Ninja Foodi carne asada is a simple but super flavorful dish! Skirt steak is marinated in spices, lime juice and oil and cooked to perfection in your Ninja Foodi air fryer using Air Crisp function. Slice and use it in your favorite meals like burritos, fajitas, tacos or simply with rice and beans.
If you are not in rush i recommend you marinate that steak for at least few hours. Overnight will be great! Skirt steak is my favorite to use in the recipe but nice thin flank steak will work just as well.
Skirt steak is a great inexpensive cut of meat and its pretty tender when cut against the grain. Lime juice is essential for the marinade, it helps tenderizing the meat. I have seen recipes using orange juice instead of lime juice or on top of it.
You can try to marinate Ninja Foodi carne asada in orange juice and let me know in comments section below the recipe card how it turned out. Basically any kind of acidic citrus will work (like lemon).
Recipe ingredients
These are ingredients i used in Ninja foodi carne asada recipe:
- Skirt steak. This kind of steak is usually used in carne asada. You can also try to make it with flank steak. It will work just as great.
- Vegetable oil. Olive oil, avocado or any other oil will work in the recipe.
- Paprika, cumin, oregano, salt and pepper. Ingredients needed to season the meat and for marinade.
- Garlic. Minced or finely chopped fresh garlic will give lots of flavor to the meat.
- Lime. Juice of two limes is used in the recipe. Use only fresh lime, not store bought juice. After all if that’s all you got, go for it.
- Brown sugar. An essential ingredient for that great care asada flavor.
- Cilantro. I used chopped cilantro in the marinade and to top already cooked carne asada.
How to cook ninja foodi carne asada
For this recipe i used skirt steak but you can use a flank steak as well. Pull it our of fridge and rinse with cold running water. Place in to the large ziplock or any other plastic bag you can also just place it in the large bowl.
Add lime juice, cumin, paprika, oregano, olive oil, salt, pepper, minced garlic and chopped cilantro. Close the bag and shake it very well to unsure that all the flavors are well incorporated. If using a bowl, just make sure that every part of the steak is covered in marinade. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap.
Place the meat in the fridge for at least 30 minutes, few hours will be much better. It will allow all the flavors to get into the meat that will unsure fantastic flavor.
Remove the steak from marinade and place it in the Ninja Foodi air fryer basket. No need to add any additional oil to to basket. Use the Air Crisp function and cook for 6 minutes for medium rare and for 10 minutes for medium.
The thickness of the steak varies too as the cooking time. Make sure to use your instant meat thermometer to check the internal temperature of your Ninja Foodi carne asada.
Once out of Ninja Foodi wrap carne asada steak in foil and leave on the counter for about 10 minutes. After, transfer steak to a cutting board and thinly slice against the grain (against the direction that muscle fibers run). This technique will ensure that carne asada will be tender and not chewy.
What is carne asada
Well, carne asada is simply means “grilled meat”. The cooked meat is usually thinly sliced and used in burritos and tacos. You can also simply use it in burrito bowls or just with rice and bean as a platter.
Typically skirt or flank steak is used in carne asada. You can find it in most grocery stores, in the the refrigerated meat section. You can also use frozen meat, just thaw it overnight in the fridge or on the counter for a few hours. Refrigerator method is preferred.
Recipe tips
- For medium rare cook to 135 degrees internal temperature, about 6 minutes.
- For medium cook to 145 degrees internal temperature, about 8-10 minutes.
- Well done carne asada will be at 15 minutes of cooking time (not recommended).
- Slice across the grain.
- Top carne asada with more chopped cilantro before serving.
- After the steak is done, pull it out of the air fryer and tightly wrap in foil. Let it sit on the counter for 10-20 minutes. Don’t skip this step as this allows all the juices incorporate in to the meat.
- Instead of Ninja Foodi you can use any other air fryers to make this air fryer carne asada recipe. They all work the same after all!
Side dishes
As i mentioned before, use this steak in burritos, burrito bowls, tacos and fajitas. Serve a la carte with some rice and beans on the side. Or create your own dish! It could be anything from mashed potatoes to quinoa.
Do no forget to squeeze some of that lime juice right on the meat when its cooked. Delicious!
Leftovers
If you have any leftovers store them in the bag or air tight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. Reheating is tricky because it will cook steak to well done probably.
Anyways, reheat in Ninja Foodi or any other air fryer for about 1 minute. Or for 30 second in microwave (if its already sliced). Best if leftovers are not sliced but a whole piece of meat. This way you can avoid overcooking it while reheating.
More Ninja Foodi recipes
- Ninja Foodi pot roast
- Ninja foodi mashed potatoes
- Ninja foodi red potato salad
- Ninja foodi Southern green beans
and some more…
- Ninja Foodi whole frozen chicken
- Ninja Foodi frozen turkey breast
- Ninja Foodi beets
- Ninja Foodi ham and bean soup
- Ninja foodi shredded chicken
Hope you will like this Ninja Foodi carne asada recipe just like we do. Please rate the recipe if you made it and leave a comment below if you have any questions or suggestions.
Yield: 3
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 8 minutes
Additional Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 43 minutes
Ninja Foodi carne asada is a simple but super flavorful dish! Skirt steak is marinated in spices, lime juice and oil and cooked to perfection in your Ninja Foodi air fryer using Air crisp function. Slice and use it in your favorite meals like burritos, tacos or simply with rice and beans.
Ingredients
- 1 lb skirt steak
- ¼ cup oil
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- 3 cloves garlic
- 2 teaspoon salt
- freshly ground pepper
- 2 limes, juiced
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 1 cup chopped cilantro
Instructions
- Place all the ingredients on the plastic bag, close and shake it very well.
- Marinate in the fridge for at least 30 minutes. Leave overnight if you have time.
- Take steak out of the bag and place in the ninja foodi air fryer basket. Air Crisp at 400 degrees for 6-15 minutes. (see notes)
- Wrap steak in foil and let it sit for 10-20 minutes. Slice across the grain (very important!)
Notes
- For medium rare cook to 135 degrees internal temperature, about 6 minutes.
- For medium cook to 145 degrees internal temperature, about 8-10 minutes.
- Well done carne asada will be at 15 minutes of cooking time (not recommended)
- Slice across the grain.
- Top carne asada with more chopped cilantro before serving.
- Store leftovers in the fridge for up to 5 days in the air tight container.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 3Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving:Calories: 565Total Fat: 41gSaturated Fat: 10gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 29gCholesterol: 90mgSodium: 1543mgCarbohydrates: 11gFiber: 2gSugar: 5gProtein: 38g
