Steak Tacos Recipe

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 Steak: Provides the main protein, offering a rich and flavorful base.
• Spices (Garlic Powder, Coriander, Cumin, Paprika, Chili Powder, Salt, Pepper, Brown Sugar): Create a robust and complex flavor profile for the steak rub.
• Olive Oil: Used for grilling and flavor enhancement in the steak and corn.
• Corn on the Cob, Green Onions, Cilantro, Jalapeño, Garlic, Lime, Avocado: These fresh ingredients form the corn topping, adding texture, freshness, and zesty flavors.
• Tortillas (Corn or Flour): Serve as the base for the steak tacos.
• Optional Cheese (Cotija or Queso Fresco), Extra Lime, Extra Cilantro: Add additional flavor and garnish.
• Sauce (Mayo, Lime Juice, Lime Zest, Cumin, Paprika, Chili Powder, Sriracha): Creates a creamy, tangy, and slightly spicy sauce to complement the tacos.

How To Make Steak Tacos

1. Grill Prep: Preheat your grill to 450°F and oil the grates.
2. Corn: Brush corn with olive oil, season with salt and pepper, grill until charred, then cut off the kernels.
3. 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.
4. Corn Topping: Mix grilled corn kernels with chopped avocado, green onions, cilantro, garlic, jalapeño, lime zest, and juice.
5. Sauce: Whisk together mayo, lime juice, zest, spices, and sriracha.
6. Tortillas: Lightly grill or warm tortillas.
7. 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.

More Taco Recipes

• Shrimp Tacos
• Asian Chicken Tacos
• Turkey Tacos
• Jamaican Jerk Tacos
• Taco Lettuce Wraps

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5 from 12 votes

Steak Tacos

By Chelsea Lords

Easy, flavor-packed Steak Tacos with a quick corn and herb topping and the best simple chili-lime sauce.

Prep Time: 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 12 minutes minutes

Total Time: 42 minutes minutes

Servings: 4 servings (~3 small tacos per person)

Ingredients 

USMetric

 

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Steak

• ▢ 1 ½ up to 2 pounds flank steak (or flat iron or skirt steak)
• ▢ 1 teaspoon EACH: garlic powder, ground coriander, ground cumin
• ▢ 1 tablespoon EACH: paprika, ground chili powder, tightly packed light brown sugar
• ▢ 1 ½ teaspoons EACH: fine sea salt and pepper
• ▢ 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided

Corn Topping & Tacos

• ▢ 2 large corn on the cob (fresh is best if available; otherwise use frozen, about 2 cups)
• ▢ 1 large avocado, divided
• ▢ 3 green onions, thinly sliced
• ▢ ½ bunch cilantro, finely chopped
• ▢ 1 tablespoon finely chopped jalapeño
• ▢ 1 teaspoon minced garlic (~1 clove)
• ▢ 1 large lime (1 teaspoon zest, 2 tablespoons juice)
• ▢ 12 small tortillas or street-sized tortillas. Use flour or corn; we prefer Mission® extra-thin corn tortillas!
• ▢ Optional: Cotija or Queso Fresco Cheese, additional lime wedges/juice and cilantro

Sauce

• ▢ ½ cup mayo use full-fat (we love Best Foods/Hellmans®)
• ▢ 3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice + 1/2 teaspoon lime zest
• ▢ ⅙ teaspoon ground cumin
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon paprika
• ▢ ½ teaspoon chili powder
• ▢ 1 teaspoon sriracha sauce

Instructions 

• PREP: Preheat the grill to 450 degrees F. Once heated, clean the grill grates with a wire brush. Liberally oil the grill. (I do this by drenching a paper towel in canola or vegetable oil and, holding tongs, rubbing the paper towel over the grill.)
• CORN: Shuck corn and discard the leaves and silk. Drizzle corn with olive oil and lightly sprinkle with salt and pepper. Rub the oil and salt/pepper into all sides of the corn. Add the corn to the heated and oiled grill over direct heat, and grill corn about 10-12 minutes total. 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 the rub by mixing together the garlic powder, ground coriander, cumin, paprika, chili powder, salt, pepper, and brown sugar. Remove the flank steak from packaging and blot dry with a paper towel. Drizzle 1 tablespoon oil on the top of the steak. Sprinkle half the rub on top and gently press in. Flip the steak over and drizzle the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil on the bottom of the steak and sprinkle on the remaining rub mixture. Gently press in. Place the spiced-rubbed steak directly on the grill and cook for 4-5 minutes per side, or until the internal temperature is 130-135 degrees F for medium rare or 145 degrees for medium. (I use a meat thermometer here. For a 2-pound flank steak, my grill takes exactly 4 minutes per side at 450 degrees F.) Remove the steak from the grill to a cutting board. Tent with foil and let it rest for 5-10 minutes. Once the steak has rested, slice it very thinly against the grain (See Note 1).
• CORN TOPPING: Cut the avocado in half. Chop one half into small pieces and thinly slice the other half. Toss the grilled corn with the chopped avocado, thinly sliced green onions, finely chopped cilantro, minced garlic, and finely diced jalapeño. Add lime zest and lime juice, a sprinkle of salt, sprinkle of pepper, and gently toss together. Set aside.
• SAUCE: Whisk everything together 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 olive oil 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 grilled/warmed tortillas with thinly sliced steak, a generous spoonful of the corn-avocado mixture, and a spoonful of the sauce. Add in the thin slices of avocado. Additionally, add extra lime juice, cilantro, and/or cotija cheese to tacos if desired. Enjoy!

Video

Recipe Notes

Note 1: Steak grain: Find the fibers on the steak and determine how they are running along the steak. Once you find that grain, slice perpendicular (here's a visual). This will keep the meat juicy and tender. It's easier to chew when cut against the grain. If the meat strips are too long, cut them in half or chop for easier eating.

Note 2: Chili: If you aren't a fan of spicy foods, I recommend using McCormick® chili powder and paprika; neither are very hot. I'd also recommend leaving out the jalapeño from the corn topping.

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.

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