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Pan Fried Ribeye Steaks – the best pan seared ribeye steaks cooked to perfect medium rare with a crunchy crust right from the stovetop!
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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.
I want each reader to walk away with a solid knowledge of each recipe, with all of the tips I’ve gathered from extensive testing of each recipe. I also answer questions my friends and family have asked about my recipes, to help everyone better understand the processes we use – and why!
Table of contents
Pan Seared Ribeyes
These pan fries steaks are so juicy and tender, they are a quick way to cook steak indoors, taste delicious, and come out perfectly medium rare.
If you love classic steakhouse flavor – and don’t want to fire up the grill – this recipe gets a delicious meaty taste you’ll love!
Check out my web story about these steaks!
Serve with Bacon Wrapped Asparagus , Perfect Sauteed Mushrooms, Garlic Butter Roasted Potatoes, Buttery Soft Dinner Rolls, and Perfectly Broiled Lobster Tails, a classic Scotch and Soda or Lemon Drop Martini and you have a steakhouse dinner at home!
- Turn the fan on high! This does produce some smoke – turn on your fans when making this recipe.
- If cooking past medium rare, consider our broiled ribeyes method or our Air Fryer Ribeye Steaks Recipe which will be less smoky cooking for a longer period of time.
- Season to your liking – we like a little bit of heat on our steaks, but you can season with your own seasoning blend, steak rub, herbs de Provence, or other seasonings you enjoy.
How To Pan Fry Ribeye Steaks
These steps will help you make a great, juicy steak that is tender and delicious – just like at a steakhouse – every time.
If you’ve ever wondered how to get perfect ribeyes on the stove, these tips will help you make perfect steak at home!
How To Buy Ribeye Steaks
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!
How to Prep Ribeye Steaks
To have the most flavorful steaks, it helps to prepare them properly before cooking for the best results.
- Salt and pepper steak generously before cooking.
- Let ribeye come to room temperature for at least 30 minutes before cooking.
- 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 if there is any moisture from packaging.
- 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.
How to Pan Sear Ribeye Steaks
- Let steaks come to room temperature, set on counter about 20-30 minutes before cooking.
- 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.
- Heat cast iron or heavy pan on stove with fan running on high until scorching hot.
- Lay steaks into pan and cook, 3 3/2 minutes on one side.
- Flip steak, cook 3 1/2-4 minutes more.
- Gauge steak temperature and cook to 135 degrees for medium rare.
- When steak is cooked to your preference, remove from pan and place on plate or cutting board and let rest 10 minutes before slicing.
- Serve with a pat of compound butter on top and enjoy!
How Long To Pan Fry Ribeye Steak
For a medium rare ribeye steak, pan fry for 6-7 minutes.
- Rare – 4-5 minutes
- Medium Rare – 6-7 minutes
- Medium – 8-10 minutes
- Medium Well – 11-12 minutes
- Well – 12+ minutes
How To Tell When Ribeye Steak is Done
To know when your steak is done, it’s crucial to have a good quality meat thermometer.
While you can learn to tell by the feel of the meat, the only way to know precisely what temperature your steak is cooked to is with a thermometer – cook with one, and you will always cook your steak to perfection!
- 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.)
Tips to Perfect Pan Fried Steak and FAQs
If you’re looking for more juicy ribeye flavor, be sure to find our Ribeye Roast Recipe and our Rotisserie Prime Rib Roast Recipe.
For my favorite steak knives (not pictured in this post), please click here – I love the bone handle for serving at parties, and they slice like a dream!
Easy Herb Compound Butter
To make a quick compound butter, mix:
- ½ cup high-quality unsalted butter, softened
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 tablespoons fresh minced chives
- ¼ tsp coarse salt
- ¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper
and roll into a tube shape in plastic wrap, throw in fridge or freezer to set, then use as you would regular butter!
Recipe 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, pan fry for about 6 minutes.
Rare – 4-5 minutes
Medium Rare – 6-7 minutes
Medium – 8-10 minutes
Medium Well – 10-11 minutes
Well – 12+ minutes
What to Pair With Ribeye Steaks
Steak classically calls for big, bold flavors that are drier, a little less complicated, and definitely a great meal to have with a nostalgic cocktail.
Since ribeyes are known for being a bit fattier and juicier than other cuts of steak, and are incredibly flavorful, they call for big, bold flavors that can stand up to the steak’s flavor.
Wine
- Cabernet Sauvignon, Zinfandel, Chateauneuf du Pape (my personal favorite), Medoc, Malbec.
Beer
- IPA, Imperial Stout, Cream Ales.
Drinks
- Scotch and Soda
- Lemon Drop Martini
- Cardamom and Juniper Gin and Tonic
- Gin or Vodka Martini
- Sidecar
- Manhattan
What to Serve With Pan Fried Ribeye Steaks
These steaks are delicious with a warm, crusty bread like our no knead bread, our soft buttery dinner rolls that are just like Parker House rolls (but easier!), oven roasted asparagus, cheddar bay biscuits, whole roasted onions, air fried mushrooms, and Steakhouse Style Garlic Butter Charred Artichokes!
For some of our favorite recent side dishes, see our recent favorites here:
To see our complete side dish recipe archives, click here.
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The Best Pan Fried Ribeye Steaks
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.
- 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.
- Heat cast iron or heavy pan on stove with fan running on high until scorching hot.
- Lay steaks into pan and cook, 3 3/2 minutes on one side.
- Flip steak, cook 3 1/2-4 minutes more.
- Gauge steak temperature and cook to 135 degrees for medium rare.
- When steak is cooked to your preference, remove from pan and place on plate or cutting board and let rest 10 minutes before slicing.
- Serve with a pat of compound butter on top and enjoy!
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
