These tender and savory garlic butter steak bites are seared and then simmered in a deliciously rich brown gravy. With only a 10 minutes to prep, these steak bites are restaurant quality and are perfect for any weeknight meal!
These steak bites have the most tender, buttery texture, making them one of my favorite ways to serve steak (along with my beef steak tips and smoked tri-tips). The savory beef gravy the garlic butter steak bites are simmered in is not only full of flavor, but tastes amazing served over homemade mashed potatoes, a bed of rice, or over egg noodles.
This recipe is simple and made with basic everyday ingredients. When making these steak bites, quality really does matter. Using fresh garlic and a high-quality cut of steak like New York Strip, ribeye, porterhouse, or T-bone makes this dinner absolutely mouth-watering!
Some ingredients are key and can't be substituted, like the butter, cream, or garlic. But, I have included plenty of variations below if you like your steak bites a little spicy, sweeter, or even smokey! Try pairing these with my baked macaroni and cheese, these skillet fried potatoes, or my steak french fries!
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Why This Recipe Works
1. These garlic butter steak bites take just 30 minutes to make and use simple ingredients.
2. The seasoning and pan-frying technique makes sure every piece of meat is tender, buttery, and packed with flavor!
3. Adding cream at the end creates a thick and savory gravy that is perfect for spooning over potatoes, rice, or even a crusty piece of bread.
🛒 Ingredients You'll Need
- Steak - The star of this dish with its hearty, rich flavor and tender texture from quick-searing on medium-high heat.
- Olive oil - Helps the steak sear without burning or sticking to the pan while adding a light flavor to the dish.
- Butter - Use unsalted butter. It adds richness to the gravy.
- Heavy whipping cream - Creates a creamy, velvety-textured sauce when combined with the butter and steak drippings.
- Garlic - Always use fresh garlic cloves. It helps give the steak a bold, pungent flavor.
- Cajun seasoning - Adds a spicy and zesty kick to the steak bites.
- Garlic powder - Enhances the flavor when paired with the fresh garlic for a deeper aromatic flavor.
- Chili powder - Adds subtle warmth and spice to the seasoning.
- Salt - To balance the overall flavors of the spice mixture.
- Cayenne pepper - This is an optional ingredient, but if adds a subtle spicy flavor in every bite.
- Onion powder - A sweet and savory flavor that balances the more pungent or zesty flavors.
- Brown sugar - Dark brown sugar works best for a touch of sweetness and a caramelizing effect as the steak bites brown.
Be sure to see the recipe card below for the full ingredients list & instructions!
📋 Variations
- Quality of Steaks - For best results, use a high quality steak when making this recipe. While choice and select cuts work ok in this recipe, a prime quality steak will provide the best results. You can find a good quality steak at a butcher shop and typically at Sams and Costco.
- Types of Steak - You can choose from various cuts for these garlic steak bites. If you don't want to use New York Strip, try substituting a ribeye, Porterhouse, or a T-bone cut. They all have rich flavor and are well marbled which provides more flavor when seared.
- Adjust the spice - The cayenne pepper in the rub adds a bit of heat to this recipe. Feel free to leave it out or reduce it if you want the steak to be more on the milder side.
- Make it smokey - Replace the cayenne with chipotle powder for a deeper, smoked flavor.
- Add mushrooms - Mushrooms are an amazing pairing to these garlic steak bites. Sauté a cup of sliced mushrooms in the pan with a drizzle of oil, letting them soften for 3-4 minutes, then set them aside on a plate while you make the garlic steak bites in the same pan. Add the mushrooms back to the pan while you add the butter and cream to make the gravy.
- Add a splash of soy - For a deeper umami flavor, add a splash of soy sauce to the pan along with the butter as you make the sauce.
🔪 Step-By-Step Recipe Instructions
Step 1-2: In a large bowl, combine the brown sugar, Cajun seasoning, salt, garlic powder, onion powder, and chili powder. Set aside.
Step 3: Using a sharp knife, cut the steak into bite-size pieces, around 1.5-2 inches thick.
Step 4-5: Add the steak cubes to the seasoning bowl and toss well to coat. Set aside.
Step 6: In a large skillet, heat ¼ cup of olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the chopped garlic and sauté for 1 minute.
Step 7-8: In batches, add the seasoned steak bites and sear for 3 to 4 minutes per side, leaving the steak alone as it sears. Remove the steak bites and set aside.
👩🏼🍳 Expert Tip: If the skillet gets too dry and becomes smoky between cooking the batches of steak bites, just add in 1-2 Tablespoons more olive oil.
Step 9-10: Reduce the heat to medium and add 1 Tablespoon of butter to the skillet to melt. Slowly pour the heavy whipping cream into the pan.
Step 11-12: Slowly whisk until the sauce becomes slightly thick. Add the steak bites to the skillet and stir well to coat them in the sauce.
And now you are ready to enjoy a restaurant quality steak dinner in the comfort of your own home! There's no need to let the steak rest once done, so serve the garlic butter steak bites and the creamy beef sauce over a bed of mashed potatoes or rice!
Trust me, you'll want something to sop up the sauce with so try pairing this with a piece of bread! I can guarantee, you will enjoy every last drop of this savory, indulgent meal!
🙋🏼 Recipe FAQs
Butter only has a smoke point of 350°F so it burns too quickly when searing steak. When you sear your steak, you'll want to use olive oil or another oil with a high smoke point, like avocado oil or canola oil, to lock in the juices without burning.
Use a heavy-bottomed pan that has good, even heat conduction, like cast iron or an enamel pan.
💭 Expert Tips
- Make sure the pan is HOT before adding your steak. When the cool steak hits the hot pan, it begins to sear, locking moisture into the steak.
- Avoid crowding the pan. Cook the steak in batches so that each piece has space around it to cook evenly.
- Let the steak sit undisturbed until you're ready to flip it for the juiciest bites.
- Store any leftovers in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. To reheat the garlic steak bites, add them to a pan and heat on medium-low, covered, until warmed through.
More Recipes To Try
If you tried these Garlic Butter Steak Bites or any other recipes on my website, please let me know how it turned out in the comments below. I love hearing from you! And, please leave a 🌟 rating while you're there!
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Garlic Butter Steak Bites
Equipment
- Heavy Bottom Skillet
Ingredients
- 1 Tablespoon dark brown sugar
- 1 Tablespoon Cajun Seasoning
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 2 teaspoons onion powder
- 2 teaspoons chili powder
- 4 (4-6 ounce) New York Strip Steaks
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 6 garlic cloves, chopped
- 1 Tablespoon butter, unsalted
- ¼ cup heavy whipping cream
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine 1 Tablespoon brown sugar, 1 Tablespoon Cajun seasoning, 2 teaspoons salt, 2 teaspoons garlic powder, 2 teaspoons onion powder, and 2 teaspoons chili powder. Set aside.
- Using a sharp knife, cut the steak into bite-size pieces, around 1.5-2 inches thick.
- Add the cut steak to the bowl of seasoning and toss well to coat. Set aside.
- In a large skillet, heat ¼ cup of olive oil over medium high heat. Add the 6 cloves of chopped garlic and sauté for 1 minute.
- Working in batches, add the seasoned steak bites and sear for 3 to 4 minutes per side. Remove the steak bites and set aside.Expert Tip: Add more oil if the skillet gets dry and smoky between batches.
- Reduce the heat down to medium and add 1 Tablespoon of butter to the skillet to melt. Slowly whisk in ¼ cup of heavy whipping cream until slightly thick.
- Add the steak bites back to the skillet and stir well to coat in the sauce.
- Serve immediately over a bed of rice, egg noodles, or on their own.
Notes
-
- Make sure the pan is HOT before adding your steak. When the cool steak hits the hot pan, it begins to sear, locking moisture into the steak.
-
- Avoid crowding the pan. Cook the steak in batches so that each piece has space around it to cook evenly. Let the steak sit undisturbed until you're ready to flip it for the juiciest bites.
-
- Store any leftovers in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. To reheat the garlic steak bites, add them to a pan and heat on medium-low, covered, until warmed through.
-
- If you don't want to use New York Strip, try substituting a ribeye, Porterhouse, or a T-bone cut. For best results, use a high quality steak when making this recipe. While choice and select cuts work ok in this recipe, a prime quality steak will provide the best results.
-
- The cayenne pepper in the rub adds a bit of heat to this recipe. Feel free to leave it out or reduce it if you want the steak to be more on the milder side.
- The cayenne pepper in the rub adds a bit of heat to this recipe. Feel free to leave it out or reduce it if you want the steak to be more on the milder side.
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