This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.

Classic Tex Mex Steak Fajitas are an easy and adaptable dish to make. Consider topping yours with shredded cheese, chopped cilantro, and a dollop of sour cream. For a low-carb option, enjoy the cooked steak and vegetables over a plate of chopped salad greens: truly spectacular!

Steak fajitas are one of my favorite Mexican meals. This steak fajitas recipe is easy to make with a versatile homemade seasoning that adds a tremendous amount of flavor to the beef. After seasoning the meat, the fajita steak and vegetables cook in less than 20 minutes!

RELATED: Game Day Recipes For One

Why This Recipe Works

  • The homemade steak seasoning we use adds so much flavor! Although you can use your favorite store brand of seasoning, we encourage you to take a minute and mix up your own using our seasoning recipe. You can even use this flavorful blend of spices on chicken or shrimp too!
  • Fajitas cook quickly. After seasoning the beef and slicing the vegetables, the meal comes together so fast.
  • These steak fajitas are better than any restaurant version and are a fraction of the price.
  • This is a scaled down version of the beef fajitas I’ve making for years. Although this is a single serving fajita recipe, the ingredients can easily be doubled to make extra.
  • I lived in Houston for over 20 years and this steak fajita recipe delivers the same wonderful fajitas I remember from so many fantastic Tex-Mex restaurants in Texas.
two beef steak fajitas on a black plate next to a half of an avocado and a bunch of cilantro.

What Are Fajitas?

Although chicken, shrimp, and beef fajitas can be found in almost every Mexican restaurant, they don’t actually come from Mexico at all. Fajitas were created by ranch workers from Mexico who lived along the Rio Grande on the Texas-Mexico border in the late 1930s. During cattle roundups, beef was butchered regularly to feed the Mexican vaqueros (cowboys) as part of their pay. The meats given were tougher “throwaway” cuts of meat that the workers tenderized and cooked into something quite delicious.

Sometime around the 1970s, fajitas became what we know of today – sizzling steak served on a platter surrounded by thinly sliced vegetables and onions.

Fajita Seasoning Ingredients

bottles of chili powder, cumin, salt, garlic powder and onion powder on a wooden cutting board in a kitchen.

Pro Tip: Although I highly recommend using our steak seasoning recipe, you can use your favorite brand of pre-mixed steak seasoning if preferred.

Steak Fajita Ingredients

raw steak, worcestershire sauce, tortillas, onions, peppers, and olive oil on a large wooden cutting board.

Scroll down to the recipe at the bottom for quantities.

  • Steak: Although you can use most cuts of steak to make steak fajitas, the more traditional options are flank steak or skirt steak. Both cuts of meat look very similar, but flank steak is a bit more tender than skirt steak and this is the type of meat I prefer when making steak fajitas. If using skirt steak, it is best to cook it rare or medium-rare for the most tender texture.
    • Pro Tip: Be sure to cut the meat against the grain. This is very important! When you look at your meat, notice the long, white strands running across it. Those are the muscle fibers which are resilient and tough. When a piece of meat has a lot of those fibers, it can be hard to eat. Do not cut the meat parallel to those lines. Cutting against the grain will sever the fibers which will make the meat more tender and easier to eat.
  • Steak seasoning: Use our homemade steak seasoning mix or your favorite store brand of steak seasoning.
  • Olive oil: I always use extra virgin olive oil in my fajita recipes. Extra virgin olive oil is the least processed form of olive oil. It is an unrefined oil and the highest-quality olive oil you can buy. Because of the way extra virgin olive oil is made, it retains a more true olive taste. It also contains more of the vitamins and minerals found in olives. It’s my favorite type of olive oil to use but you may use light olive oil instead.
  • Peppers: I love using colorful red, orange, or yellow peppers. Use the kind you prefer or a combination of them all.
  • Onions: I prefer red onions in this recipe, but yellow or white onions work well too.
  • Garlic: Use 1 clove of garlic.
  • Worcestershire sauce: The ingredients in Worcestershire sauce adds flavor the meat and vegetables.
  • Tortillas: Although I perfer using flour tortillas, you can use corn instead. You might like to use our flour tortilla recipe to make delicious homemade tortillas for your fajitas.
  • Optional toppings: Enjoy beef fajitas as is or top with sour cream, shredded cheese, slices of avocado or guacamole, pico de gallo, and cilantro.
Send Me the Recipe!
Never lose this recipe! Get it in your inbox now. Plus, get weekly recipes for delicious single serving meals – all for free.

How To Make Fajitas

  1. Prepare the seasoning. Mix cumin, chili powder, onion powder, garlic powder, and salt in a small bowl. Season both sides of the steak with the seasoning. Set aside.
a bowl of steak seasoning next to a piece of flank steak.
  1. Sear the steak: Set a heavy 10-inch skillet over medium-high heat and let it heat up for 1 minute. Add 1/2 tablespoon of olive oil to the pan and let it heat for 30 seconds. Add the steak, searing each side for 3 to 4 minutes, or to desired doneness. Cooking the meat for this length of time will deliver steak that is between medium and medium rare.
a small piece of steak cooking in a cast iron skillet.
  1. Let the meat rest. Remove the steak from the skillet and place it on a plate. Cover the steak while you cook the vegetables. This step is important. If you slice the meat before allowing it to rest, much of the meat juices will run out onto the plate leaving you with a dry, flavorless piece of meat.
    • Pro Tip: If the pan starts to smoke too much, reduce the heat to medium.
  2. Cook the vegetables while the meat is resting. Add an additional 1/2 tablespoon of oil to the skillet. Then, add the onions and bell peppers and cook, stirring frequently for 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds more.
sliced yellow peppers and red onions in a cast iron skillet.
  1. Slice the meat and add to the skillet. Slice the meat across the grain into thin slices which will help make them easier to eat. Return the slices of meat to the skillet and add 1/2 tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce. Stir constantly until heated through, about 1 minute.
slices of steak, yellow peppers, and onions in a cast iron skillet.
  1. Enjoy immediately. Spoon the meat and vegetables into warmed tortillas. Serve plain or top with sour cream, cheese, cilantro, guacamole, or salsa.
two flour tortillas filled with steak and vegetables.

Expert Tips

  • This steak fajita recipe is perfect for meal prep. You can slice the vegetables ahead of time and see below for ways to use leftover ingredients.
  • Bring steak to room temperature before cooking so that the steak cooks evenly and becomes juicy when cooked.
  • To make sure each bite of steak is extra tender, when slicing your steak hold your knife blade at a 45-degree angle; this is called “cutting on the bias”. This will increase the surface area of each slice, breaking down more muscle fibers which will make the meat more tender.
  • Add a squeeze of lime to brighten the earthy flavors of the fajitas.
  • To make low-carb steak fajitas, use large butter lettuce leaves or romaine lettuce to make fajita lettuce wraps.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I Grill My Steak?

The instructions for this recipe calls for cooking the steak in a skillet to make it easier to prepare. You can grill the steak instead if you prefer.

TO GRILL STEAK FOR FAJITAS: Preheat a gas grill to HIGH. Place your flank steak on the grill, and sear both sides for 1-2 minutes, then reduce heat to medium and continue to grill. For a medium-rare flank steak, grill for 8-10 minutes, turning about 1 minute prior to the halfway point.

Be sure to rest your flank steak for at least 10 minutes before slicing, covering tightly with foil.

Can I Use A Different Cut Of Steak?

Yes. You can use most cuts of meat to make steak fajitas, but the best steak for fajitas is skirt steak or flank steak.

How Do I Know When My Steak Is Done?

Flank steak is best not cooked above medium or else it can be tough instead of juicy. To check for doneness, insert an instant-read thermometer into the center of the steak.
* Rare steak: 125 degrees F
* Medium rare: 135 degrees F (my preferred temperature for flank steak)
* Medium: 145 degrees F (your target temperature)
* Medium well: 155 degrees F (not recommended)
* Well done: 165 degrees F (not recommended)
The thermometer we use can be found on our Kitchen Essentials Store.

How Do I Warm Tortillas?

You can easily warm tortillas in a skillet, microwave, or oven.
* Skillet: Heat a skillet to medium-high heat. Working with one tortilla at a time, heat each side of the tortilla for approximately 15-20 seconds until warm and soft.
* Microwave: Stack your tortillas on a microwave-safe plate and cover with a damp paper towel. Microwave on high 15 seconds, then repeat at 10-second intervals if needed until warmed through.
* Oven: Stack the tortillas, one on top of the other, and wrap the stack in foil. Bake at 350 degrees F for 10-15 minutes or until heated through.

Serving Suggestions

My favorite toppings for fajitas are homemade pico de gallo and guacamole. I also like to add sour cream, creamy avocado pureé, shredded cheese, and/or chopped cilantro.

I also love making my perfect single serving margarita!

Ways To Use Leftover Ingredients

If you have any ingredients leftover from this recipe, check out our Leftover Ingredients Recipe Finder or you might like to consider using them in any of these single serving and small batch recipes:

a skillet filled with slices of cooked beef, peppers, and onions.

If you’ve tried this steak fajitas recipe or any recipe on One Dish Kitchen please let me know how you liked it by rating the recipe and telling me about it in the comment section below.

Also, if you take a picture please tag us on Instagram (@onedishkitchen) we’d love to see it!


Your Cooking For One Source
Because you’re worth it

Steak Fajitas For One

4.67 from 3 votes
Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 18 minutes
Resting Time: 10 minutes
Total: 38 minutes
Servings: 2 fajitas
Classic Tex Mex steak fajitas are an easy and adaptable dish to make. Consider topping yours with shredded cheese, chopped cilantro, and a dollop of sour cream. For a low-carb option, enjoy the cooked steak and vegetables over a plate of chopped salad greens: truly spectacular!

Ingredients 
 

For the fajita seasoning

  • teaspoon ground cumin
  • teaspoon chili powder
  • teaspoon onion powder
  • teaspoon garlic powder
  • teaspoon salt

For the fajitas

  • 6 ounces flank steak or skirt steak
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil , divided
  • ½ small yellow, red, or orange bell pepper , seeded and cut into thin strips
  • ¼ medium red onion , peeled and sliced
  • 1 clove garlic , sliced
  • ½ tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
  • 2 8-inch flour tortillas
  • Optional toppings: Enjoy as is or top with sour cream, shredded cheese, slices of avocado or guacamole, pico de gallo, and cilantro.

Instructions 

  • Make the seasoning by mixing together cumin, chili powder, onion powder, garlic powder, and salt in a small bowl. Season both sides of the steak with the seasoning. Set aside.
  • Set a heavy 10-inch skillet over medium-high heat and let it heat up for 1 minute. Add ½ tablespoon of olive oil to the pan and let it heat for 30 seconds. Add the steak, frying on each side for 3 to 4 minutes, or to desired doneness. (Cooking the meat for this length of time will deliver steak that is between medium and medium rare.)
  • Remove the steak from the skillet and place it on a plate. Cover the steak while you cook the vegetables.
    * This step is important. If you slice the meat before allowing it to rest, much of the meat juices will run out onto the plate leaving you with a dry, flavorless piece of meat.
  • Add an additional ½ tablespoon of oil to the skillet. Add the onions and bell peppers and cook, stirring frequently for 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds more.
  • Slice the meat across the grain into thin slices. Return the slices of meat to the skillet and add ½ tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce. Stir constantly until heated through, about 1 minute.
  • Spoon the meat and vegetables into warm tortillas. Serve plain or top with sour cream, cheese, cilantro, guacamole, or salsa.

Notes

Expert Tips
  • This steak fajitas recipe is perfect for meal prep. You can slice the vegetables ahead of time and see below for ways to use leftover ingredients.
  • Bring steak to room temperature before cooking so that the steak cooks evenly and becomes juicy when cooked.
  • To make sure each bite of steak is extra tender, when slicing your steak hold your knife blade at a 45-degree angle; this is called “cutting on the bias”. This will increase the surface area of each slice, breaking down more muscle fibers which make the meat more tender.
  • Add a squeeze of lime to brighten the earthy flavors of the fajitas.
  • To make low-carb steak fajitas, use large butter lettuce leaves or romaine lettuce to make fajita lettuce wraps.

Nutrition

Serving: 2fajitas, Calories: 344kcal, Carbohydrates: 28g, Protein: 23g, Fat: 15g, Saturated Fat: 4g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g, Monounsaturated Fat: 9g, Cholesterol: 51mg, Sodium: 563mg, Potassium: 396mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 3g, Vitamin A: 1IU, Vitamin C: 1mg, Calcium: 78mg, Iron: 3mg

The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

Receive Our Latest Single Serving Recipes!
Sign Up for the weekly One Dish Kitchen Newsletter!!
Red 5-inch square baking dish with One Dish Kitchen branded paper sleeve around it.

Make 80+ Recipes With This Dish!

Ideal for home chefs, this individual square ceramic baking dish is safe for oven, microwave, freezer, and dishwasher. Simple to use & easy to clean!

Welcome!

I’m Joanie and I’m incredibly happy you’re here! Our aim is to inspire individuals with access to single serving recipes, education, and a supportive community that will enable them to enjoy the preparation of a meal that will nourish both body and soul.

More Ideas

Leave a comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




3 Comments

  1. I am planning on using this recipie at some point in the future. As for the seasoning I would like to make enough so I would have it on hand rather than having to make it each time. Would a salt or pepper shaker be adequate to keep the seasoing in or would there be another suggestion? Thank you.

  2. This is the first recipe I’ve made from this site, I’m so happy to have found it. I loved this dish. I’m an empty nester and had got into a real rut with my food. I haven’t been eating properly and had fallen out of love with cooking. I now have a weeks worth of recipes to try this week and I’m feeling excited about new food. Thank you!