Ever wonder what goes into an authentic Carne Asada Marinade? Well, lots of different ways to make an authentic carne asada but here is how I made mine, and then I made Air Fried Carne Asada for a quick dinner. You can make carne asada tacos–if there’s any meat left over that is, because at our house, it was all we could do to wait until the pictures were taken before we dug in.
What Is Carne Asada?
Carne means meat and Asada means roast, or broiled, or grilled–or in my case, air fried. There are many ways to make carne asada and they all vary by region. I’ve played with several different marinades over the years, but I keep coming back to this one.
Many recipes call for orange juice to tenderize the meat and to add a little hint of citrus sweetness to the meat. I never have orange juice at home. What I do have, however, is a Vitamix blender that pulverizes anything into juice. So I’ve gotten used to using a whole orange in this recipe. I also find that to be less sweet than commercial orange juice and that works better for me in this authentic Carne Asada recipe.
What cut of meat can you use for Air Fried Carne Asada?
Traditionally, you’d use either flap steak, flank steak, or skirt steak. These are fairly heavily marbled but also somewhat stringier cuts. They definitely need a 30-minute marinade. But I’m trying to create air fryer recipes that need about 10 minutes prep time, 30 minute marinade time, and then 10 minute cook time.
Check out my other air fryer recipes here for easy weeknight meals.
In this Air fried Carne Asada recipe, I used skirt steak. Mainly–let’s face it–because that’s what I had. I actually had THREE POUNDS of skirt steak due to a mistake on my grocery list. But hey, that just turned into Carne Asada, Beef Satay and something else I don’t even remember but will likely post.
Equipment You May Need to make Air Fried Carne Asada
- Gowise Air Fryer or Philips Avance XL or Breville Smart Oven Air
- Vitamix or another good blender to make the marinade
- Meat Thermometer. Essential for Air Fryer cooking!
- AIr Fryer accessory set or 7-inch pan
- Tongs to move stuff around. I use either these big silicone tongs or this set of Smaller Tongs which are easier on my hands
- Measuring cups
- My favorite cutting board
- Good set of knives
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Ever wonder what goes into an authentic Carne Asada Marinade? Well, lots of different ways to make an authentic carne asada but here is how I made mine, and then I made Air Fried Carne Asada for a quick dinner. You can make carne asada tacos--if there's any meat left over that is, because at our house, it was all we could do to wait until the pictures were taken before we dug in.
- 2 medium limes juiced
- 1 medium orange peeled and seeded
- 1 cup cilantro
- 1 jalapeno diced
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 2 tablespoons vinegar
- 2 teaspoons ancho chile powder
- 1 teaspoons splenda or 2 teaspoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1 teaspoon coriander seeds
- 1.5 pounds skirt steak
Place all ingredients except the skirt steak into a blender and mix until you get a smooth sauce.
Cut the skirt steak into four pieces and place into a zip-top plastic bag.
Pour the marinade on the steak and let the meat marinate for 30 minutes, or for up to 24 hours in the refrigerator.
Set your air fryer to 400F and place the steaks into the air fryer basket. Depending on the size of your air fryer you may have to do this in two batches.
Cook for 8 minutes, or until your steak has reached an internal temperature of 145F. It is critical to not overcook skirt steak, so as to not toughen the meat.
Let the steak rest for 10 minutes. Don’t rush this stage.
Slice the steak against the grain (this part is important) and serve.
I am not a registered dietician or nutritionist. Nutritional information is provided a courtesy, and can vary depending on the exact ingredients you use.
Don’t forget to check out my Air Fryer Cookbook!
Every one of the recipes in this book can be made in an hour or less, and many are on the table in as little as 30 minutes. You won’t find “cream of anything” cans in the ingredient list: instead, you’ll start with fresh ingredients–healthful meats and vegetables–and let the air fryer do the hard work. Unleash the full potential of your Air Fryer and eat healthfully every night. 
Ginny says
Would love the recipe for the Chile relleno. It looks delicious!
URVASHI PITRE says
Yes that is planned to post. I’m so terribly behind on posting—I’d rather I cooked too much hah!
Sophia Hussain says
And what are the delicious looking sides you served with the carne asada?
URVASHI PITRE says
Chile relleno and refried Beans! The beans are posted as an instant pot recipe but I need to post the Chile rellenos