This easy and delicious grilled authentic Carne Asada Marinade recipe uses traditional flavors like orange and lime. Make authentic street tacos and burrito bowls in no time!
This is the only Carne Asada Marinade Recipe you will ever need! Authentic carne asada flavors come together to make this flank steak perfect for burrito bowls or street tacos.
Host a fun party with this recipe. So easy, you can marinate the steaks ahead of time and then just grill about a half an hour before serving. This recipe was featured in my Easy Taco Bar post, which has a lot of great ideas on items to accompany your Mexican-Style buffet.
What is Carne Asada?
Carne Asada is a traditional Mexican dish that involves flavoring flank steak with ingredients such as lime, orange, garlic, and onion. Once the flank steak is grilled, the serving possibilities are endless.
If you’ve never had carne asada before, it is great on top of salads, in burritos, or do the traditional way in street tacos with guacamole and pico de Gallo.
How to make Authentic Carne Asada Marinade
What I love about this recipe is that it’s super easy to put together. All you need to do is apply the marinade, let the steak sit, then grill and eat. Be sure to allow about 3-4 hours for the steak to marinade if possible.
Firstly, place the flank steak in a large ziplock bag or shallow glass plate. I like to use ziplock bags because the marinade can be easily moved around. Plus, it’s easier to store in the refrigerator.
Then, add the marinade ingredients to the steak. You can make the marinade in a bowl or just add everything to the bag. To make sure I have squeezed all of the juice from the limes and oranges, I love to use my Zulay Lemon Lime Squeezer. Try to marinade for at least 4 hours or overnight.
You can either grill this recipe on a barbecue or on the stove. Either way this is delicious! If grilling, cook on medium high heat for about 5 minutes per side. Be sure not to overcook the meat. You want it to register about 130-135 on a thermometer to know it’s done.
Remove the steak and let it sit, covered, for at least 5-10 minutes before slicing against the grain into thin strips. The meat will be juicy so make sure you are carving on a board that has rivets to allow for juices to pour into.
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Let guests make their own street tacos. Serve with flour tortillas and corn tortillas. So yummy! Enjoy!
Recipe Tips
Serve with tortillas, guacamole, salsa, tomatoes, refried beans, and sour cream. What I love about serving carne asada tacos is that guests can serve themselves and add in whatever toppings they like.
- Be careful not to overcook the meat. You want it to register about 130-135 degrees on a meat thermometer.
- Let the meat sit, covered, for at least 5 minutes before cutting.
- Cut the meat against the grain into thin strips.
Carne asada is the traditional meat used in street tacos. Serve with corn or flour tortillas, and lots of toppings like guacamole, pickled onions, sour cream, and salsa. You can also serve it on top of burrito bowls or salads.
Whether you are grilling or frying your meat, make sure the internal temperature is between 130-135 degrees. Remove the meat from the heat source, tent with foil, and let sit for 5-10 minutes before slicing.
What goes good with this recipe?
Be sure to try these other delicious recipes to serve with your carne asada!
Carne Asada Marinade
Ingredients
- 3 pounds flank steak
- 2 tablespoons canola oil
- 2 limes, juice and zest
- 1 large orange, juice and zest
- 5 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 onion, chopped
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 2 teaspoons cumin
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
Instructions
- Place the flank steak in a large ziplock bag. In a bowl, whisk together the remaining marinate ingredients. Pour the marinade into the bag with the flank steak. Close and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight.
- Heat grill to medium high heat. Add the flank steak and grill 5-7 minutes per side. Set aside and cover with foil. Let sit 10 minutes before slicing. Slice against the grain in long thin pieces.
Notes
- Be careful not to overcook the meat. You want it to register about 130-135 degrees on a meat thermometer.
- Let the meat sit, covered, for at least 5 minutes before cutting.
- Cut the meat against the grain into thin strips.
- Serve with corn or flour tortillas, and lots of toppings.
What a great marinade! Minimal effort, maximum effect, that’s what I love. The flavour is amazing without overpowering the meat. Thanks for this wonderful recipe!
Yes! It’s one of my favorite marinades.
Just perfect for taco’s. It was a real winner in this house, the steak was so tender!
I love a good steak and am a fan of Mexican flavors so I can’t wait to give this a try! It looks so flavorful, I can’t wait to try it!
This marinade makes the meat so tender and perfect for tacos. It adds so much flavor too.
A simple to make marinade which tastes delicious! thank you
You’re so welcome! 🙂
This sounds so flavourful and so delicious – perfect for making some tacos with!