Enjoy the flavor of steak basted in garlic and parsley butter without making the commitment of a full steakhouse dinner. These garlic butter steak bites make for an easy appetizer or a light supper for four. Cooking the steak in small pieces makes it easier to maneuver in the pan and ensures lots of crispy brown edges and seared beefy flavor in the finished dish. Making garlic parsley butter in the same pan ensures that each bite is soused with seasonings, rich and delicious.
Ingredients for Garlic Butter Steak Bites
- Spice Rub: A mixture of salt, garlic powder, pepper and optional crushed red pepper flakes seasons the steak before searing, establishing a baseline of savory flavor in the meat. You can substitute a jarred steak seasoning blend or barbecue rub.
- Steak: You can use a pound of any steak you like for this recipe, based on your preference. We recoomen d top sirloin because it’s relatively lean and inexpensive with big, beefy flavor. These secret ingredients will take your steak bites to the next level.
- Olive oil: Refined olive oil (skip the extra virgin here) has a high smoke point and is a stable fat for searing the steak to ensure good browning for the best flavor. You can substitute canola or vegetable oil instead.
- Butter, garlic and parsley: A quick garlic-parsley butter made in the same pan adds irresistible savory flavor to the seared cubes of steak.
Directions
Step 1: Season steak bites
In a large bowl, combine the salt, garlic powder, pepper and, if desired, red pepper flakes. Add steak and toss to coat.
Step 2: Sear steak
In a large skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add the steak; cook, stirring occasionally, until meat is browned on the edges. This takes three to four minutes. Place on a plate and set aside.
Step 3: Make garlic butter and coat steak bites
Add butter to the pan and once melted, add garlic and cook it for one minute. Add the steak bites back to the pan and stir to coat them with the garlic butter. Stir in the parsley.
Recipe Variations
- Change the cut: We recommend top sirloin because it’s relatively lean and inexpensive, but it has a beefy flavor. You can use another cut of steak or even cubed pork or chicken in place of the steak.
- Swap out the seasoning: Use a different spice blend to dry rub the steak bites. Choose a barbecue rub with chile pepper and cumin, a garam masala for a rich hit of aromatic spices or a mixed herb blend like herbes de provence.
- Infuse the butter: You can’t go wrong with garlic butter and fresh parsley, but you can trade it out for any other compound butter you like. Try it with fresh herb butter, cowboy butter or cilantro-lime butter.
How to Store Garlic Butter Steak Bites
Steak bites with garlic butter are best just after they’re cooked and rested, but leftovers will keep for up to four days in an airtight container in the refrigerator. You don’t want the meat to overcook as you reheat it, so use one of these steak reheating methods to ensure it stays nice and juicy.
Can you make garlic butter steak bites ahead of time?
We recommend cooking this garlic butter steak bites recipe just before serving it, but you can season the meat with the spice rub ahead of time. Keep it in the fridge until 30 minutes before you plan to cook it. You can make the garlic butter ahead of time, too.
