kosher salt; 1/2 tsp black pepper (freshly ground); 1/2 tsp garlic powder; 3 tbsp unsalted butter (softened to room temperature); 2 cloves garlic (minced fine); 2 tbsp fresh parsley (chopped, flat-leaf or curly both work)

From the roundup: 22 Air Fryer Dinner Recipes for Busy Nights

Jump to Recipe

Air fryer steak bites with garlic herb butter have become my go-to on nights when I need dinner done fast but still want something that feels like actual food, not just survival mode. Cubed sirloin goes into the basket at 400 degrees F, cooks for 8 to 10 minutes with one shake in the middle, and comes out with a browned, slightly caramelized crust that would take real patience to get in a skillet.

The compound butter is the part that makes it. You just mash softened butter with minced garlic and fresh parsley, then drop it over the hot steak bites the second they come out of the basket. The residual heat does the rest. There is no extra pan, no basting, no fuss.

Total time is about 25 minutes, and honestly most of that is the 15-minute rest for the steak before it goes in. Active work is maybe 10 minutes. Serve over mashed potatoes or next to roasted asparagus and you have a real dinner.

How this one started

The first time I made these, it was a Thursday and I had already mentally committed to takeout. I had a sirloin in the fridge that needed to be used, and I remembered seeing someone cube a steak and throw it in the air fryer. I figured the worst case was I ordered pizza anyway. I skipped the resting step because I was impatient, and the bites came out steamed and a little sad on the outside, perfectly cooked inside but with none of that crust I wanted.

The second time I actually let the meat sit out while I made the butter, and the difference was real. That 15 minutes is the one step I do not skip anymore. My husband, who is skeptical of anything cooked in the air fryer that is not chicken wings, ate most of the pan.

Why you will love this

Dinner is ready in 25 minutes, and the steak is actually resting for 15 of those, so the hands-on time is short.
The garlic herb butter takes about 3 minutes to make and can be prepped days ahead, which cuts the weeknight effort down even further.
Sirloin at 8 minutes hits medium to medium-well, which works for most of my family, but you can pull one piece and cut into it to check before pulling the whole batch.
One bowl for the steak, one small bowl for the butter, and the air fryer basket. Cleanup is fast.
It works over mashed potatoes for a full dinner or as a protein alongside whatever vegetable you already have going.

Tips for success

Pull the steak out of the fridge 15 minutes before cooking. Cold cubes drop the basket temperature fast and the outside steams instead of browning. This is the step I skipped the first time and immediately regretted.
Do not crowd the basket. If you have a smaller air fryer, cook in two batches. Steak bites touching each other trap steam and you lose the caramelized exterior.
Shake or stir with tongs at the halfway point, not before. Moving them too early interrupts the crust forming on the bottom side.
Have the compound butter already made and sitting at room temperature before the steak goes in. You want to toss it immediately when the basket comes out, while the meat is hottest. Cold or refrigerator-hard butter will not melt evenly over the pieces.

Common questions about this recipe

Can I use a different cut? Ribeye and New York strip both work cut into cubes and will give you a richer result. Chuck tends to be too tough for this method at this cook time.
What if I only have dried parsley? Use about 2 teaspoons dried in place of the 2 tablespoons fresh. Fresh rosemary or thyme also work well here, or a mix.
How do I know when they are done? At 8 minutes, cut into one piece. The outside should look browned, not gray. Gray means it steamed. If that happens, your basket was likely overcrowded.
Can I double the recipe? Yes, but cook in batches. Doubling and cramming it all in at once is the fastest way to get mediocre results.

Substitutions

Ribeye or New York strip cut into 1 to 1 1/2 inch cubes work in place of sirloin and will give you more marbling. For a dairy-free version, a plant-based butter in the compound butter works fine since the flavor is mostly coming from the garlic and parsley anyway. If you are out of fresh garlic, stir 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder directly into the softened butter instead.

For kids who are skeptical of visible herbs, you can skip the parsley in the butter entirely and just do garlic butter. Two of mine will not touch anything green and they eat these without complaint.

Make-ahead and storage

The compound butter can be made up to 5 days ahead. Roll it in plastic wrap into a small log and refrigerate. When the steak bites come out of the basket, slice off what you need and toss immediately. It also freezes well for up to a month, which is useful if you want to keep a log on hand for other uses.

Leftover steak bites keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat in the air fryer at 375 degrees F for 3 to 4 minutes. Any longer and they tighten up and get chewy, so check them early. I do not recommend freezing the cooked steak bites since the texture suffers too much on the reheat.

Brittany Stage