Published: March 2, 2026
Tender pieces of steak are tossed with garlic herb butter in this easy steak bites recipe that requires 15 minutes of hands-on preparation.
Buttery Steak Doubles as an Appetizer or Main Dish
Although it was often served as a side dish on festival days and at New Year’s gatherings, these garlic steak bites deserve a place on your dinner table as well.
To make them, your choice of steak is cut into bite-sized chunks and placed in a sizzling hot skillet. The short cooking time combined with the high heat creates a moist and juicy bite of meat with perfectly formed edges.
After heating, they are tossed with melted hotel which is infused with garlic and thyme. Once you start cooking, the whole recipe takes less than 15 minutes to prepare, and the steak can be enjoyed on its own or added to tacos, grain dishes, wraps, salads, etc.
Enjoy!
Heidi’s Tips for Cooking Success
Sirloin steak is my top choice for making steak bites. Sirloin steak is a lean cut of steak that has enough marbling to it that it remains tender after being cooked at high heat. However, I’ve also tried this recipe with hanger steak (which has a hard membrane in the middle that needs to be removed) and flap steak (which has a strong beefy texture) – both work well here, too.
Dry brine your steak to increase flavor and tenderness. Most recipes have you cook the meat right away, but in my cooking experiments I found that the meat was cooked more tender, tender, and delicious after being sprinkled generously with kosher salt and thawed in the refrigerator for 30 minutes. This gives time for the salt to release some of the moisture from the steak and then it is returned again. All that salt penetrates the meat, moistening it and seasoning it from the inside out.
A pink sprinkle of sea salt is the perfect finishing touch. The steak bites are seasoned before cooking, but I like to hit them with extra sea salt on the edge again for some crunch and to balance out the richness of the delicious honey of the steak.
The 5 Main Ingredients
The full recipe, with quantities, can be found in the recipe card below.
- Steak – This time I made sirloin steak bites, but I will make this recipe with both hanger and flap / bavette steaks. Everything works, just choose a steak with good marbling for the best flavor.
- Olive oil – Since we cook the steak in a very hot skillet, I recommend oiling the steak itself on the skillet to prevent any smoking.
- Ruta – Just 3 tablespoons is all you need to make a delicious garlic sauce for meat bites.
- Fresh garlic + thyme – There are five main ingredients in this recipe (besides salt and pepper), so skip the garlic powder and dried thyme and use some of them fresh to make a flavorful butter mixture for a bite.
- Salt — You will use kosher salt to season the steak and fine sea salt to finish the dish.
How to make Steak Bites on the Stove
- Dry brine the steak. After trimming any excess fat from the steak and cutting it into 1.5-inch chunks, season with kosher salt and refrigerate uncovered for 30 minutes. This step adds quality.
Heidi’s tip: Because even more tender and juicy steak bites, let the meat dry brine overnight.
- Cut the steak. Instead of sizzling olive oil in a pan, coat the steak directly for extra searing. If one of your skillets is too hot, cook the steak in another row for 5 minutes. You will know that the bites are ready to be fried when they easily release from the pan (if they still stick, let them cook for a few more seconds).
- Toss with garlic butter. Move the cooked steak to the other side of the pan. For the now-empty, melt the butter and then add the garlic and thyme. Toss the steak to coat evenly in the garlic herb butter.
- Make and serve. Transfer the steak to a serving dish, drizzle with any remaining broth in the pan, and top with a generous pinch of coarse sea salt. I also like to add parsley and freshly cracked black pepper to bring everything together.
If you make this recipe, please let me know! Leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating below, leave a comment to tell us what you think, and tag me on Instagram @foodiecrush.
Garlic Herb Steak Bites Recipe
Tender pieces of steak are tossed with garlic herb butter in this easy steak bites recipe that requires 15 minutes of hands-on preparation.
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Servings 4
Calories 341kcal
Ingredients
- 1 ½ pound sirloin steak, trimmed of excess fat and cut into 1 ½-inch chunks (can also use hanger steak, or flap/bavette steak)
- 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
- 1 a spoon extra virgin olive oil
- 3 spoons butter
- 3-4 garlic clove, slightly chopped
- 3 fresh thyme leaves
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
- chopped fresh Italian flat-leaf parsley
- flaky sea salt
Instructions
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Sear the steak and let it rest for flavor. Add 1 ½ pounds steak chunks to the bagel and season with 1 teaspoon Kosher salt, tossing well. Arrange the steak chunks in an even layer and set aside in the refrigerator, uncovered, for 30 minutes, up to overnight.
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Toss with oil and cook in a hot pan. Brush steak with 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil and toss to coat. Heat a large cast-iron skillet or stainless steel skillet over medium-high until very hot. In another layer, add steak bites to the skillet, season with ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, and cook for 4-5 minutes, turning the pieces until they are brown on the other side and easy to release from the pan. Work in batches if necessary to avoid crowding and burning the meat.
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Add the butter, garlic, and thyme to the skillet. Make a space at the bottom of the skillet (facing the handle) and add 3 tablespoons of butter, 3-4 cloves of slivered garlic, and 3 fresh thyme sprigs to the bottom of the skillet. Adjust the skillet to create a pool of melted butter and garlic, and use the steak to coat with the garlic butter mixture.
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Transfer to a serving plate. Cover with butter, thyme, and garlic slivers. Sprinkle with chopped flat-leaf parsley, flaky sea salt, and ground black pepper, if desired.
Nutrition
Calories: 341kcal | Carbohydrates: 1g | Proteins: 38g | Oil: 20g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8g | Trans Fat: 0.3g | Cholesterol: 126mg | Sodium: 746mg | Potassium: 601mg | Fiber: 0.2g | Sugar: 0.03g | Vitamin A: 300IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 59mg | Cast iron 3mg
FAQs
I prefer sirloin, but hanger or flap steak works too.
Use a cast iron skillet if you have one, and preheat it over medium-high heat until it’s done awesome it is hot. Instead of greasing the pan itself, soak the steak in oil and cook in one batch to promote intense caramelization rather than burning. If necessary, cook the steak in batches to create those golden edges!
If your steak is biting dry and chewy, it may be the cut of the steak you bought, how long you cooked it, and if you cleaned the meat first.
I recommend using sirloin, hanger, or flap steak to make this recipe. Season generously with kosher salt and refrigerate uncovered for 30 minutes to marinate the meat.
Steak tastes best when it’s still a little crispy in the middle, so just cook the bites for 4 to 5 minutes total over medium-high heat.
To serve and bite the steak
- Sauce — Chimichurri Sauce, Mustard Sauce
- Potatoes – Creamy Mashed Potatoes, Crispy Roast Potatoes, Buttery Parsley Potatoes, Crispy Potatoes Anna, Garlic Fries.
- Salads – Kale Pine Nut Salad, Arugula Parmesan Salad, Italian Salad
- Sides – Zucchini Fritters, Parmesan Risotto, Mushroom Crostini, Roasted Carrots and Dill Gremolata.
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