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Flank Steak Tacos are a summer dinner favorite! Marinated flank steak is grilled to medium rare perfection, sliced thin, and piled into charred corn tortillas with quick homemade pico de gallo, guacamole, shredded lettuce, and crumbled queso fresco. The all-day marinade does the work, then just grill the steak and assemble the toppings and this stunning dinner is ready in 30 minutes!
- The Summer Grill! - If you're willing, you can certainly fire up your grill any time of year, but these marinated and then grilled flank steak tacos are perfect for summer cookouts!
- A Less Expensive Steak Night - We try to work steak into our menu as much as we can, and a less expensive cut like a flank steak lets us have it more often! We also love these Grilled Steak Kabobs and these Steak Ciabatta Sandwiches that also use the cheaper cuts, but still taste amazing!
- Toppings - You can top your tacos any way you like but I went totally classic with basic homemade pico de gallo and guacamole. Queso Fresco is that crumbly Mexican cheese that really makes it special! Be sure to have lots of fresh cilantro and limes on hand for the marinade, the toppings, and just for serving!
- If you Love Taco Night, try my Blackened Chicken Tacos and switch up the toppings with this Roasted Tomatillo Salsa Verde!
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Ingredients & Substitutions
The same basic ingredients, onion, garlic, cilantro, lime, and jalapeño can be found throughout the recipe in the salsa, the guacamole and the marinade. This keeps the shopping list and the prep work easy and minimal!
- Flank Steak - This is a tougher cut of steak that benefits from a long marinade and slicing against the grain.
- Marinade - Olive oil and fresh lime juice are the base with a few pantry spices and lots of fresh garlic and cilantro.
- Pico de Gallo and Guacamole - These are easy to make simultaneously since their ingredients are basically the same with tomato and avocado being the difference. I've included the quick recipe for each below, but you could also make variations like this Cherry Tomato Pico de Gallo, Garden Fresh Salsa, or this Classic Guacamole.
- Queso Fresco - Most grocery store carry queso fresco and I think it goes so much better with flank steak than shredded cheese. It's inexpensive, salty and delicious, try it if you haven't! Cotija cheese would also be good.
- Yogurt or Sour Cream - We always substitute a dollop of plain yogurt for sour cream on tacos because it's what we have on hand. I like to add a squeeze of lime juice mixed into the yogurt.
- Corn Tortillas - Let them char a little bit on the grill when you're cooking the steak and then wrap them in a clean kitchen towel so they steam a bit, keeping them warm and soft.
See recipe card below for quantities.
Instructions
Make the marinade in the morning and let the steak sit in the fridge all day. Grilling dinner is then a quick and easy meal!
Step 1 - Add all ingredients for the marinade to a casserole dish.
Step 2 - Add the flank steak, flip it over a few times to coat it on all sides. Cover and refrigerate for 4 to 10 hours or longer.
Step 3 - When you're ready to prep dinner, make the salsa and the guacamole together since most of the ingredients are the same.
Step 4 - Mix the onion, garlic, jalapeño, cilantro, salt and lime juice with the fresh chopped tomato for the pico de gallo and the avocado for the guacamole.
Step 5 - Preheat an outdoor grill. Grill the steak about 5 to 7 minutes per side for a total of 10 to 14 minutes.
If you want to use a meat thermometer, the temperature should be 130°F for medium rare.
Step 6 - Add the corn tortillas to char alongside the steak. Then fold them into a clean kitchen towel.
Trapping the steam from the hot tortillas will keep them soft and warm until you're ready to eat.
Step 7 - Let the steak rest for 10 minutes before slicing.
Slice thinly against the grain. You can cut the pieces in half if they are too long.
Step 8 - Assemble the tacos in the warm tortillas with a few pieces of grilled steak, pico de gallo, quacamole, queso fresco, thinly sliced lettuce, a dollop of yogurt and plenty of fresh cilantro and lime wedges to garnish.
Recipe Notes & Helpful Tips
- Prep your Toppings before Grilling - Grilling the steak only takes 10 to 14 minutes so it's best to have your toppings assembled and ready. Then grill the steak just before you're ready to eat.
- Let the Steak Rest - This is important! Let the steak rest on the cutting board for 10 minutes before you slice it. Hot off the grill, the steak is still carry over cooking, and letting it rest will let the juices cool and stay with the meat instead of running out on the cutting board.
- Char the Tortillas and Keep in a Dish Towel - Charring the tortillas on the grill gives them nice flavor, but you have to wrap them immediately in a clean dish towel or they will get crispy and hard. The towel traps the steam, keeping them soft and warm until you're ready to build your tacos.
- Storage and Leftovers - Leftovers can be stored in the fridge for a couple days and are great repurposed as quesadillas, steak nachos, or any taco night variation. A larger flank steak is a lot of meat and usually gives our family of 4 two meals!
Recipe FAQs
If you slice your steak and decide it's too rare, there are a few things you can do. The thickest part will be the most rare, so you can eat the thinner slices that are less rare and save the more red pieces for leftovers that will get cooked more when you reheat them. You can also put the whole flank steak on a sheet pan in the oven or back on the grill for a few minutes.
I like to make the marinade in the morning for dinner that night, so ideally it's in the fridge about 8 hours. A minimum of 2 hours is needed for the marinade to penetrate the meat and start tenderizing it. You can marinate it overnight, but do it right before bed for the next day's dinner, so less than 24 hours. Don't go more than 24 hours because the acid in the marinade can start to break down the texture of the meat.
The classic combination of pico de gallo, guacamole, shredded lettuce, and queso fresco is hard to beat! But you can really top your tacos any way you like, and each person can assemble their own. Other great additions could be grilled and sliced peppers and onions, or charred corn cub off the cob. My Refrigerator Pickled Red Onions would be delicious, or add a fruit salsa like my Mango Corn Salsa or Peach Corn Salsa.
More Favorite Taco Nights!
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Flank Steak Tacos
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Print Pin RateIngredients
For the Steak Marinade
- 1.5 to 2 pounds flank steak
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- ¼ cup lime juice (about 2 limes)
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 12 grinds fresh black pepper
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- ¼ cup cilantro chopped
For the Pico de Gallo
- 1½ cups tomatoes chopped
- 3 Tablespoons onion finely chopped
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon jalapeño minced
- 1 Tablespoon cilantro chopped
- ½ Tablespoon lime juice
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
For the Guacamole
- 1½ avocados ripe, mashed
- 2 Tablespoons onion finely chopped
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon jalapeño minced
- 1 Tablespoon cilantro chopped
- ½ Tablespoon lime juice
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
For the Tacos
- 1 cup queso fresco cheese crumbled
- 8 to 12 corn tortillas
- 2 cups lettuce thinly sliced
- ¼ cup plain yogurt or sour cream (mixed with a squeeze of lime juice)
- cilantro and lime wedges for serving
Instructions
- Marinate - Add all the ingredients for the steak marinade to a casserole dish and mix. Lay the flank steak in the marinade, flipping it over a few times to fully coat it. Cover and refrigerate for 4 to 10 hours. You can flip the meat over once sometime during the day (optional).
- Salsa & Guacamole - You can make the pico de gallo and the guacamole in 2 seperate bowls at the same time since they use most of the same ingredients. Chop the tomatoes carefully with a sharp knife so they don't loose too much liquid. Add all ingredients for the pico de gallo and mix lightly with a spoon. Add all the ingredients for the guacamole and mash well with a fork.
- Toppings - Prep your other toppings, crumble the queso fresco cheese, thinly slice the lettuce, chop extra cilantro and lime wedges.
- Steak - Preheat an outdoor grill. Grill the steak at a diagonal, then turn it the opposite way diagonally to get the X grill mark pattern (this is optional). Flip and do the same on the other side. Grill about 5 to 7 minutes per side, 10 to 14 minutes total. The internal temperature of the steak should reach 130°F for medium rare with a meat thermometer.
- Tortillas - While grilling, also grilll the corn tortillas, just a few minutes so that each side gets lightly charred. Store the grilled tortillas immediately folded into a clean dish towel until ready to serve. This keeps them warm and the steam keeps them soft.
- Slice - Allow the steak to rest for 10 minutes on a cutting board before thinly slicing against the grain.
- Serve - Serve the steak in the warmed tortillas with all the toppings, garnished with extra cilantro and lime wedges.
Notes
- Spice Level - These tacos are not very spicy, but you can adjust the amount of jalapeño peppers to be as hot or mild as you like.
- Marinating Time - I like to marinated the steak in the morning for dinner that night, about 8 hours. Marinate at least 2 hours, but not more than 24 hours.
- Nutrition info is based on 1.5 pounds of flank steak and serving 4 people. Depending on the size of the steak, you will likely have great leftovers!
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