5 reasons to love this healthy low-carb steak marinade
- It’s so easy to put together with only 8 ingredients and it packs on the flavor even when marinating steak for as little as 20 minutes.
- The marinade uses coconut aminos, oil, vinegar and spices so it’s a cinch to make it. If you don’t have coconut aminos, you can use our coconut aminos substitute recipe.
- It’s perfect for any cut of steak, especially tougher cuts like flank steak, flatiron steak, and skirt steak.
- Especially great for grilled steaks, but it can be used when marinating stakes for cooking in the pan or cast iron.
- The simple, healthy ingredients are a fit for any diet – keto, whole30, Paleo and gluten-free.
Featured review
This is THEE BEST marinade ever!! I make it every single time I make steak, or stir-fry beef strips, because the family LOVES it! I’ve marinated for 1 hour up to overnight – the longer the better, but it’s even tasty at 1 hour. Excellent!!
Beverly
How to make the best steak marinade (step-by-step)
What cut of steak will this marinade work for?
We use a version of this marinade to flavor a lot of our tougher cuts of steak. It works great for:
- Flank steak
- Skirt steak hanger and
- Flatiron
- Hanger steak
These are perfect cuts for a marinade because they are a little tougher and need some extra flavor. They also happen to absorb the marinade really well because they are a thinly cut steak – not to mention they are cheaper!
Tips from an expert home chef
- Marinating time – The longer you marinate your meat, the more flavor the marinade will impart. However, you can marinate your steak for as little as only 20 minutes and get great results with this marinade.
- Ingredients – If you don’t have apple cider vinegar you can substitute another vinegar or lemon juice. If you don’t have coconut aminos, you can use soy sauce or our coconut aminos substitute recipe.
- Other proteins – This marinade will work for a cut of steak up to two pounds and can also be used on chicken, pork, bison or fish.
Related –> 5 Easy & Healthy Homemade Marinades
More steak recipes
- Quick and Easy Carne Asada Recipe
- Fresh Chimichurri Sauce for Flank or Skirt Steak
- Grilled Coffee Rubbed Steak Recipe
- 35+ Summer BBQ Recipes
We hope you love this recipe as much as we do!
Don’t forget to leave a quick star rating and review below, we read every comment and truly appreciate your feedback. Also, be sure to browse the rest of our grilling recipes to find some other favorites too!
Easy Homemade Steak Marinade (Keto, Gluten-Free)
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
- 1/4 cup coconut aminos, (see recipe notes)
- 2 tbsp avocado or olive oil
- 2 tsp garlic powder
- 2 tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
Instructions
- Combine all of the ingredients in a small container or jar and mix well.
- Place steak in a shallow dish or zip-top bag. Pour the marinade all over the steak and flip it around to coat the steak completely.
- Cover and refrigerate for at least 20 minutes and up to 24 hours.
- Remove from the container and cook the steak to your liking. You can baste the steak with any leftover marinade while cooking for extra flavor.
Notes
- This recipe is made to marinate about 2 lbs of meat. It can easily be halved or doubled if needed.
- If you don’t have any coconut aminos on hand, you can make your own using our DIY coconut aminos substitute recipe.Â
Delicious flavor! And the steak was nice and tender but not mush like some marinades can make steak. I’ll use this recipe for sure.
My husband wanted a marinade for steak and I knew to look up Real Simple Good for the best. It did not disappoint! It was easy and absolutely delicious! My husband requested it again! ?
So happy to hear you liked this one Erica :).
Loved this marinade for Tri Tip steak. The combination of coconut amino‘s and soda vinegar edit a good kick and I love the addition of paprika! So flavorful!
We’re so glad you enjoyed it! Thanks so much for sharing on IG and for coming back to share here! We really appreciate it! 🙂
So easy and delicious with everything on hand! The perfect umami flavor you look for with steak.
So good!
Yummy!
Delicious ?
Quick, easy and delicious!
Gorgeous marinade!
This was the perfect marinade for flank steak. So easy and I had everything in hand. And my family loved it! I will definitely make it again.
Delish!
This sounds amazing and I can’t wait to try it.
So delicious!!!!
So good! Thank you for sharing
This looks delicious! Marking it and I will make it next time I buy a cut of beef! Which will probably be this weekend, because now I’m craving it. Haha
Enjoy!
Yum
Very excited to try this on our new grill! Thanks you guys! ?
Enjoy!
So simple and delicious!
So good!!!
So yummy!
Easy excellent.
Delicious and healthy!
🙂
Love this
My husband made this for Mother’s Day! It was delicious!
This looks so delicious! Can’t wait to try this recipe.
Absolutely delish
This is our go to steak marinade!! Staple in our house!
So glad you like this one Emily!
Yummy looks great cannot wait to try it !
Really great!
Great recipe
Yay!
This marinade is my go-to since last summer! It’s super easy to make and tastes delicious. I get compliments on it every time.
That’s so good to hear, thank you!
This is so good. I have made twice now and it is super tasty. Love it!
This was a simple recipe which utilized things I had readily available (no last minute trip to the store for me). I marinated the the steaks I had overnight, and cooked them the next day for dinner in a skillet on the stove. The marinade was very tasty, and helped tenderize the steaks. I used a cheap cut and they turned out perfect, you never would have known.
Glad your steaks turned out well with this marinade Tim.
We found flat iron steak at the store yesterday and this recipe was perfect! Thank you so much
You’re very welcome, glad you enjoyed the recipe :).
This was amazing!! Omitted the Black Pepper and Paprika for AIP. Will definitely be using this recipe again!!
So glad you liked this Sheila!
IT was amazing and my wife and picky daughter loved it!
Perfect, glad to hear that Mark.
Super easy and very flavorful! Definitely making it again!
We’re so glad you enjoyed it and plan to make it again! Thanks for giving our recipe a try and coming back to share! We’re so grateful you’re here! 🙂
Okay this marinade is better than ANY marinade I have used! I found it when I was doing whole30 but I’ve continued to use it after. The spices give it a great flavor on the outside. It’s not too spicy and the seasoning is the perfect ratio. We use this with all cuts of steaks and different cooking styles. Your steak will stay juicy. My favorite is eating the leftover steak because the marinade keeps the flavor even when reheated. Love it!
What a great review, thank you so much!
Hi there!
Going to use this before we Sous vide tonight – can we keep the steaks in the marinade while we Sous vide or should we take them out due to the apple cider vinegar?
Thanks so much!
You should probably take them out of the marinade for cooking. Either way, I hope they turn out great!
What can I substitute for the coconut aminos? I can’t have sugar in any form. Thanks!
That’s a tough one. I’d probably just skip it and add a little more vinegar and some more salt to suit your taste.
Delicious! Was asked for the link so others can make it, too. Definitely a winner! Thank you!
You’re welcome, glad you enjoyed the recipe 🙂
This was delicious! I made it exactly as written and found the result to be lovely. I used it on sirloin and served it with roasted sweet potatoes and broccoli. The family loved it and I’m a happy camper.
This would be nice on salmon or halibut, too!
Let us know if you try it on salmon or halibut! Thanks for coming back to leave a review 🙂
I won’t be cooking up all of my meat today. Do you think I can freeze the extra in the marinade so it will marinade as it thaws later?
Yes, that should be fine for steak.
This marinade is awesome! I had a bbq last night and used this marinade for my steaks and it got so many good remarks! Can we bake this when we don’t feel like grilling?
So great to hear! Yes, you can use it anytime and for baking too. 🙂
How long would I bake it for? Do I have to flip it at a certain time?
Depending on how thick the steak is, you could bake it on a sheet pan at 450° for about 15 minutes, flipping halfway. Watch it carefully and remove it when it is cooked to your liking.
This is tasty. We used it on a flat iron steak.
We’re so glad to hear you enjoyed it! Thanks so much for giving our marinade a try and taking the time to come back and share! 🙂
Tried this with Kangaroo steak. Delicious!
That’s amazing! We’ve never had Kangaroo steak, but love that it works well with our marinade recipe! Thanks so much for giving it a try! 🙂
I am halfway through dinner and had to stop to tell you this marinade is AMAZING!!!!! Thank you so much!
Aaaw! Yay! So happy you like it! Thanks so much for pausing to come back and tell us! Have a great weekend! 🙂
When you say use over & over are you saying to keep the mixture to use on another piece of meat?
Hi there – no you’d only use the marinade once, but it’s a recipe to use over and over. Does that make better sense?
Just wondering how many lbs of meat this recipe is for. Thanks! It looks great!
The marinade will work for a 2 pound cut of meat.