This garlic butter steak is first seared on the stove, then finished in the oven. Then, it’s served with the most incredible homemade steak butter. Perfect for a date night at home!

a grey plate with a medium rare garlic butter steak being cut into and a fork taking a piece with steak butter melting on top with parsley

Easy Garlic Butter Steak Recipe

Have you ever had a steak so perfectly cooked and seasoned it literally, and I know this doesn’t seem possible, but it literally melts in your mouth? Oh man, it’s like nothing can ever compare to a steak like that again! This Garlic Butter Steak is just that kind of steak, but you can make it without ever leaving your house.

One of our favorite steakhouses serves up the most amazing steak I’ve ever had and it has this melting garlic butter that’s dripping down the sides and sizzling away on the screaming hot plate. And I mean, it’s a SCREAMING HOT plate. They set it down and warn you 100 times not to touch the plate or you’ll burn your fingers.

I bet you’ve had one like that before. I can taste it just by thinking about it.

I’ve learned a few important lessons about steak, especially about cooking steak at home, and I’ve shared all my top tips and tricks for cooking steak in the oven below. 

a grey plate with a medium rare ribeye steak being cut into and a fork taking a piece with garlic butter melting on top with parsley

Garlic Butter Steak Ingredients 

If you’ve been lucky enough to enjoy garlic butter steak at a fancy steakhouse, you may mistakenly think the cooking process is complicated. In reality, cooking steak with butter couldn’t be simpler!

Here’s what you’ll need to prep the steak and make the steak butter: 

  • Steak of choice (I give more instructions on picking the best steak below) 
  • Olive oil
  • Kosher salt and black pepper
  • Unsalted butter
  • Minced garlic

What Are the Different Types of Steak? 

There are a bunch of different kinds but let’s just stick to a few.

Ribeye Steak — A ribeye is a great steak because it has beautiful marbling and it turns out so juicy and beefy in flavor. It’s one of my favorites even though there is more fat than a filet so you will have to do some trimming AFTER it is cooked. Never before as we want that fat to be flavoring the meat.

T-Bone Steak — Some restaurants call a T-Bone steak a Porterhouse steak but they are in fact the exact same thing. The T-Bone is tricky to cook as it’s actually both a beefy tenderloin steak and a strip steak. But it has great flavor and it can be fun to have both worlds.

Filet Mignon or Tenderloin Steak — Ah yes, the most ordered steak when you’re feeling fancy. Would you like a secret though? The ribeye is actually the nicer steak. Yup. Restaurants are fooling you by marketing a less superior steak as the prized offering. This steak is buttery and mild and definitely tender when cooked properly. The only downfall is missing out on that beefy flavor.

New York Steak — The New York steak has that fat around the outside and barely any marbling throughout the middle. It’s a good steak but not as tender as others.

Flank Steak — The flank steak used to be a cheaper steak that was great for carne asada, fajitas etc but the more popular those dishes have become the more the steak has gone up in price. This steak is tapered at one end so it’s best to cut it in half to cook it so that you don’t have one end over cooked and the other raw.

What’s the Best Type of Steak to Use in This Recipe?

So, that didn’t help. You just want to know what steak is best, right? We stick with a ribeye or a filet. We love the beefy flavor and the tenderness of the meat.

a grey plate with a medium rare ribeye steak being cut into and a fork taking a piece with garlic butter melting on top with parsley

How to Cook Steak in the Oven

In my opinion, the best way to cook steak is to first sear it on the stovetop, then transfer it to the oven to finish cooking. This cooking method delivers perfect results every time! 

Here’s how we make garlic butter steak at home: 

  1. First, stir together the garlic steak butter. Then, pop it into the fridge to chill. 
  2. Preheat the oven and place a cast iron skillet inside to preheat as well. 
  3. Prep the steak (pat dry, season, etc.).
  4. Remove the hot skillet from the oven and place over medium-high heat on the stovetop. 
  5. Sear both sides of the steak in the skillet. 
  6. Transfer the steak to the oven and broil until done to your liking.
  7. Set the steak on a cutting board and allow it to rest for a few minutes. This is to redistribute the juices so when you cut into the steak it’s perfectly tender and juicy.
  8. Serve steak immediately with a pat of garlic steak butter on top. 

How Long to Cook Steak in the Oven? 

Once the steak has been seared on both sides, it needs to finish cooking in the oven under the broiler. For a perfectly medium-rare steak, let it broil for 4 to 5 minutes. 

a grey plate with a medium rare ribeye steak being cut into and a fork taking a piece with garlic butter melting on top with parsley

Why Is My Garlic Butter Steak Tough? 

The biggest reason that your steak gets tough is probably that you overcooked it. But that’s not the only reason. Here are a few common issues that may result in a tough garlic butter steak: 

  • Overcooking steak — Overcooking any meat can cause it to become tough. This is because heat causes the proteins in the meat to become more tight and firm, just like your buns when you work out. 😉  It also basically squeezes the juices out of it, making it dry and tough.
  • Buying the Wrong Cut of Steak — Not all steaks are meant to be eaten like a steakhouse steak and shouldn’t be substituted for each other. Leave flank and skirt steaks for when you’re doing slices of meat like a stir-fry, carne asada or fajitas. A ribeye, T-bone and others are more for sitting down with a knife and fork.
  • Old Meat — I hate to say this, but if meat is old it’s missing fat and tenderness.

When Do You Salt Steak?

Guess what, if you’re wondering when to salt steak, it’s not in the cooking process at all. Salting your steak should begin anywhere from 40 minutes to 24 hours ahead of time. This really gets into the meat and also helps to break down those fibers. You really shouldn’t cook steak immediately after salting as the salt just comes off.

The Best Way to Reheat Steak

You can certainly reheat steak, but you should avoid the microwave because it cooks too fast and will change the inner temperature and texture of the garlic butter steak .

Instead, place the steak on a pan with foil over it and heat it in a low oven. Once warmed through, place the steak in a very hot pan just to re-sear the outside. Then, serve with additional garlic butter sauce for steak!

a grey plate with a medium rare ribeye steak being cut into and a fork taking a piece with garlic butter melting on top with parsley

The Best Sides for Steak

Every garlic butter steak dinner needs a heaping side of classic mashed potatoes and some scrumptious grilled corn! If you want to liven things up with some Mexican flavors, go with our Elote grilled street corn! And if you want to just keep it classic comfort, go with some easy 7-Up biscuits and some Instant Pot green beans with bacon.

Everything You Need for the Perfect Steak Dinner

The sides listed above are blasted delicious with this steak, but if you ask me what the perfect steak dinner includes, this is is…

That’s it…that’s a steak dinner at its finest in my book!

Tips for Making the Best Garlic Butter Steak

Make the garlic butter sauce for the steak and quickly store it in the fridge as you won’t need it until serving. Garlic butter sauce for steak needs to be kept chilled until ready to use! 

You should also prepare the garlic butter steak at least 45 minutes ahead of time. I generally do the day before or morning of. You’ll sprinkle the steak with salt and let it rest in the fridge, uncovered. This dries out the meat’s outside for a great sear, flavors the meat, and helps to break down the proteins for a tender, juicy steak.

It’s also crucial that you heat the oven WITH a cast iron skillet in it. We want that skillet hot before the steak even touches it. But we don’t start the meat in the oven, we move the skillet to to stove top so there is heat only coming from the bottom. We are looking to sear the meat, not cook it through yet.

More Delicious STEAK RECIPES:

More Decadent MAIN DISHES You Must Try:

Easy Garlic Butter Steak

4.22 from 14 votes
Servings: 3
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes

Description

This garlic butter steak is first seared on the stove, then finished in the oven. Plus, it's served with the most incredible homemade steak butter. Perfect for a date night at home!

Ingredients 

  • 3-12 ounce Rib-Eye Steaks, , 1 1/4-inch-thick*
  • 4 tablespoons Olive Oil
  • Kosher Salt and Freshly Ground Black Pepper, , to taste

For the Garlic Butter

  • 1/2 cup Unsalted Butter, , at room temperature
  • 3 cloves Garlic, , minced (especially wonderful if you use roasted garlic)
  • 1/2 teaspoon Kosher Salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon Ground Black Pepper

Instructions

  • To make the garlic steak butter, combine butter, garlic, salt, and pepper. Transfer the mixture to parchment paper; shape into a log. Roll in parchment to 1 1/2 inches in diameter, twisting the ends to close. Refrigerate until ready to use, up to 1 week.
  • Preheat oven to broil. Place an oven-proof skillet, we prefer to use our Lodge Cast Iron Skillet, in the oven.
  • Using paper towels, pat both sides of the steak dry. This is essential to get a nice caramelization on the steak. Drizzle with olive oil; season with salt and pepper evenly to taste.
  • Remove the skillet from the oven and heat over medium-high heat on the stovetop.
  • Once the pan is hot, place the steak in the middle of the skillet and cook until a dark crust has formed, about 1 minute. Using tongs, flip, and cook for an additional 60 seconds.
  • Remove the skillet from the stove.
  • Place your skillet into the oven and cook until desired doneness is reached, about 4-5 minutes for medium-rare, flipping once. Let rest for 3-5 minutes, tented, not wrapped with foil.
  • Serve immediately with a slice of garlic butter.

Notes

  • *Steaks can be tricky to buy. The ribeye is one of the most flavorful cuts of steak, however a filet, New York or T-bone would work as well.
To reheat,  place leftover steaks on a wire rack set in a rimmed baking sheet and warm them on the middle rack of a 250-degree oven for about 30 minutes.

Nutrition

Serving: 1gCalories: 667kcalCarbohydrates: 2gProtein: 22gFat: 65gSaturated Fat: 29gPolyunsaturated Fat: 34gCholesterol: 148mgSodium: 506mg
Author: Sweet Basil
Course: 100 + BEST Easy Beef Recipes for Dinner
Cuisine: American

This garlic butter steak is first seared on the stove, then finished in the oven. Plus, it's served with the most incredible homemade steak butter. Perfect for a date night at home!

REMEMBER TO SUBSCRIBE TO our FREE Oh Sweet Basil NEWSLETTER AND RECEIVE EASY RECIPES DELIVERED INTO YOUR INBOX EVERY DAY!

When you try a recipe, please use the hashtag #ohsweetbasil on INSTAGRAM for a chance to be featured in our stories!  FOLLOW OH, SWEET BASIL ON FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM | PINTEREST | TWITTER FOR ALL OF OUR LATEST CONTENT, RECIPES AND STORIES.