Sometimes, all you need is a really great bowl recipe! These Air Fryer Steak Bites are super juicy chunks of ribeye paired with crispy potatoes atop a bed of crunchy romaine lettuce finished with a bright, creamy cilantro dressing for the perfect bowl.
These air fryer steak bites are so yummy and perfect for pairing with our simple salad and potatoes (and don’t skip the green dressing!) for the ultimate bowl recipe! This recipe makes between 4 and 6 bowls, so it’s great for a quick dinner or individual servings to pop in the fridge and take to work.
If meal prepping, store the dressing in a separate container so it doesn’t make the lettuce soggy! You can skip the potatoes and salad entirely and serve these steak bites as an appetizer with the dressing.
This recipe is so easy to make, especially in the air fryer. Just marinate the steak, season and air fry your potatoes, make the dressing, then air fry the steak, assemble, and you’re good to go!
Steak
- Ribeye Steaks: You’ll need 2 pounds of ribeye steak cut into 2-inch chunks.
- Brown Sugar: The sweetness of the brown sugar balances the savory ingredients in the rest of the recipe.
- Worcestershire: A little salty umami makes everything better!
Potatoes
- Fingerling Potatoes: Use smaller potatoes cut in half for ease or chop larger potatoes into 2-inch pieces so they cook evenly and are similar in size to the steak.
- Dried Thyme: This herb adds an earthy, sweet, and peppery flavor.
Green Dressing
- Cilantro: Adds a punch of citrus flavor!
- Parsley: Vibrant and earthy parsley pairs with cilantro to build a bright dressing.
- Garlic: What recipe is complete without it?
- Shallot: Minced shallots add a mellow flavor that is much more subtle than onion.
- Fresh Lemon Juice: All good dressings need some acid!
- Greek Yogurt: To turn this into a creamy dressing with a little tang.
- Feta Cheese: This crumbly salty cheese adds depth to the bright dressing.
Salad
- Romaine Lettuce: Crisp romaine lettuce holds up to the dressing, hearty steak, and potatoes.
- Cherry Tomatoes: These juicy gems are like little bursts of heaven!
- Red Onion: Colorful, sharp, and a little sweet, it perfectly contrasts the rest of the salad.
We used avocado oil, but olive oil works just as well. If you’re worried about using all of your produce, you can swap shallots and red onions for each other—just know that red onions are more pungent than shallots. You can also use baby spinach, kale, arugula, or a mix instead of just romaine lettuce.
What Other Kinds Of Meat Can I Use?
We tested this recipe with New York strip and ribeye steak and were really impressed with how the ribeye came out. But you don’t have to use steak at all! This recipe would be just as delicious with juicy chicken or shrimp.
Can I Make This Vegetarian?
This couldn’t be easier to turn into a vegetarian recipe! Swap out the steak for tofu or halloumi cheese, or add more veggies like Brussels sprouts, carrots, or broccoli.
You actually don’t need to! The air fryer does a great job of making the outside crispy while keeping the inside super juicy.
How to Make Air Fryer Steak Bites
- Marinate Steak: Add the steak chunks, salt, pepper, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, and avocado oil to a large bowl and stir until all the ingredients are combined and coated with marinade. Transfer the bowl to the refrigerator.
- Remove Steak from Fridge: Let the steak sit at room temperature for 10 minutes.
- Air Fry Steak: Preheat the air fryer to 400ºF. Add the steak chunks in single layers. Cook for 5-6 minutes or until crispy on the outside. Repeat until all the steak is cooked. Set aside.
Making the Entire Bowl Recipe? START HERE:
You’ll want to start with air frying the potatoes because that’s the longest part of the cooking process. Plus, then you’ll have freshly cooked steak when you assemble the bowls — this is how you’ll see the cooking process laid out in the step-by-step recipe card below as well 😃
- MARINATE THE STEAK.
- Season Potatoes: Preheat the air fryer to 400ºF. Toss the potatoes in oil, sea salt, pepper, and thyme.
- Air Fry Potatoes: Add the potatoes to the air fryer and cook them for 16-18 minutes or until golden brown and cooked through.
- REMOVE STEAK BITES FROM THE FRIDGE.
- Make the Dressing: While the potatoes are cooking, place all the dressing ingredients into a high-speed blender or food processor. Process until smooth and set aside. Remove cooked potatoes from the air fryer.
- AIR FRY THE STEAK BITES.
- Toss Veggies: Toss the romaine, cherry tomatoes, and onions in a large bowl.
- Assemble & Serve: Prepare the steak bowl. Evenly separate the steak, potatoes, and salad into 4-6 bowls. Top with dressing and enjoy!
You’ll need to cook the steak in batches so each piece gets nice and crispy instead of steaming. Like when baking veggies, you want to lay the steak in a single layer without stacking them or allowing them to touch. This ensures they’ll be cooked properly.
What If I Don’t Have An Air Fryer?
You can easily make this without an air fryer. You can roast the potatoes in the oven at 400ºF; you may just need to adjust the cooking time. We recommend making the steak in a cast iron pan for the perfect sear. You may need to adjust the cooking time for the potatoes.
For the steak, we recommend making sure the pan is nice and hot before adding the steak chunks. Sear for 2-3 minutes on each side or until crispy on the outside. You can also grill the steak if you prefer.
Customize Your Steak Bowl
This air fryer steak bowl is incredibly versatile and can be customized to your liking. Here are a few ideas to mix things up:
These air fryer steak bites are best enjoyed fresh, but you can store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. We recommend storing the salad and dressing separately so it doesn’t get soggy.
Reheat the steak and potatoes in the air fryer or in a pan on the stove before assembling your bowl.
More Yummy Bowl Recipes To Try
I just love throwing together a bowl of goodness for quick and easy meals. Try some of these recipes for mixing things up for breakfast, lunch, or dinner:
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Add the steak chunks, salt, pepper, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, and avocado oil to a large bowl and stir until all the ingredients are combined and coated with marinade. Transfer the bowl to the refrigerator.
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Preheat the air fryer to 400ºF. Toss the potatoes in oil, sea salt pepper, and thyme.
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Add the potatoes to the air fryer and cook them for 16-18 minutes or until golden brown and cooked through.
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While the potatoes are cooking, make the dressing. Place all of the ingredients for the dressing into a high-speed blender or food processor. Process until smooth. Set aside.
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Once the potatoes are cooked, remove them from the air fryer.
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Remove the steak from the fridge and let it sit at room temperature for 10 minutes.
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Preheat the air fryer (if not heated already) to 400ºF. Add the steak chunks to the air fryer, be sure there is only one layer of steak. Do not stack the steaks on top of each other. Cook for 5-6 minutes or until crispy on the outside. You will need to cook the steak in batches. Repeat until all steak is cooked. Set aside.
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Toss the romaine, cherry tomatoes, and onions in a large bowl.
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Prepare the steak bowl. Evenly separate the steak, potatoes, and salad into 4-6 bowls. Top with dressing and enjoy.
- Option to skip the potatoes and salad and serve the steak as an appetizer with the dressing.
- We tested this recipe with both New York strip and ribeye steak. Ribeye steak was the clear winner.
- We use avocado oil, but olive oil can be used instead.
Calories: 402 kcal, Carbohydrates: 29 g, Protein: 20 g, Fat: 24 g, Fiber: 4 g, Sugar: 6 g
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Photography: photos taken in this post are by Erin from The Wooden Skillet.
