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Juicy Flavorful Marinated Steak Kabobs
Fire up the grill!
These easy marinated Steak Kabobs are great cooked over charcoal or on a gas grill and only take minutes to cook. With everything prepped ahead these delicious and flavorful kabobs can be on the table in about 15 minutes!
If you’re a fan of our popular steak marinade, you’ll like this similar recipe too! It’s so simple and easy and made with pantry ingredients you probably already have on hand.
The marinade takes only 5 minutes to make. Add the steak cubes and refrigerate for at least an hour or up to 4 hours before grilling. So simple, so easy and sooooo delicious!
Ingredients overview
For the marinade:
- soy sauce
- canola oil
- Worcestershire sauce
- brown sugar – we use dark if we have it on hand
- garlic
- ground black pepper
- balsamic vinegar
- red pepper flakes (optional)
For the kabobs:
- thick cut steaks like sirloin, ribeye or New York strip
- red, green or yellow bell pepper cut into 1 1/2 inch pieces
- red onion
- mushrooms
- small tomatoes or large cherry tomatoes
- lime wedges for serving (optional)
- chopped parsley leaves for garnish
How to make steak kabobs
1. Make the Steak Kabob Marinade
First combine all the marinade ingredients in a large zipper bag. Remove 2 tablespoons to a small bowl and add 1 tablespoon additional oil. This will be used on the vegetables; set aside.
2. Prep the steak
Trim the thick cut steaks of visible fat and cut into 1 1/2 inch cubes. Add to the zipper bag with the marinade and refrigerate for at least 1 hour and up to 4 hours, turning occasionally.
3. Assemble and grill the steak kabobs
Clean and cut the vegetables into 1 1/2-inch pieces. Toss the vegetables with the reserved marinade. You don’t need to marinate the vegetables. That little bit of oil helps develop a nice char and flavor.
Drain the beef and discard the marinade. Thread skewers with a mushroom, a cube of beef, a stack of onion, another beef cube, red pepper, beef and then a tomato.
Repeat with remaining skewers alternating beef and vegetables. Brush or drizzle any remaining vegetable marinade over the skewers. Set aside while prepping the grill.
For a charcoal grill prep in a stack and light. Allow the charcoal to heat until coated in a thin layer of gray ash. Spread the charcoal and grill over the hot coals.
Preheat a gas grill on high. Brush the grates to clean then coat with vegetable oil soaked paper towels. Repeat until grates are well oiled.
Grill the kabobs directly on the hot grate. Turn and cook until grill marked and medium-rare, about 2-3 minutes per side for a total of about 9 to 10 minutes.
4. Serve
Transfer the kabobs to a large platter. Serve with a squeeze of fresh lime juice and garnish with fresh chopped parsley leaves if desired.
Steak Kabobs are great for entertaining
These steak kabobs have been a family favorite for more than a decade. They’re really simple to make, quick cooking and easily adapted to your favorite vegetables making them great for company or a weeknight dinner.
Have a few extra skewers and vegetables on hand in case you end up with extra steak cubes. Depending on how large you cut the cubes, you may have a few or enough to make 10 skewers.
How to serve Steak Kabobs
You can serve Steak Kabobs with just about anything that goes well with grilled meats. We love a fresh green salad with a nice tangy vinaigrette dressing.
A simple baked potato will make your meat and potato folks very happy too. Our Creamy Potato Salad is another favorite that can be made up to a day in advance.
Steamed or boiled corn on the cob is always a great choice with steak, or a nice Mexican Street Corn Salad.
Don’t forget to squeeze some fresh lime juice over the kabobs just before serving. That little touch of acidity really ads a nice zing!
Options and variations
This recipe is easily adapted to your favorite vegetables. Not a mushroom lover? No worries. Just skip the mushrooms and add thick slices of a small zucchini instead.
Red bell pepper is my personal favorite, but if you have green or yellow on hand those will work well too.
Some like it sweet
For a sweeter version add fresh grated ginger and a few tablespoons of pineapple juice to the marinade. Replace the mushrooms with pineapple chunks and cook as directed.
Grilled pineapple is terrific in both sweet and savory recipes and adds a nice tropical vibe to this beef kabob recipe.
The best cuts of beef for steak kabobs
There’s no right or wrong when it comes to steaks and kabobs. I usually look for a small thick cut sirloin roast that can be easily cubed.
You can ask your butcher what he recommends but anything at least 1 1/2-inches thick works well. If they don’t have any thick cut steaks in the case, be sure to ask. I’m sure they’d be happy to help.
Besides top sirloin steaks, New York strip, blade steak and ribeyes are also good. However, blade steak or flat iron steak may not be as thick cut as sirloin.
You can fold three-inch long chunks of thinner blade steak in half before threading tightly on the skewer. This helps ensure it won’t over cook.
If you already have steaks on hand, I’m sure they will work fine.
Thanks for PINNING!
Marinated Steak Kabobs
Equipment
- 8 metal skewers or wooden skewers soaked in water to prevent burning
Ingredients
For the marinade:
- ⅓ cup soy sauce (94g or 3¼ oz)
- ⅓ cup canola oil plus 1 tablespoon divided (2 ½ oz or 70g)
- 3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce (1¾ oz or 51g)
- 2 tablespoons dark brown sugar (28g)
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
For the kabobs:
- 2 lbs thick cut steaks trimmed of fat and cut into 1 ½-inch cubes (sirloin, ribeye or New York strip all work well)
- 1 large red bell pepper halved, cored and cut into chunks
- 1 large red onion with ends trimmed, peeled, halved lengthwise and cut into 1 ½-inch chunks
- 8 large mushrooms cleaned with tough stems trimmed
- 8 small tomatoes
- lime wedges for serving (optional)
- chopped parsley leaves for garnish
Instructions
- Combine all marinade ingredients in a one gallon zipper bag. Remove 2 tablespoons to a small measuring cup and add 1 tablespoon of oil. Cover and set aside for vegetables.
- Add the cubed steak to the marinade in the zipper bag and toss to coat evenly. Refrigerate for 1 hour or up to 4 hours, turning occasionally.
When ready to grill the kabobs:
- Prepare the vegetables and toss in a large bowl with the reserved marinade and oil mixture.
- Drain the beef, discarding the marinade. Prepare eight to ten 12-inch metal skewers. Thread each skewer with a mushroom, a cube of beef, a stack of onion, another beef cube, red pepper, beef and then a tomato. Repeat with remaining skewers. Brush or drizzle any remaining marinade from the vegetable bowl over the skewers.
- Preheat a gas grill on high. Brush the grates to clean. Using long tongs coat the grates with folded paper towels soaked in vegetable oil. Repeat until the grates are well oiled.
- Grill the kabobs directly over the hot side of the grill and turn the kabobs until the meat is well browned, grill marked and cooked to medium-rare about 2-3 minutes per side for a total of about 9 to 10 minutes.
- Transfer the kabobs to a large platter. Serve with a squeeze of lime juice and garnish with parsley if desired.
Recipe Notes
Nutrition
Tasty and delicious Marinated Steak Kabobs
Don’t let grilling season pass you by without trying these easy and flavorful beef kabobs. These are also easily adapted to your favorite veggies and steak.
Prep everything ahead then all you have to do is grill. These cook in under 15 minutes so you don’t have to spend too much time standing at the grill.
Perfect for entertaining, easy to make and even leftovers are delicious.
More recipes to love
For chicken lovers try our Chipotle Honey Grilled Chicken Skewers and our Grilled Chicken Skewers with a Sweet Sriracha Glaze.
For the vegetarian in your family serve a pile of our favorite Chopped Grilled Vegetables. It’s another terrific option that will make the whole family happy!
Originally published July 2013, updated August 2022
Blond Duck
Man, I just talked myself out of buying these at the grocery store. They were having a sale!
Wendy
I’m printing out this recipe quickly (assuming it doesn't make my printer explode or crash or die) before some other mysterious force makes it disappear. 🙂
Gerry @Foodness Gracious
Saliva producing pics as always me lady! Love that awesome dish too…
Monica
These kabobs look insanely moist and succulent. I'm sold!
Chris Scheuer
Tricia, this sounds SO good!
Angie Schneider
Good that you have fixed the problem and we finally got a chance looking at those fingerlickingly delicious kabobs!
Abbe@This is How I Cook
Those are fantastic pictures. I wish my good ones would be as good as your bad ones. At least what I imagine them to be. I'm sure it would be a major improvement! And I love the sound of that marinade!
Tanna at The Brick Street Bungalow
Sounds fantastic and I'm really having a great time grilling lately (new grill. Yea!). Thank you, Tricia! Hope you have a wonderful week, too. blessings ~ tanna<br />ps I imagine I'd love even the things you are labeling "failures"!
Anna and Liz Recipes
Hye Tricia! These kabobs look delicious! I think I will be making them soon! <br />Have a great day!
Big Dude
The kebabs look very good Tricia. Thanks for sharing the recipe with us.