Easy, flavor-packed Steak Tacos with a quick corn-and-herb topping and the best simple chili-lime sauce.
Steak Tacos, flavorful enough as a standalone meal, complement well with a side of fruit salad recipe or quick cucumber salad.
Steak Tacos
These tacos blend two of my favorite and most popular recipes from this website: the beloved Chicken Tacos and my personal favorite, Flank Steak With Corn Salsa .
Combining them creates an exceptional Steak Taco recipe. These are, without a doubt, the best steak tacos I’ve ever tasted! They explode with flavor, from the seasoned, tender steak to the crisp corn topping, and are perfected with a creamy chili-lime sauce. We just can’t get enough of them!
Ingredients
- Flank, Flat Iron, or Skirt Steak: Slice against the grain for the most tender bite.
- Seasonings: Pat the seasoning into the meat to help it stick better.
- Light Brown Sugar: Don’t skip this—it enhances the crust on the steak!
- Salt & Pepper: Salt just before grilling to avoid drawing out moisture too soon.
- Olive Oil: Use just enough to coat—too much can cause grill flare-ups.
- Corn Topping & Tacos: Grill the corn for extra flavor and use ripe but firm avocados to keep the topping from getting mushy.
- Sauce: Taste and adjust spice levels—add more sriracha for heat or lime for brightness.
- Tortillas: Lightly charring tortillas over an open flame adds the best texture and flavor.
Quick Tip
Remove steaks for steak tacos from grill 5 degrees before desired temperature for carryover cooking during rest:
- Rare: 120-125°F
- Medium-Rare: 135°F (4-5 min/side)
- Medium: 140°F (5-7 min/side)
- Medium-Well: 150°F (8-10 min/side)
- Well-Done: 160-175°F.
How To Make Steak Tacos
- Grill Prep: Preheat your grill to 450°F and oil the grates.
- Corn: Brush corn with olive oil, season with salt and pepper, grill until charred, then cut off the kernels.
- Steak Rub: Mix spices and brown sugar, rub onto steak with olive oil, and grill to desired doneness. Let it rest, then slice thinly against the grain.
- Corn Topping: Mix grilled corn kernels with chopped avocado, green onions, cilantro, garlic, jalapeño, lime zest, and juice.
- Sauce: Whisk together mayo, lime juice, zest, spices, and sriracha.
- Tortillas: Lightly grill or warm tortillas.
- Assemble: Fill tortillas with steak, corn topping, sauce, and optionally add avocado slices, extra lime juice, cilantro, or cheese. Enjoy your steak tacos!
Tips For Success
- Use a queso-cotija blend for topping; if omitting, add a pinch of salt to the steak tacos.
- Monitor steak cook time closely; flank steak cooks fast, and thinner steaks cook faster.
- Char the tortillas for enhanced flavor; see video for quick method.
Storage
Steak Taco Leftovers
- Fridge: Store steak, corn topping, and sauce in separate sealed containers. Keep tortillas wrapped. Use within 3-4 days.
- Freezer: Freeze steak for 2-3 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight.
- Reheating: Warm steak in a pan or microwave. Heat tortillas in a dry pan or microwave with a damp paper towel.
More Taco Recipes
- Shrimp Tacos with a cilantro-lime slaw
- Asian Chicken Tacos 30-minute weeknight meal
- Turkey Tacos made in one pot
- Jamaican Jerk Tacos with a mango black bean salsa
- Taco Lettuce Wraps with taco-seasoned meat
Steak Tacos
These easy, flavor-packed Steak Tacos are loaded with juicy, seasoned steak and topped with a fresh corn-and-herb mix that adds the perfect crunch. Drizzle on a zesty chili-lime sauce, and you’ve got a taco that’s bursting with fresh flavors!
Equipment
Ingredients
- Vegetable oil or canola oil, for greasing grill
Steak
- 1-1/2 up to 2 pounds flank steak or flat iron or skirt steak
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 tablespoon paprika
- 1 tablespoon ground chili powder
- 1 tablespoon light brown sugar firmly packed
- 1-1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1-1/2 teaspoons pepper
- 2 tablespoons olive oil divided
Corn Topping and Tacos
- 2 large corn on the cob fresh is best if available; or use frozen, about 2 cups
- 1 large avocado divided
- 3 green onions thinly sliced
- 1/2 bunch cilantro finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped jalapeño see note 1
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic 1 clove
- 1 large lime
- 12 small tortillas or street-sized tortillas, flour or corn; I prefer Mission® extra-thin corn tortillas
- Cooking spray
- Toppings as desired see note 2
Sauce
- 1/2 cup mayo full-fat, I love Best Foods/Hellman’s®
- 2 limes
- 1/6 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/4 teaspoon paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon sriracha sauce
Instructions
- Preheat grill to 450°F. Once heated, clean and liberally oil the grill. (I do this by drenching a paper towel in vegetable oil and, holding tongs, rubbing the paper towel over the grill.)
- Corn: Shuck corn and discard leaves and silk. Drizzle corn with olive oil and lightly sprinkle with salt and pepper. Rub oil and salt/pepper into all sides of the corn. Add corn to the grill over direct heat and grill about 10–12 minutes. Rotate every 3–4 minutes until brightly colored and lightly charred. Let grilled corn cool before cutting it off the cob and adding kernels to a large bowl.
- Steak: Prepare steak rub by mixing together garlic powder, ground coriander, cumin, paprika, chili powder, salt, pepper, and brown sugar. Remove steak from packaging and blot dry with a paper towel. Drizzle 1 tablespoon oil on the steak. Sprinkle half the rub on top and gently press in. Flip the steak over and drizzle remaining 1 tablespoon of oil on the bottom of the steak and sprinkle on remaining rub mixture. Gently press in.
- Place spiced-rubbed steak directly on grill and cook 4–5 minutes per side, or until the internal temperature is 130–135°F for medium rare or 145°F for medium. (I use a meat thermometer here. For a 2-pound flank steak, my grill takes exactly 4 minutes per side.) Remove steak from grill. Tent with foil and let rest for 5–10 minutes, then slice it very thinly against the grain (see note 3).
- Corn Topping: Cut the avocado in half. Chop one half into small pieces and thinly slice the other half. Toss grilled corn with chopped avocado, thinly sliced green onions, finely chopped cilantro, minced garlic, and finely diced jalapeño. Add 1 teaspoon lime zest, 2 tablespoons lime juice, a sprinkle of salt and pepper, and gently toss together. Set aside.
- Sauce: Zest and juice limes to get 1/2 teaspoon zest and 3 tablespoons juice. Whisk together with all sauce ingredients until smooth and combined. Add a pinch of salt and pepper to taste. Taste and adjust to personal preference (additional salt, pepper, sriracha, etc.).
- Tortillas: Spray both sides of the tortillas with cooking spray and “grill” tortillas on the stovetop over the open flame until slightly charred. Alternatively, warm (covered with a damp paper towel) in the microwave. After tortillas have been warmed or charred, quickly fold them in half so they will fold easily when assembled.
- Assemble: Fill up the tortillas with thinly sliced steak, a generous spoonful of the corn-avocado mixture, and a spoonful of the sauce. Add the thin slices of avocado. Optionally, add extra lime juice, cilantro, and/or cotija cheese to tacos if desired. Enjoy!
Video
Recipe Notes
Note 1: If you aren’t a fan of spicy foods, I recommend McCormick® chili powder and paprika; neither are very hot. I’d also recommend leaving out the jalapeño from the corn topping.
Note 2: Optional toppings: Cotija or Queso Fresco Cheese, additional lime wedges/juice and cilantro.
Note 3: Steak grain: Find the fibers on the steak and determine how they are running along the steak. Once you find that grain, slice perpendicular. This will keep the meat juicy, tender, and easier to chew. If the meat strips are too long, cut them in half or chop for easier eating.
Storage: Keep steak, corn topping, and sauce in separate airtight containers in the fridge for up to 3–4 days. Freeze steak in a freezer-safe bag for up to 2–3 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight.
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 703kcal | Carbohydrates: 71g | Protein: 12g | Fat: 44g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 17g | Monounsaturated Fat: 17g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 12mg | Sodium: 889mg | Potassium: 663mg | Fiber: 9g | Sugar: 13g | Vitamin A: 483IU | Vitamin C: 26mg | Calcium: 170mg | Iron: 5mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
The corn and sauce in this dish are amazing! We used a different steak recipe but the parts we made were wonderful – not too spicy but a perfect blend of flavors. Better than most street tacos you can get out!
I am so thrilled you loved these steak tacos! Thanks for your comment Courtney!
I’ve made this recipe twice now and it’s always devoured.
Yay! I am so happy to hear this! Thanks for your comment Theresa! 🙂
Used this recipe with a ribeye steak and also organic chicken – both turned out excellent and will enjoy this again in the future.
Thank you for sharing!
Yay! I am so thrilled to hear this! Thank you so much for your comment Ken!
Made this while on vacation with family, it’s fantastic! The steak has a great salty flavor which is balanced with the corn salsa. We also made rice bowls with leftovers the next day. Thanks for the yummy recipe 😋
I am so thrilled to hear this! Thanks so much Gretchen! 🙂
I don’t usually leave a comment, but this deserved recognition! This was amazing!! Better than restaurants! Ty!!!
Thanks so much Michaela! Your comment means a ton! 🙂
Delicious!!! The corn topping is amazing…make extra because it can just be eaten as a side too. Great the next day. Sauce is incredible. I made everything except the steak in advance (early in the day for dinner later). For the corn topping, I just waited until right before serving to add avocado. Big hit.
Thank you so much Lynn! I’m so happy you enjoyed! 🙂
Very tasty!
So glad to hear that, thank you Jillian!
Can you prepare the steak in the oven? If so, what temp and time do you suggest?
I haven’t personally for these tacos; I’d recommend using this post as a guide 🙂 https://www.thekitchn.com/how-to-cook-flank-steak-in-the-oven-cooking-lessons-from-the-kitchn-219428
SOOO good! Loved the corn salsa and sauce too! Your recipes never disappoint! Thanks!
Awe you made my day!! Thanks Laura 🙂
This recipe delivers some big time smacking good flavour. I did add a little olive oil and stevia to the salsa. If you follow the steak grilling tips- it’s absolutely perfect!!!!!
I’m so happy you loved this Maureen! Thanks so much for your comment! 🙂