Air Fried Carne Asada Recipe | Authentic Carne Asada Recipe

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 USA 5.5 Liter 8-in-1 Electric Air Fryer - Walmart.com" data-id="12513" class="eafl-link eafl-link-direct" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">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
• Measuring spoons
• My favorite cutting board
• Good set of knives

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5 from 4 votes

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Air Fried Carne Asada Recipe

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.

Course Main Course

Cuisine Mexican

Dietary Consideration Dairy-Free, Egg-Free, Gluten-Free, Grain-Free, High Protein, Keto, Low Carb, Low Sugar, Nut-Free, Paleo, Soy-Free

Cooking Style Air Fryer, Grill

Ease of Cooking Under 30 Mins

Recipe Type Air Fryer, Beef, Keto Low Carb, Mexican

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 8 minutes

Marinate Time 10 minutes

Total Time 18 minutes

Servings 4

Calories 330 kcal

Ingredients

• 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

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

1. Place all ingredients except the skirt steak into a blender and mix until you get a smooth sauce.
   

2. Cut the skirt steak into four pieces and place into a zip-top plastic bag.
   

3. Pour the marinade on the steak and let the meat marinate for 30 minutes, or for up to 24 hours in the refrigerator. 
   

4. 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.
   

5. 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.
   

6. Let the steak rest for 10 minutes. Don’t rush this stage.
   

7. Slice the steak against the grain (this part is important) and serve.
   

Nutrition Facts

Air Fried Carne Asada Recipe

Amount Per Serving

Calories 330 Calories from Fat 171

% Daily Value*

Total Fat 19g 29%

Saturated Fat 10g 50%

Total Carbohydrates 1g 0%

Protein 37g 74%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.