Beef Fajitas

I love beef fajitas and this beef fajita recipe doesn’t disappoint.

It’s a meal of wonderfully flavored beef steak with vegetables on tortilla shells, topped with your favorite Mexican toppings and “go withs”.

The meat is so flavorful, especially if you let it sit in the spices and seasonings for a bit before you cook it.

Fajitas are a favorite Tex Mex recipe and one of our easy Mexican dinner recipes.

Here is how you make them. First of all, the meat.

What Kind of Steak do you use for Beef Fajitas?

I call for skirt steak in this fajitas recipe, but you can substitute your favorite grilling steak.

There is just one tip I have here: It is important to use a cut of steak that will cook quickly and be tender. Using a piece of meat that needs longer to cook, like a round steak for instance, might mean the steak is a bit tougher than you would like.

Skirt steak can be a bit expensive these days but you can do one of two things:

1. Use it anyway. A pound of steak goes a long way when you are serving it as fajitas.

2. Substitute another kind of beef cut.

If you want to substitute, try flank steak. (I know, ALL steak is pretty expensive these days, but this is a real treat).

Flank steak can be a bit more reasonably priced than skirt steak and it’s a lean, tender steak that works really well in this fajitas recipe.

To prepare the meat, just trim off any excess fat and the meat membranes which can be tough.

Slice it across the grain to cook and it’s good to go.

Sirloin or tenderloin steak works exceptionally well in fajitas too.

Sirloin and tenderloin steaks can be pricey but you will end up with lovely tender pieces of beef fajitas when you are done.

You can see that you have a few choices here.

How to Make Fajitas

Here are a few tips that will make sure your beef fajitas are delicious each and every time you make them.

This recipe calls for the steak to be cut before it is seasoned and cooked. If you are grilling your meat on a barbecue, you’ll want to keep it whole and slice it after it’s cooked.

1. Always get a good char on the meat over high heat. The char adds so much flavor to your fajitas.

2. Once the meat is cooked, let steak rest for 5 minutes after it is cooked.

3. Always slice the steak across the grain, instead of along the grain.

Why do cooks always say that? Well, slicing a steak across the grain means that when you cut into it, you aren’t trying to chew a long string of meat. It means the meat will taste more tender.

4. Warm the tortillas briefly before serving. It makes a HUGE difference in how the fajitas will taste.

5. Have plenty of toppings on hand, like chopped avocado, grated cheese, chopped tomatoes and lettuce, sour cream or a crema, whatever your crowd loves.

Of course make sure you have enough salsa on hand and jalapenos for those who like it spicy.

How to Serve Your Fajitas

You can serve this fajita recipe two ways: the everyday, put it all together and serve it way, OR the much more fun let them put it together themselves way.

Of course we can put the fajitas together and serve them that way, but it is much for fun for everyone to make their own fajitas, putting as much or as little of each topping as they want.

Serving the fajitas that way means putting each ingredient in a separate bowl. I mix the beef and vegetables together in one bowl and surround it with smaller bowls of each topping, just the way they are served in a restaurant.

Put the warmed tortillas in another bowl or serving dish and cover them to keep them warm.

Each person takes the beef and vegetable mixture and adds it to their tortilla, then goes for whatever toppings they want.

I like using the smaller tortillas for fajitas. The larger ones make a giant fajita, too much tortilla and not enough filling.

Here is a list of the most used toppings for fajitas:

Grated cheese, either cheddar, monterray jack or manchego work well.

Finely chopped lettuce and tomatoes for color, flavor and crunch.

Sour cream or crema.

Chopped avocado or guacamole.

Salsa.

Pico de Gallo.

Sliced jalapenos.

Wedges of lime for a fresh squeeze on top of your fajita.

Have I missed anything?

Fajitas are great for diabetics because you aren’t eating much bread. You can overfill your tortillas with meat and toppings, so you are eating less tortilla with each meal. Judge based on what works for you.

If you are going low carb you can skip the tortillas and just eat the wonderful meat, veggies and toppings.

I hope you enjoy these wonderful, simple to make Mexican fajitas.

If you love these beef fajitas, have a look at my recipe for chicken fajitas here.

You can browse all of our Tex-Mex and Mexican recipes here.

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