21 Steak Meal Prep Ideas to Eat More Protein

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Meal prepping steak is the best if you’re trying to eat a high protein diet.

I’m a powerlifter and I’ve been eating 250-300g of protein a day for well over six years.

I’ve got you covered today with 20+ of our favorite healthy steak meal prep ideas. We’ll show you the best steak for meal prepping, where to buy your steak to save money, and recipes for you to try.

If you’re new to meal prepping, be sure to check out our full guide on how to meal prep!

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Tips & Tricks to Meal Prepping Steak

The Best Place to Find Good Quality Steak

The best places to find steak are from well-respected butchers. Buying in bulk will get you the best pricing.

Most of your local grocery stores will carry the basic cuts of steak. If you have a membership to Costco, you can definitely get some great cuts in bulk!

How to Tell if Steak is Good Quality

There are few tips to know if a steak is of good quality!

Color – Good quality steaks shouldn’t be oxidized; this would mean that the steak hasn’t been stored properly or it’s old. You can tell if a steak is oxidized if the color of the beef has started turning a brownish-grey. This rule doesn’t apply to dried aged steaks because they are aged in special conditions.

Storage Conditions – Even if the steak isn’t oxidized, you should still look out for its storage conditions. The refrigerator and meat should be cold, and there should be no damage to the package. The beef packaging should be air-tight, and there shouldn’t be much or any liquid in the packaging. Make sure to also check the best before and expiry date.

Marbling and Connective Tissues – Look for marbling throughout the steak. These are white flecks of intramuscular fat in meat, and it’s a good sign that the steak will be flavorful and juicy. Connective tissues break down during slow, moist cooking, so if your recipe isn’t braised, it’s best to buy a steak with as little as possible or to remove them.

Rest Your Steak

If you’ve meal-prepped steak for the next day and you plan on slicing it, wait! Resting your steak is a crucial step to keep the meat juicy and flavorful. Heat puts strain on the muscle fibers causing them to be narrow and juices to spill out. If you have ever put a probe until a hot steak, you will see the juices pouring out.

Once you leave the steak to cool slightly, the muscle fibers start to widen slightly and retain more juices, leaving you with a more flavourful, juicy steak. When dry cooking (grill, pan-fried, or roasting), we recommend resting steak for around ⅓ to ½ of your cooking time.

Cut Against the Grain

I’ve worked in many high-end restaurants and alongside Michelin-starred chefs, and I can tell you this is a trick we all do! It’s a small step that requires cutting from the opposite side of the long muscle fibers (the grain). It leads to the maximum tenderness of your steak. 

After the meat is rested, look closely at the muscle fiber’s direction and cut against it! Cuts like loin (strip and rib-eye steaks come from and tenderloin (fillet steak) have a very fine grain and will actually be tender anyway you cook them.

But more inexpensive cuts like skirt, hanger, and flank have thicker muscle fibers which are easier to spot and will make a much more significant difference to your steak’s tenderness.

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What are the Best Kinds of Steak for Meal Prepping?

The key to making great steak meal preps is to start with the right cut of beef.

Certain kinds of steak are better for meal prepping than others.

Here are our favorites:

• Flank/Skirt steak – Great for making fajitas or asian style stir frys!
• Chuck roast – Best for pot roasts or other slow-cook recipes
• New york strip – Straight up steak. Grill it, slice it, eat it up.
• Picanha – Great because of the fat content!

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21 Steak Meal Prep Recipes 

Right now, you know how to find good quality steak and how to handle it, here are some of our favorite steak meal prep ideas!

1. 20-Minute Hibachi Steak 

Hibachi steak is perfect for make-ahead lunches for the week! Easy, 3 ingredients for hibachi steak. Includes veggies and hibachi carrots plus homemade hibachi white sauce!

2. Greek Steak Salad Bowl

Packed with colorful, crunchy veggies, protein, whole grain, and yummy feta cheese, this Greek Steak Salad Bowl is sure to leave you satisfied! You can also check out our list of mediterranean meal prep recipes for similar ideas!

3. Instant Pot Steak Fajitas

These Instant Pot fajitas are incredibly easy to make and take just 15 minutes! One of the advantages of making steak fajitas in the Instant Pot is that they cook faster, but also, there is much less hands-on time than the traditional stovetop method. That means they’re easier to make if you’re busy, plus they make a delicious and healthy dinner, too. 

This is also one of our favorite instant pot meal prep ideas!

4. Mongolian Beef

Melt in your mouth tender strips of beef stir-fried in a silky, velvety sauce. You can stir fry this in less time than a trip to the takeout place! This is one of our favorite low carb meal prep ideas as well!

5. 15-Minute Sheet Pan Steak and Veggies

This quick sheet pan recipe makes weeknight meal prep a breeze! With lean steak and plenty of colorful veggies, it’s the perfect healthy dinner.

6. Steak & Vegetable Stir Fry with Noodles

Steak and Vegetables Stir Fry with Noodles (ActiFry Express Recipe) is the perfect fakeaway as it’s far healthier than a Chinese takeaway. Quick, easy, and delicious, you’ll want to make this again & again!

7. Whole30 Thai Basil Steak

This Thai Basil steak is incredibly tender and flavorful! It is easy to make and even better as leftovers. It’s gluten-free, dairy-free, paleo, and keto; practically perfect for any meat eater’s diet! This recipe is also on our list of whole 30 meal prep ideas!

8. Garlic Butter Steak Bites

This steak bites recipe is the ultimate all-in-one dinner that everyone will love! I like to make them into a one-pan meal by adding zucchini noodles. The combination is easy, healthy, and simple: garlic butter steak bites with lemon zucchini noodles blend tender pieces of meat with a flavorful veggie pasta, all in one pan. This is one of our favorite steak meal prep ideas!

9. Steak & Asparagus Stir Fry

Steak and Asparagus stir fry with peppers and mushrooms comes together in 20 minutes or less. It’s a delicious way to use leftover steak.

10. Sheet Pan Steak Fajitas

If you love fajitas, you may also love convenient recipes, and this sheet pan steak fajitas recipe is about as convenient as you can get. Made with homemade seasoning blends, jalapenos, zucchini, bell peppers, and more, all nestled in flour tortillas with shredded cheese. This dinner is one you’ll want to add to your meal rotations.

11. Chinese Pepper Steak

Pepper Steak is one of my favorite Chinese takeout dishes. Tender beef along with sautéed peppers and onions seasoned with copious amounts of black pepper. Great low carb meal prep option or quick weeknight dinner. Pair this with rice and you have a super easy bodybuilding meal.

12. Air Fryer Steak With Herb Lemon Butter

Air fry steak with herb lemon butter is so quick and easy to make and great for weeknight dinners, meal prep, and special occasions 

13. Steak with Garlic & Mushrooms

Garlic steak & mushroom bites are easy, delicious, and a terrific dish to make ahead. It pairs perfectly with all your favorite sides, too!

14. Keto Steak and Broccoli Stir Fry

Steak and broccoli stir fry is a perfect make-ahead meal. It tastes even better the next day once the flavors meld. I like to make a big batch and divide it into smaller portions for lunch during the week.

15. Chimichurri Steak

Easy Argentinian Chimichurri skirt steak is drizzled with sauce and packed with herbs and bold flavors. Chimichurri Steak is quick to make and lightly spicy. This is one of our favorite steak meal prep ideas because it’s great the next day!

16. Cast Iron Steak Fajitas 

One pan and 30 minutes to make these Easy Steak Fajitas for an authentic, healthy Mexican dinner at home! Serve with white rice or cauliflower rice, lettuce, tomato, avocado, and lettuce wraps or tortillas for the ultimate experience. Great for an easy weeknight meal or meal prep! Gluten-free, paleo, and Whole30 approved!

17. Whole-30 Steak and Sweet Potato Skillet

Steak and Sweet Potato Skillet made in just 25 minutes with just ten simple ingredients. Tossed in a smokey chipotle sauce to bring it all together for an easy and healthy one-pan dinner recipe. It’s packed with protein, complex carbs, and veggies and is paleo, gluten-free, and Whole30. Perfect to add as a gluten-free meal prep.

18. Instant Pot Swiss Steak

This comforting Instant Pot Swiss Steak recipe is easy for beginners to make using inexpensive ingredients and takes less time than the stovetop or oven.

19. Air Fryer Steak Bites with Blue Cheese

You can have tender steak bites for dinner without fussing with a grill. Bite-size filet beef cubes are a delicious and filling low carb, keto-friendly meal. They are marinated in a seasoned, savory vinaigrette, then quickly cooked in an air fryer. We’ve got more air fryer meal prep ideas if you want some more options like this!

20. Healthy Pepper Steak

This pepper steak is made with lean striploin and seasoned with garlic, pepper, and soy sauce before sauteeing with sliced peppers. It’s ready in 25 minutes and best served with cooked rice.

21. Southwest Steak Salad

Southwest Steak Salad with Spicy Avocado Dressing is quick and easy to prepare. You just need 11 minutes, including prep time to make this healthy and substantial steak meal.

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Common Questions About Meal Prepping Steak

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Want More High Protein Recipes?

I’m obviously a huge fan of meal prepping steak. It’s the best animal source of protein because of the amino acids, minerals, and how well it reheats. The only downside to these steak meal prep ideas is the cost.

If you want more high-protein options, check out some of our other roundups: high protein meal prep ideas for muscle gain or chicken meal prep ideas.