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When we’re craving rich, hearty steaks – but the weather isn’t great or I don’t want to deal with setting up the grill or having a huge cleanup, I reach for this tried and true Air Fryer Ribeye Steaks Recipe that I took years perfecting!
Grab some ribeye steaks, your air fryer, and set aside 20 minutes – and you’re about to have a knockout steak like you never thought you could make at home. Add some butter to melt over the top and a great side dish, and you have an amazing steak dinner in no time!
Table of contents
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At Sweet C’s, I add lots of tips in all of my recipes – because I am a home cook without any formal training, and I find I am more confident making dishes when I understand why it works, and what each ingredient means to the flavor of a recipe. My goal is for even the most beginner home cook to feel empowered in the kitchen.
How To Air Fry Ribeye Steaks
To make this recipe, you will need:
- Large Ribeye Steaks – The star of the dish. Ribeyes are well-marbled, juicy, and flavorful, making them ideal for air frying, which creates a crust on the outside while keeping the inside tender.
- 2 tablespoons butter, softened – Helps form a rich, golden crust on the steak. It adds moisture, enhances browning, and helps seasoning stick to the surface.
- 1 teaspoon Celtic sea salt – Enhances the natural flavor of the beef. Celtic sea salt contains trace minerals and offers a slightly briny depth compared to regular table salt.
- 1 teaspoon fresh cracked pepper – Adds sharp, aromatic heat and balances the richness of the ribeye. Freshly cracked pepper offers better flavor than pre-ground.
- 1/4 teaspoon Aleppo or cayenne pepper – Provides a subtle kick of heat. Aleppo is milder and slightly fruity; cayenne is spicier and more intense. Either adds complexity and contrast to the richness of the steak.
- 2 tablespoons compound butter – A flavored butter (typically mixed with herbs, garlic, or citrus) that melts over the steak after cooking. It adds richness, moisture, and a final burst of flavor to finish the dish.
Once you’ve gathered your ingredients, we will follow this process:
Prep
Preheat air fryer, let steaks come to room temperature, season.
Air Fry
Place in scorching hot, preheated air fryer and cook on highest setting possible.
Flip
Air fry steak according to your temperature preference, flipping once in the middle of cooking.
Add Butter & Rest
If serving with compound butter, place on top while resting. Let rest at least 10 minutes before serving.
Enjoy!
Serve with potatoes, french fries, or vegetables.
Tips and Tricks For Perfect Air Fried Ribeye Steaks
Air frying steaks is insanely easy – even if you’ve never made steaks before – but there are a few simple tips and tricks we’ve found to help you have a great steak dinner, every time you make it!
Make a compound butter. We love topping our steak with a compound butter – basically a butter that we mix with chives, garlic powder, and some herbs before chilling. You can make your own compound butter with whatever herbs and flavors you love (plan for about 1/2 cup softened butter and a couple teaspoons fresh or dried herbs.) You’ll mix together the softened butter, herbs, and spices, and then spoon into parchment paper and roll into a “log” shape to be refrigerated. Once your butter sets, you can slice little pats that are perfect to top steaks, pork chops, lobster tails, chicken thighs, and all sorts of dinners with!
- 1/2 cup high-quality unsalted butter, softened
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 tablespoons fresh minced chives
- 1/4 tsp coarse salt
- 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
Cook ribeye steak to the ideal temperature. To find your ideal cooking temperature, you can follow our easy chart below:
- Rare – 125 degrees (steak will be soft to the touch – not firm at all, deep red/purple and slightly cool in middle)
- Medium Rare – 135 degrees (steak will be a bit soft, and red in middle)
- Medium – 145 degrees (steak will be more firm, and have a bit of pink in middle)
- Medium Well – 155 degrees (steak will be mostly firm and have no pink)
- Well – 165 degrees (steak will be very firm and have absolutely no pink whatsoever.)
What steak to buy. Ribeyes have lots of fat marbling, which makes them perfect to air fry – their higher fat content can drip on a grill and cause flame-ups, but in an air fryer that is enclosed, there is no fire risk since the burner isn’t underneath the steaks! For the best ribeye, we reccomend looking for steaks that:
- Look for thicker steaks – the thicker, the better! Generally, we like steaks thicker than 1″.
- Know what grade steak you’re getting. Prime cuts are usually what you’re eating in a restaurant, with the most marbling. Choice cuts are the highest many grocery stores carry – and are a great quality pick, with less marbling than prime and a bit of a lower price tag. Select cuts have the least amount of marbling and are the least expensive.
- Ribeye steaks come bone-in or boneless – either can be used for this recipe. Cooking with the bone in might impact how your steak fits in your air fryer basket, but it does provide flavor and the fat around the bone keeps a ribeye tender and juicy. Which you select is a personal choice for this recipe!
Let ribeye come to room temperature: Cold ribeye steak won’t caramelize and sear properly, room-temperature steak will have the most juicy, melt-in-your-mouth flavor and perfectly seared crust!
Pat steak dry with paper towel: Moisture leftover from packaging is common unless you bought dry-aged steaks – be sure to pat steaks dry to get a perfectly seared crust so your steaks sear, not boil.
Salt and pepper steak generously before cooking.
Preheat air fryer for at least 10 minutes: I can’t undersell the importance of heating your air fryer basket to be scaldingly hot before placing steaks in the basket – you want the air to be hot, the basket to be scalding, and the motor warmed up ready to start searing the second the steaks hit the fryer basket!
FAQs
For a medium rare steak, cook to 135 degrees internal temperature.
Rare – 125 degrees
Medium Rare – 135 degrees
Medium – 145 degrees
Medium Well – 155 degrees
Well – 165 degrees
all degrees Fahrenheit
For a medium rare ribeye steak, broil for 12-15 minutes.
Rare – 10-12 minutes
Medium Rare – 12-15 minutes
Medium – 13-16 minutes
Medium Well – 15-17 minutes
Well – 16-18 minutes
Ribeye steak can be stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to four days.
Allow the air fryer to cool down, then remove the basket and pan to wash them with warm soapy water. If there are any tough residues, soaking for a few minutes can help. Ensure the air fryer is completely dry before reassembling.
Yes, you can cook vegetables alongside the steak, but make sure there’s enough space for air to circulate. It’s best to choose vegetables that can cook in a similar timeframe as the steak.
It’s best to thaw the steak completely before cooking to ensure even cooking and the best texture. Cooking from frozen can lead to uneven cooking and a less desirable texture.
What To Serve With Air Fryer Ribeye Steaks
Steaks are classically served with baked potatoes (we love our perfect air fryer baked potatoes!), or some asparagus – we also love serving steak with a red pepper farro salad, delicious baked carrot fries, or garlic roasted brussels sprouts!
For more delicious and easy side dish recipes, visit our archives below:
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Air Fryer Ribeye Steak
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 large ribeye steaks
- 2 tablespoons butter, softened
- 1 teaspoon celtic sea salt
- 1 teaspoon fresh cracked pepper
- ¼ teaspoon aleppo or cayenne pepper
- 2 tbsp compound butter
Instructions
- Let steaks come to room temperature, set on counter about 20-30 minutes before cooking.
- Preheat air fryer to the highest temperature it allows (at least 400, preferably 450-500 degrees.)
- As air fryer preheats, prepare steaks. Pat ribeye steaks dry with paper towel, making sure there is no packaging liquid or water on steaks at all.
- Rub steaks with softened butter.
- Generously season steaks with salt, pepper, and cayenne or aleppo pepper.
- When air fryer is preheated and scorching hot, place steaks in clean air fryer basket using long handled tongs.
- Air fry at 450-500 (the highest temperature you can air fry at) for 8 minutes.
- Flip steak, cook 5-6 more. Gauge steak temperature and cook to 135 degrees for medium rare.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Went to grill our steaks last night only to find our grill wasn’t working. Air fryer for the save! Looked up recipes and yours popped up. I had all the ingredients so it came together fast. The only downside is that we could only air fry two steaks at a time so it took a bit to cook six total. Super tender and yummy! Thanks!
Yea… The air fryer works great, but batching really can be a pain. I have seen some air fryers with shelves, I have been thinking of getting one for things like this.
I like the recipe,I wanted to see what brand air fryer was used for this.
Hi Ronald, I use the Ninja Max XL, I love the capacity it has and features, you can find it at this link.