This Pan-Seared Steak has a garlic rosemary-infused butter that makes it taste steakhouse quality. You’ll be impressed at how easy it is to make the perfect steak – seared and caramelized on the outside, and so juicy inside.
Thank you to on behalf of the Beef Checkoff for sponsoring this garlic butter steak recipe. I received compensation, but all opinions are my own.
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As everyone is staying home, working from home and homeschooling, people are cooking way more often and looking to improve their cooking skills. You all have been asking for more simple and delicious recipes that come together fast and have minimal ingredients. This garlic butter steak recipe is so satisfying and will impress your entire family.
The BEST Pan-Seared Steak
This 20-minute recipe is done on the stovetop in one pan (no need to finish it in the oven). This is one of our favorite steak recipes and we make it year-round because it’s such a quick and convenient cooking method. That garlic butter is lip-smacking good! Read on for great tips on how to improve , reduce food waste and you will love our ideas for easy meal prep with leftover steak.
Ingredients for Garlic Butter Steak.
It really doesn’t get any easier than this and you don’t need much to make a lip-smacking good steak. We used 2 New York Strip Steaks (pictured below), each weighing 1 pound and 1 1/4″ thick. Keep in mind a thicker steak will take longer to cook through and a thinner steak will cook faster.
Well-marbled steaks will give you the juiciest results. Our favorite steaks to cook on a skillet are:
- New York Steak
- Filet Mignon (Tenderloin)
- Top Sirloin
- T-Bone/Porterhouse
- Ribeye Steak
How to Pan Sear Steaks:
- Pat dry – use paper towels to pat the steaks dry to get a perfect sear and reduce oil splatter.
- Season generously – just before cooking steaks, sprinkle both sides liberally with salt and pepper.
- Preheat the pan on medium and brush with oil. Using just 1/2 Tbsp oil reduces splatter.
- Sear steaks – add steaks and sear each side 3-4 minutes until a brown crust has formed then use tongs to turn steaks on their sides and sear edges (1 min per edge).
- Add butter and aromatics – melt in butter with quartered garlic cloves and rosemary sprigs. Tilt pan to spoon garlic butter over steaks and cook to your desired doneness (see chart below).
- Remove steak and rest 10 minutes before slicing against the grain.
Pro Tip: We prefer using a large cast-iron pan for best heat conduction, but a large heavy stainless steel pan will also work.
Steak Doneness Temperature Chart:
A steaks internal temperature continues to rise as it rests, so remove steaks from the pan about 5-10 degrees before reaching your desired doneness. Use this chart to determine steak doneness when testing with an instant-read thermometer. For example, if you desire a medium doneness steak, remove it from the pan at 135 degrees F, and it should rise to 140˚F as it rests. The USDA recommends cooking steaks to at least 145 degrees. Read more. Use the following steak temperature chart:
- Medium Rare (soft, dark pink inside): Remove at 125˚F for a final cooked temp of 130˚F
- Medium (soft, some pink inside): Remove at 135˚F for a final temp of 140˚F
- Medium-Well (slightly pink center): Remove at 145˚F for a final temp of 150˚F
- Well Done (very firm, little to no pink): Remove at 155˚F for a final temp of 160˚F
Pro Tip: Check the temperature using an instant-read thermometer, inserting it horizontally into the side of the steak, so it penetrates the thickest part of the center of the steak (without touching the bone or fat portions).
What to Serve with Steaks:
Steak is so versatile but our favorite sides for making the perfect steak dinner are:
- Roasted Asparagus or Roasted Brussels Sprouts
- Creamy Mashed Potatoes
- Oven-roasted Baby Red Potatoes.
- Another classic steak pairing is Corn on the Cob.
- Chimichurri Sauce is a quick way to add tons of flavor
Pro Tips for the Best Steak:
- Preheat pan 5 minutes before adding steak for a great sear with good color and flavor.
- Press steak down just as it hits the pan to ensure steak makes contact with the surface of the pan.
- Loosely cover and rest steaks on a cutting board 10 minutes before slicing so they don’t dry out.
- Don’t slice too thin, or the steak cools too quickly.
- Slice steak against the grain and at an angle for a steakhouse presentation
How to Buy and Store Beef:
We love buying larger packages of beef, which are often a better value in price per pound. Once we have our meal plan for the week figured out, we refrigerate what we plan to cook within 3-4 days and freeze the rest. To preserve the quality of our steaks, we vacuum seal since air is the enemy of food. If you don’t have a vacuum sealer, you can also use a freezer-safe zip bag and squeeze out as much air as possible before freezing. To reduce waste, follow these guidelines:
- Refrigerate Steaks (at 40˚F) for 3-4 days from purchase date
- Freeze Steaks for 6-12 months*
- Refrigerate or freeze right after purchasing
- Place in freezer bags removing as much air as possible, or vacuum seal.
Steak Meal Prep:
Did you know 40% of all food brought home in America goes uneaten? Some of the things we do to reduce waste are to eat what we have in our kitchen and also to repurpose leftovers. Leftover steak is perfect for meal planning. Cooked beef can be refrigerated for 3-4 days or frozen 2-3 months. We love using leftover steak to meal prep Steak Cobb Salad in reusable to-go containers. Here are some more great ideas for using up leftover steak:
- Dice or thinly slice cooked steak for tacos or Steak Fajitas
- Whip up some easy Cheesesteak Quesadillas
- Make a quick Philly Cheesesteak Sandwich
Love Beef? Visit for more great dinner inspiration and recipes.
Pan-Seared Steak with Garlic Butter

Ingredients
- 2 lbs New York Strip Steaks (2 steaks), or Ribeye or Top Sirloin Steaks (1 lb each steak, 1 1/4” thick)
- 1/2 Tbsp vegetable oil, or any high heat cooking oil like canola or extra light olive oil
- 1 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 1 tsp black pepper, freshly ground
- 2 Tbsp unsalted butter
- 2 cloves garlic, peeled and quartered
- 1 sprig fresh rosemary
Instructions
- Thoroughly pat steak dry with paper towels. Just before cooking, generously season with 1 1/2 tsp salt and 1 tsp black pepper
- Heat the cast iron pan until hot then add 1/2 Tbsp oil over medium-high heat, swirling to coat. Once the oil is very hot, add steaks to the skillet. Sear the steaks on the first side for 4 minutes until a brown crust has formed then flip and cook another 3-4 minutes. Using tongs, turn the steak on its sides to render the white fat and sear the edges (1-minute per edge).
- Reduce heat to medium and immediately add 2 Tbsp butter, quartered garlic cloves and rosemary to the pan. Spoon the butter sauce over the steak, tilting the pan to get butter on your spoon. Continue spooning the sauce over the steak for a minute or until the steak is about 5-10 degrees from your desired doneness (the temperature will continue to rise another 5-19 degrees while steaks rest).
- Transfer steak to a cutting board, loosely cover and rest 10 minutes before slicing into 1/2" strips to serve. Spoon extra butter sauce over sliced steak to serve.
Notes
- Medium Rare: Remove at 125˚F for a final cooked temperature of 130˚F
- Medium: Remove at 135˚F for a final temp of 140˚F
- Medium-Well: Remove at 145˚F for a final temp of 150˚F
- Well Done: Remove at 155˚F for a final temp of 160˚F
Nutrition Per Serving
Filed Under
If you make this recipe, I’d love to see pics of your creations on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter! Hashtag them #natashaskitchen
This recipe is awesome and works out great in my Iron Skillet my Grandmother gave me ! I use a ton of butter though .Lol
I have used this recipe twice within a 10 day period because my daughter loved it!!! I was always hesitant about making steak but this recipe was super easy & so tasty that I will definitely keep.
That’s so great to hear, Sally!
Wonderful recipe and so easy. I made steaks tonight for dinner and they came out perfect. My family said they were so good. I loved and used so many of your recipes and they were all easy and delicious.
Thanks Natasha.
Are you certain you’ve been eating medium rare steaks with those figures?. For medium rare you should pull the steak around 126 degrees F and it will rise to 129 degrees resting. Pulling the steak at 140 should result in Medium Well Done. Pulling at 149 should result in Well Done. Do you really cook it to 170 for well done and 140 for medium rare? This blows my mind.
Hi Andy, those figured were the official ones that were given to me by the Beef Council. I think the numbers are higher than what many people think of but I collaborated with them on this post and those are technically correct.
First time making in a black skillet! Christmas Day meal amazing so amazing. My skillet was gently used and a gift from my Dad. He would have loved these.
The best ever recipe for cooking steak !!
Thank you
You’re very welcome. So glad you love it!
I cooked a sirloin steak using this recipe and it turned out excellent! I am often accused of over-cooking steaks on the grill; this method is more foolproof and resulted in medium-rare steaks nicely done. Will definitely use this recipe again!
So glad you loved it, Jack!
Great and simple recipe. I am a novice steak maker and it still turned out tasty. Family approved!
I am telling you the secret to the VERY BEST steaks. Open package of steaks and pat dry. Put them in a container that will let air circulate around them. Put them in your refrigerator overnight UNcovered to dry out. The next day before cooking lay them out, you can season them at this point, let them come to room temperature.
NOW follow this wonderful recipe. It was delicious.
The butter garlic steak came out delicious thank you for all of your great recipes as I been following you for years but this is first time commenting l am a diabetic and sometimes have to adjust the ingredients but they still taste great if possible I would love for you to post more diabetic recipes and thanks
I never comment but this recipe was spot on!! I’ve been trying to find the right recipe for cast iron Steak as I don’t have a grill and I’m am beyond pleased! I made this with garlic herb potatoes and added thyme and I could not be happier! 10/10 will use again!
Hi Leah! Thank you so much for taking the time to leave feedback. I’m glad you loved it.