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Our Carne Asada Tacos are the real deal, with juicy grilled steak tucked in warm corn tortillas and loaded with fresh pico de gallo, avocado, and a drizzle of hot sauce.
Let's make some killer Carne Asada Tacos
I love making good Mexican food at home and these Carne Asada Tacos are incredible and EASY! The key is using good ingredients–buy high quality flank steak, and if possible, take 10 minutes to make homemade corn tortillas and pico de gallo. They'll taste like authentic Mexican carne asada tacos.
Some Steak Grilling Tips to follow:
Grill on high heat. Flank steak is such a thin cut of meat that you want to sear the outside of the meat, without overcooking the inside, So, make sure your grill is hot before placing the meat on it.
Rest the cooked steak after grilling, to allow the juices to settle in the meat, making it juicier and more tender. (If you cut into a hot steak directly off the grill, without waiting, you will loose a lot of the juices.)
Cut across the grain. That means, notice the directional lines in the flank steak meat grain and slice perpendicular to them. If you cut along the grain then the meat will be tougher and chewier to eat.
Try more of my Mexican recipes, like Beef Birria, Tostadas, Pork Carnitas, Smothered Burritos, Chicken and Rice Enchiladas, and Tamale Pie!
How to make Carne Asada Tacos:
Marinate Steak: Mix all of the marinade ingredients in a large bowl. Place steak in a ziploc bag or large bowl and pour the marinade on top. Leave it covered for 2-5 hours in the refrigerator.
Grill: Remove steak from the marinade and place on hot grill. Cook for about 3-5 minutes per side, or until it's medium rare or medium, according to your preference. Let steak rest on a cutting board with foil on top for 5 minutes before slicing the steak into pieces with a knife.
Assemble and Serve: Warm corn tortillas on a hot dry skillet then place steak pieces inside. Top with pico de gallo or an easy salsa, sliced avocado, and hot sauce. Enjoy with Mexican Rice, Horchata, and a piece of Tres Leches Cake!
More Taco Recipes: If you love these, try Birria Tacos, Ground Beef Tacos, Korean Beef Tacos, Salmon Tacos, Tacos Al Pastor, and Chicken Street Tacos!
Carne Asada Tacos
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 pounds flank steak
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 4 cloves garlic, , minced
- 1/2 cup fresh chopped cilantro
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- 2 Tablespoons white vinegar
- 2 limes, , juiced
- 1/2 of an orange, , juiced
For serving:
- 10 white corn tortillas, warmed
- Pico de Gallo, , or salsa
- avocado
- Valentina hot sauce, optional, for topping
- Mexican Rice
Instructions
- Season steak on both sides with salt and pepper.1 ½ pounds flank steak, salt and freshly ground black pepper
- In a mixing bowl, stir together the marinade ingredients.4 cloves garlic, ½ cup fresh chopped cilantro, 1 teaspoon chili powder, 1 teaspoon ground cumin, ⅓ cup olive oil, 2 Tablespoons white vinegar, 2 limes, ½ of an orange
- Place flank steak in a bowl or large ziplock bag and pour marinade over steak.
- Seal/cover and refrigerate, allowing the steak to marinade for 2 – 5 hours. Remove steak from the refrigerator 20 minutes before grilling.
- Heat grill to high and brush the grill grates lightly with oil. Lift steak from the bag of marinade, allowing excess marinade to drip off.
- Place steak on the grill and cook for about 3-5 minutes per side, or until desired doneness (depending on whether you like yours medium rare or well done).
- Transfer steak to a cutting board, cover with aluminum foil and allow to rest 5 minutes. Cut the steak, against the grain, into very, very thin strips.
- Warm corn tortillas on a hot dry skillet. Top with steak, pico de gallo, sliced avocado and hot sauce, if desired. Serve with a side of Mexican rice if you'd like.10 white corn tortillas, Pico de Gallo, avocado, Valentina hot sauce, Mexican Rice
Notes
- Authentic Mexican rice
- Refried beans
- Mexican corn (Elote or Esquites)
- Charro Beans
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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*Nutritional info does not include toppings
I originally shared this recipe July 2013. Updated June 2020, April 2021 and April 2026.
These were the best! Made exactly as written. Served these with your elote corn on the cob. So good!
The flavors work perfectly with the steak. Love it!
Can this recipe be prepared ahead of time and/or frozen?
Yes–add the meat and marinade ingredients to a freezer safe container and freeze for a few months.
This was wonderful! I let the meat marinate overnight and it was a delight.
These were amazing, made them just as written except for the cilantro. I used a cast iron pan, but they were amazing. This will keep us away from the restaurant. I’ll have to try them with your refried beans.
These tacos were soooo good! Thanks for a great recipe!
I made your Carne Asada Tacos and Mexican Rice for dinner tonight. Both were super delicious. My family loved the tacos. The beef was so good! Yesterday I made the snickerdoodle bars and they are also really great! Thanks for some great recipes!!