Air Fryer Steak Bites with Soy and Brown Sugar Marinade
Cubes of sirloin soak in a savory-sweet marinade of soy sauce, brown sugar and garlic powder, then sear in the air fryer in about 9 minutes. The outsides caramelize and the centers stay juicy. A little melted butter at the end makes a glossy finish.
- Prep
- 20 min
- Cook
- 9 min
- Wait
- 33 min
- Total
- 1 hr 2 min
- Makes
- About 3 servings (1 lb / 454 g raw steak)
Steps
Before you start
- Plan for 30 minutes of marinating. Don't go past 2 hours, because the soy sauce will start to make the meat salty and a bit mushy.
- Take the steak out of the fridge when you start cubing it so it isn't ice-cold going into the air fryer.
- This recipe is sized for a 5 to 6-quart (4.7 to 5.7 L) basket air fryer. The cubes must fit in one loose layer, so cook in two batches if your basket is smaller.
- Air fryers vary. Check the first batch a minute early, and use an instant-read thermometer if you have one.
Cube the steak
- Pat the sirloin dry with paper towels.
- Trim off any thick fat cap and silver skin.
- Cut the steak into even 1-inch (2.5 cm) cubes so they cook at the same rate.
- Put the cubes in a medium bowl or zip-top bag.
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Ready when: Cubes are roughly the same size, about 1 inch on each side.
Tip: Slightly chilled steak is easier to cut cleanly. If it feels floppy, freeze it for 15 minutes first.
Whisk the marinade
- In a small bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, brown sugar, garlic powder, olive oil, Worcestershire sauce and black pepper until the sugar dissolves and no grains remain.
- Do not add extra salt, because the soy sauce already supplies it.
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Ready when: The marinade looks smooth and uniformly dark, with no sugar granules at the bottom.
Marinate the beef
- Pour the marinade over the steak cubes and toss with tongs or squeeze the bag until every cube is coated.
- Cover the bowl or seal the bag and refrigerate for 30 minutes, turning the cubes once halfway through.
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Ready when: Cubes look evenly dark brown and glossy.
Tip: Don't marinate longer than 2 hours. The salt in the soy sauce will start to change the meat's texture.
Preheat the air fryerOven 400°F / 205°C
- During the last 5 minutes of marinating, preheat the air fryer to 400°F (200°C) for 3 to 5 minutes.
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Ready when: The unit signals that it has reached 400°F (200°C), or it has run for 3 to 5 minutes.
Tip: A hot basket gives better browning on the outside before the middle overcooks.
Drain and dry cubes
- Lift the cubes out of the marinade with tongs and let the excess drip off.
- Discard the leftover marinade.
- Spread the cubes on a paper-towel-lined plate and blot the tops with more paper towels.
- Do not rinse.
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Ready when: The surface of each cube looks tacky-matte, not wet or dripping.
Tip: Wet meat steams instead of browning, and sugar-heavy drips can scorch on the basket.
Air fry first roundOven 400°F / 205°C
- Arrange the cubes in a single layer in the air fryer basket with a little space between them.
- Air fry at 400°F (200°C) for 5 minutes without opening the basket.
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Ready when: The undersides are deep brown and the cubes smell savory and slightly caramelized.
Tip: Don't stack the cubes. If they touch heavily or pile up, cook in two batches.
Shake and finishOven 400°F / 205°C
- Pull out the basket and shake it firmly, or flip the cubes with tongs.
- Return it to the air fryer and cook at 400°F (200°C) for 3 to 5 more minutes.
- Check the thickest cube with an instant-read thermometer.
- Pull the bites at 130 to 135°F (54 to 57°C) for medium-rare or 140°F (60°C) for medium, since they rise about 5°F (3°C) while resting.
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Ready when: Cubes are browned on all sides, spring back slightly when pressed, and read 130 to 140°F (54 to 60°C) in the center.
Tip: Start checking at 3 minutes. A minute of overcooking is the difference between juicy and chewy.
Rest with butter
- Tip the hot bites into a bowl.
- Add the butter pieces and toss for 30 seconds so the butter melts and coats them.
- Let them rest for 3 minutes, then sprinkle with the parsley, if using, and serve.
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Ready when: The butter has melted into a light glossy coating, and the bites are no longer sizzling.
Tip: Resting briefly keeps the juices in the meat instead of on the plate.
Good to know
Tips
- Cut the cubes evenly. Mixed sizes cook unevenly, so the small ones will be overdone when the big ones are ready.
- Pat the cubes dry after marinating. This is the main step for good browning, and it also keeps the sugar from scorching.
- Don't crowd the basket. Hot air needs space between the cubes, so cook in two batches if needed and keep the first batch warm under foil.
- Serve with rice and steamed broccoli, or on toothpicks as an appetizer.
Make ahead
"The steak can be cubed and marinated in a sealed container in the fridge up to 2 hours ahead. For longer storage, drain, pat dry and refrigerate the cubes for up to 24 hours, then cook as directed."
Storage & reheating
"Room temperature: no more than 2 hours. Fridge: airtight container for up to 3 days. Freezer: up to 2 months, cooled and in a sealed freezer container. Reheat in a 350°F (175°C) air fryer for 2 to 3 minutes, shaking once, until just hot. Thaw frozen bites overnight in the fridge first."
Substitutions
- top sirloin steak → ribeye, strip steak or tenderloin. Use the same 1-inch cubes. Tenderloin may cook about 1 minute faster, and well-marbled ribeye may need a minute longer.
- soy sauce → tamari or coconut aminos. Tamari makes this gluten-free. Coconut aminos is sweeter and less salty, so use the same amount and expect a milder flavor.
- light or dark brown sugar → honey or maple syrup. Use 1 1/2 tsp (10 ml). The bites may brown a little faster, so check them at 3 minutes in the second round.
- Worcestershire sauce → extra soy sauce plus a few drops of rice vinegar. Use 1 tsp (5 ml) soy sauce plus 1/4 tsp vinegar. Worcestershire is also not vegetarian and usually contains anchovies.
