Carne Asada Street Tacos
This recipe for carne asada street tacos is so easy, authentic, and full of flavor! Tender marinated skirt steak is piled into warm corn tortillas and topped with onions, cilantro, lime, and cotija.
I love a quick taco recipe for an easy weeknight dinner, and these tacos require just a few minutes of prep and less than 15 minutes on the grill. You can leave the steak to soak in the marinade all day long, then cook it when you’re hungry for dinner!
Table of contents
A No-Frills Carne Asada Street Tacos Recipe
I consider myself a bit of a taco connoisseur here. Growing up in San Diego, I spent a lot of time sampling tacos from local taco shops. I’ve also been known to take frequent day trips across the border to Tijuana for an afternoon of eating street foods.
If you are unfamiliar with street tacos, they’re an unfussy taco where the meat is the star of the show. You can expect to find tender and flavorful meat piled high on a charred corn tortilla with onions and cilantro served with salsa and fresh limes.
In these street tacos, carne asada has the starring role. It’s a traditional Mexican recipe for marinated grilled beef that’s flavored with garlic, onion, spices, and fresh citrus. I took these tacos a step further here and added some cotija cheese and sliced radishes, adding more flavor and crunch. That’s it!
What You’ll Need for the Steak Marinade and Toppings
full list of ingredients, quantities & method in the recipe card at the end of the page.
- Steak. The most common cuts of beef for carne asada are skirt steak and flank steak. I prefer skirt steak because it has a bit more fat and flavor and tends to be less expensive than flank steak.
- Onion. I like to marinate the steak with thin sliced onions and then dice the rest for topping the tacos.
- Cilantro. Minced cilantro in the marinade and served on top of the tacos adds freshness!
- Garlic. Make sure to mince the garlic cloves very finely so they don’t burn while grilling.
- Red Wine Vinegar and Orange Juice. The combination of red wine vinegar and orange juice helps tenderize the steak while it marinates.
- Spices. Cumin, oregano, and chili powder add all the Mexican flavors to the carne asada marinade.
- Tortillas. Warmed corn tortillas are the way to go here! If you really don’t like corn, you can use flour tortillas.
- Limes. Serving lime wedges on the side is a must!
- Cotija Cheese. Think of it as the Mexican feta. It’s salty and funky and the perfect companion to grilled steak tacos.
Jenny’s Tip: If you love all things carne asada, make sure to try these Carne Asada Fries or Carne Asada Burrito Bowls next!
Tools Needed
- Mixing Bowl
- Cutting Board
- Sharp Knife
- Grill or Grill Pan
How to Make Carne Asada Street Tacos in 3 Steps
Jenny’s Tip: This is also a fabulous recipe for a crowd! We do lots of taco bar situations for entertaining. You can double or triple this recipe and set everything up in an assembly line.
- Marinate the steak for up to 12 hours. Be sure to trim off any silver skin before submerging the skirt steak in the carne asada marinade. I like to marinate my steak in a rimmed baking dish to ensure every little bit is covered in the marinade.
- Grill the steak. Always preheat and clean your grill before cooking to make sure nothing burns. Depending on how thick your skirt steak is, it will need to grill over medium-high heat for 3 to 4 minutes per side.
- Rest for 10 minutes before dicing. While the meat rests, you can quickly heat up the corn tortillas (this makes them more pliable) and chop up the toppings, if needed.
No Grill? No Problem!
Carne asada literally translates to “grilled meat” in Spanish, and the grilling is essential here! It adds a charred flavor to the steak that is so, so good.
But if you don’t own an outdoor grill, you can definitely still make these steak street tacos. Either cook the meat on a grill pan or cast iron skillet set over the stove, or cook the meat in the oven. Cooking instructions have been provided for each method in the recipe card below.
Jenny’s Tips for Making Street Tacos
- Marinate the steaks long enough. Really work the marinade into the steaks with your hands so that the steak is totally covered. You want to marinate the steak for at least 1 hour, up to 12 hours. It’s a very acidic marinade, so I don’t recommend marinating longer than that.
- Cook from room temperature. If you only plan to marinate the steaks for an hour, marinate the steak at room temperature. If you marinate for longer, take the marinating steaks out of the fridge an hour before cooking.
- Rest after cooking. If you cut your steaks immediately after cooking, all the juices will run out leaving the steak tough and dry. Give the steaks at least 10 minutes to rest before slicing so that the juices can redistribute.
- Cut against the grain. If you look at a piece of steak, you can see the direction that the stringy muscle fibers run. You want to cut perpendicular, or ‘across the grain’, to those fibers. From there, cut the strips into bite sized pieces. This ensures that every bite is tender and easy to chew.
Sides to Serve with Your Street Tacos
If you’re planning to serve Carne Asada Street Tacos for dinner, you’re going to need some sides!
- Beans: Instant Pot Refried Beans or Borracho Beans
- Rice: Arroz Verde or Mexican Rice
- Other Sides and Appetizers: Fresh Corn Salsa, Salsa Verde, Elote Queso, 5-Ingredient Guacamole
If you do give this recipe a try, I love hearing about it! Leave a comment with a star rating below. Be sure to subscribe to my weekly newsletter and never miss a new recipe! You can also snap a photo & tag @JENNYGOYCOCHEA on Instagram.
More Taco Recipes to Try Now
- Crispy Baked Chicken Tacos
- Beer Battered Fish Tacos
- Chile Lime Shrimp Tacos
- Carnitas Tacos
- Crispy Potato Tacos
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Carne Asada Street Tacos Recipe
Ingredients
Carne Asada
- 2 lbs skirt steak, trimmed of silver skin
- 1/2 white onion, sliced
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 1 orange, juiced
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon Mexican oregano
- 1 tablespoon ancho chili powder
- 3 tablespoons minced cilantro
- 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
Taco Ingredients
- 1/2 white onion, diced
- 1/2 cup chopped cilantro
- 2 limes, cut into wedges
- 2 oz cotija cheese, crumbled
- corn tortillas, warmed
Instructions
- Whisk together the olive oil, garlic, vinegar, orange juice, spices, salt, and cilantro together until smooth.
- Place the steak and sliced onions in a large dish or on a rimmed baking sheet. Pour the marinade over the steak and really work the marinade into the steak with your hands. Cover and marinate for at least 1 hour, up to 12 hours.
- Preheat a grill to medium-high heat. Make sure the grates are clean and oiled. Remove the steak from the marinade and grill for 3-4 minutes per side.
- Let the steak rest for 10 minutes before dicing into 1/2" pieces. Serve on warm corn tortillas topped with onion, cilantro, and cotija cheese with lime wedges on the side.
Notes
Alternate cooking methods:
Oven: Maybe it’s too cold to grill, no problem! Set your oven broiler to high and move the oven rack close to the broiler. Lay the steak out on a baking sheet lined with foil and broil for 4-5 minutes per side, until browned. Cast Iron: I’ve very successfully made this recipe in a cast iron skillet as well! Heat a 12-inch cast iron over medium-high heat. Add a bit of neutral oil and once the skillet is hot, add the steak to the skillet and cook for 3-4 minutes per side. You may need to cut the steak down into slightly smaller pieces before cooking.You might also like...
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Rate & Review This Recipe
Craving for Tacos. Reading your blog makes me crave even more. Will try your recipe this weekend. Thank you! Love it. I’m a food explorer, wanna share my experience: https://www.wkadventures.com/philippine-travel-guide/pampanga-food-trip-restaurants-and-best-sellers/